The Hurling Board

To help show-off *Champions of Rag & Bone*, I decided to make a terrain set to highlight the climactic Hurling Match. This is my first terrain project. I'm very pleased with how it turned out!

# Components
## The Goals

These were the very first thing I made. Not much needs explaining here: balsawood bases and balsa wood for the goalposts. Then I applied some battlefield mud and static grass after painting the posts.

When I first built these, they were just enhancements for placement on a Chessex hex mat. That made the hex counting pretty straightforward. With the entire board made, I may need to go back and make the grass match the pattern on the pitch. I'm also considering adding a mesh for the goals to look more the part.

## The Pitch

The primary component here is an 17"×11"×1/4" piece of quarter-inch XPS foam. I got this from an Army Painter terrain kit provided by Gary Con for GMs. (The timing there really was a happy coincidence; I made the goals a week before getting these). The hex pattern was made by taping two sheets of 1"-hex grid paper on the foam board. Then I used a pin to puncture the vertices of the grid into the board. I removed the hex paper and made shallow cuts to create the segments of the hex grid.

The whole thing was sprayed with a dark brown. To make the checkerboard pattern, we go one color at a time. Water down some tacky glue, and apply on a few of the appropriate hexes. Sprinkle the static grass (I think mine is 2mm long), then repeat the process. Once it's done, give it time to dry, and apply again. I wound up going over it a second time for each color. 

Finally, I added some rocks, tufts, and snowy static grass in the areas of the board not covered by the pitch, stands, or goals. Later on, I went back and sprayed the center hex white, and lines demarcating the set-up zones.
## Fans, Stands, and Box Seats

The minis really steal the show here. Those used in the stands are a combination of miniatures by Mirliton, Lucide Eye Publications, and Gripping Beast. The fans are fully glued in. The band and judges are loose to use in other parts of the adventure.

The stands basswood bases, and the main structures are blocked off using pieces of quarter-inch XPS foam. The border railing is basswood. The stairs were made with matchstick-toothpicks, stacked and glued into partially cut foam. Balsa wood was used for the box supports.

Before painting, I used a pen to put wood grain into the foam and exaggerating what already existed in the wood. Then primed it dark brown, then overbrushed with a lighter brown. We followed this with a reddish wash, and then highlighted with an ash gray drybrush. The base used the same mud and rocks used on the pitch. It was finalized with some clump foliage.

# Lessons Learned
1. **Seal early**. XPS foam cannot be varnished. At least not using the rattle cans I have. Most people use a mix of Mod Podge and paint. I found this out after I had already painted everything and detailed it with static grass. A little late now to coat everything in glue. We'll see how long it keeps without a coating.
2. **Wood warps**. This is probably a pretty basic fact for anyone who has worked with wood ever. But being brand new to crafting, this was news to me. Any source of moisture can warp both basswood and balsawood. For this project, that meant glue and paint. It's easy enough to correct, though. Dampen the word during the process, then place weights to keep it flat as everything dries.
3. **Scale Considerations**. With the exception of the hex grid, I made everything as I went based on the size of materials I have. The "box seats" feel a bit on the short side for what they are. For future projects, I should be more deliberate about scale on all components.