Making a Gaming Table

Hi. I was wondering if you could tell me how the tables, (like in BatRep 019-04-17-2000 Tyranids vs Imperials Pitch Black), were made. Are they sand painted green or flocked or how? I was hoping to make my table and I look the look of the table and was wondering what exactly it was.      Also, are there any problems with the table? (for instance, is sand scratching the minis' paint jobs a problem?)

Thanks,
Nicholas

We make all our tables. To us, it is just another part of the hobby we enjoy.

The one you see in batrep 019 is just a 4x8 piece of wood you can buy at the home/hardware store for about 15-20 bucks. It depends on how thick you want them. Ours are at least a half-inch thick-- maybe 3/4.

On top of those tables we rolled out some "battle mats." You can buy these from GW or in a hobby store. GW's are 4'x6' though, so we have to roll out two of them. (You can see the crease down the center of the table where they overlap). Mats are about $35.

Now, for our NEWEST tables (like in batrep 025), we stashed away the old tables so we could make some new ones. We wanted to make desert tables since most of our "studio" armies are desert based.

We bought TWO 4x8 pieces of plywood to make two tables-- 4x16 total length! We also bought folding table legs (about $8 a pair). Then we took the legs and attached them to the wood.

Next we went to the paint section and picked out a gallon of basecoat paint in the mid-tone range, and two cans of spray paint-- one a bit darker, one a bit lighter. Then we used a roller to roll the basecoat onto the table.

But here's the kicker-- once the first coat was down but still wet, we threw sand all over the top of the table. (Bag of sand = $1-- just ask them where they keep it.) Then we used the roller to put on a second coat of paint and spread the sand around evenly. It makes a mess of the roller, you have to constantly scrape the excess sand and paint off it. But it isn't necessary to make an exact science out of it, you just want to give some texture to the table. Let that coat dry then go over it a third time with just a final coat of paint.

Once that is dry, we took our two cans of spray paint and sprayed a very light "camo pattern" across the top of the tables. For this we tried to keep the cans quite a height over the tabletop and sort of let the additional colors "waft" onto the table, moving the cans closer and farther from time to time to make patches of color. You can see a couple of these patches on the overhead view of the tabletop.

I shouldn't have to say, but we did all this outside in the back yard so as not to mess up the house!

These tables are quite sturdy but there is another option if you wanted something more portable. Instead of buying plywood, buy yourself a sheet of 2" thick, 4x8 extruded polystyrene foam. (You know the stuff-- it's pink or blue, you put it behind your drywall for insulation.) You could buy one of these and paint both sides in different color schemes using the paint+sand method above. I would buy a big bottle of white glue and paint on a thick coat of that first, to help protect the foam, and I would probably just run a strip of duct tape all the way around the outside edge, nice and tight, to protect the edges. Then you can just lay your foam tabletop on top of whatever "regular" table is available. Foam will crack if you bend it roughly, so you have to be careful not to lean on the table or anything while you are playing!

Another cool thing about the foam is that if you wanted to make craters, trenches, a river, or a road that was actually built into the tabletop, you could just melt it out. Spray paint will melt polystyrene foam, so with that (or a hot air gun) you could "sculpt" some interesting terrain features. (You'll need to do this BEFORE you coat the board in white PVA glue.) You can see an example of making craters here.

So to sum up... If you have room at your place to keep a table, you can make your own table for under $50. If you need to be able to move your "table" around, then I would just buy a 4x6 battle mat that you can roll up and throw over whatever table you want to play on. You may not always find a table that is the perfect 4' across though!

As for your question about scratching up your minis-- for starters, a good sealer coat is a must on any of your figs, and should protect them just fine. But on the other hand-- who cares? They're toy soldiers, PLAY WITH THEM!

benjamin