Cities Of Death Gaming Table
Project manager: Marko Paunović
''Special effects'' team:
- Table design and water features (waterpump and fogger) engineered and made by: Marko Paunović (left)
- Electric/electronic components engineered and made by: Davor Bokun (right)
- Landing-pad and vents made by: Tomislav Petrović (far left)
Crew: Andrija ''Walker'' Jurišić (foreman, far right in the picture) , Tomislav Rac, Ivan Kalazić, Goran Magdić, Filip ''The Dumbo'' Dumbović, Ante Majić, Domagoj Pribanić, Igor Iliovski, Ivan Kecerin
Photographs: Marko Paunović, Igor Hamzić and Borna Kržišnik
GW components used: Cities of Death sprues, Necron Destroyer, Predator, Sentinel, Shuttle from The Battle for McCragge, Steel Legion Lieutenant, Imperial Comissar, old Necromunda building parts and several left-over heavy weapons...
THE NEWS OF THE COMPETITION
A while back, in 2006 to be exact, our club recieved the news of a competition to build a gaming table for Warhammer 40.000 from our retailer Land of Magic (which was its name at that time, it's called Carta Magica these days), so we immediately started working on ideas to put on the table. First, we had a ''brainstorming'' meeting where we all suggested various ideas for items that should go onto the table. After the list of all possible ideas was made, we decided which ones to use.
These were the following: - flowing water through a canal, - a force field (made by laser pointers going through fog/mist made by a fogger), - various street lights (both blinking and normal), - a spinning radar, - a landing pad (with running lights), - some vents to be put in an industrial part of the city, - also to make this part of the city appear more industrial we decided to put in the railroad tracks
Next step was to make blueprints of the table in such a manner that no special effect interferes with another. It is of vital importance when dealing with projects of such a magnitude to delegate and divide the work apropriately. Good organisation is crucial as well as setting strict deadlines, and abiding by them.
TABLE FRAME
Because of all the extra features on our table we had to make at least one part of the table higher to store all the SF mumbo-jumbo inside (like the power source, electronic circuits, water pump and fogger along with two separate water tanks). To build this higher part of the frame we used 40 x 95 mm wooden planks for sturdiness and durability. The cover was made from 5 mm thick plywood that was screwed to the planks so it could be removed (if necessary). We also made a drawer where we put all the electronic circuits and switches for all of the special effects. We also left room for a canal through which the water will flow.
WATER FEATURES
We decided to have two separate water features. One is a sewage canal coming from the factory. It consists of a water pump, hidden within the factory, a verical pipe that pumps the water into the canal. The water is dyed into green for even more repugnant effect. The other water feature is a fogger, a machine that converts water into fog and can be found in most stores dealing with lamps or garden decorations. The machine itself comes from a lamp that is made up of a bowl (that needs to be filled with water) inside which it is placed. We put the fogger underneath the city so the fog will appear to be rising from the sewers.
NOTE: When dealing with real water you must be carefull to insulate everything. Put lots of clear varnish over the terrain where the water will run. If there is even the smallest hole, water will find its way through.
IMPORTANT: It is really dangerous to put high voltage in or even near running water for obvious reasons so make sure that trained professionals do that part of the job. When you use lesser voltages (like 5V or 12V) such precautions are not necessary because of water's relatively low conductivity. This effect can be further reduced if you use distilled water whose conductivity is even lower than regular water's.
Water pump and canal
Fogger – Water tank and effect
ELECTRONICS
We decided to use the AT power unit from an old PC. The output voltages from the device were everything we needed, 220V AC, 24V DC, 12V DC and 5V DC. We used 220V AC to power the waterpump, 24V DC to power the fogger, 12V DC for different vents and electronic circuits with flashing and running LEDs and 5V DC for normal LEDs and servos. When we decided to use all those special effects we didn't realise how time consumig the process would be. More than half of the time spent on this project was spent on either research or engineering of these effects. So bear that in mind. However, internet helped a lot because almost all the circuits used on this project can be easily found there. Although the process was made up of a lot of trial-and-errors to make one circuit work we never wavered and it finally payed off.
IMPORTANT: Always have the device plugged out before you start working on electrical and electronic components!
TERRAIN FEATURES
Skyscraper
The skscraper itself is 70cm high. The base and the walls of the skyscraper were built from balsa wood while the windows were made form PVC see-through sheets cut into shape. When the inside of the tower was painted the side walls (PVC) were glued. Once everything was dry we cut holes in the windows and painted the rubble after which we added PVC bits as the broken glass. On the roof of the tower a small greenhouse was made to give a bit of life in the grim world of the City od Death...
Factory
The practical purpose for factory was to house the water tank and the pump. The building itself was built around the tank with one part of the roof built in such a way so it can easily be lifted for the water to be poured inside. Note the special engine that came from an old model car in scale 1:16. After the building itself was finished, some vents (which actually rotate and the LEDs beside them light up gradually and then dim also gradually) were placed on top and around it, just to give it a more industrial feel. There is one basin filled with resin as well as a significant ''chemical'' spillage in the place where the pipelines go underground which is also made from resin.
Warehouse and the railroad
To continue with the industrial feel of that part of the table we put some HO railroad tracks coming out of the factory and running all across the table. On the other side of the railroad tracks there is a loading terminal connected to a warehouse. The loads can be lifted from the carts onto the plateau with a crane which is also moveable. There is also a couple of LEDs which serve as street lights and one LED in the foreman's cabin inside the warehouse. The roof of the cabin can be lifted so you can play inside.
Houses with the McCragge shuttle
Moving along the table, we now come to the raised part of the table. On one side there are a couple of ruined houses and a statue. Houses were made from balsa wood and decorated by some bits from the Cities of Death sprues. The great thing about those bits is that they can be easily interchanged and also added to other materials used to build structures like balsa wood. Among the houses we placed the shot down shuttle from the Battle for McCragge box set. We made sure that the flight path goes through at least one building where it hits and deflects from the path to the left. Underneath those houses the before mentioned water tank with the fogger is concealed. We left holes under the shuttle for the fog to pass so it appears as if the shuttle just crashed.
Turrets
The design of the turrets was taken from Forge World. They are octagonal, two-storey concrete buildings with three firing slots per storey built exclusively from balsa wood. One of them also houses a servo motor which operates the searchlight on top of the turret. In it there are also three laser diodes which point across the street to the other turret creating a force field. Of course, untill you put your model in front of the laser beam you can not see it. And that is where the fogger comes into play! We built a small canal underneath the street where the fogger makes the fog. The fog is then lifted by a small concealed vent into the air right into the path of the laser beams, making them visible!
Statues and posters
To add a bit of personal touch and to make the city seem more ''Imperial'' we added some statues, namely one of a Steel Legion Lieutenant and one of a Comissar. Those really lift the entire table. What we also added to the buildings is some posters. But that was not enough for us. We asked ourselves what else do you find in a city? The answer was so obvious that we didn't see it for quite a while... Road signs! So we drew them on a PC, printed and glued them in logical places (on a walkway above the road).
Sentinel and the Predator
What kind of a battle torn city this would be if it didn't have any casualties? Therefore we sacrifised one Imperial Sentinel (slightly converted) and a Predator. The Predator was placed partly inside a building which collapsed around it. Extra care was taken in painting the interior of the Predator, and the back hatch is left moveable so you can actually hide your models inside!
Landing pad
Our landing pad also draws its idea from Forge World's one with the octagonal design. It was hand-made from scratch. Each of the six legs has 51 separate parts! It has 8 yellow LEDs and 4 times 7 red LEDs that have their own circuit which makes them apear as if running to the middle of the pad.
Cities of Death buildings
And finally we come to the Cities of Death buildings. We made three large buildings. One is a part of the factory exclusively made up of parts on the Manufactorium sprue. The other is a large complex that once served as a courthouse but is now a pile of rubble where the army moved in and made its HQ with a specially built landing pad and radar. This remnants of the courthouse were made of Sanctum Imperialis sprues. The third building was built from the Basilica Administratum sprues.
The great thing about Cities of Death sprues is its multiplicity. You can build as many different buildings as you like (or can afford). The painting is easy, even the beginners can paint it masterfully, just by using drybrush techniques in several shades. But the buildings really come alive if you add just a couple of details in another colour. Of course the parts are so intricate that you can easily spend a couple of hours painting and perfecting just one part of the building. It all depends on how much time and effort you are willing to put in.
EXTRA DETAILS
Wooden Boxes
These are easily made from 2 mm thin balsa wood sheets. Just cut the sides of the boxes (ours were 2x5cm, 2x3cm and 2,5x3cm), glue them together, draw lines into the balse to represent the planks and glue thin strips of card as metal reinforcements. You may even add small dressmaker's pins as rivets.
Lamp conversions
It is easy to convert the Cities of Death lamp posts with LEDs so that they actualy give light. Just remove the bottom part of the lamp, drill a hole through the lamp for the wires and attach the LEDs.
You must watch out not to connect the + and the – wires because you will short circuit the LED.
Metal plates, hatches and mesh
Metal plates can be easily made by using card cut into squares and glued onto the base repetively one beside another. When finished, just add dressmaker's pins as rivets. Hatches are also done with card. Just cut the hatch frame and both sides of the doors and glue together. You can also add pins as rivets. Mesh is done with plastic anti-mosquito nets found in most stores. It is easy to cut, form and glue and yet it gives excellent results.
Trussed metal constructions
Trussed constructions are a bit fidly to make but once finished they will be worth while. They are made from two strips of wood, one 2x2mm and the other 5x5mm while the length is up to you. You use the thicker ones for the frame and you put the smaller ones in between at a 45 degree angle to the frame. The finished product not only looks great but is also very sturdy and can withstand suprisingly big loads.
CONCLUSSION
To sum it all, this table contains over 15l of water, over 100m of cables and wires, weighs around 75kg (without the water), has 2,5m of walkways, over 10m of handmade trussed structures, a dozen various electronic circuits, 63 LEDs, 3 laser diodes, 6 working vents, 2 servo motors, a waterpump, a fogger, one factory, one skyscraper, one warehouse, a railroad terminal, 3 small buildings, 2 large buildings, 2 statues, 3 wrecks (tenk, sentinel and a shuttle), 2 turrets...
As you can see it is much more than the mere sum of its parts because over 1000 working hours after the initial sketches, the final product was before us.
Latest articles
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Pigmentation principles: why powdered pigment doesn't work
- • Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) — IR around 2.7 → excellent coverage, strongest white pigment
- • Zinc oxide (ZnO) — IR around 2.0 → good coverage
- • Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) — IR around 1.59 → poor coverage, filler
- • Calcium sulfate / gypsum (CaSO₄) — IR around 1.52 → almost transparent in a binder, filler
This means that gypsum and chalk, although white as a powder, become almost transparent in the formulation of a coating or mass. They do not compete with the pigment — they are subordinate to it. That's why a small amount of pigment easily and evenly colors a gypsum or chalk-based mass, while the same amount of pigment in a mass containing TiO₂ would be barely visible.
3. Agglomeration — the enemy of even color
Pigment powders do not exist as perfectly separate particles. Due to electrostatic attractive forces and surface tension, the particles spontaneously group into clusters called agglomerates or aggregates. Agglomeration is particularly pronounced in: fine particles (the smaller the particle, the higher the surface area to volume ratio, so the attractive forces are relatively stronger) pigments with a high specific surface area, such as carbon black high temperature or humidity conditions When pigment powder is mixed with filler or binder powder, the agglomerates do not break down—they remain as compact clusters. The visual result is an uneven color: dark spots where pigment particles have accumulated, and pale areas where they are absent. The user then concludes that "more pigment is needed"—but this is not true. The problem is not a lack of pigment, but its poor distribution.
4. Dispersion — meaning properly dispersed pigment
Dispersion is the process of breaking up agglomerates and evenly distributing individual pigment particles throughout a medium (water, oil, binder). A well-dispersed pigment means that the particles are as evenly distributed as possible — each filler or binder particle "sees" the pigment, not just the neighborhood of the agglomerate. Dispersion is achieved by mechanical and chemical means:
- • Mechanical: mixing with high shear forces (mixers, mill aggregates, ultrasound). Mixing with a spoon or spatula is not sufficient to break up agglomerates.
- • Chemical: the use of dispersants and surfactants that adsorb to the surface of the particle and prevent it from re-adhering to neighboring particles.
5. Why liquid colorant works better than powdered pigment
Liquid colorants are not just pigment dissolved in water. They are ready-made systems that contain: Pigment — already dispersed to the level of individual particles or very small clusters Dispersants and surfactants — which keep the particles separated and prevent re-agglomeration Liquid medium — which allows the pigment to be evenly distributed throughout the material being colored before that material begins to set or dry When a liquid colorant is added to the mixing water (e.g. in gypsum, concrete, mortar), the pigment is already in an ideal state of dispersion. The same amount of pigment is evenly delivered to each part of the mixture. The color effect is therefore much more intense than with dry-mixed pigment — with a significantly lower total amount of pigment. The same logic applies to paints and varnishes: pigment pastes and dispersed pigments provide better coverage and color uniformity than pigments that have not undergone the dispersion process.
6. Practical application — gypsum example
Gypsum is a good example because it illustrates all the above principles at once. Because it has a low refractive index (~1.52), it is not a true white pigment — it does not resist staining when mixed with a binder. This means that a small amount of black pigment can easily and evenly color the gypsum mass. Why then does it happen to many people that they have to add a large proportion of pigment in relation to the mass of plaster? Because they mix the pigment in powder form directly into the gypsum powder. Pigment agglomerates (especially Fe₃O₄ or carbon black) remain intact, the distribution is uneven, and the result is disappointing. The conclusion "we need more" is wrong — we need better.
Correct procedure:
Add the colorant (or pigment dispersed in water) to the mixing water Mix the water with the colorant well Only then add the gypsum and mix until a homogeneous mixture This way, the pigment is distributed throughout the entire mass before the gypsum begins to set. The result is an even, intense color with a much smaller amount of pigment than with dry mixing. For those who do not have access to professional colorants, a good alternative are liquid pigment additives available in building paint stores — usually in the form of small bottles intended for tinting wall paints. It is the same principle: the pigment is already dispersed in a liquid medium with additives that prevent agglomeration. Added to the mixing water, they give a more even result than powdered pigment with a significantly smaller amount.
Conclusion
The intensity and uniformity of color in a mass depend not only on the amount of pigment — they depend on how well the pigment is dispersed. A pigment powder mixed with a powder of another material almost always gives worse results than a pigment that has been previously dispersed in a liquid medium, in the presence of dispersants. When you encounter the problem of "the pigment does not color enough," it is worth asking yourself: is the problem not in the way it was added — and not in the amount.
" ["content_hrv"]=> string(9431) "Ovaj tekst nastao je nakon druženja srijedom na kojem se razvila rasprava o pigmentaciji gipsa. Kako nisam uspjela sve objasniti na licu mjesta, odlučila sam to složiti na papir — a principi o kojima je riječ ionako vrijede šire od samog gipsa.
1. Što je pigment — i što nije
Pigment je tvar koja daje boju tako što selektivno apsorbira određene valne duljine vidljivog svjetla i reflektira ostale. Crni pigment apsorbira gotovo sve valne duljine; crveni apsorbira plavu i zelenu, a reflektira crvenu. Važno je razlikovati pigment od punila. Punila su bijele ili neutralne tvari koje se dodaju u boje, premaze i mase kako bi povećala volumen, poboljšala teksturu ili snizila cijenu — ali same po sebi ne daju snažnu boju ni dobru pokrivnost. Tipična punila su kalcijev karbonat (kreda, CaCO₃), kalcijev sulfat (gips, CaSO₄), barijev sulfat i slični materijali. Razlika između pravog pigmenta i punila nije samo u boji — leži u fizikalnom svojstvu koje se zove indeks refrakcije.
2. Indeks refrakcije i pokrivnost
Indeks refrakcije (IR) opisuje koliko se svjetlost lomi i raspršuje kada prolazi kroz neku tvar ili nailazi na njezinu površinu. Što je veći, to čestica jače raspršuje svjetlost — i time djeluje neprozirnije, "pokrivnije". Nekoliko usporednih vrijednosti:
- • Titanijev dioksid (TiO₂) — IR oko 2,7 → izvanredna pokrivnost, najjači bijeli pigment
- • Cinkov oksid (ZnO) — IR oko 2,0 → dobra pokrivnost
- • Kalcijev karbonat (CaCO₃) — IR oko 1,59 → slaba pokrivnost, punilo
- • Kalcijev sulfat / gips (CaSO₄) — IR oko 1,52 → gotovo transparentno u vezivu, punilo
Ovo znači da gips i kreda, premda su bijeli kao prah, u formulaciji premaza ili mase postaju gotovo prozirni. Ne natječu se s pigmentom — podređuju mu se. Zato mala količina pigmenta lako i ravnomjerno oboji masu na bazi gipsa ili krede, dok bi ista količina pigmenta u masi koja sadrži TiO₂ jedva bila vidljiva.
3. Aglomeracija — neprijatelj ravnomjerne boje
Pigmenti u prahu ne postoje kao savršeno odvojene čestice. Zbog elektrostatičkih privlačnih sila i površinske napetosti, čestice se spontano grupiraju u nakupine koje se zovu aglomerati ili agregati. Aglomeracija je posebno izražena kod: sitnih čestica (što je čestica manja, veći je omjer površine i volumena, pa su privlačne sile relativno jače) pigmenata visoke specifične površine, poput carbon blacka (čađe) uvjeta visokih temperatura ili vlage Kada se prah pigmenta umiješa u prah punila ili veziva, aglomerati se ne raspadaju — ostaju kao kompaktne nakupine. Vizualni rezultat je neujednačena boja: tamne mrlje tamo gdje su se nakupile čestice pigmenta, i blijeda područja tamo gdje ih nema. Korisnik tada zaključuje da "treba više pigmenta" — ali to nije točno. Problem nije nedostatak pigmenta, nego njegova loša raspodjela.
4. Disperzija — što znači pravilno dispergiran pigment
Disperzija je proces razbijanja aglomerata i ravnomjernog raspoređivanja pojedinačnih čestica pigmenta kroz medij (vodu, ulje, vezivo). Dobro dispergiran pigment znači da su čestice što ravnomjernije raspoređene — svaka čestica punila ili veziva "vidi" pigment, a ne samo susjedstvo aglomerata. Disperzija se postiže mehaničkim i kemijskim putem:
- • Mehanički: miješanje s visokim smičnim silama (mikseri, mlinski agregati, ultrazuk). Miješanje žlicom ili lopaticom nije dovoljno za razbijanje aglomerata.
- • Kemijski: upotreba dispergirnih sredstava (dispergatora) i surfaktanata koji se adsorbiraju na površinu čestice i sprječavaju njezino ponovno lijepljenje za susjedne čestice.
5. Zašto tekući kolorant radi bolje od pigmenta u prahu
Tekući koloranti nisu samo pigment otopljen u vodi. To su gotovi sustavi koji sadrže: Pigment — već dispergiran do razine pojedinačnih čestica ili vrlo malih klastera Dispergatore i surfaktante — koji drže čestice razdvojenima i sprječavaju ponovnu aglomeraciju Tekući medij — koji omogućuje da se pigment ravnomjerno rasporedi kroz materijal koji se boji još prije nego što taj materijal počne vezati ili sušiti Kada se tekući kolorant doda u vodu za miješanje (npr. kod gipsa, betona, žbuke), pigment je već u idealnom stanju disperzije. Svakom dijelu smjese ravnomjerno se isporučuje ista količina pigmenta. Efekt boje je stoga mnogo intenzivniji nego kod suho miješanog pigmenta — uz znatno manju ukupnu količinu pigmenta. Ista logika vrijedi za boje i lakove: pigmentne paste i disperzirani pigmenti daju bolju pokrivnost i ravnomjernost boje od pigmenata koji nisu prošli proces disperzije.
6. Praktična primjena — primjer gipsa
Gips je zahvalan primjer jer ilustrira sve navedene principe odjednom. Budući da ima nizak indeks refrakcije (~1,52), nije pravi bijeli pigment — u smjesi s vezivom ne pruža otpor bojanju. To znači da mala količina crnog pigmenta može lako i ravnomjerno obojiti gipsanu masu. Zašto se onda mnogima događa da moraju dodati veliki udio pigmenta u odnosu na masu gipsa? Jer pigment miješaju u obliku praha direktno u prah gipsa. Aglomerati pigmenta (posebno Fe₃O₄ ili carbon black) ostaju netaknuti, raspodjela je neujednačena, i rezultat je razočaravajući. Zaključak "treba više" je pogrešan — treba bolje.
Ispravni postupak:
Kolorant (ili pigment dispergiran u vodi) dodati u vodu za miješanje Dobro promiješati vodu s kolorantom Tek tada dodati gips i miješati do homogene smjese Na taj način pigment bude raspoređen kroz cijelu masu još prije nego gips počne vezati. Rezultat je ravnomjerna, intenzivna boja uz višestruko manju količinu pigmenta nego pri suhom miješanju. Za one koji nemaju pristup profesionalnim kolorantima, dobra alternativa su tekući pigmentni dodaci dostupni u trgovinama građevinskih boja — najčešće u obliku malih bočica namijenjenih nijansiranju zidnih boja. Radi se o istom principu: pigment je već dispergiran u tekućem mediju s aditivima koji sprječavaju aglomeraciju. Dodani u vodu za miješanje, daju ravnomjerniji rezultat od pigmenta u prahu uz znatno manju količinu.
Zaključak
Intenzitet i ravnomjernost boje u nekoj masi ne ovise samo o količini pigmenta — ovise o tome koliko je taj pigment dobro dispergiran. Prah pigmenta miješan u prah drugog materijala gotovo uvijek daje lošije rezultate od pigmenta koji je prethodno dispergiran u tekućem mediju, uz prisustvo dispergirnih sredstava. Kada se susretnete s problemom "pigment ne boji dovoljno", vrijedi si postaviti pitanje: nije li problem u načinu na koji je dodan — a ne u količini.
" ["created"]=> string(19) "2026-05-04 12:54:47" ["modified"]=> string(19) "2026-05-04 20:10:17" } ["Member"]=> array(10) { ["id"]=> string(3) "108" ["group_id"]=> string(1) "2" ["first_name"]=> string(5) "Dunja" ["last_name"]=> string(6) "Singer" ["first_name_mask"]=> string(5) "dunja" ["last_name_mask"]=> string(6) "singer" ["username"]=> string(5) "Dunja" ["password"]=> string(40) "772414a5d6b32309f32f46e9009f1e550809c62d" ["born"]=> string(19) "2006-01-01 00:00:00" ["created"]=> NULL } } Dunja Singer, 4th May 2026 - We visited: Warhammer World – pt.3 Ivan Vedak, 4th May 2026
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