"The best Hobbit Tables I’ve ever seen!" Topic

You have got to check these tables out by Ontario Hobbit Adventures. They are the best looking Tournament tables I have ever seen. Clearly a lot of work went into them.

Original post… link

Below are just a couple samples, but be sure to visit the original article to see even more mind-blowing gaming tables!

These tables are awesome! They were all set up for a Tournament at the Hotlead Gaming Convention in Stratford, Ontario, Canada just a few weeks ago.

I managed to get the pictures before the players arrived so you can imagine any number of the games on these tables and appreciate them for their beauty without figures in the way.

Original post… link

Nice looking tables. Somebody has some skill.

Impressive!

Those are works of art.

Those are all excellent.

Wicked!!!!

The thing I've learned over time when seeing great-looking boards like these is to realize that there's really no advanced techniques used to make this kind of terrain. It's still at the end of the day layers of insulation foam glued and painted.

Lots of work for sure, but certainly can be achieved with a little time and effort. It's just the same as making basic terrain multiplied by a few layers.

The gap between playing on a piece of green felt and tables like these is really not that wide.

Baranovich,

I think your down playing the amount of work, skill, and money involved in boards like this. This is not just a few steps past felt. I'm not saying it's magic, but this is enormous amount of effort put into boards like these.

"No advanced technique"? Sorry that's just wrong.

There are advanced techniques on a number of those boards. I wish it was as simple as Baran said but it isn't. Some nice work there!!

Amazing.

Several of the tables on the link seem inspired by LOTRO (Lord of the Rings Online video game). I haven't played that in a number of years, but I remember some of those locations.

I think Baranovich was trying to say, if you really want a table like that, you shouldn't be discouraged -- you can build one yourself.

I get what he's saying. Those buildings are probably available as kits, and the techniques for the model hills, woods, etc are available online from many sources. Certainly significant effort went into these tables and the results are beautiful, but if you had the components and the time, you could get close.

Yeah, a little bit of work can go a long way. But some effects (the water running out from under the building!) may take a bit more investment.

andy

WOW!!! Beautiful!

They look lovely I'm sure they would be fun to play on.

I think the reason most of us don't have tables like that is they aren't flexible enough for most gamers with a range of different games and periods to play with.

Unless you have a lot of storage space and a desire to build themed battlefields for lots of games then a gaming mat and scatter terrain is just a better use of your resources even if it doesn't look as nice as those gaming boards.

+1 CeruLucifus.

+1 CeruLucifus, Agree! I don't think Baranovich is trying to belittle anything here. Just stating "You too, can do this…"

Some talent was applied to those boards. I'm impressed.

Very nice….

Very impressive, and I agree the crafter deserves kilokudos, perhaps even a megakudo or two.

Baranovich is absolutely right that lovely results can be made from the most prosaic items, and all it takes is attention and care. However, I actually hold an opinion between his and Xintao's – while it's true that nice looking terrain is often simply made, there is an aesthetic sense that some people have in greater measure, and they will be able to achieve more with the same components than others.

I use almost literally all the same components and techniques as Mark Luther, but my terrain doesn't look nearly as nice, in person or in photos.

I am likewise deeply impressed by the stunning results Jeff Knudsen achieves from pedestrian beginnings, but am unable to match his eye for colors, shapes, or finished impressions. Consider this photo:

Nearly everything you see here could be made from pieces sourced from a hardware store, office supply store, or back yard (excepting the crew figures and trees). I would have rejected many of the pieces out of hand – the ocean color is too light, the trees are too large, the foliage is too green, the palms are too scraggly, paper buildings are too "featureless", the rocks are too big, the hills are in distinct levels instead of rolling smoothly, etc. – and I'd be wrong. That scene is just gorgeous, and just looking at it, I can imagine the breeze on my cheek and squint in my eyes. (It's not just good photography, either – that table looked just as nice in person.)

Some people are just better at this stuff.

- Ix

Those buildings are probably available as kits

I pretty sure a lot of them are Hirst Arts. Question is are they molded in plaster or resin, I could not say.

The first table may have used the directions and templates from an older White Dwarf article.

I've talked to the guy who created the tables in the past and you are right that he uses Hirst Arts Moulds, but I think he does a lot of custom work too. I could not tell you if he uses plaster or resin, but his tables are certainly a work of art!

Those Hobbit players were so lucky to play their tournament on them. Imagine going to a tournament and seeing all these tables so nicely done. Just Awesome!!!

Some of those are just as flexible as others, being flat surface with buildings, hills, trees laid out.

Others are 3D by nature, and more fixed. A modular system can help with that. I use Geo-Hex to sculpt out the main lay of the land. But then you have hex cracks everywhere.

andy

Beautiful!

can I come over and play!

Jim Selzer, if you are in Ontario or near the USA/Canada boarder, maybe you can. It looks like they have upcoming events in Chatham (near Michigan) and London (right in the middle between Detroit and Toronto).

Their Facebook page is… facebook.com/ohasbg

I have to say… yes, definitely.. some of those tables are inspired by LOTRO the video game…. all are beautiful and all are worthy of praise!!!!

And yes… you can do these things…. it just takes finding the right materials sometimes.

Oh no, you misunderstand me.

I'm not meaning to minimize the hard work put into amazing terrain boards like these.

What I'm saying is that a lot of potential gamers/modelers might look at these boards and think there's no way they could ever achieve anything like that, that it's due to some kind of rare artistic talent, and so they stay with blocky or more basic, partly unfinished terrain and live with it.

Terrain like this isn't about art or being artistic. It's about mechanical techniques and use of the correct materials.

I've learned that boards like these are fundamentally just all the basic techniques of terrain building built up in multiple layers. There's no big secret or hidden technique in these boards. You can make them if you are willing to follow all necessary steps to make all the layers that achieve the final effect!