I've always wanted to have a go at making a terrain piece and The War of The Ring campaign provided all the impetus I needed! I wanted to make a piece that could be used to add character to a gaming board, but that could also be played on. The idea I came up with was a Gondorian shrine with two levels to fight on, and a set of steps to connect them.

The first thing I did was draw out lots of plans of how I wanted the finished piece to look, this really helped me when it came to making the piece.

THE BASE

Cork tile. Click to enlarge.	Shaped foam base. Click to enlarge.	Detailing the base. Click to enlarge.

• I used a cork tile as a base for my model. This was cut into shape to form my base. I wanted the piece to be quite large so my tile was cut to 30cm square to start with and the corners were rounded off.
• I drew around my cork tile on polystyrene and cut this out using a hot-wire cutter, I curved the edges and made them jagged to give it a realistic appearance. I then cut out the steps to allow my models to enter the monument.
• I used a compass and a ruler to mark a flagstone design on the base. I then used a biro and a fair amount of pressure to really press the design into the foam. This is really simple and looks very effective.

THE PILLARS

Using a template. Click to enlarge.	Detailing the pillars. Click to enlarge.	Fixing the pillars to the base with cocktail sticks. Click to enlarge.

• Using thin card as a template I cut out 4 pillar shapes from polystyrene using a template. The measurements are shown opposite:
• I again used a pen to mark out bricks in the foam.
• The pillars were secured together and to the base. To give this more stability I used cocktail sticks ie to help glue the pillars to the base push the cocktail stick into the base so that half of it is left sticking out. Apply PVA glue and then push the base of the pillar onto the stick to secure.
• I used foamboard cut to 17cm square for my top level of the monument, this was inscribed with the same design as the base, and glued in place.

THE STAIRS

The stairs were probably the most difficult part of this project, but with a little patience and trial and error, you can get them in place.

• My stairs are two sheets of foam card glued together. The stairs are 3cm x 4cm, with the corner stairs at 4 cm x4cm.
• I sanded the edges of my stairs and added cracks using a knife.
• The stairs were glued in place using PVA glue and cocktail sticks where they touch the pillars – this takes patience!

FINISHING TOUCHES

A King of Men miniature makes for a great centrepiece.

• With the key elements in place I added sand to the base of the terrain piece.
• For the statue I chose a King of Men and mounted him on a cotton reel.

PAINTING

• I used Codex Grey paint and a large brush to paint the whole piece.
• I then washed the entire piece a Tank brush and Black Ink. This settled in the cracks.
• I drybrushed the main body on the monument with Fortress Grey and then added highlights by dabbing on Space Wolves Grey to give the monument a moonlit effect.
• I added a small amount of flock to the base which I also drybrushed with Space Wolves Grey.

My Gondorian shrine is now finished, and ready to be used in a game for the War of the Ring. To Gondor!

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