The Elder Scrolls experience is about the thrill of exploration and discovery so when it came time to build the essential part of miniatures gaming that is terrain for a Skyrim board game there was a bit of location scouting to do. Whiterun perhaps, with its open fields and complex city gate? Riften, with its layers of balconies and docks? Ultimately the Imperial Legion capital Solitude was chosen.
Having settled upon Solitude a map was scrunched and edited to accommodate gaming with miniatures. A digital sketch of where the board was going to go was then drafted to get a sense of space and colors.
The double gate and outward watchtower will create interesting combat scenarios while the keep and the port will be spawn points for Imperials and Stormcloaks. A wide open field for tactical maneuvering sits before the walls with plenty of room for siege ladders to be set.
The bulk of the board was set with pink foam and then built up with thinner 1/4" white foam. Details were drawn into the foam with a ballpoint pen which left a light enough indent for paint to pick up the edges. A mix of fine ballast and kitty litter was set for rocks and debris. Crumbly bits were described in the board, implying perhaps this is a Solitude front gate that's been through the civil war and has been reconstructed.
Design choices had to be fudged from the original design in Skyrim so the board could be used for miniatures but customization is such a massive part of what helps the game endure that we felt making aesthetic changes was fully in the fan spirit of things. There wasn't room to include Katla's farm but there's a stretch of road leading to where the farm could be. Radiant Raiment the Winking Skeever were shrunken and warped to fit the narrow city keep. The executioner's platform was given a staircase towards the city walls to provide easier access from the center.
Pre-made trees will be attached after the paint process. The docks will also be finished towards the end of the process, after flocking and finishing effects. Caulk was used to create waves at the edges of the port. This seals the section off and will be useful when resin is poured into the lake area!
The next part will be about the painting process!
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