Sump Sea Board and Accoutrements - Part One: Superfluous Sump Seasoning While The Sump Board Simmers.
There are noticeable differences between a 'normal sized' project and a 'really big' project. Obviously, the size of the project, but that also affects the time required...an element that I tend to consider less than I should. Focus can be an issue on some projects, especially the larger ones, which require a larger time commitment. Fending off the mid-project doldrums is the name of the game this time...let's see if I can get some much needed hobby bonus energy out of messing about.
The really fun thing about making a new board is the opportunity it presents for some new, themed scenery to accompany it. I get a very strong nautical, harbour town vibe and would like to make some unique scenery, different from all my other Necromunda stuff. Weirdly, I grabbed the Marvel Crisis Protocol NYC Terrain Pack, which may not seem like the theme I just described, but I think I can make it work...with a bit of hacking and slashing.
The Sump Sea board that I'm working on is basically a regular gaming surface, with a space cut out from the middle and filled up with the corrosive effluent of the underhive. Think of a square doughnut made of scrap metal and you aren't far off. Metal and Sump underfoot will allow for a bit of interesting variety for my add-on Sump scenery. Some things will be usable 'Sumpside' while others will only be usable in the toxic goo of the Sump itself.
I know that NYC isn't Necromunda...but I think that Necromunda could be based on NYC...
I notice, going back through these articles, that I never show work in progress shots...I always get excited and the project gets finished before photos. Not this time. The pace on this stuff is leisurely and I am in no hurry, as I want the board finished first, before I get into the extra elements. At this stage I like to really have a good think about theme and try to design some pieces that will be evocative and tell a story just with their being on the board. I feel this will be easier than usual as the setting of the Sump Sea is so different from any other on Necromunda.
Many horrifying creatures swim the clotted chemical soup at Sump bottom...and most are surprisingly edible. Why not get some bait and a Harpoon Launcher and go sport fishing!?!
I always like to start out on something easy and then move on, once I am comfortable, to bigger things. True to form, I built one of the rectangular shops, added some plasticard and wooden letters to make a new sign and then spruced it up with some various bits and pieces. The coiled harpoon wire rolls were made from some left over sewing kit for kids, with picture hanging wire added. The rest was just a root through the bits box for anything vaguely fitting.
These buildings fit perfectly on the raised sides of the Sump Sea board but still looked a bit too modern day and polished for my liking. I want something to make these pieces distinctly different and I have chosen 'sprue' as my ingredient for that. Without getting boring: sprue is the extra plastic channelling that your plastic, multi-part models come attached to (and must be removed from...). I am always mindful of long, unblemished sections of sprue and save them away for such a project.
The Marina, with pilings made from Zombicide: Invader tokens...that game keeps giving!
Short lengths of sprue make excellent fence posts when strung with a bit of barbed wire. Both buildings were given some, to tie them together thematically and also to use up the last of my wire. The Marina was built the same as the Bait shack but I always tried to avoid any sort of 'sameness' between the pieces. They are based on the same building after all.
I figure, if you are going to do a science fiction water based fighting thing you would be crazy to not want to Waterworld that up a bit...with the addition of jet skis! So, let's do that. I always check thrift stores and the toy aisle when grocery shopping, just in case. I found a playset with a jet ski,canoe and dingy, which were pretty close to scale. I made a simple one part mould of the jet ski and dingy, so now I have multiples. The jet skis in the picture are affixed while I will magnetize one in the spare spot...so it can be stolen and used in-game. The dingy will also get a few magnetized ports, hidden under the dock itself.
The lifeguard tower / lookout is (obviously...) just long bits of sprue and some plasticard and wire, with a cocktail skewer to finish it. These pieces are ready to get sprayed and painted. I may add a bit here or there once I see it in monotone, but they are essentially built. One for the upper ground level and one to fit directly into the 'watery' part of the board.
Ah, the humble dumpster. Is there a better piece of sci-fi scenery? Now, with the left-overs from the spures FTW.
With a work bench covered in bits of sprue I had a super idea for some more of the Crisis Protocol terrain. These bulky dumpsters fit the theme of Necromunda in general and who hasn't cowered behind a dumpster in a firefight? Well, ME, that's who. One dumpster was opened and the left over sprue was added, with some glue and a piece of coiled paper, creating the stylish garbage pile. Interestingly, these are the first dumpsters I have done for my home gaming spread, which seems weird...remedied now thought. I can rest easy knowing my little plastic men have a place to put their plastic garbage. These don't really need to be Sump Sea specific and will probably make it into my general scenery, as I like them a lot.
The rest of the scenery from the box will have to wait for now, although I'm pretty sure I'll end up using it all, eventually. Before I get much further along on additional buildings and such I want a themed monster of some sort. Any monstrous creature can be imagined lurking in the Sump...I'm a bit bored of tentacles at the moment and have found a wonderful bath toy...
A delicacy in YYC Hive...if you can catch it. The King Craboid. Also, a preview of the Sump Sea Board interior.
There is a special hell reserved for Dads who steal toys from their kids and chop them up for gaming. So, with that in mind...this crab toy was 'acquired', the lower legs and shell removed, glued to a base, legs re-added in a different location, plant from GW plant box (see several articles back, remember? I saved the plants? Anyway...) added as a mouth, putty and water effects to hide my sloppy work, paint job. Done.
These were fun noodle projects to distract me from the repetitive work that needed doing. As I was working on these I was also working on the board...which is actually two boards, from a building perspective...more on that next time as I show off the board interior and head into the home stretch on this rather larger than expected project.
-Uncle Mike
