Distracted by Trees; Making 28mm Forest Terrain Tutorial Part 1

Once Bitten

SO there I was, innocently and dispassionately painting up some 28mm AWI militia...

When all of a sudden I felt a small pain in my foot, not a hurtful pain, but a sharp pinch, and I looked down to investigate and saw...

It's the Terrain Bug!

I was bit by the Terrain Bug.  This sometimes happens to wargamers, where instead of painting miniatures you are filled with an unreasonable desire to make terrain.  I feel that I am more susceptible to the Terrain Bug because I usually enjoy making terrain more than painting figures.  Terrain is more about persistence than it is about talent, and usually more forgiving.  Unlike some women I've known..

Once bitten by the terrain bug there's nothing for it but to do a terrain project.  Inevitably, the 28mm AWI militia were placed to one side ("Will we never be painted?"they cry), the hobby desk cleared off, and out come the power tools and glue.  Also online shopping for materials.  It's fun to buy things.  

Thoughts on Forest Terrain

Ahhhh, the ways of trees.  One can never have enough trees for the wargaming table.  I'm pretty happy with the way I represent forest in 15/18mm gaming.  In my ACW games woods tend to dominate large areas of the table and I am happy with just covering those areas with trees.  The woody areas tend to extend all the way to a fence or a road, and I also use logs or clump foliage to mark where the forest ends if not.  Like seen here on this ACW game "A Clearing in the Wilderness." 

This table is mostly woods with a cleaning marked out by the fields and logs.

But for 28mm gaming, especially skirmish, I like everything to have it own base.  I have long wanted to improve my forest bases.  And I'm gonna need more forest terrain for my 28mm AWI tables (and not to mention Dark Ages, which I'm suddenly back into after it's recent return to the gaming table).  

I want the forest terrain to be pretty and functional.  Unlike some women I've known.  What do you mean I've already used that joke? It's called 'a call back,' it's a joke that gets funnier each time.  Currently in my collection I have forest terrain that is pretty, and some that is functional.  

The Pretty

Here are some forest bases that I bought from Architects of War several years ago before the company went bankrupt due to launching 'All Quiet on the Martian Front.'  (remember that? It was quite the hobby scandal).  These are sculpted resin bases, painted and flocked, with some trees glued into the holes provided.  These look really nice (if I do say so myself) but because the trees are not removable, it's actually super hard to place troops onto the base.  You just can't get your hands in the right places, like some women I've known (SEE, it is getting funnier).  The problem gets worse when you group the bases together to make a large area of woods that might take a turn or two of movement to get through, because you can't physically move your troops through it.  You have to do that thing where you grab a miniature by the top of his head or upheld sword and drop it into place.  

Sometimes I think there's almost TOO much detail.

The Functional

I could of placed more trees but I got lazy and you get the idea.

Here are some forest bases that I got from Gale Force 9 also years and years ago.  As you can see, these are just some textured bases with some flock on them, and the trees are just placed on top.  It's a nice kit because the bases come ready made with little bags of flock for you to glue on where you want, and come with trees.  These are obviously very functional because you just move the trees off the base when you're moving troops into the forest area.  Very gamer friendly.  But it's not especially pretty.  I mean it looks alright, average, but nothing you would cheat on your wife with (not that I would or have done that, I just like the phrase).  

Other First World Problems 

Other problems that aren't really problems: I don't like using these sets together on the same table, because they're not consistent with each other.  It's jarring to my eye.  So I end up using one set or the other.  There's also not enough of each set to really cover a table well.  I'm always wishing I had 1 or 2 more forest bases, especially the large ones.  Overall, my forest bases are NOT satisfying me, like some wo...(alright alright i'll cut it out now).   None of this is really a problem except that I got his mildly painful bite on me foot.   Itching.  

The Plan for Forest Bases

With all that in mind, I'm gonna set off to make some forest terrain for my 28mm games.  I'm gonna try to thread the needle between the bases being pretty and functional, and eventually make enough to satisfy my needs.  A Supermodel with a doctorate degree.  That might be shooting too high, because we all have to settle in life.  I know I did.  Settled hard.

I've never done a project like this before, though for blog purposes I'm gonna pretend like I know what I am doing, that's why I'm calling it a tutorial.  I have made some tree bases on CDs that came out alright (See post "Make like a Tree Part 1 here and Part 2 here).  

Starting off: make some bases. 

For the bases I'm gonna be using hard board.  I have these hard board sheets left over from when an IKEA dresser bit the dust.  These are the wooden panels that make the underneath of the drawers.  There's probably a joke in there about the word drawers.  Forest drawers?  meh. 

Draw out the size of the bases you want in sharpie.
My large bases will be around 8" by 11".

Time for power tools!
I'm doing this outside on the side of my house, so I can hide from the family.
And because it's gonna be messy.
I still got the COVID 19 hairstyle.  Think it's been 5 months now without a haircut.

Cut out all the shapes.
Told you it'd be messy, but the jigsaw made short work hard board.

I then took a sharp knife and beveled all the edges.
This was not hard to do, even a guy like me with tiny biceps found it pretty easy.
I often say that 'my guns' might be small in caliber but they're high in velocity!

People laugh and laugh.

 

Moving inside, here they are all cut out and beveled.
6 large bases, a number of smaller ones,
and the bottom left squarish one is gonna be a hayfield.

I don't really think the hard board is gonna warp, but as an extra layer of protection I then primed both sides of the bases.  I think this is gonna seal the wood more, because I'm gonna dump glue and texture materials all over them, and then paint them, and then glue more stuff on them.  

Priming the bases is just something I saw other people do on the internet, so I don't know if it's actually necessary, but can't hurt.  

The Plan in More Detail

I am open to feedback on this plan:

The large bases will get some small details like rocks and maybe a fallen tree, but ultimately will remain mostly flat.  The smaller bases will have the trees glued onto them and given lots of details and have some undulations.  Then the forest terrain proper will be made of the large base with small bases and some individually mounted trees placed on top.  So the whole thing will look really pretty with all the details, but still be functional because you can just take things off / move them around to accommodate miniature troops.  

Something like this.

 Next steps in part two!  Can you stand it??  

(EDIT:  Part two is now posted HERE)

Thanks for reading.  I appreciate it.  Stay healthy and safe.