Building a world on a budget. Part one.

Building a world on a budget.

In building the terrain for my tabletop I wanted to recapture the style of my childhood.  In the late 1980s, there was a certain Blue Peter feel to the wargames table.  The average gamer would be ferreting away things that would be consider rubbish by the uninitiated to be later turned into unique pieces of terrain.  This approach was even encouraged in the original Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader rulebook.  On page two hundred and sixty-two there are three DIY terrain projects outlined.  The first project, the Control Tower, really grabbed my interest, so, I went about collecting, not hoarding, the materials that I would need for it.

Project one: The custard pudding tower

Construction

 

At this stage I wish that I had made some holes in the pots, so that I could have installed some LEDs, and some silhouettes of the interior.  This is something that I will try on the next tower that I make.

Added other details to help disguise its original nature and applied an undercoated.

I achieved the texture on the tower with an old dried-up snow texture paint which I almost threw away, but I managed to rescue.

Completed

Firefight at Farthingloe 

After a failed coup at the capital of Dubris XXI damaged renegade dreadnought Argos Cannon sought succour on the agri-moon of Farthingloe.  There he hoped to affect repairs on his damaged drive unit and jump jets.  Unfortunately for him the inquisition had sent elements of the 85^th Astor regiment, Grilli`s Vegetables, to detain or destroy him.

With the element of surprise on his side Lieutenant Ward set up his men in an ambush position. 

The first Argos became aware of the trap waiting for him was when a fusillade of laser fire erupted around him.  Only the Las cannon found its mark, but Argos smiled to himself as it was deflected by his intact Power field.

The veteran pilot strode towards the waiting guardsmen opening fire with his twin-linked bolters the storm of bolts shredded one of the Vegetables.

Cursing the loss of his jump jets in the fool’s errand on Dubris XXI, Argos closed the gap with his attackers.  He focused his fire on the NCO commanding the Las cannon fireteam, the concentrated bolter fire blew away Sergeant Ioannou`s left leg.

The screams of the wounded sergeant almost caused the Vegetables to lose their nerve, but lieutenant Ward`s unwavering belief in the Emperor and clear orders held them together.  Once the dreadnought came into range, he gave the order for the guardsmen to switch to their AGLs and in unison eight crack grenades sailed towards the dreadnought. Only one of the grenades was able to penetrate the Power field, but as it cracked open the armour of the dreadnought fragments penetrated Argos Cannon`s brain.

Unconscious, and dying, what little was left of Argos` will to survive drove the killing machine on.  Veering away to the right the deadly machine`s weapons fired automatically killing two more of the 85^th.

The dreadnought lurched towards the final guardsman standing in its way to freedom twisting its torso into a firing position before the lights on the machine suddenly died.  Argos Cannon, renegade dreadnought, had expired from his wounds.