"A new bead project that needs some inspiration" Topic

I found some beads at a local craft store. They looked cool so I couldn't resist buying them.

However, now I can't really think of much to do with them. I thought I would ask this group of folks for some thoughts.

I put together a monolith kind of thing that will work for 6mm and 15mm games, but need more ideas.

link

Small flying saucers?

Be sure to save some for VSF terrain in 28mm; they're big, but do look like jugs and vases and amphorae.

Great for populating a market scene; I've a bunch in 'clay' colors bought, but never used for same. Thought I'd already mentioned…

Anyway, stack a few of the above, tall on squat rounded, and you have main hull on engine spaces. One of the smallest, flat beads could be the reaction end. Maybe small rod added in front for 'gun'.

However, looks more Martian aether flyer to me. Aeronef in Space, don't you know.

Doug

Edit: Actually, the monolith, on it's side, tarted up as mentioned above, would work better than I imagined. I always thought the center piece should be sliced in half the flat way, and used as wall signs in an alien language.

Damn Martians again, don't you know.

pillars for the long rectangle ones. a few look like they could be painted like stone and work well there imo. others look like they'd work for embellishments on dwellings

Connected by thin wire they could be some sort of alien vegetation.

Marketplace terrain, funerary/memorial urns, parts of fancy columns, components of a Victorian scifi infernal machine. The little beaded rings look like they'd make pretty good small scale Stargate/teleportal rings, either horizontal or vertical. The fancy cylinder ones (like the piece near the left border) are the spitting image of an umbrella holder my grandparents used to own.

You'll find those beads and others on some of my terrain sets – link link link link link

Urns and jars for a alien tomb, noble's palace, shrine, temple.

Depending how long some are alien coffins

Alien artifacts

Jungle trail markers

Territory markers

Not sure about those but some beads make for great alien plant life.

The larger, squat, round ones at the bottom of the pic, and the tubular ones with the "slit eyes" have a sort of "African" feel to me. Glue some combo of those on a stick, paint them tan or grey, and you have "Darkest Africa" totems, pillars, posts, etc.

Man, those would be great for making starships with. You could have a good-sized fleet for Full Thrust or Starmada in no time.

Sean, I forgot to mention I also found some at Michael's that have differing colors, and some have handsome blue, others red[coral], with black markings similar to Chinese ornamental pots I've seen.

I've a metric bu**load somewhere, and can share if you wish. You can truthfully tell Amy 'it's a project for Doug…' ;->=

Doug

Edit: I will say this bright, shiny stuff would be better in a treasure horde. 'As Sir Randall stepped into the black emptiness of the newly opened tomb, his torch light danced upon the piles of glittering treasure.'

The terracotta and 'antiqued' bronze colored beads I have would be more at home in a marketplace, unless they're the things being sold.

Columns! Lots of columns. Topped with the saucer pieces.

Dan

Some of the round flanged variety or the squat cylindrical ones would work as carved stone or cast metal mace heads for an ogre or troll or similar large creature, just attach it to a thick piece of wire or some such suitable handle, and glue it into the hand of your favorite Minotaur/ogre/giant lizard man/big and scary primitive alien…

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Drones of an ancient, alien species of metallic, chitinous roboids, controlled by a networked zeitgeist/gestalt/groupmind, newly arrived in this sector and drunk on the ravings of the Illumined Ones.

I used them for urns and jar and the such, they worked out great
link

They could be dressed up, placed on stands and become mines, escape pods, message buoys or marker buoys for spaceship games.

They would be great for scratchbuilding a rather ornate starship mini.

yeah, good start, are they all the beads in the pics? if you had more straight piece you could do columns, they are interesting beads.

Sorry, Sean, looked back at the blog and…

" I need to find some way to cap it off. I'm thinking about a round bead or I could put a circle cut from plasticard. Any ideas? "

Actually, the hole by itself isn't bad; could be something missing. One of the round beads with a small dowel could be sitting on the ground, beside.

However, a bit of flame at the top could make it a torch.
Good for temples or movie-style jungle paths…

Doug

Great stuff guys. Columns/totems are easy. I will probably do several of those. I might also save a few for some spaceship parts.

@Legion 4: Nice terrain. I love the alien plant life.

@Bandit86: I like your dungeon stuff. Very impressive. What did you use as "lids" on those pots? Is it just scratch built?

@TheBeast: I like the idea of flames coming out. I might have to explore that. And I think I will make a sign out of the angular bead. I've a couple ideas for how to do that.

Thanks again for the ideas.

Thanks sean !

don't be afraid to use a dremmel cutting wheel to bisect a round bead to make a "cap" for the ends of your pillars. Even if you screw up, it's just a bead, try again with another

I know this is for Terrain but some of the smaller flat round ones or the round rhomboid ones might even be used as wheels.

Z

Oooo, ornamental carts!

BNR, you ain't lied yet! You have to worry a bit about a chip taking off some of the metallic skin, but then you just grind it down a little flatter.

It's just been sloth that I've not tried cutting the 'script' bead in half. I think it'd look kick on the side of the bow of a Martian air skiff.

Doug

Thread onto rods to make modular appearing space ships?

@Sean68333 the lids are just the beads with a B.B. on top stuck in the hole

Brilliant! As we've said, we've these beads in many colors, but the copper bb's would work perfectly!

Doug

I went to your blog and tried to post there first, but failed. Not sure why Google doesn't like me, but that's a separate issue . . .

You were looking for ideas on what to put on top. If you had a small figure of the right size, maybe something South or East Asian inspired, you could make it a plinth for a fancy statue. If this came up before I apologize. Since I read it on your blog I just skimmed a little here.

Anyway, it's lovely. Lots of good ideas. Might need to go buy me some beads.

If you had a small figure of the right size,

Brings to mind some game pegs; doesn't Game of Life have people pegs? Middle America, but could be painted up as something else.

Somewhat bigger, Risk has figures with small round bases to fit the holes, though black-powder-on figs would require a bit more work…

Thanks!

Doug