UMS "Agram" : Modular Gaming Board < Articles < Hobby

Modular Gaming Board

Marko Paunović, 11th September 2020

In the past issues I've been dealing with various forms of terrain for my Malifaux games. I've started with several bigger, feature terrain, like Western Church with a graveyard, Undertakers or Water tower with a fog machine. I've then continued with a train set accompanied by several modules worth of railroad tracks. Finally I ended with three modules of a dried river and a set of smaller gaming pieces (like forests, rough terrain, fences etc). In this issue, I'll be tackling how to build your own modular board, easily and fairly cheaply.

Obviously like with every big project, When making such a board you need to make the blueprints and carefully think everything through. What size will the board be, how many modules, how to connenct the modules, features stretching through a couple of modules - how to make the transitions... Fortunately for me, the basic idea of the board was already in my mind because a lot would be decided and defined by the terrain I've already built. Colours to be used I need not think about as they must be the same as in all the other terrain. Having such a great number of terrain pieces, means that I won't need a lot of features built into my modules. This makes the actual build easier, however deciding what details and features to use and more importantly where to place them, complicated matters. Over the course of the last couple of years I've made quite a number of large terrain pieces that I would like to use in my games. Having details, like large boulders, in wrong places on the board would prevent me from firmly placing larger pieces of terrain on my tabletop. That is something I need to avoid so I will need to take extra care not to get carried away. Let the board look a bit „boring, flat and featureless“.

Planning

Here is the list of needs and wants I've compiled after a couple of nights of planning:

1. easy storage (modules - no big wooden board that's hard to put away) N
1.1. size of the entire board: 90 x 90cm (or as close as possible) N
1.2. board needs to consist of four modules 45 x 45 cm (or as close as possible) N

2. use magnets for fixing the modules N
2.1. connection of the modules - use magnets (diametre 10mm) W/N
2.2. connection of the modules – use plastic pins (diametre 8mm) W/N
2.3. place the magnets/pins in the middle of each board W

3. details W
3.1. dirt paths – only on two or three modules W
3.2. one module without features W
3.3. dirt road – only on one module, as short as possible N
3.4. all of the modules must have at least ¼ of each module without any features N

4. details mustn't continue from one module to the next N

5. features and details as flat as possible (so I can place my terrain on the table easily) N

6. materials to be used – as light as possible N

7. frame – sturdy that won't bend or break easily N

When I compiled the list, already some things were begining to come to light. The need for light materials to be used made the choice easy – only HD Styrofoam could meet the demand on such a large surface or really thin MDF (maximum 5mm thickness). In the end, I went for three modules of HD Styrofoam (as it is less expensive) and one module of MDF (just for the purposes of this article so I can explain how to make it with this material as well). However, the need for sturdy frame and the connection through magnets meant that each module had to have a wooden frame. This in turn meant that the board would be at least 2,5 – 4 cm high. So the volume the board would have when not assembled would be 45 x 45 x 16cm (maximum height). This means that the whole board wouldn't take up too much space which is exactly what I was going for. After a little deliberation, I've decided to go with the magnets as my choice of connection, instead of pins. I'll do the list of pros and cons a little later on in the article. However, I decided to make a mock-up of the pin connection, as well, for the purposes of this article. Next up, was to make a sketch of the entire layout. I made sure I dotted down everything and proceeded to make a list of materials and tools needed.

- glues - PVA 1kg, 1x10g Superglue
- paints and spreys
- 6 Pebeo Deco Paints (Black, White, Grey, Brown, Ochre and Ash), one black matt acrylic sprey and one clear matt acrylic sprey
- large brushes No 90, No 40
- airbrush
- brush size 16
- high density sytyrofoam
- 2 boards (1200 x 600 x 20 mm)
- MDF 1 board (50 x 50cm) – just for the purposes of this article!
- 8mm diametre plastic tube – just for the purposes of this article!
- wooden slats
- 8 pieces (30 x 5 x 1000 mm)
- balsa wood 5mm thick (10 x 1000 mm)
- magnets - 32 pieces (diametre 10 mm, thickness 1mm)
- DAS air drying clay (0,5kg)
- plaster (half a cup)
- mould for casting cobbles
- sand and gravel (4 sizes)
- static grass and scatter (three to four sorts)
- scalpel blade
- jig saw
- disc sander
- modeller's saw
- mill bit (10 mm diametre)
- sanding paper
- masking tape

When you make such a list, you can also add where you can buy those items and it'll make your shopping easier and faster. When all summed up, I reckon, my board wouldn't cost more than 30-35USD which is really great as this is even cheaper than normal playing mats and that came as a surprise really.

Actual build

After you purchased everything you need, it's time to start the build. First thing I did when I started was making the wooden frame out of the 8 linden slats 30 x 5 x 1000 mm planks. I cut them 2mm longer than neccessary. Fortunately, the slats being 1000 mm long I could afford it so each slat could be used to make two sides of the frame. They all had leftovers and when finally done, I'd have modules that were exactly 45 x 45 cm. When cutting (with a saw) cut one from one side of the plank and the other from the other side. It will ensure you that you have at least one vertically cut side (factory made). After you make this, you'll have to sand of the extra 2mm of length. In order to have a perfect fit, I used my Proxxon disc sander that has a movable trey which I set up at 45 degrees angle. After both sides of each plank were sanded I checked if I had perfect fits all around.

After the wooden frame parts were cut, I proceeded with magnet installment. First of all, I marked one side of all the magnets with green colour and the other with red (note: it doesn't matter which colour you use, obviously, as long as they are sufficiantly different). When I had all my 32 magnets marked on both sides, it was time to mark the wooden frame slats exactly where I would place them. I decided to place them exactly 10 cm from left/right side and exactly 1,5 cm from the top side. Using a marker I jotted down the exact centre so I could aim the vertical drill more easily. I placed the 10 mm diametre mill bit into it and drilled 2 mm deep into the wooden slats. I glued the magnets using a mixture of PVA glue (inside the hole) and superglue (on the magnets).

In the design phase I mentioned another way to connect the modules. The preparations for the pin connection are mostly the same. Decide where to place the pins (how far from each side of the module and on which height). Using a drill of appropriate size (8mm in this case), I made the holes straight through the wooden slat. I then proceeded to cut the plastic rod into pins of desired length and placed one pin per side. Like with magnets, I carefully marked each side of the module with separate colour (red and green). One colour would have the pin (be the male jack) and the other would have the hole (be the female jack). I would suggest that your pins protrude at least 2,5cm. If you've done everything right, the pins should align precisely with the holes and you should get a perfect fit. Using the pins will provide a more permanent and rigid connection than the magnet version. However, storing the modules would require more space. Of course, you could always opt not to fix the pins to the modules and store them in a separate bag.

As mentioned above, on three of the modules, I would be using high density styrofoam to make the body of the board so I now had to cut it into four pieces that would go into the four frames of the modules. Since the frames' outside dimensions were exactly 45 x 45 cm and the wooden frame thickness was 5 mm (on each side!), that meant that my styrofoam boards needed to be exactly 44 x 44 cm so using some straight wooden planks (balsa wood) I first drew the outline and then using my scalpel blade I cut the four pieces.

The fourth module would be done out of thin MDF (about 4mm). Using the same method as before, I drew the outline of the module and using my jigsaw I cut it to desired size (44 x 44 cm). Earlier in the article, I mentioned I would list some pros and cons of each method. Obviously, the styrofoam is easier to cut, lighter and due to it's soft properties and relatively high depth provides the builder the opportunity to add some features inside the module. However, the styrofoam usually comes with different (usually diamond shaped) features on it's surfaces. This is because it is used as insulation on houses so the roughness of the surface makes it adhere better to the wall surfaces. I had to remove the texture and I did it using a makeshift tool made from sanding paper, masking tape and a paint bottle. The MDF is obviously a little heavier, more difficult to cut but on the other hand provides better rigidity of the entire module. Also, being thinner than styrofoam, it provides more room on the inside of the module, so your modules can have more texutre and protruding details and you'll still be able to stack the modules on top of each other when placed in storage.

In order to glue the wooden frames at right angle more easily, I made some brackets (of course you can buy them, but it's cheaper this way). From the 5mm thick balsa wood I cut 8 pieces about 5 x 5 cm large. Afterwards using a knife, I cut them diagonally and presto, I had 16 brackets (for each corner of the 4 modules). I glued them using superglue.

I now had all the pieces I needed to assemble the four modules. I used superglue to instantly bond the wooden frames to eachother and to the brackets. When I acchieved the initial strength of the bond, I added PVA glue to all the joints. When the bonds were dry, I placed my styrofoam boards into each frame. After a bit of tayloring with a scalpel blade I had them all fit snuggly inside the frames. I glued the styrofoam boards to the frames using PVA glue (superglue melts styrofoam) and left it to dry overnight. Before pouring the glue, I added masking tape to all the joints on the top surface to prevent the glue from leaking.

Adding texture

I assembled all the modules to check how they fit. On the module with the MDF base, the base had sunk into the wooden frame and didn't align perfectly. To fix it, I mixed up some plaster with water making sure the mixture was almost fluid-like. When I was satisfied with the consistency, I poured in the plaster and using a long straight slat I leveled the plaster with the wooden frame. Once it was dry, I checked the alignment again and since everything worked out great it was now time to add some scenic features that I decided I'd install. Using my sketch, I carefully copied the design to the board clearly marking the dirt roads, dirt paths and all the clear featureless areas. When I had the design drawn on the board, using some sanding paper taped to a bottle (for a colour I'd be using later) I sanded into the board so the roads would be flat with the ground. I managed to make the profile of the road by just sanding the MDF. If I hadn't succeeded I would opt to use DAS air drying clay. I would shaped some features to the roads and when I satisfied with how they looked, I would smear some PVA glue over the entire surface of the.

For a long time I debated whether to add some cobbled stone road or area to my board for the purposes of this article. However, in the end I decided against it as it would clash too much with the rest of the scenery. Luckily, on one of my previous projects I did just that so I have a couple of pics to show how it's done. First, using the method described earlier I made a denture in the styrofoam to fit my cobbled stones which I made from a silicone mould I found in a Home depo store (note: it was actually a pot coaster that I used in Wyrd Chronicles no 22). I mixed some plaster with water and I poured it into my mould. Half an hour later I had my cobbles. I placed the cobbles into the appropriate hole and when done, I sprinkled generously some gravel and sand.

With all the features modelled on the board, I proceeded with adding texture. First I added the big pieces of slate. Then I added the dirt road and/or paths. After I smeared a slightly watered down PVA (just enough so it would spread easily) on all the surfaces, I sprinkled some larger bits of gravel. I added more texture progressively going from larger granulate to smaller. The final granulate size was smallest chinchilla sand. I repeated the process on all the other surfaces, ending in a granulate a tad bigger than chinchilla sand so I could diferentiate between the normal ground and the dirt road.

Painting

Leaving to dry overnight, I continued the process in the morning with an application of a black undercoat. I used a black matt acrylic sprey. After it was dry, I airbrushed the colouration (using a GW sprey gun because it gives a quite large cover area in a single burst and it's dirt cheap to get). Normal ground was painted with brown while the road was done in several layers ending in a mixture of brown and ochre. The stone bits and areas were airbrushed grey. Final highlights were done with ash and antique white using size 40, 60 and 90 brushes. When the paints were dry, I spreyed everything with a clear matt acrylic sprey.

Vegetation

After the painting, as always, I added the vegetation. It was basicly a mixture of one type of scatter and three kinds of static grass – a brownish 3mm long one, a yellowish-brown 5mm long one and some yellowish 7mm tufts. The scatter was made from various stuff like twigs, coloured wooden dust and debree and some artificial thread. I applied them all with PVA glue and left it to dry. When it was all dry, I spreyed everything with clear matt acrylic sprey.

When all was done, I arranged (some of) my scenery on the board and was pretty satisfied with the results.

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Turnip28 demos at Black Queen H&MPC 2025

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Our most important weekend of the year, the BQ competition, was packed with content and everyone could find something for themselves - with all the lectures and workshops, I was very happy that there was a chance to play and learn new games!

Thanks to our dear friends from Slovenia, Vane and Luka from Amulet d20, we had the opportunity to learn and try out a game that has recently experienced global success, and is the dream come true for many painters and kitbashers in the hobby: Turnip28!

The game itself is simple enough for beginners: two armies (regiments) clash on the table, led by 3 nobles - one Snob, who is the most important part of the army, and 2 Toffs, who are slightly weaker. Each noble brings units with him - the Snob brings two, while each Toff brings one unit to the table. In total, each army consists of 3 nobles and 4 units.

What a table looks like with the guys gathered around it

Like most tabletop strategy games, the game is played in rounds, and during them the players change the order of activations. The player who is first in line activates one of his units or nobles, makes a move, and then the other player takes over the order, until all the units on the game board are activated. Nobles are important because they are activated first, and they issue orders to their units: attack, march, shoot. If you don't have a noble, if he is killed or missing, then your units are activated only after all the nobles have been played, which can put you in an awkward position.

What my demo game looked like

For my first turnip game, I had the honor and fortune of playing with our own Anna from Gardens of Hecate - we both wanted to try the game and now we had the perfect opportunity to learn the basics of the rules with the mentorship of the Amulet guys.

We got our regiments, which were pretty similar - we had a Snob, 2 Toffs, a large infantry unit with rifles, a smaller infantry unit with melee weapons, and a scout unit with rifles. The biggest difference was that my last unit was a cannon, while Anna's was a large hand-to-hand monster known as a Lump. I think her pink Furby Lump with glowing eyes was probably the most memorable figure on the table (kudos to the guys from Amulet on the miniatures).

p>The party itself started with Ana's initiative, and from the beginning started to win strategic points on the table. My response to her conquest of the field was to resolutely fire everything I had into her ranks. As I watched her troops slowly but surely fall under my fire, I got lucky and my scouts managed to get one of her Toffs in front of the firing squad - which gave me a pretty big advantage at the start.

Her troops continued to advance towards my side of the table, including a rogue who came uncomfortably close to me - and I tried in vain to attack him with my infantry, who were just out of powder. After failing to even scratch him, they fled, leaving room for the artillery to finish their job - and that unit definitely deserved a promotion in this game!

We finished the game quickly, because we had other workshops starting, but we are both excited to play a few more games, and with some other Agram members we are thinking about putting together our regiments - the number of miniatures needed is not large, and the creative possibilities are quite large!

Btw, the guys from Amulet gave us a lecture about their association and the activities they are planning - this year they have prepared H.R.E.N. 28, a turnip28 tournament, so be sure to check out their activities and projects - they are close by and you can visit them if you find something interesting!

Just some of the miniatures that the Amulet team prepared for the demo game - sugar at the end: Furby Lump!

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Naš najvažniji vikend godine, natjecanje Black Queen H&MPC 2025, bilo je krcato sadržajem i svatko je mogao pronaći nešto za sebe - uz sva predavanja i radionice, jako me razveselilo da je bilo prilike igrati i naučiti nove igre!

Zahvaljujući našim dragim prijateljima iz Slovenije, Vane i Luka iz Amulet d20, imali smo priliku naučiti i isprobati igru koja je nedavno doživjela globalni uspjeh, a predstavlja ostvarenje sna brojnih paintera i kitbashera u hobby: Turnip28!

Sama igra je dovoljno jednostavna za početnike: na stolu se sukobljavaju dvije vojske (regimente), koju predvode 3 plemića - jedan Snob, koji je najbitniji dio vojske, i 2 Toffa, koji su nešto slabiji. Svaki plemić sa sobom donosi jedinice - Snob donosi dvije, dok svaki Toff donosi po jednu jedinicu na stol. Ukupno se svaka vojska sastoji od 3 plemića i 4 jedinice.

Kako izgleda postavljeni stol s ekipom okupljenom oko njega

Poput većine stolno strateških igara, igra se na runde, te igrači tokom njih izmjenju redoslijed aktivacija. Igrač koji je prvi na redu aktivira jednu svoju jedinicu ili plemića, povuče potez, i onda drugi igrač prezume redoslijed, dok se ne aktiviraju sve jedinice na igraćoj ploči. Plemići su bitni jer se oni aktiviraju prvi, te oni izdaju naredbe svojim jedinicama: napadni, marširaj, pucaj. Ukoliko nemate plemića, ako je poginuo ili nestao, onda se vaše jedinice aktiviraju tek nakon što su odigrani svi plemići, što vas može postaviti u nezgodnu situaciju.

Kako je moja demo partija izgledala

Za svoju prvi partiju turnipa, imao sam čast i sreću igrati s našom Anom iz Gardens of Hecate - oboje smo htjeli probati igru te smo sada dobili savršenu priliku da usvojimo osnove pravila uz mentorstvo Amuletovaca.

Dobili smo svoje regimente, koje su bile poprilično slične - imali smo Snoba, 2 Toffa, veliku jedinicu pješaka s puškama, manju jedinicu pješaka s oružjem za blisku borbu, te jedinicu izviđača s puškama. Najveća razlika je bila u tome što je moja zadnja jedinica bila top, dok je Anina bila veliko čudovište za borbu prsa o prsa, poznatija kao Lump. Mislim da je njen roza furby Lump sa svijetlećim očima bila vjerojatno najupečatljivija figura na stolu (svaka čast dečkima iz Amuleta na minijaturi).

Sama partija je krenula s Aninom inicijativom, i od početka je krenula osvajati strateške točke na stolu, Moj odgovor na njeno osvajanje terena je bilo odlučno ispaljivanje svega što imam u njene redove. Dok sam gledao kako njene trupe polako ali sigurno padaju pod mojih pucanjem, posrećilo mi se pa su moji izviđači uspjeli dovesti jednog od njenih Toffova pred streljački vod - što mi je u startu dalo dosta veliku prednost.

Njene trupe su dalje napredovale prema mojoj strani stola, uključujući lumpa koji mi je došao neugodno blizu - te sam ga uzaludno pokušao napasti sa svojim pješacima koji su taman ostali bez baruta. Nakon što ga nisu uspjeli ni ogrebati, pobjegli su i ostavili prostora da artiljerija dovrši njihov posao - a ta jedinica je definitivno zaslužila promaknuće u ovoj partiji!

Ubrzo smo završili igru, jer su nam krenula druge radionice, no oboje smo uzbuđeni odigrati još koju partiju, te uz još neke članove Agrama razmišljamo o slaganju svojih regimenti - broj potrebnih minijatura nije velik, a kreativne mogućnosti su poprilično velike!

Btw, dečki iz Amuleta su nam držali predavanje o svojoj udruzi i aktivnostima koje planiraju - ove godine su pripremili H.R.E.N. 28, turnip28 turnir, te svakako bacite oko na njihove aktivnosti i projekte - blizu su i možete ih posjetiti ako nađete nešto zanimljivo!

Samo neke od minijatura koje su Amuletovci pripremili za demo partije - šećer na kraju: Furby Lump!

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Domagoj Krpan, 3th March 2025

AGRAM LEGO SECTION - Leonardo da Vinci's Flying Machine

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	U srijedu 26.2. u sklopu naše Izložbe minijatura i maketa Agram 2025, naša Agram Lego Sekcija je odradila svoj drugi projekt. Nakon Hogwartsa u 2024., prvi projekt u 2025. bio je Leonardov leteći stroj. 

	

	Kao što je već tradicija kod naše Lego Sekcije, prije izgradnje modela, valjalo se malo educirati o temi. Ovoga puta naš Mario Grgurev održao je predavanje o Leonardu da Vinciju kao izumitelju sa posebnim osvrtom na leteće strojeve.

	

	Ulaz na predavanje bio je besplatan, a prijave nisu bile potrebne!

	

	

	

	Izrada makete je rezervirana za članove Agram Lego Sekcije. 

	

	

	Ukoliko se želite uključiti u sljedeće projekte, javite se za više informacija na ums.agram@gmail.com .

	

	Sljedeći projekt bit će u travnju, a tema će biti Orient Express. Očekuju vas predavanja o parnim strojevima, parnim lokomotivama te o povijesti Orient Expressa, kao i o Orient Expressu u pop kulturi.

	

	Vidimo se!"
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Mario Grgurev, 27th February 2025

Star Wars Legion - Separatists Basing Article

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For the last year I’ve been trying to get my Star Wars Legion Separatists army ready for the table, so I can play a few games. One of the reasons I chose this faction (other than the fact that SW droids are great), is because droids paint, up quickly. I don’t need my army for this game to look display ready, I just want to get them ready fast, match their look from the films and be happy when I see them from a distance. To achieve this I’ve been fine-tuning their basing scheme throughout the year, and I’ve found a recipe that to me looks good enough, is relatively quick, and very easy to do (no brush control needed here). As I’m finishing my last unit for the game, I thought to share it. The scheme was originally supposed to look like Geonosis, but with time I’ve made it my own. But still this is fitting as the last unit I’m painting is the Star Wars Legion Geonosian Warriors (I love these sculpts - fiddly, but fantastic!)

I start out with a small ball of milliput that I place down in some random areas with my fingers. This is to create elevation. For me a flat base is always more boring than an uneven, elevated base.

I then use a sculpting tool (whichever I have on hand, doesn’t really matter as I’m not sculpting anything) with some water to smooth out the milliput, and make a few elevated areas.

I push a few small rocks down into the milliput before it cures. No need for glue here, that comes later. Also I’ve come to learn that uncured milliput and superglue is a very bad combo.

I crumple up a small piece of tin foil and poke it at the uncured milliput to create some texture.

Now the rocks will get fixed in place as I put a small amount of superglue all over the cured milliput, and the rest of the base as well. Then I use a teaspoon to sprinkle some baking powder all over the superglue. A minute later I wash the whole model under the sink, to get rid of excess baking powder.

I use a crackle paint from Citadel (Agrellan Earth) and cover the flatter area of the base with a good chunk of it.

When the crackle paint is dry I prime the model.

I paint the base using a combination of reddish and brownish, earthly tones. I just slap them all over the base haphazardly and without thinking, as later they will be brought together with a shade and some drybrushing. Paints I used here were Mephiston Red, Mournfang Brown and XV-88 from Citadel, as well as Burnt Sienna from Golden SoFlat.

Shade with Agrax Earthshade.

Lightly drybrush with a beige/grey/whitish color. I use Tyrant Skull and Wrack White as these are actual Dry paints from Citadel, and I still have them lying around.

I finish off the base with a few grass tufts. The drier they look the better. I also put a bit of Seraphim Sepia wash into the middle of the tufts to bring their color tone down a notch. And of course finish with a black base rim.

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Posljednjih godinu dana pokušavao sam pripremiti svoju vojsku Separatista iz Star Wars Legion, tako da mogu odigrati nekoliko partija. Jedan od razloga zašto sam odabrao ovu frakciju (osim činjenice da su SW droidi sjajni) je taj što droidi brzo bojaju. Ne treba mi vojska biti na visokom nivou obojana, samo ih želim brzo pripremiti, da odgovaraju izgledu iz filmova i biti sretan kad ih vidim iz daljine. Kako bih to postigao, fino sam prilagođavao njihovu shemu baziranja tijekom cijele godine i pronašao sam recept koji mi se čini dovoljno dobrim, relativno je brz i vrlo jednostavan za izvođenje (ovdje nije potrebna kontrola kista). Dok završavam svoju posljednju jedinicu za igru, mislio sam je podijeliti s vama. Shema je izvorno trebala izgledati kao Geonosis, ali s vremenom sam je napravio svojom. Ali ovo je ipak prikladno jer je posljednja jedinica koju bojam Star Wars Legion Geonosian Warriors (obožavam ove skulpture - nezgodne, ali fantastične!)

Započinjem s malom kuglicom miliputa koju stavljam prstima u neka nasumična područja. Ovo je za stvaranje uzvisina. Za mene je ravna podloga uvijek dosadnija od neravne, uzdignute podloge.

Zatim upotrijebim alat za oblikovanje (koji god imam pri ruci, zapravo nije važno jer ništa ne oblikujem) s malo vode da izravnam miliput i napravim nekoliko povišenih područja.

Gurnem nekoliko malih kamenčića u miliput prije nego se stvrdne. Ovdje nema potrebe za ljepilom, to dolazi kasnije. Također sam naučio da je nestvrdnuti milliput i superljepilo vrlo loša kombinacija.

Zgužvam mali komadić limene folije i ubodem ga u nestvrdnuti miliput kako bih stvorio malo teksture.

Sada će se kamenje učvrstiti na svoje mjesto jer stavljam malu količinu superljepila po cijelom stvrdnutom miliputu, kao i ostatku baze. Zatim čajnom žličicom posipam malo praška za pecivo po superljepilu. Minutu kasnije operem cijeli model u sudoperu, da se riješim viška praška za pecivo.

Koristim crackle boju od Citadela (Agrellan Earth) i pokrivam ravnije područje baze s debelim premazom.

Kad se crackle boja osuši, stavim primer na model.

Podlogu bojam kombinacijom crvenkastih i smećkastih, zemljanih tonova. Samo ih nasumično i bez razmišljanja udarim po cijeloj podlozi, jer će se kasnije spojiti s nijansom i malo suhog četkanja. Boje koje sam ovdje koristio bile su Mephiston Red, Mournfang Brown i XV-88 od Citadela, kao i Burnt Sienna od Golden SoFlata.

Zasjenim s Agrax Earthshade.

Lagano stavite sloj drybrusha bež/sive/bjelkaste boje. Koristim Tyrant Skull i Wrack White jer su to stvarne dry boje od Citadela i još uvijek ih imam uokolo.

Bazu dovršavam s nekoliko busenova trave. Što suše izgledaju to bolje. Također sam stavio malo Seraphim Sepia wash u sredinu busenova kako bih smanjio ton njihove boje. I naravno završiti s crnom bojom po rubu.

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Sebastian Søgård, 13th February 2025

We visited: Imp’s Shop in Ulm

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Last year I had the opportunity to visit Ulm, Germany again, and I wanted to take the opportunity to visit a hobby shop that is significantly different from most I have had the opportunity to visit in other places.

The store itself is located in the very center of the city, about 5 minutes walk from the Cathedral in the heart of the pedestrian zone. Passing through the old town, I strolled through a neighborhood where an incredible number of old houses and buildings have been preserved, and it looks like the architecture was straight out of GW's Old World. Arriving at the store, I was very surprised by the content on offer - like most hobby stores, they had a range of new goods, but they also had a range of second-hand products, some of them vintage by all standards. In glass cases stood painted, used figures for sale, some of them have been out of production for a long time. Shelves with old books and games that are real treasures for collectors, and some items are new, packaged, but again not something I would expect on the shelves of a typical hobby store.

New and Unexpected

Two full cabinets with shelves and boxes dedicated to DnD editions from the past

A large part of the store was dedicated to the local community, in my time During the visit, Magic was played, and the store is filled with players and hobbyists from different systems on different days.

The set was complete, I believe many people would benefit from having it in their collection

A large selection of miniatures of lesser-known games, including Schwartzes Auge RPG

After digging through the antiques in search of treasure, I filled my shopping bags and had very pleasant conversation with the owner. He was extremely kind throughout the visit, and helped me find things that I was interested in. My favorite part of the shopping was getting an Imp at Imp's Shop - if you're interested in seeing what it looks like when painted - visit our Black Queen Hobby and Miniature Painting Competition!

Imp from Imp's Shop!

And if your journey ever takes you to Ulm, be sure to visit this shop! If Ulm is not in your area, and you are interested in games and miniatures that are perhaps a little more mainstream or represented here, you can see Imp's offering on their website and web shop!

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Prošle godine imao sam priliku ponovno posjetiti Ulm u Njemačkoj, te sam htio iskoristiti priliku da posjetim jedan hobby dućan koji se bitno razlikuje od većine koju sam imao priliku posjetiti u drugim mjestima.

Sam dućan nalazi se u strogom centru grada, jedno 5 minuta pješice od Katedrale u srcu pješačke zone. Prolazeći starim gradom šetao sam se kvartom gdje je nevjerojatan broj starih kuća i zgrada očuvan, te izgleda kao arhitektura ravno preuzeta iz GW-ovog Old World-a. Dolaskom u dućan, bio sam jako iznenađen sadržajem koji se nudi - poput većine hobby dućana, imali su asortiman nove robe, no imali su i asortiman second hand proizvoda, neki od njih po svim mjerilima vintage. U staklenim vitrinama stajale su obojane, rabljene figure na prodaju, neke od njih već dugo vremena nisu u proizvodnji. Police sa starim knjigama i igrama koje kolekcijonarima predstavljaju pravo blago, a neki predmeti su novi, zapakirani, ali opet nisu nešto što bih očekivao na policama tipičnog hobby dućana.

Novo i Neočekivano

Dva puna ormara s policama i kutijama posvećeni edicijama DnD-a iz prošlih vremena

Veliki dio dućana je bio posvećen lokalnom community-u, u vrijeme moje posjete igrao se Magic, a u dućanu se tokom različitih dana nalaze igraći i hobisti iz različitih sustava.

Set je bio kompletan, vjerujem da bi mnogima dobro došlo u kolekciji

Veliki izbor miniatura manje poznatih igara, ukljućujući Schwartzes Auge RPG

Nakon što sam prekopao starine u potrazi za blagom, napunio sam vrećice za kupovinu i imao jako ugodan razgovor s vlasnikom. Tokom cijelog posjeta bio je izuzetno ljubazan, te mi je pomogao pronaći stvari koje bi me zanimale. Najdraži dio shopping mi je bila nabavka Imp-a u Imp’s Shopu - ukoliko vas zanima kako izgleda kad je obojan - posjetite našu Izložbu minijatura i maketa Agram 2025!

Imp iz Impove Trgovine!

A ukoliko vas put ikad odnese u Ulm, svakako posjetite ovaj dućan! Ukoliko vam Ulm nije usput, a zanimaju vas igre i minijature koje su možda malo main stream ili zastupljene kod nas, Impovu ponudu možete vidjeti i na njihovim web stranicama i web shopu!

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Domagoj Krpan, 4th February 2025

Preparation and painting with contrast/speedpaint paints – Cthulhu Wars

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In this article I describe my process of painting figurines with contrast and speedpaint paints. This is how I painted all the figurines I made for Cthulhu wars. I made them to be "tabletop ready", but I think that with these techniques, a higher quality figure can be achieved, with proper preparation and attention to the precision of details. An example from the pictures is an Acolyte model from the game.

The painting process was almost always the same, with slight variations in the primer and initial shading. The first step is of course the spray primer, which I started with white paint. This is where I did the most variation in the process because after a few tries, I ran out of white spray cans, then light gray, and ended up with a plain gray paint. I realized that the optimal color for this type of painting is light gray spray can – you want to emphasize the hollows of the figure, but not kill the shadow color (like you would with a black or dark gray primer). The light gray spray provides a good base for the shade colors that I apply in the second step, emphasizes the contrast with the white drybrush, and leaves me with the dark color that I apply in the later stages.

The next step, regardless of the tone of the primer I applied, was to apply the shade colors from GW. Which color it was, depended on the primary color I wanted to achieve. For example, for red, blue, and yellow, I prefer a purple, or at least an approximate purple shade. In the example of this model, I used Carroburg Crimson, which is a purple-red tone. Likewise, for green, I used Athonian Camoshade, but in retrospect I should have gone for a warm shade (like red), I like the difference in warmth between contrasting tones better. I colored the leather and books/papers with Seraphim Sepia, the easiest way to contrast the skin color later.

After the shade paint dried, I applied a white drybrush over the entire figure. This is the final step to prepare the figure for painting diluted colors such as contrast.

Let's start with contrasting colors. Given the simplicity of this model, I applied maybe two colors in total, but I did the same thing on more complicated figures. Red over the dress, paying attention to the separate parts I wanted more beige, skin color on skin, brown on the book and Skeleton horde for the beige parts (to get the dirty fabric effect). I used speedpaint medium on many of the dark contrasting colors to thin them out, but sometimes it didn't work very well. On large areas, such thinned paint leaves stains that need to be cleaned up.

The last step is to define the details of the model and potentially add highlights. In this case, I subtly touched up the red stain with a lighter red drybrush, painted the dagger with off-white, painted the belt, and added patterns to the open pages of the book. The model is now tabletop ready and the entire process takes about 20 minutes of painting. The only downside is that you have to wait for the various thinned layers to dry, but I usually plan on painting other models in that time.

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U ovom članku opisujem svoj proces bojanja figurica sa contrast i speedpaint bojama. Na ovaj način sam obojao sve figurice koje sam radio za Cthulhu wars. Ja sam ih radio da budu „tabletop ready“, no mislim da se ovim tehnikama može postići i veća kvaliteta figure, sa pravilnom pripremom i pažnjom na preciznost detalja. Primjer iz slika je jedan Acolyte model iz igre.

Postupak bojanja je skoro uvijek bio isti, sa blagim varijacijama u primeru i početnom sjenčanju. Prvi korak je naravno primer u spreju, koji sam počeo sa bijelom bojom. Tu sam radio najviše varijacija u procesu zbog toga što su mi se nakon par vojski ispraznili prvo bijeli sprej, pa onda svijetlo sivi i time sam završio na običnom sivoj boji. Shvatio sam da je optimalna boja za ovaj tip bojanja svijetlosivi sprej – želite da se naglase udubine figure, no ne i da se ubije boja sjene (kao što bi bilo sa crnim ili tamnosivim primerom). Svijetlosivi sprej daje dobru podlogu za shade boje koje stavljam u drugom koraku, naglašava kontrast sa bijelim drybrushem i ostaje mi tamna boja koju nanosim u kasnijim fazama.

Sljedeći korak, nevezano za ton primera koji sam nanio, je primjena shade boja od GW-a. Koja boja je bila, ovisilo je o primarnoj boji koju sam htio postići. Npr. Za crvenu, plavu, i žutu, preferiram ljubičasti, ili barem aproksimativno ljubičasti shade. U primjeru ovog modela koristio sam Carroburg Crimson, što je ljubičasto-crveni ton. Isto tako, za zelenu sam koristio Athonian Camoshade, no u retrospektivi sam trebao isto ići na topao ton sjene (poput crvenog), više mi paše raditi razliku u toplini između kontrastnih tonova. Kožu i knjige/papire sam bojao sam seraphim sepiom, najjednostavnije za odnos contrasta boje kože kasnije.

Nakon sušenja shade boje, nanio sam bijeli drybrush po cijeloj figuri. To je zadnji korak za pripremu figure za bojanje razrijeđenih boja poput contrasta.

Počinjemo sa contrast bojama. S obzirom na jednostavnost ovog modela, nanio sam možda dvije boje sveukupno, no istu stvar sam radio i na kompliciranijim figurama. Crvena preko halje, pazeći na odvojene dijelove koje sam htio više bež, boja kože na koži, smeđa na knjizi i Skeleton horde za bež dijelove (da bi se dobio efekt prljave tkanine). Koristio sam speedpaint medium za mnoge tamne contrast boje da bi ih razrijedio, no nekad nije najbolje upalilo. Na velikim površinama takva razrijeđena boja ostavi mrlje koje se trebaju sanirati.

Zadnji korak je definiranje detalja modela i potencijalno dodatno naglašavanje highlighta. U ovom slučaju suptilno sam popravljao mrljavu crvenu sa drybrushem svijetlije crvene, obojao bodež sa offwhite, obojao remen i dodao šare na otvorenim stranicama knjige. Model je time tabletop ready i sveukupni proces traje nekih 20ak minuta samog bojanja. Jedina mana je što čekate da se razni razrijeđeni slojevi osuše, no u tom vremenu najčešće planiram bojanje drugih modela.

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Mario Grgurev, 4th February 2025

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