Building a Game Table on the cheap

Yesterday I was really excited at the thought of using a sandbox as a table for playing a game of Warmachine/Hordes, the impetus behind said thought was that I figured that I would write an article about making a table as cheaply as possible as a general guide for those who might want to make a table for home use, or if you wanted to make one for a game store or club.  Today I will present you with some common tips that I have discovered to make the best table possible for really cheap, with some money saving tips along the way.

Disclaimer: while I have not built any tables the ways that I am describing, I have built tables more complex than this, and these are rather my general suggestions based on my experiences with more complex tables.

Scenario Table, Templecon video, and Trolls!

I'm still recovering a bit from Templecon so I haven't had enough material to cobble together a coherent article yet (even the one yesterday took me some time to put together), so today I will share a mish-mash of information for you all.  I'm still riding the wave of fun from the weekend and have been more highly motivated than usual to both get some teaching work done as well as continuing to get some hobby stuff done.  That said, today I will share with you what's been up lately and what to expect in the future!

Templecon 2012 Scenario Table: Updated Rules!

The Templecon 2012 Scenario Table has been finished for a few weeks now.  It has been living at The Whiz Store back in MA (my "local" game store) so that the usual crowd there could playtest the scenario and offer feedback while I'm in another state.  When I initially dropped off the table, I observed some games and made some tweaks to the rules, but after a few weeks of testing, I have released version 1.2 of the rules.  Here are the major changes and the justifications for them, as well as some observations that I've made regarding the scenario itself.

Templecon 2012 Scenario Table - Rules [Updated]

While the table is finally finished, there is one last thing that needs to be done with it before it's ready for Templecon: playtesting!  Any good scenario should be tested to make sure that any rules questions are resolved in advance so that players can focus on having fun instead of arguing or asking questions.  Today I will be transporting the table to the LGS where it will undergo some vigorous testing and I will sift through some questions and thoughts on the table.  While I know it looks great, I want it to be fun too!  Therefore, I have created a beta for the rules here that you may sift through them for any questions/comments!  The most up-to-date rules can be found here.

Templecon 2012 Scenario Table - Finished!

 It's taken some time, but it's finally finished!  The scenario table is done!  All that is left to do is some final touch-ups and it will be ready for playtesting.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves, as the girlfriend and I are very pleased with how it looks.  See for yourself!

Templecon 2012 Scenario Table - Painting

I apologize for the lack of an update yesterday.  The work on the table has been constant and productive and I lost track time.  I do have some more pictures today of the table, and we should be finished in time for the Thursday deadline, at which point I will bring the table to the LGS so that people can play the scenario. For now, here are the photos of some of the painted pieces to hopefully get you as excited as I am!  I apologize for the pictures, as I don't have my usual software here to fix up the photos better.

Templecon 2012 Scenario Table - Structures!

I hope everyone had a merry Christmas, and I hope all of you Jewish folk enjoy the rest of Hannukah.  Personally, I had a great Christmas, as my girlfriend gave me a Vallejo 72-color paint set with case (!).  Meanwhile, at SPG we've been busy at work on the scenario table for Templecon 2012!  The graveyard (as of yet unnamed) has been progressing nicely and today I have some teaser pictures to share with you about our progress thus far.  The current deadline is Thursday this week, so that it can be transported to the LGS for playtesting, and it looks like we are following along according to schedule.  Take a look!

Templecon 2012 Scenario Table - Genesis

In the beginning there was nothing.  The foam was shapeless and void, lacking in any detail or meaning.

Work on the scenario table for Templecon 2012 has begun!  My girflriend and I have begun work on what is being tentatively called the "Graverobbers" scenario table.  Most of all of the materials have finally been gathered and work began in earnest last evening with the purchase of the foam necessary to create the surface onto which the rest of the details will be placed.  I have some pictures to show you all of how the project is progressing but first let's list the materials used in this project so you can follow along:

Scenario Table!

So I've been keeping this news pretty close to the chest for a while to make sure that it was actually going to turn into a reality first: my girlfriend and I will be making a scenario table for Templecon!  If you don't know what I'm talking about, let me explain.  At Templecon, in addition to all of the tournaments that are going on, there will be a collection of various independently-crafted tables.  Each table will have a unique scenario for it, and you can earn bonus Iron Arena points if you play on different scenario tables.  An example of one of these scenario tables is called Low Tide and it was made by a local PG Lonelymonk.  Here are some pictures of me playing on it:

Warmachine Table Part 3: The Colors of the Wind

The Colors of the Wind

He was pleased at how the battlefield was taking shape.  Every stone was in its place, the grooves in the earth were ready to be filled with flowing water.  "Wait!  I'm getting ahead of myself, the waters have no color!"  The general realized that his battlefield was lifeless and lacked the color it deserved.  "Time to get painting!"

Warmachine Table Part 2: Stones of the Earth

I apologize for not writing for a couple of days.  I have been similarly affected by the massive power outage which is currently plaguing the US East Coast.  Fortunately, I'm staying with my girlfriend in Boston while I wait for power to return to my school, but I have been busy playing games instead of writing blog posts.  So hooray for that, at least!  Today we will return to our regularly scheduled blog with the second part about my making my Warmachine table!

Clay and Sand

This is where we left off last time

The general plotted and planned how he would use the natural terrain to his advantage.  "The battle will soon be upon us and we need to prepare the earthen battlements!"  He ventured out from his headquarters to survey his environment, connecting himself with the Earth.  "Aha!" he exclaimed, "I have found exactly what I need!"

Warmachine Table Part 1: The Fire of the Forge

I recently realized that it has been one year since I decided to create my own 4'x4' Warmachine/Hordes table.  Realistically, I guess the table better suits Hordes, but since both systems can play against each other, I guess the point is moot.

When I started the project, I decided to photo-document the whole project last year back in October.   I realized this fall (after the craziness of moving) that I never really finished the table.  I will be finishing the table by the end of this month, and so I figured that I would chronicle the project with a series of blogs from the beginning until the end.  There will be four entries, each corresponding to the four primal elements: Fire, Earth, Air, and Water.  Let's start with Part 1: The Fire of the Forge