Foamboard, MDF bases, and fake fur: the stuff of legends.
This will log the efforts of trying to build a small “Viking” village for 28mm skirmish gaming.
Started semi-serious planning of this project recently. Wandered around online and decided that timber A-frame huts with thatched rooves were period and quite common. Yes, the historical wargamer is slipping out. Get used to it. Fear naught: during this time it was believed that the world was flat, magic was real, and all sorts of monsters roamed the Earth. There will be dragons as well as dragonships in my games. But that will be later.
Found some 6” x 6” and a 6” x 12” piece of MDF board in the hoard, so those shall be the bases for smaller huts and a longhouse. Yes, they might be a bit on the large side, but the figures will fit more easily inside. The rooves will be removable so that figures and other goodies may be secreted within; which brought up the subject of roofing material.
Again, roving around the interwebz found some serviceable examples of model thatching done with fake fur, but no tutorials. Posted a query on a miniature wargaming site about it which produced many helpful suggestions, as well as attempts from folks who were determined to seduce me with the power and glory of cotton towels soaked in PVA. Almost half the thread was devoted to dishtowels, and some of the posters were very grumpy about it. Saw the examples posted and they looked unappetizing, so, unswayed, I moved on. To each their own, fellas.
Having built a few buildings and ruins before, the project doesn’t seem that difficult, though thatching will be a new skill to develop. It seems pretty straight forward, though the finishing will dwell more in the realm of art than science. Experimentation shall take place on the huts, with the conclusions executed on the longhouse. We shall see.
