Gaming Table Surface

[Burt Hoovis]

So I'm contemplating making a gaming table for my friend and I to use, and for the surface I was thinking of getting the truck bed coating that is rubbery and textured.
Finding brown coating is proving difficult, so my next thought was to get black and paint it when I was done although I'm not sure how that would look afterward or how the paint might hold up on top of that surface. I might just scrap that idea all together and just get traditional glue and put grass, rocks, dirt, etc. where I feel like.
Anyone ever used the truck bed coating (for anything) or tips for doing the surface with the stuff they have at the hobby store?

[badgersplatter]

I would first consider what you want it to look like. Perhaps to match the basing on your miniatures, or a specific sort of landscape? I find references photographs of the real-world goal a good place to start.
From there it will be a lot easier to plan materials and finishes as it will narrow down the choices, especially combined with other requirements you may have such as cost, portability, time to build etc.

Unfortunately I have no experience using truck bed rubber, or any idea what it looks like...

[Burt Hoovis]

Thanks,
I've never based any of my models (they still have primer and random brush strokes on the bases). In my head I was picturing a muddy WWI style battlefield which is why I thought the truck bed liner would be an easy and decent looking one step solution.

I have never done anything like this so I was curious about the durability of the grass/gravel powder and how it lasts when you are actually "using" it as oposed to something like a model train scene where it just sits there.
I think I am going to have to do some research at the game store tonight.

[BG. Foster]

If you are going for world war 2 mud covered battle fields I would use plaster, the stuff for walls. Roughly coat the board with it, put a few bits of gravel here and there then paint it brown then a brown wash over it.

Sent from my HTC One S using ProBoards

[Burt Hoovis]

Plaster never occurred to me, thanks.

[BG. Foster]

You're welcome, I demand photos once completed.

Sent from my HTC One S using ProBoards

[badgersplatter]

You could go to an art shop and buy a big tub of acrylic medium - it dries more flexibly than plaster so is more durable, but more expensive.

[Burt Hoovis]

I planned on trying to make it next week, but I got pulled over on my way to work this morning. We'll see how much fun money I have after I pay that off...

[badgersplatter]

Whoops!

[Burt Hoovis]

I was able to buy the materials and the table is built, now I just need to put the flock and ballast on the surface and it's ready to play. I started by putting the risers on the plywood and then drawing what was to be cut out on the hard board. Then I glued/screwed everything down. At some point I want to add in rock walls in the gaps between the top and bottom layers.
This is what I have so far, I think putting the flock and stuff on will go a little better if I have a spray nozzle for the scenery cement.
I will now attempt to put the put the pictures up...











The idea here was to make it so we could play games that took place in the valley or turn the boards around and play king of the hill while starting in places blind to each other.

[Narric]

MY first gaming board was a simple, flat, 4'x4' table, which a standard layer of sand flocking and a paintbase coat to hold is down. Combined with a Imperial Sector box-set, i had myself a good board when I was starting.

When I finally got into a gaming group, we used three 2'x1' boards, and laid them across tables to make up the gaming board. The gaming group had a much larger selection of scenary to use also, so no two games were ever on the same battlefield.

Depending on your budget, you could go for the Realm of Batttle gaming board kit that GW sells, of it you want a more personal board, there is always a scratch build.

I'll try and see if my old Gaming Group still has a website, and link back here what they did for their city-fight boards.

[KRIEGEIRK]

Awesome!