Eldar Tournament Board Update

So last time I presented the concept, time to create some prototypes. The hardest part will be to match the look of the iconic Eldar and make the size and proportions make sense on a 28mm battlefield.

This was the original concept. It failed miserably as dice kept getting caught in the all of the grooves

Here is the template I made for the iconic Webway Gate. As you can see, it is simply a series of ovals stacked on top of each other. 

Plan B - I start drafting a new plan for the board creating a mock up that fits on a normal sheet of paper

Once I was happy with a design, I create a full 6' by 4' copy of the design to make templates. Notice I allocated a space to place the terrain pieces later

Cut out each of the templates and trace onto the foamcore

Cut out the shape

Shape is ready for placement

Repeat until all pieces are attached to the six 2' by 2' foam tiles 

Here I am sizing the hill to make sure it still fits

The Hills were cut from a three templates, the bottom, the next to bottom, and the top which was used three times to form the spiral staircase. The key to making this look "Eldar" was using a magic weapon known as sandpaper. Insulation foam is easy to cut & sand which is essential for these curves. Notice the the unsanded (left) vs the sanded (right)

The Center Blocker was made from a template I drew on a napkin and ran through a copier to expand it to it final size of 18" across. I knew shipping this and assembly by someone else would force my design. I chose the Ikea route using a simple groove so the pieces slide together, but can ship perfectly flat 

Meanwhile I use my gateway screw ups to create the bottom of the platform

Slide all the pieces into place

Time for a base coat of paint. To capture wraithbone look is used a Behr paint appropriately named Airy.

Now drybrush all the edges with Caliente Brown

The Warpgates as ruins were a nightmare. As cool as they looked, the do not block Line of Sight at all. After experimenting with adding walls, I went with simply carving a hole to create a crater for cover. To aid with shipping & assembly, I cut grooves in the base so the gates would slide in with no glue required. 

Final look at the hill. The trick to this was painting first, then assemble to get each of those nooks and crannies covered with paint. Nothing worse then pink foam showing through

The final product. The cracks in the wraithbone to make the difficult terrain were simple cuts done with my plunge tool. The key was to have an infantry model handy to make sure the holes were not too big so a model falls through to the floor

Hope you enjoyed this and look forward to your comments.

Listen to my additional commentary during the 11th Company Podcast during the Tactical Terrain segment