A Long Time Ago...(A TerrainFest 2023 Blog)

So you have a TerrainFest 2023 project for me?

Yes, sir, I do!

Hopefully that reference doesn’t fall too flat on its face. If it does…well, sorry. I couldn’t think of how to actually start this blog.

Anyways…welcome back, folks.

My name is Tim, better known as The Late Night Players on the internet (or SenjiMakoto here on Beasts of War OnTableTop). After my previous foray with the Spring Cleaning Hobby Challenge 2023 (my entry can be found here), I found a new found revitalization in the hobby. So much so that I actually entered categories at this year’s GenCon and got Bronze with both entries.

Enough with the past, though. The new hotness is Warhammer 40K: 10th Edition!

Wait, what?

It isn’t? Then……let me check my notes.

And we’re back.

Sorry for that, folks. I seem to have gotten my notes mixed up. What I was trying to say was that that was the past and the new hyped hotness is the TerrainFest 2023 challenge! Seeing that terrain for the games I play tends to be the very last thing I ever think about finishing, this seems like a fantastic idea. Best case scenario is I win a sweet prize. Worst case scenario is I have some awesome terrain and maybe teach someone something cool along the way (be it myself or a reader). Sounds like a win-win to me!

The only real question at hand is: what terrain do I pick? Do I go for something generic and pick something that’ll fill in the tables of various games? Or do I zero in on one system and hope I make the right choice as the theme will make or break the entire project?

The answer is really, really simple to figure out. I mean…look at the header, the title of the project, the title of this first blog post, or the little detail box to the left on your screen. We’re going with Star Wars: Shatterpoint terrain, baby! Specifically, I’m going to focus on the core box. If there is time, perhaps I’ll try getting a crack at the various terrain expansions.

Before I get headfirst into turning a bunch of grey plastic into something resembling a functional table, I feel I need to set some ground rules for myself.

You’re probably asking yourself, “Tim, this is for a fun competition. Why restrict yourself to a bunch of arbitrary rules?”

That’s a really good question, faceless internet user. The reason is that I have a tendency to think larger than I have the time or ability to do so. Often times this leads to a sense of failure and self-defeat that tends to put me into a funk or put off of doing anything (see my previous competition entry linked above). A simple set of rules or guidelines will allow me to work at a steady pace, not overthink things, and hopefully complete this on time.

So what are my rules?

TerrainFest 2023 Self-Imposed Rules V.1*

• Old school is the best school – Try to limit the use of 3D printing. In order to push my own skills, I want to complete as much of this as possible by hand. Scratch building is a great way to release those creative energies. Plus 3D printing will take away from the time I actually have to complete this project.
• Keep it within a budget! A good project should have a budget from the get-to to keep things in check, especially when you are someone like me that thinks way too big sometimes.  The budget for this project with be $150(USD). I won’t be counting anything I already have in my supplies or bits boxes towards that, as the cost of the core box exceeds that by itself.
• Keep it on time! I have three weeks left in the month to get the project completed. Yes, the OnTableTop gang have said that the projects do not have to be 100% completed to qualify for judging, but I plan on using this terrain in our 24-hour Extra Life charity live stream on November 4th. Might as well give myself a dedicated end date to focus on.
• Most importantly – Have fun! If we aren’t having fun, what’s the point?

(*Named V.1 in regards to the fact that I’ll probably add more rules to myself as I go along.)

Well, that’s enough talk for now. It’s time to get to work.

Allons-y!