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Terrain & Game Boards

Scratch-built terrain, game boards, basing, and scenic effects.

Watch this collection as a YouTube playlist →

Getting the Most Out of Dirty Down Moss

Getting the Most Out of Dirty Down Moss

Day seven of the board project—the heat gun makes moss bubble up like magic, but watch out for that third-degree burn setting. Disaster and recovery.

Making a Board for Motley Crews

Making a Board for Motley Crews

Day three of terrain building—cutting foam with a hot wire into a checkerboard pattern for Molly Crew. What can you get done in an hour?

How to Turn Foam to Stone

How to Turn Foam to Stone

Day five of terrain building—fixing visible foam cells with AK Natural Texture and getting everything looking like real stone.

My Favorite Trench Crusade Bases

My Favorite Trench Crusade Bases

Magnetizing and preparing Legends Games bases for my Trench Crusade warband—the perfect balance of detail without taking forever to paint.

Working on Ultimate Dungeon Terrain & A Whole Day of Hobbying

Working on Ultimate Dungeon Terrain & A Whole Day of Hobbying

A full day of hobby progress—texturing the outdoor half of my Ultimate Dungeon Terrain board, learning to sculpt with green stuff, and finally printing a Vulcan colossal.

Quick Base Work

Quick Base Work

Finishing up a base with dirt effects, weathering powders, and liquid chrome scratches on metal panels.

Magnetizing Bases and Fixing a Foam Board Disaster

Magnetizing Bases and Fixing a Foam Board Disaster

Magnetizing bases, the mystery foam problem, and yes I printed off YouTube comments and framed them—that's where we're at.

Fixing Warped Terrain Boards

Fixing Warped Terrain Boards

The drill press idea failed—boards warped anyway. Here's the plan to fix them with MDF, transition tiles, and a lot of books.

How to Make Scratch Built Terrain Indestructible

How to Make Scratch Built Terrain Indestructible

Day 98 pushing through sickness—sealing a terrain board with Mod Podge and glue to make it nearly indestructible like the old Warhammer Fantasy days.

How to Prepare Bases for an Entire Army Quickly and Cheaply

How to Prepare Bases for an Entire Army Quickly and Cheaply

250 bases in two hours with homemade basing material. Palette knife technique, finger cleaning, and the coffee grounds recipe.

The Best Snow Effect Ever

The Best Snow Effect Ever

How to create incredible snow effects using crushed glass, realistic water, and fishing line icicles—nothing compares to this technique.

Building Teaspoon's Lava Rock Diorama, Part 1

Building Teaspoon's Lava Rock Diorama, Part 1

I tore up an old prize-winning Shadespire board to build a volcanic reef. Mostly this one is about getting cork to stop looking like cork.

Finishing Touches in the Movement Trays

Finishing Touches in the Movement Trays

Wrapping up the movement tray project with autumn grass tufts, plus first impressions of Pillillage after an introductory game at the LGS.

Painting Dirt - Hobby Vlog 99

Painting Dirt - Hobby Vlog 99

Day 99 of hobby vlogging—painting a terrain board with craft paints and inks, plus a mail day surprise with Mage Knight boosters.

Scenic and Magnetic Movement Trays Part 1

Scenic and Magnetic Movement Trays Part 1

Building scenic magnetic movement trays for Midgard using 3D printed bases, flexible steel sheets, and Vallejo mud texture—a practical tutorial on the whole process.

Basing and Life Tips

Basing and Life Tips

Finishing up a base with traditional flock, testing cherry blossom tufts, and a reminder to take a breath when life gets hectic.

Starting a Board for Necropolis

Starting a Board for Necropolis

Starting a 16x16 diorama board for Necropolis—cutting foam, planning the frame, and discovering a cool free skirmish game with an awesome solo mode.

Simple Lego Minifig Bases for D&D

Simple Lego Minifig Bases for D&D

A quick experiment making bases for Lego minifigures to use in D&D games on standard battle mats.

How to make terrain glue

How to make terrain glue

We're finally about to be done with the glue stage on this thing.

Old school sand bases

Old school sand bases

I'm in the garage with the bugs and all. Um, but no, seriously, I have a ton of of minis that I am going to paint pretty much the rest of the year because I…

Salvaging an Old Shelf Into a 16x16 Game Board

Salvaging an Old Shelf Into a 16x16 Game Board

Day 161 of the daily hobby streak—dealing with mold curing issues, salvaging an old shelf for a game board, and planning the next terrain project.

Scratch Building a Wargame Board - Almost Ready for Paint

Scratch Building a Wargame Board - Almost Ready for Paint

Gap filling with plaster of Paris, preserving the blister texture, talus for breaking panel lines, and the wetter water glue mix. Plus—fixed the dryer guilt-free.

Scenic Movement Trays Part 2

Scenic Movement Trays Part 2

Finishing the scenic movement trays with dry brushing, Vallejo texture paste tips, Gamers Grass tufts, and a magnet test—plus thoughts on daily vlogging struggles.

Make Your Own Base Texture

Make Your Own Base Texture

DIY basing material recipe that costs almost nothing—spackle, baking soda, coffee grounds, and paint. Almost identical to expensive brand name stuff.