Modular Gaming Board
In the past issues I've been dealing with various forms of terrain for my Malifaux games. I've started with several bigger, feature terrain, like Western Church with a graveyard, Undertakers or Water tower with a fog machine. I've then continued with a train set accompanied by several modules worth of railroad tracks. Finally I ended with three modules of a dried river and a set of smaller gaming pieces (like forests, rough terrain, fences etc). In this issue, I'll be tackling how to build your own modular board, easily and fairly cheaply.
Obviously like with every big project, When making such a board you need to make the blueprints and carefully think everything through. What size will the board be, how many modules, how to connenct the modules, features stretching through a couple of modules - how to make the transitions... Fortunately for me, the basic idea of the board was already in my mind because a lot would be decided and defined by the terrain I've already built. Colours to be used I need not think about as they must be the same as in all the other terrain. Having such a great number of terrain pieces, means that I won't need a lot of features built into my modules. This makes the actual build easier, however deciding what details and features to use and more importantly where to place them, complicated matters. Over the course of the last couple of years I've made quite a number of large terrain pieces that I would like to use in my games. Having details, like large boulders, in wrong places on the board would prevent me from firmly placing larger pieces of terrain on my tabletop. That is something I need to avoid so I will need to take extra care not to get carried away. Let the board look a bit „boring, flat and featureless“.
Planning
Here is the list of needs and wants I've compiled after a couple of nights of planning:
1. easy storage (modules - no big wooden board that's hard to put away) N
1.1. size of the entire board: 90 x 90cm (or as close as possible) N
1.2. board needs to consist of four modules 45 x 45 cm (or as close as possible) N
2. use magnets for fixing the modules N
2.1. connection of the modules - use magnets (diametre 10mm) W/N
2.2. connection of the modules – use plastic pins (diametre 8mm) W/N
2.3. place the magnets/pins in the middle of each board W
3. details W
3.1. dirt paths – only on two or three modules W
3.2. one module without features W
3.3. dirt road – only on one module, as short as possible N
3.4. all of the modules must have at least ¼ of each module without any features N
4. details mustn't continue from one module to the next N
5. features and details as flat as possible (so I can place my terrain on the table easily) N
6. materials to be used – as light as possible N
7. frame – sturdy that won't bend or break easily N
When I compiled the list, already some things were begining to come to light. The need for light materials to be used made the choice easy – only HD Styrofoam could meet the demand on such a large surface or really thin MDF (maximum 5mm thickness). In the end, I went for three modules of HD Styrofoam (as it is less expensive) and one module of MDF (just for the purposes of this article so I can explain how to make it with this material as well). However, the need for sturdy frame and the connection through magnets meant that each module had to have a wooden frame. This in turn meant that the board would be at least 2,5 – 4 cm high. So the volume the board would have when not assembled would be 45 x 45 x 16cm (maximum height). This means that the whole board wouldn't take up too much space which is exactly what I was going for. After a little deliberation, I've decided to go with the magnets as my choice of connection, instead of pins. I'll do the list of pros and cons a little later on in the article. However, I decided to make a mock-up of the pin connection, as well, for the purposes of this article. Next up, was to make a sketch of the entire layout. I made sure I dotted down everything and proceeded to make a list of materials and tools needed.
- glues - PVA 1kg, 1x10g Superglue
- paints and spreys
- 6 Pebeo Deco Paints (Black, White, Grey, Brown, Ochre and Ash), one black matt acrylic sprey and one clear matt acrylic sprey
- large brushes No 90, No 40
- airbrush
- brush size 16
- high density sytyrofoam
- 2 boards (1200 x 600 x 20 mm)
- MDF 1 board (50 x 50cm) – just for the purposes of this article!
- 8mm diametre plastic tube – just for the purposes of this article!
- wooden slats
- 8 pieces (30 x 5 x 1000 mm)
- balsa wood 5mm thick (10 x 1000 mm)
- magnets - 32 pieces (diametre 10 mm, thickness 1mm)
- DAS air drying clay (0,5kg)
- plaster (half a cup)
- mould for casting cobbles
- sand and gravel (4 sizes)
- static grass and scatter (three to four sorts)
- scalpel blade
- jig saw
- disc sander
- modeller's saw
- mill bit (10 mm diametre)
- sanding paper
- masking tape
When you make such a list, you can also add where you can buy those items and it'll make your shopping easier and faster. When all summed up, I reckon, my board wouldn't cost more than 30-35USD which is really great as this is even cheaper than normal playing mats and that came as a surprise really.
Actual build
After you purchased everything you need, it's time to start the build. First thing I did when I started was making the wooden frame out of the 8 linden slats 30 x 5 x 1000 mm planks. I cut them 2mm longer than neccessary. Fortunately, the slats being 1000 mm long I could afford it so each slat could be used to make two sides of the frame. They all had leftovers and when finally done, I'd have modules that were exactly 45 x 45 cm. When cutting (with a saw) cut one from one side of the plank and the other from the other side. It will ensure you that you have at least one vertically cut side (factory made). After you make this, you'll have to sand of the extra 2mm of length. In order to have a perfect fit, I used my Proxxon disc sander that has a movable trey which I set up at 45 degrees angle. After both sides of each plank were sanded I checked if I had perfect fits all around.
After the wooden frame parts were cut, I proceeded with magnet installment. First of all, I marked one side of all the magnets with green colour and the other with red (note: it doesn't matter which colour you use, obviously, as long as they are sufficiantly different). When I had all my 32 magnets marked on both sides, it was time to mark the wooden frame slats exactly where I would place them. I decided to place them exactly 10 cm from left/right side and exactly 1,5 cm from the top side. Using a marker I jotted down the exact centre so I could aim the vertical drill more easily. I placed the 10 mm diametre mill bit into it and drilled 2 mm deep into the wooden slats. I glued the magnets using a mixture of PVA glue (inside the hole) and superglue (on the magnets).
In the design phase I mentioned another way to connect the modules. The preparations for the pin connection are mostly the same. Decide where to place the pins (how far from each side of the module and on which height). Using a drill of appropriate size (8mm in this case), I made the holes straight through the wooden slat. I then proceeded to cut the plastic rod into pins of desired length and placed one pin per side. Like with magnets, I carefully marked each side of the module with separate colour (red and green). One colour would have the pin (be the male jack) and the other would have the hole (be the female jack). I would suggest that your pins protrude at least 2,5cm. If you've done everything right, the pins should align precisely with the holes and you should get a perfect fit. Using the pins will provide a more permanent and rigid connection than the magnet version. However, storing the modules would require more space. Of course, you could always opt not to fix the pins to the modules and store them in a separate bag.
As mentioned above, on three of the modules, I would be using high density styrofoam to make the body of the board so I now had to cut it into four pieces that would go into the four frames of the modules. Since the frames' outside dimensions were exactly 45 x 45 cm and the wooden frame thickness was 5 mm (on each side!), that meant that my styrofoam boards needed to be exactly 44 x 44 cm so using some straight wooden planks (balsa wood) I first drew the outline and then using my scalpel blade I cut the four pieces.
The fourth module would be done out of thin MDF (about 4mm). Using the same method as before, I drew the outline of the module and using my jigsaw I cut it to desired size (44 x 44 cm). Earlier in the article, I mentioned I would list some pros and cons of each method. Obviously, the styrofoam is easier to cut, lighter and due to it's soft properties and relatively high depth provides the builder the opportunity to add some features inside the module. However, the styrofoam usually comes with different (usually diamond shaped) features on it's surfaces. This is because it is used as insulation on houses so the roughness of the surface makes it adhere better to the wall surfaces. I had to remove the texture and I did it using a makeshift tool made from sanding paper, masking tape and a paint bottle. The MDF is obviously a little heavier, more difficult to cut but on the other hand provides better rigidity of the entire module. Also, being thinner than styrofoam, it provides more room on the inside of the module, so your modules can have more texutre and protruding details and you'll still be able to stack the modules on top of each other when placed in storage.
In order to glue the wooden frames at right angle more easily, I made some brackets (of course you can buy them, but it's cheaper this way). From the 5mm thick balsa wood I cut 8 pieces about 5 x 5 cm large. Afterwards using a knife, I cut them diagonally and presto, I had 16 brackets (for each corner of the 4 modules). I glued them using superglue.
I now had all the pieces I needed to assemble the four modules. I used superglue to instantly bond the wooden frames to eachother and to the brackets. When I acchieved the initial strength of the bond, I added PVA glue to all the joints. When the bonds were dry, I placed my styrofoam boards into each frame. After a bit of tayloring with a scalpel blade I had them all fit snuggly inside the frames. I glued the styrofoam boards to the frames using PVA glue (superglue melts styrofoam) and left it to dry overnight. Before pouring the glue, I added masking tape to all the joints on the top surface to prevent the glue from leaking.
Adding texture
I assembled all the modules to check how they fit. On the module with the MDF base, the base had sunk into the wooden frame and didn't align perfectly. To fix it, I mixed up some plaster with water making sure the mixture was almost fluid-like. When I was satisfied with the consistency, I poured in the plaster and using a long straight slat I leveled the plaster with the wooden frame. Once it was dry, I checked the alignment again and since everything worked out great it was now time to add some scenic features that I decided I'd install. Using my sketch, I carefully copied the design to the board clearly marking the dirt roads, dirt paths and all the clear featureless areas. When I had the design drawn on the board, using some sanding paper taped to a bottle (for a colour I'd be using later) I sanded into the board so the roads would be flat with the ground. I managed to make the profile of the road by just sanding the MDF. If I hadn't succeeded I would opt to use DAS air drying clay. I would shaped some features to the roads and when I satisfied with how they looked, I would smear some PVA glue over the entire surface of the.
For a long time I debated whether to add some cobbled stone road or area to my board for the purposes of this article. However, in the end I decided against it as it would clash too much with the rest of the scenery. Luckily, on one of my previous projects I did just that so I have a couple of pics to show how it's done. First, using the method described earlier I made a denture in the styrofoam to fit my cobbled stones which I made from a silicone mould I found in a Home depo store (note: it was actually a pot coaster that I used in Wyrd Chronicles no 22). I mixed some plaster with water and I poured it into my mould. Half an hour later I had my cobbles. I placed the cobbles into the appropriate hole and when done, I sprinkled generously some gravel and sand.
With all the features modelled on the board, I proceeded with adding texture. First I added the big pieces of slate. Then I added the dirt road and/or paths. After I smeared a slightly watered down PVA (just enough so it would spread easily) on all the surfaces, I sprinkled some larger bits of gravel. I added more texture progressively going from larger granulate to smaller. The final granulate size was smallest chinchilla sand. I repeated the process on all the other surfaces, ending in a granulate a tad bigger than chinchilla sand so I could diferentiate between the normal ground and the dirt road.
Painting
Leaving to dry overnight, I continued the process in the morning with an application of a black undercoat. I used a black matt acrylic sprey. After it was dry, I airbrushed the colouration (using a GW sprey gun because it gives a quite large cover area in a single burst and it's dirt cheap to get). Normal ground was painted with brown while the road was done in several layers ending in a mixture of brown and ochre. The stone bits and areas were airbrushed grey. Final highlights were done with ash and antique white using size 40, 60 and 90 brushes. When the paints were dry, I spreyed everything with a clear matt acrylic sprey.
Vegetation
After the painting, as always, I added the vegetation. It was basicly a mixture of one type of scatter and three kinds of static grass – a brownish 3mm long one, a yellowish-brown 5mm long one and some yellowish 7mm tufts. The scatter was made from various stuff like twigs, coloured wooden dust and debree and some artificial thread. I applied them all with PVA glue and left it to dry. When it was all dry, I spreyed everything with clear matt acrylic sprey.
When all was done, I arranged (some of) my scenery on the board and was pretty satisfied with the results.
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Pigmentation principles: why powdered pigment doesn't work
- • Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) — IR around 2.7 → excellent coverage, strongest white pigment
- • Zinc oxide (ZnO) — IR around 2.0 → good coverage
- • Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) — IR around 1.59 → poor coverage, filler
- • Calcium sulfate / gypsum (CaSO₄) — IR around 1.52 → almost transparent in a binder, filler
This means that gypsum and chalk, although white as a powder, become almost transparent in the formulation of a coating or mass. They do not compete with the pigment — they are subordinate to it. That's why a small amount of pigment easily and evenly colors a gypsum or chalk-based mass, while the same amount of pigment in a mass containing TiO₂ would be barely visible.
3. Agglomeration — the enemy of even color
Pigment powders do not exist as perfectly separate particles. Due to electrostatic attractive forces and surface tension, the particles spontaneously group into clusters called agglomerates or aggregates. Agglomeration is particularly pronounced in: fine particles (the smaller the particle, the higher the surface area to volume ratio, so the attractive forces are relatively stronger) pigments with a high specific surface area, such as carbon black high temperature or humidity conditions When pigment powder is mixed with filler or binder powder, the agglomerates do not break down—they remain as compact clusters. The visual result is an uneven color: dark spots where pigment particles have accumulated, and pale areas where they are absent. The user then concludes that "more pigment is needed"—but this is not true. The problem is not a lack of pigment, but its poor distribution.
4. Dispersion — meaning properly dispersed pigment
Dispersion is the process of breaking up agglomerates and evenly distributing individual pigment particles throughout a medium (water, oil, binder). A well-dispersed pigment means that the particles are as evenly distributed as possible — each filler or binder particle "sees" the pigment, not just the neighborhood of the agglomerate. Dispersion is achieved by mechanical and chemical means:
- • Mechanical: mixing with high shear forces (mixers, mill aggregates, ultrasound). Mixing with a spoon or spatula is not sufficient to break up agglomerates.
- • Chemical: the use of dispersants and surfactants that adsorb to the surface of the particle and prevent it from re-adhering to neighboring particles.
5. Why liquid colorant works better than powdered pigment
Liquid colorants are not just pigment dissolved in water. They are ready-made systems that contain: Pigment — already dispersed to the level of individual particles or very small clusters Dispersants and surfactants — which keep the particles separated and prevent re-agglomeration Liquid medium — which allows the pigment to be evenly distributed throughout the material being colored before that material begins to set or dry When a liquid colorant is added to the mixing water (e.g. in gypsum, concrete, mortar), the pigment is already in an ideal state of dispersion. The same amount of pigment is evenly delivered to each part of the mixture. The color effect is therefore much more intense than with dry-mixed pigment — with a significantly lower total amount of pigment. The same logic applies to paints and varnishes: pigment pastes and dispersed pigments provide better coverage and color uniformity than pigments that have not undergone the dispersion process.
6. Practical application — gypsum example
Gypsum is a good example because it illustrates all the above principles at once. Because it has a low refractive index (~1.52), it is not a true white pigment — it does not resist staining when mixed with a binder. This means that a small amount of black pigment can easily and evenly color the gypsum mass. Why then does it happen to many people that they have to add a large proportion of pigment in relation to the mass of plaster? Because they mix the pigment in powder form directly into the gypsum powder. Pigment agglomerates (especially Fe₃O₄ or carbon black) remain intact, the distribution is uneven, and the result is disappointing. The conclusion "we need more" is wrong — we need better.
Correct procedure:
Add the colorant (or pigment dispersed in water) to the mixing water Mix the water with the colorant well Only then add the gypsum and mix until a homogeneous mixture This way, the pigment is distributed throughout the entire mass before the gypsum begins to set. The result is an even, intense color with a much smaller amount of pigment than with dry mixing. For those who do not have access to professional colorants, a good alternative are liquid pigment additives available in building paint stores — usually in the form of small bottles intended for tinting wall paints. It is the same principle: the pigment is already dispersed in a liquid medium with additives that prevent agglomeration. Added to the mixing water, they give a more even result than powdered pigment with a significantly smaller amount.
Conclusion
The intensity and uniformity of color in a mass depend not only on the amount of pigment — they depend on how well the pigment is dispersed. A pigment powder mixed with a powder of another material almost always gives worse results than a pigment that has been previously dispersed in a liquid medium, in the presence of dispersants. When you encounter the problem of "the pigment does not color enough," it is worth asking yourself: is the problem not in the way it was added — and not in the amount.
" ["content_hrv"]=> string(9431) "Ovaj tekst nastao je nakon druženja srijedom na kojem se razvila rasprava o pigmentaciji gipsa. Kako nisam uspjela sve objasniti na licu mjesta, odlučila sam to složiti na papir — a principi o kojima je riječ ionako vrijede šire od samog gipsa.
1. Što je pigment — i što nije
Pigment je tvar koja daje boju tako što selektivno apsorbira određene valne duljine vidljivog svjetla i reflektira ostale. Crni pigment apsorbira gotovo sve valne duljine; crveni apsorbira plavu i zelenu, a reflektira crvenu. Važno je razlikovati pigment od punila. Punila su bijele ili neutralne tvari koje se dodaju u boje, premaze i mase kako bi povećala volumen, poboljšala teksturu ili snizila cijenu — ali same po sebi ne daju snažnu boju ni dobru pokrivnost. Tipična punila su kalcijev karbonat (kreda, CaCO₃), kalcijev sulfat (gips, CaSO₄), barijev sulfat i slični materijali. Razlika između pravog pigmenta i punila nije samo u boji — leži u fizikalnom svojstvu koje se zove indeks refrakcije.
2. Indeks refrakcije i pokrivnost
Indeks refrakcije (IR) opisuje koliko se svjetlost lomi i raspršuje kada prolazi kroz neku tvar ili nailazi na njezinu površinu. Što je veći, to čestica jače raspršuje svjetlost — i time djeluje neprozirnije, "pokrivnije". Nekoliko usporednih vrijednosti:
- • Titanijev dioksid (TiO₂) — IR oko 2,7 → izvanredna pokrivnost, najjači bijeli pigment
- • Cinkov oksid (ZnO) — IR oko 2,0 → dobra pokrivnost
- • Kalcijev karbonat (CaCO₃) — IR oko 1,59 → slaba pokrivnost, punilo
- • Kalcijev sulfat / gips (CaSO₄) — IR oko 1,52 → gotovo transparentno u vezivu, punilo
Ovo znači da gips i kreda, premda su bijeli kao prah, u formulaciji premaza ili mase postaju gotovo prozirni. Ne natječu se s pigmentom — podređuju mu se. Zato mala količina pigmenta lako i ravnomjerno oboji masu na bazi gipsa ili krede, dok bi ista količina pigmenta u masi koja sadrži TiO₂ jedva bila vidljiva.
3. Aglomeracija — neprijatelj ravnomjerne boje
Pigmenti u prahu ne postoje kao savršeno odvojene čestice. Zbog elektrostatičkih privlačnih sila i površinske napetosti, čestice se spontano grupiraju u nakupine koje se zovu aglomerati ili agregati. Aglomeracija je posebno izražena kod: sitnih čestica (što je čestica manja, veći je omjer površine i volumena, pa su privlačne sile relativno jače) pigmenata visoke specifične površine, poput carbon blacka (čađe) uvjeta visokih temperatura ili vlage Kada se prah pigmenta umiješa u prah punila ili veziva, aglomerati se ne raspadaju — ostaju kao kompaktne nakupine. Vizualni rezultat je neujednačena boja: tamne mrlje tamo gdje su se nakupile čestice pigmenta, i blijeda područja tamo gdje ih nema. Korisnik tada zaključuje da "treba više pigmenta" — ali to nije točno. Problem nije nedostatak pigmenta, nego njegova loša raspodjela.
4. Disperzija — što znači pravilno dispergiran pigment
Disperzija je proces razbijanja aglomerata i ravnomjernog raspoređivanja pojedinačnih čestica pigmenta kroz medij (vodu, ulje, vezivo). Dobro dispergiran pigment znači da su čestice što ravnomjernije raspoređene — svaka čestica punila ili veziva "vidi" pigment, a ne samo susjedstvo aglomerata. Disperzija se postiže mehaničkim i kemijskim putem:
- • Mehanički: miješanje s visokim smičnim silama (mikseri, mlinski agregati, ultrazuk). Miješanje žlicom ili lopaticom nije dovoljno za razbijanje aglomerata.
- • Kemijski: upotreba dispergirnih sredstava (dispergatora) i surfaktanata koji se adsorbiraju na površinu čestice i sprječavaju njezino ponovno lijepljenje za susjedne čestice.
5. Zašto tekući kolorant radi bolje od pigmenta u prahu
Tekući koloranti nisu samo pigment otopljen u vodi. To su gotovi sustavi koji sadrže: Pigment — već dispergiran do razine pojedinačnih čestica ili vrlo malih klastera Dispergatore i surfaktante — koji drže čestice razdvojenima i sprječavaju ponovnu aglomeraciju Tekući medij — koji omogućuje da se pigment ravnomjerno rasporedi kroz materijal koji se boji još prije nego što taj materijal počne vezati ili sušiti Kada se tekući kolorant doda u vodu za miješanje (npr. kod gipsa, betona, žbuke), pigment je već u idealnom stanju disperzije. Svakom dijelu smjese ravnomjerno se isporučuje ista količina pigmenta. Efekt boje je stoga mnogo intenzivniji nego kod suho miješanog pigmenta — uz znatno manju ukupnu količinu pigmenta. Ista logika vrijedi za boje i lakove: pigmentne paste i disperzirani pigmenti daju bolju pokrivnost i ravnomjernost boje od pigmenata koji nisu prošli proces disperzije.
6. Praktična primjena — primjer gipsa
Gips je zahvalan primjer jer ilustrira sve navedene principe odjednom. Budući da ima nizak indeks refrakcije (~1,52), nije pravi bijeli pigment — u smjesi s vezivom ne pruža otpor bojanju. To znači da mala količina crnog pigmenta može lako i ravnomjerno obojiti gipsanu masu. Zašto se onda mnogima događa da moraju dodati veliki udio pigmenta u odnosu na masu gipsa? Jer pigment miješaju u obliku praha direktno u prah gipsa. Aglomerati pigmenta (posebno Fe₃O₄ ili carbon black) ostaju netaknuti, raspodjela je neujednačena, i rezultat je razočaravajući. Zaključak "treba više" je pogrešan — treba bolje.
Ispravni postupak:
Kolorant (ili pigment dispergiran u vodi) dodati u vodu za miješanje Dobro promiješati vodu s kolorantom Tek tada dodati gips i miješati do homogene smjese Na taj način pigment bude raspoređen kroz cijelu masu još prije nego gips počne vezati. Rezultat je ravnomjerna, intenzivna boja uz višestruko manju količinu pigmenta nego pri suhom miješanju. Za one koji nemaju pristup profesionalnim kolorantima, dobra alternativa su tekući pigmentni dodaci dostupni u trgovinama građevinskih boja — najčešće u obliku malih bočica namijenjenih nijansiranju zidnih boja. Radi se o istom principu: pigment je već dispergiran u tekućem mediju s aditivima koji sprječavaju aglomeraciju. Dodani u vodu za miješanje, daju ravnomjerniji rezultat od pigmenta u prahu uz znatno manju količinu.
Zaključak
Intenzitet i ravnomjernost boje u nekoj masi ne ovise samo o količini pigmenta — ovise o tome koliko je taj pigment dobro dispergiran. Prah pigmenta miješan u prah drugog materijala gotovo uvijek daje lošije rezultate od pigmenta koji je prethodno dispergiran u tekućem mediju, uz prisustvo dispergirnih sredstava. Kada se susretnete s problemom "pigment ne boji dovoljno", vrijedi si postaviti pitanje: nije li problem u načinu na koji je dodan — a ne u količini.
" ["created"]=> string(19) "2026-05-04 12:54:47" ["modified"]=> string(19) "2026-05-04 20:10:17" } ["Member"]=> array(10) { ["id"]=> string(3) "108" ["group_id"]=> string(1) "2" ["first_name"]=> string(5) "Dunja" ["last_name"]=> string(6) "Singer" ["first_name_mask"]=> string(5) "dunja" ["last_name_mask"]=> string(6) "singer" ["username"]=> string(5) "Dunja" ["password"]=> string(40) "772414a5d6b32309f32f46e9009f1e550809c62d" ["born"]=> string(19) "2006-01-01 00:00:00" ["created"]=> NULL } } Dunja Singer, 4th May 2026 - We visited: Warhammer World – pt.3 Ivan Vedak, 4th May 2026
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