Ruined Buildings for Mordheim and Frostgrave

I Since my last post here, my internet browser (Firefox) went mental and I had to start using another one (Chrome). For no clear reason, Chrome won't let me post comments on other people's blogs, which is a shame as there's some excellent stuff going on out there. Hats off in particular to the insane business going on HERE, which is pretty much exactly what I got into wargaming for.

Anyway. I've always liked twiddly gothic architecture, probably ever since I read the Gormenghast books (which, I suspect, were a major influence on early GW designs). Back in 8th edition Warhammer, GW made some amazing Empire-themed buildings, including this weirdness:

I find the design choices and the elements that make a building part of the Empire, the Skaven or whatever very interesting. I decided to make a couple of ruined houses for my Frostgrave terrain. You can read more about this topic by someone competent HERE.

The starting point was a set of papier-mache treasure chests I found in a local art shop. I suppose they're meant for children to customise - well, sod that because they're becoming ruined shells in a fantasy apocalypse. Ruthlessly shoving infants aside, I snatched the last boxes from a sobbing urchin and strode back to my lair to build them (I exaggerate: the shop was empty).

This is actually for a Necromunda house, but you get the idea.

I hacked the walls open and used some of the hacked-off bits to build the walls up to make wrecked upper storeys. On the barn, I used little card squares to make roof-tiles and just stuck them on in rows, very slowly. Upper floors and ledges were added with the help of coffee stirrers kindly provided by Costa. I'm sure I looked entirely normal, stuffing handfuls of them into my coat.

The buildings were sprayed white, painted bone and washed with brown and darker bone shades. The larger house received a floor made from some very thin plywood I got at the art shop, presumably for dolls' houses. Dirt and trash was added at the edges of the buildings with grit washed black and highlighted grey-brown. It would have been realistic to heap refuse in the centre, but I only added a few bits so that models could move around.

When making buildings, it seems that detailing is key. The more time you've got, the better. I added a dodgy resin barrel and a wonky wooden loft to the barn, and a nice Mantic door to the house. I think I might go back later and add some more bits and pieces.

The next terrain project will be to do up an old stone tower I've got lying around. It's going to be quite a task - the thing is covered in tacky skulls. But I've got plans, and a huge number of coffee stirrers...