PanzerKaput's Gangs of Rome

The one thing i love about Gangs of Rome is the environment that you fight and play though and creating that narrative with them. So this time I have decided to do something a little different with this building and try and bring it to life. So welcome to Helenae Trade adhuc possidebuntur domus Domini or Helen’s Houses of Trade.

I started with the Middle Rank Shops from Sarissa Precision‘s Streets of Rome range and decided that I wanted to make this an active environment and I lived in environment. So I had a look around for something to add to it to make it have the feel of shops and discovered the joys of Iron Gate Scenery, a family ran company who specialise in 3D printed terrain.

Actually I was aware of the company as I have got stuff from them before and also owner is a big Gangs of Rome fan too and has been making some printed terrain for himself and has decided to sell it. The nice thing is that they do shops, generic shops is canopies, counters and floors and I thought it is time to pimp the shop.

So I decided that the traders with include a baker, a green grocers, an inn and a wine store.

What I love about the buildings in Rome is the fact that they are not white with a red bottom as everyone thing but actually they were full of colour, which makes sense when you think about it, how else would you stand out in the crowd.

I do not use anything fancy to paint my houses and I simply start with a red car primer and spray it all over the building. This does two things, one, it seals the mdf and two, it acts as a base for the next colour which is a grey car primer.

I masque off the areas that I want to keep red and then I spray the grey car primer other it. I do not worry about it being even as this adds to the effect of old plaster and paint.

Next I overspray white car primer on the grey, I do this again so it is uneven to bring out that lived in look. Now you can leave it here with these colours and you have a very passable Roman building, all you would need to do is add a black glaze all over it, to look like rain damage and it is finished. However I wanted a little more.

I used simple household paints in tester pots to paint the gaudy paint scheme. I would this to stand out in the crowd so i went for that hyper bright look to the building but also wanted the colour to not distract from the signage that I was planning on adding.

It is amazing just how creative the Ancient Romans where, when it comes to signage and advertising, and basically every shop was little a mini bill board. Now I knew what the shops where going to be, so I first draw a rough outline sketch of what I wanted to have on the shop, beard and wheat for the baker, fruit and veg for the grocer, wine and cups for the inn and grades and amphora for the wine store. Once I had drawn they I painted them trying to make it as colourful and informative as possible.