3 Wargaming Terrain Basics

If you're new to the hobby of miniature tabletop wargaming, you're going to want more than just miniatures to play your first game. In this video Keith and Greg show you how to build or buy the three most essential, fundamental terrain elements on any wargaming table. In almost every game you play, you'll need these key features.
This is part of an introductory series to introduce new players to the tabletop hobby. For a FREE set of game rules and lots of additional tutorials, visit us at: www.Ravenfeast.com
Cigar Box Battle Mats: cigarboxbattles...
Deep Cut Studio Mats: www.deepcutstu...
Geek Villain Mats: geekgamingusa....
Woodland Scenics "value pack" trees: woodlandscenic...
Visit the official Ravenfeast website for additional links to more terrain companies! And always, if you like what we do here on Little Wars TV, leave us a comment and subscribe the channel!

[@ericdeutsch6707]

Thank you guys so much for trying to keep historical hobby alive I have been one of those people that's been very critical of historical games mainly because you can't find them not even flame of war although bolt actions becoming easier I came from role-playing mainlink Dungeons & Dragons I was introduced to the stork wargaming cuz I haven't Love Of History but I'm 40 so I'm old so thank you we're trying to get people who are not old interested into this Hobby hopefully your will allow younger viewers start playing more historical war games

[@LittleWarsTV]

Thanks, Eric! We are very optimistic about the future of the hobby and where things can go.

[@burroc5536]

Historical games are really for clubs it seems. The dedication and team building that goes along with historical gaming is amazing.

[@StaGusGbg]

As a scandinavian it’s awesome to see you guys pushing vikings as a period. Sweet! 😀👍

[@danmorgan3685]

It doesn't hurt that a LOT of companies make some really nice miniatures for the era.

[@StaGusGbg]

@@danmorgan3685 We are spoiled for choice, no doubt!

[@danmorgan3685]

@@StaGusGbg A bit too much. Their are some interesting periods that don't get any love.

[@StaGusGbg]

@@danmorgan3685 that is true, there is always another period, theater or army that’s missing somehow. But on the other hand - considering my pile of unpainted stuff, maybe that’s lucky...

[@grantlancaster9051]

As much as I love the historical battle reports, seeing stuff like this is also cool. Series on how to build simple historical terrain (since lots of terrain videos on KZbin are geared toward 40k), and maybe how to research a unit historically so you get their models right?

[@richardbryant2380]

I have used trees with pins for years but I find it easier to cut the head off the pin, heat one end with a torch and shove the heated end into the plastic tree. It melts its way in and then the plastic hardens leaving it very solid! Saves the drilling, etc. I use Needle Nose pliers to push the hot pin into the tree.

[@Nico-ig1mr]

Will just a lighter work?

[@leesheppard2432]

One of the major barriers to entry for a lot of players is the proliferation of “museum quality” terrain that you now see on nearly every website and/or KZbin video. Players, especially at the beginning, need to learn to be happy with what they can manage using their own skills and budget. These videos of yours are perfect to show beginners that you don’t have to have an unlimited budget or terrain making skills to match Weta Workshop, you just have to do enough to make your game visually enjoyable.

[@Vorpal_Wit]

That square foam exercise mat you were using as a foundation can also be used to make hills, and sands mechanically fairly well. It comes in upto 1" sheets, and can be bought in bulk. It the same kind of foam that cosplay artists use to make weapons and armor from. Doing this means you have to same material for the entire underside of your ground mat, and any Tree pins you are using.

[@MaxTSanches]

Great video guys. For trees, just after Christmas stores in my area are getting rid of their orniments and decorations - that includes trees. I bought some at between 50% and 80% off a few years ago and they had snow on them. For some I left the snow, for the remainded a quick shot of paint covered up the snow. And the washers work well under the bases. I place mine on a 1/8" thick irregular wood base that represents the entire wooded area. A few trees on the base means the whole area is treed. The trees can be moved within the base, or removed, when troops get in there. Happy Gaming :)

[@rc59191]

I just bought my first landsknechts miniatures hope you guys do a pike and shot or another civil war battle sometime.

[@williamlydon2554]

As someone who works in a hardware store, one of the few ways i've found alleviate boredom, is looking over what might make good hobby terrain (faux wood floor tiles, flipped over and painted with textures, would make decent roads, having a bit of height)

[@michaelnewbanks2569]

I have even gathered rocks from a creek near my house to place on the table as terrain. I've also used (fresh) kitty litter to mark roads and reindeer moss is good for bush and scrub.

[@corvusboreus2072]

Much of my terrain is foraged material or repurposed scavengings. When selecting rocks for the tabletop, I especially look for stones with one flat face so they sit more stablly and look 'bedded in'. As well the elements you mentioned, I also harvest lichens off fenceposts and sponges off the beach (torn up and painted as foliage). Most of my tree armatures are made from the root systems of weedy shrubs (Senna pendula). Underground, overground, wombling free...

[@j453]

I've been trying to get into miniature wargaming for a while now. It's not really very popular in my area, and the places that do support it are basically all 40k or bust. To be fair, my interests shift uhm...well fast would be an understatement. I have tried to build into several games. Learning all the aspects of the hobby as I go. I find my interest in historical wargaming captured by this dark age setting you picked for Ravenfeast. I got some dark age mini's for Christmas and I'm going to get to building 👍👍 Anyway thanks alot and I hope you do more batreps in addition to terrain vids.

[@JohnDiPonio]

Thanks guys! As usual, you keep the subject light and easy for new gamers! I steer all my newbies to you guys! You are a gold star in the hobby of mini gaming!

[@johnatchison1898]

For hills under the matt I have been using plastic food containers like pre cooked chicken containers, I find the bottoms a nice height, and plastic plates. These are cheap, light and save space, and can be stacked to create different shapes of hills.

[@mikedeslauriers6130]

Looking forward to the stone walls. Keep it up guys!

[@PanzerRanger]

For me this was an out of the box will be interesting to see what comes next

[@makdaddi3921]

Round metal roofing tin-tags are an economical tree basing option that allows area for enhancement with appropriate ground cover.

[@LangJones]

Tell me more

[@joelembo6200]

Looking forward to the coming weeks ,you folks are awesome!

[@brianbright7501]

Loves your vids as usual but really looking forward to seeing you guys game again. I enjoy that and learn alot by watching the actual expereince. Stay safe and thanks again for all you do.

[@LittleWarsTV]

Thanks, Brian. We have lots of great wargames coming up in 2021!

[@seanhillman1016]

I had a friend who would take magnets and base the trees on something metal and hold the trees in place with the magnet underneath the mat. Worked pretty well.

[@chrismikucki9107]

Nice job guys - really appreciate what you are doing with Raven Feast and the efforts to help new gamers -well done.

[@patangman2117]

Excellent terrain choices and suggestions. Back in the days when I played 40k, we made a lot of ruins out of simple materials. Rusty pipes out of straws, hills with moss and puddles - it is amazing what you can do with a little bit green and some glue.

[@LittleWarsTV]

Absolutely, and that creative, "crafting" side of the hobby is incredibly fun. For some hobbyists (myself included) dreaming up neat terrain ideas is even more fun than painting the miniatures.

[@seanmorgan2257]

Thank you for this basic terrain video and am really looking forward to the rest of them. Hope you all have a blessed new year.

[@ogremark5]

A great video on the basics of Tabletop. I've been into miniatures on and off for about 30 years but I've always been ambivalent. Most rules always required an intimidating amount of painted models but I find the current trend towards skirmish rules quite heartening. Ravenfeast looks very playable. It resembles first edition Warhammer from 30 years ago before all the faff.

[@batesmt25]

Should be a good series. Looking forward to it.👍🏼

[@MWSculpts]

Awesome tips thanks for these. I have been exploring buying a battle mat recently and had not considered how I could create my own, food for thought!

[@Kili121416]

Great to see you guys trying to get new people into the historical miniature gaming hobby. Hell, I might even learn something myself.

[@GerackSerack]

The compression algorithm doesn't quite like Keith's shirt, does it? The mats look amazing. I wouldn't have guessed they're home-made!

[@LittleWarsTV]

Hah, no apparently it does not. We noticed that in editing and that shirt will have to be banned from future videos!

[@philipkelly7369]

Great content as always, love to see it!

[@dcb5176]

Great advice...the Carnage and Glory group that hosts dozens of games at HMGS conventions pioneered these techniques and have been refining them for 10 years or more...makes for some great looking games. I've even gone back to using geo hex under the fur or felt...it does take more time to set up but is more flexible for different types of terrain.

[@paschalisantoniou974]

This is awesome. Combined with the paper vikings....we are talking about superb value for money. You guys are awesome!

[@JonSteitzer]

You guys have a fantastic channel and an amazing space. What a special club!

[@TonyLS9A]

Awesome tips for beginners. I have never purchased the pink foam, but every time I get something ensconced in styrofoam I instantly gauge it for use under my cigar box mats. Sigh, I have trash bags full of styrofoam hills hanging in my garage.

[@LittleWarsTV]

Hahah preach, Tony. My garage has more piece of scrap insulation than a hardware store.

[@adrianbenson2521]

Great idea for a series guys...it looks so difficult to get into miniature gaming, but doesn't have to be. Totally agree on buying trees, that's one thing I don't mind dropping some cash on. I've never found a satisfactory method (in terms of time and durability) of making my own trees.

[@LittleWarsTV]

Making trees is a pain in the butt...and I say that as someone who generally loves building custom terrain!

[@corvusboreus2072]

One quick and easy solution for tree armatures is to use the inverted root systems of certain weedy shrubs. Here in east coast Australia, the shrub Senna pendula (from south-central America) grows as a weed, and this has been my source for an entire tabletop forest. After uprooting, specimens are washed and trimmed, then spray painted and lacquered for extra durability. Sources of foliage have included fencepost lichens and beachcombed seasponge (torn up and pigmented).

[@barryslemmings31]

For basing trees try: 1) old coins, cheaper than washers and they do not have a hole 2) a disc of thick cardboard. Treat the board with sand or small stones on PVA glue and that will give it extra weight 3) a cluster of trees can be fixed to an old CD or DVD. Cover the hole with tape and the disc will take two, three or four trees, a bit of rock and some scrub/bushes to taste. For the tree trunks, select thick twigs from real bushes, small trees, etc growing in the wild - or your garden - which have the natural look. If these are still fresh and 'green' stick them in a hot oven or an oven which has just been turned off. The heat will dry them. You can also select a thick natural stem (say pencil diameter) drill out one end to a depth of about a quarter inch and fill the hole with super glue or epoxy adhesive. Straighten out several paper clips (or other stiff wire) and insert these into the glue-filled hole. Once set, bend the wires to a natural shape and put your foam foliage on these wires with super glue. Cover the wires but leave the twig 'trunk' on show as it is a natural material. B

[@hghpandaman]

One thing to note...if your using xps foam and sanding it, please wear a mask or respirator....you do not want that dust in your lungs

[@packersfanforlife7903]

And preferably do it outside

[@stevemorton4593]

I have based my TREES on metal washers and drilled holes in the Styrofoam hill. I put a cheap magnet button in the hole to hold the washer. Not sure if the magnet will be stronger enough to hold the tree in place under a Matt. My Styrofoam hills are all cover with a mixture of Paint , PVA glue and fine sand. Kind of the same idea as the pins except you don't have to worry about getting stuck by the pins.

[@tinaprice4948]

I love the pin idea :) It really looks good!

[@corvusboreus2072]

Tabletop tees need not be a pain in the butt nor a drain on the wallet. I have forested an entire tabletop with the only out-of-pockets being pigments (mostly spraypaints), adhesives and sealant. This has been done by ripping out small shrubs (ones locally classified as environmental weeds) and using the base of the stem and root system as armatures. The roots are usually quite wiry and often have better resilience and durability than the above ground wood, and can have very compact and complex structure, I have noticed that the root systems often tend to be a bit like a miniature reflection of the above ground growth, and that specimens in sandier soils have much more structural complexity. Senna pendula (winter cassia) is particularly suitable. Once the armatures have been washed, trimmed and sealed, foliage can be added. The cheapest and easiest option I have found for this has been to use poly fibre (pillow stuffing) that has been appropriately hued through several applications of brown then green spray paint, but fencepost lichens or shredded sponge (natural or synthetic) can also be used. I base most of my trees in clumps of 2-5 rather than individually, as this better reflects the on the ground reality of forests and also makes the trees much more stable. The resulting trees have a much less 'manicured' look than commercial models, and particularly oddly shaped specimens can be 'tetrised' together to make very naturalistic looking copses. Using these materials and techniques, a table full of varied trees can be created in a surprisingly short time for very little cost. I'd be happy to email a few before/after photos if you are interested.

[@geoffreybawden6390]

LOL .. it may only be a coincidence but your favourite tree supplier is sold out of your favourite trees! Could that be your doing? That’s a sign of success.

[@OmegaLittleBob]

Very good info!!!

[@LittleWarsTV]

Glad it was helpful!

[@BittermanAndy]

Good tips.

[@johnwayneeverett6263]

WELL DONE

[@mr.butter1019]

You guys are promoting your game so much I think I just might have to try out Ravenfeast

[@LittleWarsTV]

Eventually we are going to wear you down and convince you to click that free button!

[@mr.butter1019]

@@LittleWarsTV that you have.

[@Cherokie89]

I wish there had been some mention of proper tree size scaling

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

Imho, 3x to 5x the height of your figures is plenty. So, 3-inch to 5-inch trees for 1-inch figures. Any taller and your figures get lost among all the foliage :-)

[@MrTeaLover]

So when I glued the "teddy bear felt" to my foam board after I cut the rivers out, when I used a Xacto knife to cut of the rivers from the felt it was very hard to even cut it out.

[@MustContainMinis]

Great video guys!

[@jranstro]

How thick are the foam tiles that you use under the mat to stick the trees in?

[@philRminiatures]

Trees and stone walls, essentials!👍👍

[@pjlights164]

FANTASTIC

[@ralphhodge4295]

This is slightly off topic, but if I was going to read some background to learn more about Viking Era for wargaming, what books (nonfiction and fiction) would Little Wars TV recommend? Also, in your videos we can see the library at your club. Any thoughts on a regular-ish segment about reading for more wargaming eras beyond the Discord "shelf to table" which seems to be more general reading recommendations.

[@DJRockford83]

Great vid chaps 👍

[@botteu]

I'm having trouble finding the type of cloth you're using. The stuff I've found are either "regular" felt (which is too thin) or "teddy" cloth which is too fluffy…

[@MrCrazyShock]

For 28mm, what size do you recommand for trees? 3/4" - 2" VS 2" - 3" VS 3" - 5" ? Thanks!

[@theabobrickshow7599]

what scale are the trees for?

[@ValhallaGames]

Great Simple and informative vid for a newcomers to match the great work you guys have done with the free rules etc...well done! It would have been easy to have sat satisfied with 'kicking the hornets nest and creating 'clickbait' in your "is historical wargaming dying and what can we do about it" topics. That isnt what we expected you to do BTW , but youve already surpassed expectations with the volumes of stuff youre doing to get newcomers involved with absolute minimal barriers. Happy New Year! Dan and Rex

[@acsmith70325]

Nice

[@AzraelThanatos]

Unfortunately, this is right at the time when the best option for trees as a starting terrain thing is just over. Right before christmas, a LOT of places have packs of snow dusted evergreens that are aimed at christmas villages. They aren't the most realistic looking, but they're extremely durable and look pretty good for a great price...it's like 20 trees of various sizes for $12 at Lowes and Home Depot. I'm also one of those that doesn't really like the under the mat hills, they never seem to lay correctly and naturally looking while maintaining easy use for minis. As a side thing, I'd love to see musicians and banners added to Ravensfeast (along with doing something for the 6th enchanted item...)

[@michaelmanning5379]

I'd argue that right now (early January) is the BEST time to get Christmas village trees . . . they are all on sale. No retailer wants to save them in the back room until next year.

[@AzraelThanatos]

@@michaelmanning5379 Every place near me was out of them before christmas...massive discounts on them start well before Christmas

[@michaelmanning5379]

@@AzraelThanatos Fair enough. I've got all my Xmas village goodies in January sales. Christmas mountains can be repainted for the desert/Khyber Pass and yield snow-covered pines as a bonus. I'm spending today mounting them on epvc bases covered in Woodland Scenics snow to create Ardennes forests for winter '44

[@AzraelThanatos]

@@michaelmanning5379 A lot of places have been under ordering them for years with things, mainly because a lot of places have the same villages

[@LangJones]

What size/type of washers do you use? I can't seem to get my mind around that part. Never comes out right.

[@LittleWarsTV]

The bigger the washer the more stable the tree will be. Most of mine are 1" washers with some putty in the middle. I stick the tree into the putty, let it dry, add a dot of super glue, then add sand texture, paint, and flock!

[@eldonevans2618]

Trees hmmm? Pom poms!!!!!!!

[@dabwithmeyt3071]

Hi l am thinking about getting in to the hobby but l don't really how.l 14 years and l don't know anyone around me that wants to historical wargaming with me.

[@crhkrebs]

That's always a problem but my guess is that there are more people local to you than you may know. Once the world goes back to normal look at heading towards a historical wargaming convention that is closest to you.

[@dabwithmeyt3071]

@@crhkrebs l do live in NZ so l have start to look around

[@crhkrebs]

@@dabwithmeyt3071 maybe this will help: www.joomla.lancashiregames.com/joomla/index.php/club-finder/137-new-zealand-clubs

[@gabrielnguyen5580]

try tabletop simulator

[@gabrielnguyen5580]

if only because im in the same boat if i can't meet up with my friends

[@TheEriegpman]

Plain, Boring, and Flat - sounds like my high school sweetheart