Since I didn’t pick up Keep on the Shadowfell right away, intending to use it as a campaign starter once my books arrive and we’re ready to try 4e, I have some time to prepare for the game. One way I’m doing so is by linking my new hobby of terrain building with the module, so I’ve set out to recreate the battlemaps used in the module as 3D terrain. This is the first in a series of posts in which I’ll chronicle both the ins and outs of learning how to make terrain as well as my 3D models of Shadowfell’s encounter locations.

In the Beginning, There Was a Terrain Noob
It took about a week and $500 to get all the stuff I conceived of needing to get started building terrain. Luckily Mrs. Prop is an artist and so she knows about equipment and techniques, and is passing along her knowledge (as well as building her own terrain). She’s also been perusing some forums and getting books on model terrain building to help out. As usual, she’s the brains of the operation.

The first map I found out about also happens to be the first map used in the module, which is convenient so that I don’t have to have everything finished by the time we start playing. It is called King’s Road, and looks like this.

The first thing to do was build a workshop out in my garage and assemble the pieces necessary to build the map. I didn’t take a photograph of my workshop, but here’s my first step.

I cut a piece of foam to the exact dimensions of the map, minus the grid markers. Then I precisely measured and drew outlines for all of the elements of the map. (Alert! Noob mistake! How was I going to use those outlines once I’d painted a base coat on the thing? Of course, maybe painting the base coat so early in the process was the real mistake.)

I wondered how I was going to mark the road…I sorta wanted to do something other than just put down dirt flocking. Mrs. Prop suggested we use some 1/2 foam core to raise the road a bit, because I’d wanted it raised. I thought this was a good idea, so I cut out a model.

It looked silly just sitting on the map, though, so we rolled up some modeling clay, strung it along the sides of the road, then flattened it. I think we used too much clay, but live and learn. The road extends out an extra inch in all directions which squeezes the rest of the map a bit. I’m just going to build on top of it.

Next time in Mapping Shadowfell: Part Two, I’ll talk about making and painting the various board elements, and the road. Until then, if you have any terrain-making tips, feel free to share them!