And Cardboard turns into masonry! Homemade 1/1000 terrain -A tutorial of sorts-

This thread is conceived as a kind of blog where I will share the process of creating my first terrain piece in 1/1000 scale. You will see what I did, and where I went wrong, hopefully helping people new to modelling terrain in Sails of Glory.

Please consider I am not in any way as talented as many people here. My terrain has serviceable looks, but is not hyperdetailed. If you like what I did, you will surely be able to replicate it. You will probably do better, in fact.

Let's get started!

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Step 1) Choosing what to build

The first step in my voyage through terrain making was to have a clear picture of what I wanted.

I decided I wanted a centerpiece for my table, but I didn't want it to be too big, since I intuitively feel Sails of Glory works best with small islands and reefs that hinder maneuverability, while larger islands may became just a way to reduce the surface of the table. And now go on reading to witness how I go against my own advice next xD

With a game such as Sails of Glory, rooted in fascinating history, I could not just create generic islands. I wanted something with a similarly rich history which transcended my limited ability to make a good model. So I started researching about island fortresses in the Napoleonic era.

I wanted something as small as possible, which had played a role in the conflict. The forts in small islands near the coast built to help defend France and Britain from an invasion looked like a good fit.

Among those, I chose Saint Marcouf, a French fort built in a small island to the north of France very shortly after Trafalgar





I chose this landmark for the following reasons:

-It's unique looks and visual appeal.

-It is reasonably well documented.

-It's on the bigger side of what I wanted, but as a centerpiece, it should do.

-It seemed easy to build since it includes little to no complex geometry that should be noticeable at 1:1000.

-Saint Marcouf is actually composed of two islands, Ille du Large and Ille du Terre, with barely 500 meters of water between them. If I'm happy with how Ille du Large (the one with the fort) turns out, I can model the other island and use both in a 120*90 play area while being geographically accurate. Hooray!


There are drawbacks, however. I feel I will need additional small terrain pieces to give my games more variety, since Saint Marcouf is rather on the larger side of what I wanted. So, if you don't mind me asking, Do any of you fine gentlemen know of some kind of island with a bit of Napoleonic history to it, measuring less than 100 meters? Preferably well suited for an European theatre of operations. Thanks in advance.

During the following days I will be posting work in progress pictures of my rendition of the Ille du Large, as I write the proper descriptions for each step. I hope you will follow me through this experience!