One of my 2019 Resolutions was to make more terrain; a goal I have thus far failed to achieve this year. With that in mind, I’ve decided to host a terrain challenge for the month of August. I figure it’s the only way I’m going to get off my ass and do it.

I have some projects in mind, many of which have been waiting patiently for years. Gaslands, Old West…even some generic hills…it’s high time I worked on some table dressing rather than miniatures for a change.

So, without further ado, here are the “rules” of August’s Terrain Challenge, which I have dubbed “TerrainTime”:

1. Construct and/or assemble and paint at least one piece of terrain in the month of August.
2. “Terrain” can be anything that would grace a playing surface, i.e. something your miniatures can stand on, use as cover, move through or occupy; for example: hills, trees, forests, ruins, buildings, waterways…all these are fine. So are things like wreckage, objective markers, walls, barricades, statues…pretty much ANYTHING you would use as terrain.
3. You can scratch-build it if you wish, but you don’t have to. You can assemble pre-fab terrain or buildings, whether resin, plastic or MDF kits. You can even repaint or “weather” existing terrain you have, like toy kits or model train terrain. Just do something terrain related.
4. Scale and genre are of no consequence, as far as the challenge is concerned. Whatever scale(s) or genre(s)you game in are fine. If you can create a piece of terrain that works across different scales or genres, even better.
5. To summarize, work on a piece of terrain (at least one, feel free to do more) in the month of August. This could be anything from a complete scratch-build to a quick paint or repaint, as long as it’s terrain related. Scale and genre don’t matter. It’s for your games, so do whatever works for you.

Drop me a comment or email me at angrypiper@angrypiper.com if you want your blog or site to be included in the blogroll for this challenge.

Lastly, I’ll include some links to two YouTube channels I enjoy that deal primarily with terrain building. These are great for inspiration and are cool places to visit regularly. There are many more channels such as these, but these are the ones I frequent. Feel free to share your own in the comments section, if so inclined.

The Terrain Tutor: Mel the Terrain Tutor is the undisputed king of terrain, a veritable terrain-making genius. He has an extensive library of posts dealing with basic terrain-making techniques all the way through advanced projects. His terrain basics series is a must; particularly his tutorials on foam board and extruded polystyrene (insulation board here in the USA).

The DMs Craft: DM Scotty makes some pretty interesting terrain on a budget, primarily for roleplaying games. You’d be amazed what he makes from wet paper towels, PVA glue and other cheap stuff. Not everything’s a winner, and some may not hold up to the rigors of regular wargaming, but if you need something inexpensive and fast for a one-off game, his channel is worth a look. His Tilescape series is pretty good.

That’s it. Hopefully I’ll post more in July, but if not, expect a terrain-fest in August!