Schogun | 11 Apr 2015 12:30 p.m. PST |
I don't want to spend big bucks on a terrain mat. So what material is good for desert terrain? Two directions -- (1) flat material with hills, etc. on *top* and (2) material with some weight to it that will contour/drape over hills, etc. underneath. Canvas (too heavy?) Felt Printed fabric (but maybe too lightweight for option 2?) Thanks |
pzivh43 | 11 Apr 2015 12:46 p.m. PST |
Option 2 is my preferred one. Go to JoAnne's Fabric store. Ask clerk for felt or plush fur material. Plush fur will be more expensive. I'd stay away from canvas or a cotton fabric. |
timurilank | 11 Apr 2015 12:52 p.m. PST |
I have three game mats for desert, arable and sea battles. if you prefer option two, then I would recommend a visit to a fabric shop that offers what looks like brushed leather. These come in a variety of colour including desert yellow. I had thought about this option, but the material I use now was the right price. |
War In 15MM | 11 Apr 2015 1:01 p.m. PST |
I use a cheap indoor-outdoor carpet that I found years ago on a close-out sale. You can see it in my Sudan gallery at warin15mm.com/The-Sudan.html |
Andy ONeill | 11 Apr 2015 1:20 p.m. PST |
Really cheap carpet is good. The sort which has like 2mm of foam underneath and very short pile. sort of tan coloured carpet is well in fashion and you can often find "offcuts" cheap which are cheaper than felt. Almost nobody has a 6 by 4 room they want carpeting so the size a gamer wants is a useless offcut to many shops. If you're going to put stuff under then the old style underlay which has brown paper backing. You can paint it easy and the underlay evens out edges from your books etc under it. |
Mako11 | 11 Apr 2015 1:36 p.m. PST |
Fabric, and/or a king-sized sheet (surprisingly, sometime less expensive than fabric), of the desired color. Lots of choices. I use a desert tan, but you can use a more yellow, or orange color too. Even a pinkish hue for some areas. Drape the above over a carpet underlay material, or an old blanket. Put Styrofoam, or other items underneat, to represent hills, ridges, etc. If purchasing at Joanne's, use a coupon to save 40%, or more on your purchase. They accept competitors' discount coupons too. |
Extra Crispy | 11 Apr 2015 2:23 p.m. PST |
There is a lightweight cotton fabric that looks like the background in school portraits with a mottled patters. There is a tan/light brown version that is dirt cheap (usually $3 USD-4/yard) and the cloth is 6' wide (or a hair narrower). Put it over an old drab blanket for option 2. |
Stryderg | 11 Apr 2015 2:29 p.m. PST |
I don't know what fabric runs at a sewing shop, but a painter's drop cloth (6x9 feet, 10 ounce) ran me $13 USD at Lowes. The 8 ounce is under $10. USD I got mine to be used as a drop cloth for painting, but I was thinking desert terrain when I picked it up. |
dwight shrute | 11 Apr 2015 2:46 p.m. PST |
I used some of this … I think it matches your needs above fairly well . . auction |
Major Mike | 11 Apr 2015 3:10 p.m. PST |
I found some 4'x 6'ish canvas paint tarps at my local Home Depot in a two pack for about 10 bucks. They work fine as they are tannish type plain color. |
hindsTMP | 11 Apr 2015 3:55 p.m. PST |
Have you considered modular (say 2x2 foot) foam scenery, covered with latex paint? It is a common Model Railroading scenery technique these days. |
zoneofcontrol | 11 Apr 2015 6:54 p.m. PST |
I'll second pzivh43 above. I went to my local Jo-Anne Fabrics store and purchased some cloth to simulate the texture and color of the flooded river/marsh area for a Normandy '44 D-Day game. You can easily find any color and texture of material and often cheaply. There are roll ends, miss-cuts, close outs, etc. that can be had cheaply. And, Duh! – Stryderg & Major Mike, I am a rental property owner and have some drop cloths for apartment painting jobs, and never thought of them that way. Thanks. |
Extra Crispy | 11 Apr 2015 7:07 p.m. PST |
Drop cloths always look like cloth to me because they are so coarse. Maybe covered with lichen, roads and whatnot they would look good, dunno. |
Lion in the Stars | 11 Apr 2015 8:01 p.m. PST |
One of the ideas I've seen has been to buy a dropcloth, and some brown/tan silicone caulk. Use a squeegee to work the caulk into the cloth and add some model RR ground foam for grass. |
blacksoilbill | 12 Apr 2015 2:57 a.m. PST |
I use a painters drop cloth. Paint a chocolate brown and scatter sand all over. Give it another coat of chocolate brown, then dry brush with a desert yellow, progressively highlighting. You can see mine in action here: link It is flexible enough to go over hills nicely. |
warhawkwind | 12 Apr 2015 7:41 a.m. PST |
Felt, and spray it well with 50/50 water/Elmers glue. Sprinkle fine flock or sand on it. Spray again. Takes a day to dry, but for the money its a great look. This should work on any cloth too. |
Mark 1 | 12 Apr 2015 9:44 p.m. PST |
I go for canvas, with corrugated cardboard cut-outs (cut up box sides) underneath to give relief, and pastels to shade slopes and draw in roads, waterways, etc.
Here is a game-board I made using the techniques described above for a battle at the Tunisian village of Hir Moussa in the Ousseltia Valley in January of 1942.
Here is the board seen from the other side … the first turn of the game, when all units are still "hidden", and so represented by face-down paper chits. You are the Italian commander, with the chits in front of you on the ridge line and in the agricultural fields representing a company of infantry, a company of tanks, and a Saharianna recon detatchment, looking at a village held by a French force of unknown strength and composition. It was a pretty good game. Came out looking pretty good to me. -Mark (aka: Mk 1) |
LostPict | 13 Apr 2015 5:39 a.m. PST |
I use a cheap drop cloth that I painted with tan/brown splotches that I scatter a mix of coarse / fin buff ballast and a bit of burnt yellow grass from Woodland Scenics: link
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blacksoilbill | 13 Apr 2015 6:35 a.m. PST |
I like it. That looks great. |