Monday, August 23, 2021

Buildings for Moonstone from Tabletop World

Okay, let's move on from my somewhat stuttering 1:1 efforts and look at something that I've actually completed: a trio of buildings for our Moonstone games from Tabletop World. 

The mood and setting of 'Moonstone' is very Grimm fairytalesque, and I wanted some terrain that would fit with that aesthetic, so when I came across these models from Tabletop World I knew they'd fit the bill perfectly. They have a wonderful lived-in, dilapidated, sway-backed look, which makes me think of witches in dark forests, kids named Hansel and Gretel, and a wolf that is both Big and Bad.

These three models are fairly small and basic compared to some of the offerings in the Tabletop World catalog ('The Wizard's Tower' is particularly impressive). The two smaller models are listed as cottages, while the three-storey structure is from their townhouse series (I've been using it as a small tavern in our recent scenarios).

I really like all the exterior details on this model, especially the stone water trough and the harvested vegetables.


The roofs lift off and they all have great interior detail. On the larger, muli-level models, each floor is separate, to facilitate skirmish gaming.


I love the uneven stacked stone chimney and the jury-rigged roof repairs.


I won't varnish the truth. These models are expensive, BUT they are exquisitely crafted and I think you do get your money's worth. The rendered detail is astonishingly crisp, the casting is flawless and they are an absolute joy to paint.  A real pleasure to have on the tabletop.

Now, I'm going to go to their site and pine over that Wizard's Tower again... Have a great week everyone!

Next up: A Troll with a Helmet-Cannon!


Monday, August 16, 2021

Hobby Studio Build: Part III


It's been several months since I've posted an update on the hobby studio. Well, it's been bumbling along in fits in starts, but progress has been made. 

The main overhead door was installed in January after a 5 month delay. It was sourced from an American company. Apparently being a 'favoured trading partner' has its limits, as our order was bumped 4 times by later-arriving domestic customers. I was not impressed. Anyway, better late than never, here is a shot of the door, finally installed. Funny thing is that, being a gaming studio, it hardly gets opened, but it looks nice and I'm sure the next owners will make good use of it. 

We plunked down for a model that offered a bit more insulation, which should help during the colder months.

After living with it for a few months we found the west wall of the studio was rather bland looking, and so decided to retrofit it two thin horizontal windows (found at the ReStore recycling) to add a bit more visual interest. They're also nice in that they introduce a little more natural light into the space.


As the interior was not yet insulated and heated, the onset of Old Man Winter enforced a pause on the project.

Early this spring we picked out our siding, and after four months of delays (again due to Covid) it was installed just last week. 

This is the interior side, facing into our courtyard. That's Eddie, our siding contractor, doing his thing. 


For the exterior siding, we went with a vertical bat profile as it seemed more in-line with the design of our house. We also decided to clad the four corners of the studio in teak stained pine boards for it to better tie-in with the other design elements on our property. Here are a few before and after shots:




We hope that the overhead door and corner cladding adds a bit of warmth to a fairly austere design.



Next up in this project is completing the eavestroughs and the exterior lighting. After that, we'll finally get into the fun stuff: the interior work to finish the game room. 

Thanks for dropping in folks - I hope you have a terrific week!

- Curt