Ezekiel Celes' Mordheim

For the West Wind [Blue Moon on this side of the pond] check them out at: www.westwindproductions.co.uk
Their Dwarf Wars stuff is pretty cool also, but of course, not what you were looking for.

Ezekiel wrote:

I figured that it would look a little bit more mordheimy this way...

That's a very good point. Carry on

Happy to have your approval, and yessir, I shall...

though.. I need your help!!

as you can see, I've been building most of my sections on 8mm MDF plates... but, they tend to become straight lines of streets, and now that my city is growning (I have here -soon for your viewing and pleasure- 3 more buildings in the making) and I want to change that a bit...

Also, after joining this great forum, I have been inspired a lot, and want to make my own table, a bit loose from my club's efforts, so I can host games at home, and make it look stunning (perhaps convince a bunch of friends to try a game)

But, here is how and why I need your help:
I like the way how most of you build your tables on the insulation foam, free for ingraving, and different setups all the time... Now, I want to keep my new buildings loose, without basing them on wood, but what to do with the other sets of buildings?! cause I fear that if I try taking them off the segments, they will rip apart, and some sections are adaptable with a fantasy table, so I can't really take that off...
Does anyone have an Idea as to how to make my older sections work with my newer ones?!

help and advice is much apreciated!!

thanks...

Hey Ez!

I went back and looked at you buildings and I'm sorry but I seem not to understand the problem... So please correct me if my advice below is irrelevant.

Your buildings are on square bases. That is perfect for mordheim.
What exactly is it you worry about?

You can always cut off the bases as close as possible by the walls if you want to get rid of them. As you said, ripping them off would endanger the integrity of your buildings, so I would not recommend it.

NEW METHOD I THINK IS COOL:

I have recently seen a system that I wish I had known about when I built MY table...

Basically, you make all your buildings on thin (solid) wood squares of the same size. Preferably the bases and buildings should be rather small-medium sized. Then you make a "matrix" of thin plates (foamcore would be best i guess) on your table that has holes the size of your bases, so they fit in there but are removable.

On the matrix you model cobble stones and streets, and you try to make the bases of your buildings match so they act as curbs/borders for your streets.

Here is a quick drawing I made to explain this:


[EDIT]: Please read "Cout" as "Cut". I made a typo, but was too lazy to correct that once the pic was posted.

Pros:
- Your buildigs won't get knocked over when you have to displace miniatures in awkward positions (hapens a LOT... all i can say is "domino effect").

- The table looks more like a city(-floor) than like a "urban-themed" warhammer table.

- You have variability as you can remove and place the buildings in different permutations.G

Cons:

-Variability is not as high as on a "flat" table. However this supposedly higher variability is arguably not really necessary for interesting gameplay

I use a variant of Tom's method with standard size cut outs. The board is done in two layers: the bottom is 3/4" foam board with a 1/8" fan foam board attached. The top layer has the cut outs & engraving [also the fan foam is two ply, so I make cut outs 1" X 1" in the upper ply for sewer grates]. Individual buildings are mounted on the standard size fan foam board, although they can & usually do extend beyond the base to hide the edge of the cut out.

For additional variation, make some of the buildings baseless to allow random placement [I'm a random kind of guy ].

Hmm... that's not entirely the solution I was looking for... as it had crossed my mind as well, I don't want to be restricted in locations and distance by a prefabricated board... so I want to make it more like an open paved board, where I can scatter my houses around as I feel fit for the scenario...

though... this domino effect? Do I just make my houses too big? so they don't fall over, or do you mean they get shoved about? cause that might cause problems indeed... hmmm more to think and ponder upon...

In the meantime... I have not been idle... so I give you updates!!

Since my local store had some discounts on rackham models, I decided to buy statues, and a whole other bunch of models I didn't really need... but hey... at least I don't have to look for cheap models of good quality to make my statues for the temple I'm working on! hehe, now I have more work to feel daunted by!

the facade of said temple...


and the adjacent temple grounds, for herbs and quiet strolls... OR... DEAMON MUSHROOMS AND EVIL!


Top view, there's gonna be a bridge between the temple and the yard, and the temple will get a second floor, and I'm thinking Organ??


Then there still is the guesthouse, which just became a bit more mordheimy!

Top room is gonna be a luxurious wizard's room, probably with equipment and stuff, and a tall roof to really perch out on top of the city(block)




And, further more, I've been building two large tables for my club, A swamp/lustria setting, and a woodland/hill table. ut I haven't any pictures, I hope they will be made soon, as I can't attend my club for a couple of weeks... But I really want to finish them!

Well, time to call it a day... though still stoked to build on... my eyes hurt!!

Wow! When you say, busy, you really mean busy.

I'm a freaking tortoise compared to you. I really need to work on my speed, lol. Keep up the great work man. That is a monstrous awesome.

I am SO SORRY I missed seeing your updates until JUST now...WOW! Unbelievably cool stuff there. I LOVE big, complex buildings AND yours are the BEST. Grendel, if they're still around, had some carnivorous flora, including nasty Mushrooms [from HELL!] that would look great roaming your gardens, or some home grown [groan ] would be cool. The whole project ROCKS; I'm VERY impressed with your skills, imagination, & the attention to details that you lavish on your pieces. VERY, VERY WELL DONE!

Wow, I can't believe I missed those updates above. Thanks to DeafNala for bumping this thread I can now stare at them with amazement. Awesome, Ez! I wanna see those finsihed and in colour!

Since you asked for it, I've been doing some work (hurray for being in between jobs for a week! hehe had plenty of time to finish building most of my work, and start painting, AND come up with some nice little details (which aren't yet in place, but will be featured soon enough.


a lot of thatching has been done, though, sadly, I ran out of glue! haha so there will be more later this week hopefully.


this is what the woodwork will be looking like, and though the lower floor has been painted already, there is still a lot of wood waiting to be added to this thing.


here I will make a bunch of stables for the horses brought in by weary travellers, and to be prepd for dinner! also in the back, you can see the temple which had it's first undercoating.


here the rest of the temple.

It's all just very base colours as you probably figured (if not - re-read my log!! )
I just wanted to get some colours on these things, as tonight will be my first battle on them! (and the first ever of my friend's) -the watchfull reader might have spotted my city all lined up for the fight already
Details to follow will be dead bodies, a religious fanatic in a cage, treasure and barrels, and perhaps some wyrdstone embedded in the walls... but then I'd need some glass to shatter...

Wow, that's massive. This will take a lot of time to finish I guess.

I fear you might be right, as the temple needs a second floor and towers and spires and lots of other stuff to draw attention to it..
luckily, the temple garden isn't that much work, just drybrushing and flocking and adding a piece of wildgrowth to it should be all...

the inn is a different story, as it has so many rooms to paint and so much woodwork, I fear it will claim a large part of my life! haha

I am however not daunted (yet) as I love the way they are evolving into sheer awesomness!

Ezekiel wrote:

I fear it will claim a large part of my life! haha

I am however not daunted (yet) as I love the way they are evolving into sheer awesomness!

My friend, you HAVE a LOT of life yet, AND being a creative person, & utilizing your [amazing] talents doesn't so much "claim" portions of your life as enhance your life as a whole. AND your efforts enrich the lives of everyone who sees your work [especially mine].

There are SO MANY cool things going on in your creations ti's impossible to single each piece out for commentary/compliments. JUST INCREDIBLY INSPIRING STUFF!

Oh, & have a good game!

Wow! The temple, the Inn - sheer awesomeness just about sums it up. AND you've already started painting! Incredible.

I love the twin-tailed comet on the temple floor, by the way, and I also love the leaning stack of stone blocks on the Inn - very Mordheim-esque.

Fantastic work!

haha, thanks for the comforting words Nala, and the props from both of you!

well, battle commenced in the once sacred temple of sigmar as I tried instructing my friend the game (it lasted for the night, though we got around to play a mere 3 turns - this was mainly due to stories, alcohol, more conversing, and chips... lots of chips!) anyway, it seems I have claimed a new victim for mordheim madness! jeuj!

the church proved a nice place to battle, though the main battle was fought in the staircase of my old "Tim Burtonesqeu" building that was a fun bit, diving charges, bodies piling up, until it started raining acidy goo, and my main characters got taken out due to rain... AND THEY HAD HATS!

sadly, the rest of the week will be rather busy with some freelancing and getting ready for my new job... so updates will not follow as fast as I had hoped... but they WILL come! fear not!

now, to dream of world domination.

Awesome work, E. What do you use for thatch?

Lord Xi, I use birds nesting material, available at all pet shops... (around here at least)


Then... not that Mordheimisch, but I've made a lot of scenery during december and January for the club... 2 full scale forest/jungle setting tables:







and the tournament I initially made them for...



(you can spot Matt losing orcs over in the top left corner

As always, some VERY nice looking terrain. However it's the Gaming Room I find TRULY IMPRESSIVE! What an ABSOLUTELY cool place to play!

BTW Matt looks to have gotten taller.

Well, it is a really nice place where we gather indeed... though this is not the place! hahah

This is the store's back, normally reserved for the stashing of stock, and a genuine mess... but it was available due to an open house... hence we could use it for our tournament... Normally we have abut 3 rooms available for gaming and painting.. and the store for gaming as well... and nope... matt s still small, just more hairdo! hahah

Storage rooms make GREAT gaming areas. Way back when, in my misspent youth, my gaming group had the basement/storage area of a local tavern as our games room. It was HUGE, held a tremendous number of tables including a 6'X24' monster, AND there was the tavern above for after battle "discussions". Those were the days, my friend.

With the tournament on the horizon, how are the above WIPs progressing, btw?

Nala, you had a gaming tavern?!? and you gave that up?! for what?! haha... sounds like the best place possible! though, alcohol and miniatures usualy result in unwanted "casualties" but still! haha awesome!

and as for the progress... tonight will see another major construction phase.. so stay tuned for updates!

Cool pics! Thanks for sharing Ez!
Is that the gaming club in Wormeveer?

I like your buildings a lot: the accessibility and tactical design are pretty cool.

Ezekiel wrote:

Nala, you had a gaming tavern?!? and you gave that up?! for what?! haha... sounds like the best place possible! though, alcohol and miniatures usualy result in unwanted "casualties" but still! haha awesome!

and as for the progress... tonight will see another major construction phase.. so stay tuned for updates!

That was a LONG time ago. Reality intervened & we all went our separate ways, most in tow to some determined lady with her own agenda for happiness.
The alcohol was normally reserved for post game time. However, I can recall a few times were a nip or two led to a somewhat direct approach to dealing with our notable rules lawyers.

I look forward, as always, to your latest WORKS of WONDER!

You've got one cool set of terrain! I think your Mordheim table is one of the coolest i've ever seen, it's gonna be great to play on those! And your club tables are really nice too, there lucky to have a guy like you who builds them all that awsome stuff!