Don't Burn Your Toes - Lava Mat

Figured since I was doing a Jungle mat... and had all the materials to do a 2nd one, might as well get it done in the same time frame right?

I had the idea to do a Lava mat for quite some time now, seeing a few other examples, they mostly looked really well done, but one really stuck out in particular.  Seeing a mat done up completely in the lava colors and then some flat slate grey elevated points, I wanted to duplicate that kind of look.  So I made a mat with the reds/oranges/yellows on the mats, and future plans will include some slate gray plains areas.  The idea of course is to have the lava only really show between the flat areas.  I did the mat up, and wanted to test it so here are some pics in progress.  I used the existing hills I have, but imagine less elevation and several, nearly interlocking pieces with a few bridges/connecting points to allow for safe movement between magma flows.

Welcome to the Jungle - Part 2 (Now with Battle Mat)

Posted the jungle set before I finished the mat I was making.  I just couldn't wait patiently one more day to post the whole thing together.  Finally finished the Jungle mat I have been working on.  This is now officially my favorite mat, and it will be the the star of many games in the future.

I did this using the same methods I have done the last few, following the DIY guide from Miniwargaming.com found Here.  The basic run down is very simple.  Painters Tarp (aka Duck Cloth or Canvas) that is covered in acrylic caulking in several thin layers, allowed to dry between each, given a random textured surface on the last coat, and then painted with the trusty airbrush, sealed with a matte coat, and then cut to size.

This particular mat was done in several shades and tones of green.  I wanted a very earthy vibrant feel to a mat, and I think I pulled it off on this one.  As usual, more pics after the jump.

Hot Feet! - Desert Terrain Set

I did this set at the request of a friend to have terrain to match his army.  He plays Tau, and thus... Desert Theme!  

Made from Foam, both Blue and Polystyrene and the smaller pieces are mounted on CD's covered in sand which have quickly become my favorite basing material.  

This set of terrain was a TON of fun to build, but I really wasn't happy with the paint scheme the first go around.  FAR too yellow.  I redid it to much more dulled earth tones, in browns and grays, and then finished it with a light coating of earthy yellows to simulate the desert wind blowing all over everything.  Very sparse vegetation, mostly just small shrubs and brown tufts of grass with a few low cover tiles with a few cacti and succulents.  I think it blends well with my grassland hills and other earth tone terrain pretty well, but eventually it will include sand dunes, and Tau specific buildings and fortifications.

Battlemats - Change up your battlefield!

Tired of an inter-galactic scale war that is fought on the same planet with the same look battle after battle?  Me Too!!!

I kinda teased about the post topic earlier, but I thought I would showcase the mats I have made thus far.  Mostly I got sick of playing game after game on that boring field of generic green turf, and I disliked the seam in the middle of my table.  As the table is modular and divides in half, mats were a simple solution to seamlessly change that up.

I can't believe how easy these were to make, and I highly recommend them.  For ~$22 per mat, you can make some really interesting boards that will go with you very easily.  When you are done, I simply roll them up around a cardboard tube, or PVC pipe.