Not Enough or Too Much? (Table Terrain Setup)

Most games that require terrain such as Flames of War require enough to fill a 6'x4' table. Setting up the table so that it is 'fair' to both the attacker and the defender is key.

Today I offer some tips in setting up tables for Flames of War, but this can be used for any other tabletop wargame. Make do with what you have and use some of the pictures as guidelines.

Our House (....in the middle of our street)

Table layout plays an important part of any game. Whether you are playing an old school game of Monopoly where the bank has to be laid out just right, or Flames of War, it all comes down to planning. Preparing a table layout with very little terrain isn't much fun and the same goes for having too much. How can you move around the board and find the enemy or have any fun? The answer is simple, balance. It's a fine line you need to learn, whether you are having friends over for a weekend gaming session, or you are setting up tournament tables, balancing terrain over a 6'x4' surface takes time.

Open sides with a little bit of everything in the center makes for a balanced table where there is something in every table quarter for either player. It also helps focus the action, as both commanders will be vying for territory. The biggest issue with setting up a gaming table is terrain, the simple fact is whether or not you have enough to make up a full table or even two without spending a lot of money. You may have a ton of buildings, but no roads, mountains/hills or any type of trees. What then? Being creative in your setup with a few buildings can make for an excellent table.

It's Table Time!!

A few weeks ago during Friday Night Fights, there was some discussion about my gaming table and a few of the guys thought it would be good to turn my modular table into a 'how-to' type post for the blog. I took some video and some pictures, so everything you are about to see is easy to do and best of all, CHEAP!! I think I ended up spending maybe $40 for all the wood and the legs for this project. Feel free to leave any questions you may have and I hope a few of you build your own table to use with your mates on your next gaming night!

Materials and Tools Required

• Wood Glue
• Wood Saw (Power Saw or Table Saw)
• #2 Phillips Screwdriver
• Measuring Tape
• C-Clamps x3 (I used 3" Spring Loaded Clamps)
• Wood Screws (At Least 1.5" or 2" Long)
• (2x) 1"x3"x6' Table Rails
• (2x) 1"x4"x6' Main Table Support
• (4x) 1"x2"x4' Crossmember
• (3x) 1/4"x2'x4' MDF Boards
• (4x) Removable Legs

The Build
Lay everything out on the floor so you have all the edges lined up and the table ends are FLUSH. I left the center MDF board out so you can see how it should look before you start putting everything together.

LAYING IT ALL OUT FIRST ENSURES YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO BEGIN YOUR BUILD

A THIN STRIP OF GLUE ALL THE WAY DOWN THE EDGE

Once you have that, take one of the 1"x3"x6' pieces and put glue all the way down the one side as shown in the picture above. Line up the edges of the 1"x4"x6' piece and ensure they are flush before you clamp them in place. Once you have them glued and clamped in place, let them dry for a few hours or as directed by the wood glue you used. I did mine late the night before I built the rest of the table. Go play some World of Tanks or muck about on EasyArmy to kill time!

World of Not Painting and FnF

With some well deserved time off of work, I have been busy painting, reading, and trying to get some things done around the house. With the arrival of my parents from the east coast of Canada, I need to get this all out of the way and finished so I can make my way to Historicon relatively 'guilt' free.
Having time off and having friends living close to downtown, it's easy to get a game in at Boutique FDB's (Freres de Bataille) new store. Obviously with the french name, it's a short trip over the bridge into Gatineau Quebec, where they recently moved into their newer, brighter and roomier space. Dennis and myself were eager to trial our Historicon lists and generally talk about our other passion at the moment, World of Not Painting, also known as World of Tanks to everyone else in the Flames of War, or PC gaming community. If you're not a PC gamer, the Xbox 360 will soon have it as well, I know the July 4th weekend was the BETA for the game and so far has had great reviews. The game however will be hosted on a separate server, so right now Xbox vs. PC for World of Tanks is a no go for Wargaming.net

Most Tank Battles End Up Like This

Every Painful Detail, pt 23: Heavy Gear

As Game Summit gets closer, work on the last of the Arena tables now begins.

This is kind of a reboot for the Every Painful Detail series. I'll be making more entries up until the last table is done.

Every Painful Detail, pt 22: Terrain

Here's a look at some of the terrain I'm useful recently, the techniques, and explanations of why I do certain things.

Every Painful Detail, pt 21: Playtesting

A short look at a very small Fantasy tournament I had at my place to see how people like the tables I've been working on.

Twentieth torturous video

Every Painful Detail, pt 20: The Crik
Water goes in the crik. Everyone knows that.

Those stupid videos just keep coming

Every Painful Detail, pt 19: Thank God I'm a Country Boy

The Farm Table is close enough to finished that I'm calling it.

Every Painful Detail, pt 17 & 18: Farmville

Here are two videos about the latest table, which is a farm.

Yeeha!

Pt 17: Farmville


Part 18: More Farmville

Every Painful Detail, pt 16: Mixed Flock

The "quarry" no longer looks like a quarry.

Every Painful Detail, pt 15: The Quarry

Only lacking one finishing touch.



Are you getting tired of these yet?

Every Painful Detail pt 14: Back in Black

I hit the sack.

Every Painful Detail pts 13 and 14

Off to try some new stuff.

Pt 13: Cleansing the palette
Taking a break from the Necropolis to start another project that should go by quickly.



Pt 14: Quick Work
See? It doesn't take long to make a game table when you know what you're after.

Every painful detail parts 13 and 14

Pt 13: Cleansing the Palette
Taking a break from the Necropolis to start another project that should go by quickly.



Pt 14: Quick Work
See? It doesn't take long to make a game table when you know what you're after.

Every Painful Detail, pts 11 and 12

Pt 11: All About Drywall Compound.

Working on drywall compound. Dull? Yes... but one day you may want to do the same.



Pt 11: Finally... Sand!
The moment I've been waiting for: The application of sand!

Every Painful Detail, pt 10: The River Returns

It appears I have figured out how to manage the very dangerous casting resin and successfully make a river. What next? The Necropolis awaits.

In other news: Does anyone besides me find it strange that Drunken Gamers of Ottawa's most frequent blogger is a non-drinker?

Every Painful Detail, pt 9: Back to the Land of the Dead

A few words about superhot resin (and that's "hot", not "hawttt"), and how to make tiles in foam.

Warning: My face is in this one.

Every Painful Detail, ep 8: Disaster Strikes

Well, I fucked THAT up.

Every Painful Detail, pt 7: Side Trip

I've been hard at work on my Khemri Necropolis table... but I need a break. I went off and did something else for a little while.



Enjoy.