Modell Making: Creating realistic tarp

I recently came across a couple of older historical wargaming tutorials about modelling tarp using tissues and PVA-glue and since the results looked quite realistic I decided to give it a try. The technique is certainly not new, but I could only find a couple of places where the process was described, and those were not very detailed.

Test pieces.

After some experimentation and a couple of test pieces, with varying results, it started to look interesting.

Wooden boxes covered by a large piece of tarp.

The process is simple enough. Just take a normal face tissue (Kleenex-type) and cut it to the desired size. You can then either first carefully dunk it in a 50-50% mix of PVA-glue and water, or put it dry on the model and then gently dab it with the watered-down glue. The tissue should become completely soaked and you will have to be careful to not rip it when you try to create the shapes and folds you want.

The process of soaking the tissue with watered-down glue is then repeated a couple of times more, letting the model dry between each pass. It is no problem if the tissue becomes transparent in places since it will all be covered with paint anyway.

The painting process is pretty straight forward. A couple of coats of acrylic paint in the colour of choice until it covers completely, a grey drybrush pass, a dark wash and finally a very light drybrush pass with cream or off-white.

Some people seem to have had problems with the glue dissolving during painting (especially when using washes or very watered down paint), but I found that this could be easily prevented by covering the "tarp" with a final layer of Mod Podge before painting. Mod Podge contains varnish and is quite water-resistant, in contrast to many normal PVA-glues.

As can be seen on the first test pieces, the washes have a tendency to pool a lot in all the folds and wrinkles and create a dirty look. If this is not what you want it can be easily fixed by avoiding very dark washes, and by carefully picking up the wash from the worst areas of pooling with a clean brush before it dries.

After a layer of matt varnish, the final result is a realistic-looking cloth or tarp effect. The tissue is now completely stiff and perfectly safe to handle on a wargame or RPG-table.

Final model from another angle.

A nice bonus with this technique is that all or most of what is under the tarp can be modelled very quickly using just about any material since it will not be visible. In my final model, I made everything except the half-exposed wooden box from cardboard. I added two thin strips of cardboard to one of the covered boxes to give the tissue something to fall around and create the illusion that more wooden boxes are sitting below the tarp.

Another great benefit is the versatility of these models. Boxes covered with some form of tarp or cloth to protect them from the elements have been around for thousands of years and can be found almost everywhere, from army camps to farms, harbours or city markets. If you do not add anything very time-specific, a model such as this can be used as scatter terrain for everything from early historical periods to modern times, or even in science fiction settings.

Late to the Party: A look at the "Getting Started With Warhammer 40K" magazine

A few weeks ago I bought the "Getting Started With Warhammer 40K" magazine from Games Workshop. This glossy 105 pages long publication includes an unpainted Primaris Space Marine Intercessor miniature and is supposed to be the first and cheapest gateway into playing Warhammer 40K for those that know nothing or only a little about the game and world beforehand.

I must admit that I fall well outside the target group of this product. While not being a real Games Workshop geek, I have been playing their games, with several long pauses since the mid-1990s. I began by playing Warhammer Fantasy Battle and then continued with Blood Bowl, Warhammer 40K, some Battlefleet Gothic and a lot of 2nd edition Epic 40K and Mordheim.

Due to moving house several times most of my GW-stuff have however been packed away for a number of years, until recently when I dug it up from the basement out of curiosity. Old unpainted sins will not stay buried forever it seems, but at least me finding all the stuff reignited this specific part of my gaming hobby.

Being gone a few years from GW and the 40K universe I was curious about how it would be to enter the hobby again, and how accessible it is for new players. Because of this, and a nice 20% discount, I decided to buy the magazine and have a look.

"Getting Started With Warhammer 40K" is actually only one of several specially designed entry products into the Warhammer 40K miniature game, but it is by far the cheapest of these. I paid the equivalence of 4.88 USD for the magazine, but this was with the beforementioned discount and the prices seem to vary quite a lot (the price in Games Workshops own webshop is 8 USD at the time of writing). On average the cost for this product is however relatively low, compared both to other GW-products and to glossy magazines in general. To be fair though, the magazine is mainly a glorified advert for 40K, while the more expensive introductory box sets are complete games that can be played with what is in them.


The Package

"Getting Started With Warhammer 40K" comes in a plastic wrapper that includes the magazine and an unpainted Space Marine miniature in a separate plastic package.

Getting Started With Warhammer 40,000.

The first impression is that of a neat product and you can clearly see the miniature on the sprue, including a base with a bunch of sculpted details. The front page illustration of the magazine is in the usual modern 40K style with Ultramarines fighting what I guess is Chaos Space Marines. It looks fine, but is quite generic, which I guess is okay when you want to introduce someone to a franchise.

The whole backside of the magazine is dedicated to an ad for the "First Strike" starter set. This is the smaller and cheapest of the 40K boxed starter sets, and the logical next purchase for anyone that wants to try the game for real.

Backside ad for the First Strike box.

The Magazine

The magazine starts with a full-page image of an Ultramarine force on the inside cover, and a "Getting Started" page about the 40K-hobby on the right side. After this, we get the contents page and assembly instructions for the included miniature.

The next section is 15 pages of 40K lore, including short introductions to all the major armies/factions in the game. This is followed by a few pages about collecting miniatures and showing off three different armies, the Ultramarines, Servants of Nurgle and the Aeldar, the first two of which are included in all the three starter boxes that can be purchased for the game.

The Servants of Nurgle page spread.

Now a short introduction to how the game can be played follows, as well as a 10-page long battle report of a medium-sized battle between an Ultramarine army and a combined Death Guard and Nurgle daemon force.

Back in the day, the battle reports in White Dwarf used to be one of my favourite parts to read in these magazines, and even if you can now get plenty of excellent YouTube-videos of GW-battles, these are still good reads. The only negative thing to say about the report is that it includes a lot of units and some special rules that are not described elsewhere in the magazine. Still, this never bothered me back when I read the battle reports in White Dwarf, usually long before I had ever tried the games they were about.

After several pages of adverts for other 40K products, the various environments where battles can be fought are described. These texts feel a little isolated and short. They do give an idea of the large and varied universe of 40K, but for a new reader, they are probably not very useful on their own.

Now a long section follows that first showcase finished painted Citadel miniatures, and then gives us a very extensive general painting guide. This guide is really good with many techniques being described in a way that is easy to understand, even though it of course only focuses on Citadel products, as one would expect. The instructions cover the painting of Space Marine Intercessors and Reivers, as well as Plague Marines and Poxwalkers. This ties into the various starter boxes that all include these specific miniatures, but except for the intercessor, this feels a bit unnecessary here when the buyer only has that one model, and most likely no paints to use on it anyway.

The last 22 pages of the magazine contain the core rules of Warhammer 40K. These are good and clear introductions that really explain how the game is played, even if you would need several more miniatures to actually put the knowledge into action.

As could be expected from a large and experienced company such as Games Workshop, the magazine is professionally produced. The texts are well written and easy to understand. The illustrations are of the highest standard, the photos are flawless and the miniatures that can be found in images on almost every page are painted to a very high standard (really too high for most of us normal painters).


The Miniature

The plastic miniature included in the magazine is a single Primaris Space Marine Intercessor, basically the standard heavy infantryman of the Adeptus Astartes since the Indomitus Crusade.

The Space Marine miniature in the plastic box.

The model is of the "Easy To Build" (push-fit) type that is included in several 40K products aimed at new players. These models have pin joints that could theoretically be assembled without any glue. Most people however still use some CA-glue or plastic cement when they assemble them, especially if they are going to be painted.

Even if it is possible to assemble the miniature without glue, there is still the need for a tool of some sort (preferably some clippers) to get it off the sprue, and if mould lines are a problem a small knife or file is also handy.

Space Marine miniature sprue.

The magazine contains short assembly instructions for the miniature on page 3 and painting instructions on page 74. To actually paint the intercessor some model paints and a brush are of course also needed.


Conclusion

So who is "Getting Started With Warhammer 40K" really for and is the product worth the price?

On the one hand, it is a very nice guide to the game for anyone that is curious or know nothing of the world and game concept. On the other hand, it is not a product that lets the buyer really experience the game. The magazine contains 40K's core rules, but to actually play it you will need at least a handful more miniatures, dice, army lists and a ruler.

The miniature itself is unpainted and since no paints are included (which is understandable) it will not be possible for a beginner to paint it without more investments, despite the extensive painting instructions in the magazine.

The price of this product is however quite reasonable compared to magazines in general, and this factor in itself makes it a potentially great purchase (or even better, gift) for anyone that wants to know a bit more about the game and world of 40K before they invest more money.


The next step?

What is then the next step for those that find this introduction magazine interesting? Well, there are no less than three different boxes that each give two persons the opportunity to actually play the game.

"First Strike: A Warhammer 40,000 Starter Set" is the cheapest of these boxes at 40 USD (but again the prices varies a lot and I have found the product for only slightly over 30 USD in some places), and this considered it is not surprising that it is also the smallest of the three boxes. It contains six Ultramarine and nine Chaos miniatures, a double-sided gaming mat, ruler, dice and the core rules. This is everything you really need to play a small game of 40K.

First Strike

"Know No Fear: A Warhammer 40,000 Starter Set" is twice the price of "First Strike", but also includes more than twice the number of miniatures with 14 Space Marines and 17 Death Guard models, in addition to all the other stuff from "First Strike".

Know No Fear

"Dark Imperium" finally is again twice the price of "Know No Fear", but also contains a lot of stuff. In addition to the full official rule book and all the extra things from the smaller boxes, Dark Imperium includes 53 miniatures (not however of the push-fit kind). The 22 Space Marines and 31 Death Guards amount to slightly over 800 and 700 points respectively and could each form the core of a substantial 40K army.

Dark Imperium

As can be seen, there are plenty of choices for those that want to start playing the game and contrary to some other products from Games Workshop, these boxes all give decent value for the money (they are after all meant to get people into the hobby, to hopefully spend a lot more money later).

But which one should you choose? Well if you are certain that you want to play 40K and are interested in either playing Space Marines or Death Guards, one of the two largest boxes is a good investment (especially if you can find a friend that is interested in the army you don't fancy to share the cost with).

If you, however, find the magazine intriguing but are still unsure about investing a lot of money in the game, "First Strike" is the logical step. In this small box, you will get enough miniatures to actually play a few small battles, but for a price that is still low enough to put it aside with good conscience if it was not your cup of tea, or if you decide on another faction for your first real 40K army.

Creating fantasy RPG maps in a hand-drawn style

The different stages of the map.

I am currently working on a new continent that is an addition to one of my old worlds. This is really some unpretentious worldbuilding specifically aimed for playing D&D 5 without the need for too much fiddling with the game rules. This means that a lot in the world is given and for the most part this comes in the form of old fantasy clichés. As a consequence, the world has a polytheistic pantheon as well as elves, halflings, dwarves, orcs, powerful wizards and honourable paladins.

As can be seen, this is definitely not a world built with originality as the main priority, but convenience of play. I wanted it to be a world where a new player quickly could feel at home and where I could use premade adventures without having to spent days adapting them.

This does not mean that the world is totally void of anything interesting. The cultural and technological level is rather late for a D&D-world, more early Renaissance than High Middle Ages, and when the world "starts" the great war to defeat the evil overlord has recently been fought and won by the good alliance, but at a high price. The world is now in a post-war era where people are happy for the victory, but also mourns the terrible losses and destruction they have suffered. Player characters can be old war veterans scared by their memories, or young ambitious people eager to reconquer the devastated lands and stamp out the remaining evil presence once and for all. Always however a question lingers in peoples' minds, "Was this it, is the dark lord really gone forever?".

Anyway, at the beginning of the specific campaign, I have in mind the player characters will make a sea voyage from the old world to the new continent. It is a long passage and I thought that some interesting things could happen on the ship, but for that, I need a map of the ship. Since the world is set in the early Renaissance a carrack-like ship made sense. These ships ruled the waves in our world during the 15th century and the most famous example is probably Columbus' flagship La Santa María.

Woodcut of La Santa María from Columbus' letter (1493)

When drawing maps for worldbuilding, and specifically for fantasy RPGs, I am very fond of a hand-drawn look. For some reason, the "not perfect" feel of hand-inked maps really appeals to me. Drawing everything by hand, compared to using a computer, can however be very time-consuming. Luckily some shortcuts exist.

My preferred method is to avoid trying to create a totally finished map on paper, but instead draw the basic outlines, as well as all the elements I think I need for the map.

First I sketch everything lightly with a hard pencil (2H - 4H) and then ink over the lines with a Pilot G-TEC pen or a Staedtler pigment liner (with the finest point I can find). I try to draw everything in roughly the same scale, but small variations are not a problem (if the variations are big the final lines will, however, vary in width and look strange when I scale them correctly in the computer).

Almost fully inked drawing.

I then erase any still visible pencil lines and scan the ink drawing in relatively high resolution (at least 600 dpi).

In Photoshop (or Krita) I use levels (or sometimes curves) to turn the paper really white and the ink lines really dark. I erase anything that should not be in the drawing (remaining pencil marks, mistakes and dust marks) from the scan, but I try to not fix too much. It should look hand-drawn after all!

In Photoshop I can then duplicate, mirror, cut, and paste the elements as I please and can relatively quickly build a map, while still maintaining the hand-drawn feel. Remember to change the objects a bit (scale or rotate them very slightly) when you copy them to hide the fact that every detail has not really been drawn individually.

Cut and paste in Photoshop.

If I need a few new lines and do not feel that it is worth scanning a new drawing, a pencil brush in Photoshop can usually do the work without affecting the hand-drawn feel.

When I have finished the basic drawing I merge the line art layers, set the blending mode to multiply and add a nice paper texture as the background. In many cases, this black and white ink drawing are good enough as the end result.

Final ink drawing on paper texture.

Other times I continue and add some colour in a layer between the ink layer and the paper texture to add more interest and clarity. This does take some time though, often more than the rest of the process together. I use various blending modes here, usually "Multiply" and "Screen" and sometimes "Color" as well.
 

Colouring on the computer.

I try to use quite desaturated colours, partly because I like the result and partly so that the map's colour scheme does not compete with the attention of any tokens, miniatures or dry erase markers that are supposed to go on top of it.

Finished coloured map.

The final step is to add some text and numbers for the room descriptions. I also add a square grid at the very top of the layer stack (I make the grid lines thin and lower the opacity of the layer to make it less obtrusive).

Map with grid, text and numbers.

Flesh out your NPCs with memorable quirks

Long John Silver, illustration by N. C. Wyeth from the 1911 edition of Treasure Island.

The idea to make a non-player character in a role-playing game, or for that matter a supporting character in any literature, stand out from the crowd by giving him or her a quirk of some kind is certainly not new. In my experience it is nonetheless something that is easily forgotten in between piles of game stats and the plot of a scenario, especially for NPCs created on the fly, and it is definitely a trick worth remembering. 

A suitable character quirk can often be something relatively insignificant such as a unusual piece of clothing, a frequently used phrase, or a tic. In other cases however a character can become even more interesting if he or she has a great flaw, especially if this is combined with some positive characteristics as well.

As with most similar tips it should not be over done, but if used in moderation it can make NPCs both more interesting for the players, and easier for the game master to portrait. Just beware of anything too annoying, or at least save such traits for NPCs that you know will not play a large part in the story.

I once created an NPC for an AD&D-campaign, a knight (fighter) that suffered from an old head injury. The injury had damaged his brain and made him delusional enough to believe that he was the greatest and noblest knight in the whole realm. He was also generally quite confused, had problems remembering names, and could be distracted by the smallest things. He was however still a capable fighter, loyal to his friends (as long as he remembered them) and extremely brave. It was certainly not the most original idea, but for an NPC in a role-playing campaign it worked well. The brave knight caused the player group all kinds of headaches, but also saved their hides more than once and is fondly remembered for it.

A similar quite famous example is Minsc from the computer game Baldur's Gate. For those that have not played this classic Forgotten Realms game (you should!), Minsc is a Ranger NPC that can join your party early in the story. He is a very strong and capable front line tank, but he also has quite some limitations in the old brain department. Among other things he has a pet named Boo that he claims is a miniature Giant Space Hamster.

Boo, possibly a miniature Giant Space Hamster.

Minsc talks to Boo during the game, and even urges him to help the group in battles (all the while Boo of course sits idly in the inventory, taking up a valuable quick item slot).

"Go for the eyes, Boo! Go for the EYES!"

Minsc's inventory with Boo in the first quick item slot.

Minsc is a great example of a character that is more memorable and endearing because of his apparent flaw, especially since it is coupled with positive skills and traits, in this case his honour and fighting abilities.

Now, over the top personalities with head trauma and strange pets are obviously not necessary to create captivating characters, but if you feel your NPCs are a bit boring, try giving them at least a single good quirk of some kind to make them more interesting and memorable.

Who needs worldbuilding anyway?

This blog will mainly deal with worldbuilding and things that relate to this activity in any useful way, but what is worldbuilding at its core and who really needs it?

One answer to this question could be anyone who likes to dream up fictional places and worlds. I personally find it very entertaining to create a complex world with logical geography, an interesting history, and interdependent cultures.

Another answer could be that worldbuilding is relevant for anyone who needs a fictional place for a creative project, be it a book, comic or role-playing campaign. I think that a lot of creative people engage in worldbuilding without even thinking about it.

When discussing worldbuilding it is often more or less assumed that we are talking about the creation of large fantasy worlds in the style of J.R.R. Tolkien, M. A. R. Barker or George R. R. Martin, but this is definitely not the only time worldbuilding is needed.

 Family tree from Tolkien's early work.

Most forms of storytelling except maybe the purest realistic fiction, need worldbuilding to some degree. A large majority of authors that deal with the real world regularly invent purely fictional characters and places, and sometimes even whole towns, companies and organisations.

But the use of worldbuilding is a gradual scale. A few authors have taken it one step further and invent a whole fictional country such as Lilliput in "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift, Gilead in Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale", or Patusan in "Lord Jim" by Joseph Conrad.

Map of Lilliput and Blefuscu from the 1726 edition of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels.

At this point we come close to what most people think of when they hear the word worldbuilding. Even if the country is supposed to exists in an otherwise familiar world, or in some cases in the near future, it still needs a logical history, culture and political structure to be convincing to the reader.

Gulliver on the island of Lilliput.

The next logical level is the invention of complete fantasy worlds such as Tolkien's Arda and Barker's Tékumel, as we have already touched on. Although fantastic and strange in many ways, these worlds are still easily recognisable to us. Both share many basic concepts with our world and include humans as an important species. In the case of Arda and Tékumel, both even have a back story that at least briefly explains their place in our world.

Consequently it is possible to push worldbuilding even further than this and introduce truly alien forms of life and societies. Such worlds are most often found in science fiction and examples includes the three-gendered alien society in Isaac Asimov's "The Gods Themselves" and the oceanic planet in Stanisław Lem's "Solaris".

Cover of the first English edition of Stanisław Lem's Solaris.

As can be seen, worldbuilding span the whole range of creation from a single made up person or building in a world otherwise similar to our own, to a completely alien universe with it's own societies, history, biology and physical laws.