Build

Foam hills and rivers

One sheet of insulation foam makes several hills, and a river can be made from card and gloss varnish for a few dollars.

Hills

1. Cut the shape

   Draw a rounded, irregular shape on XPS foam. Make the top flat enough to stand models on. Cut with a hot wire (see safety above) or a long sharp knife.

2. Bevel the edges

   Slope the sides so models don't slide off. Stepped hills (two layers glued together) are easier to play on than smooth domes.

3. Protect the foam

   Coat it in a mix of PVA, water and a little sand or tile grout. Most spray paints melt foam, so don't spray it directly.

4. Paint and flock

   Brush on a mid-earth house-paint sample, dry-brush lighter, then glue patches of flock or static grass. Leave some earth showing.

Rivers

1. Cut sections

   Cut straight and curved river sections from thin card or plastic sheet, all the same width, so they join in different layouts.

2. Banks

   Glue sand along both edges for banks.

3. Water

   Paint the middle dark green-brown, lighter towards the banks, then add several coats of gloss varnish. Flat rivers don't block movement, so agree with your opponent whether they count as difficult ground.

Woods, using the same base

Make a flat, irregular base from hardboard or thick card, texture it like a hill, and place trees loosely on top. Removable trees let you move models inside the wood.