OGRE on the tabletop

[aebrain]

A long time ago in a Galaxy far far away...

The original OGRE map was used to design a demonstration tabletop for use with the new OGRE and GEV models produced by Steve Jackson games.

Photos were on the Yahoo OGRE group.

Copies are at

https://panpacalliance.tripod.com/id113.htm

Ingredients: (All prices in Aussie Dollars - halve or less for US)
1 Cheap TT Table ($120)
1 Tin Acrylic Desert-like paint ($38)
1 Tube cheap artists acryllic blue (for river)($2.80)
1 Tube cheap artists acryllic red oxide ($2.80)
1 Tube cheap artists acryllic burnt umber ($2.80)
1 Cheap Spraycan Ivory paint ($2)
2kg Moulding Plaster ($12.95)
1 Black Permanent Marker ($4)
2 sq feet lino or cork floor covering (~$6)
1 bottle expensive modellers white paint ($4)
1 bottle expensive modellers black paint ($4)
1 bottle expensive modellers yellow paint ($4)
Thick cardboard for making hex template (nil)
About 3 meters (10 ft) of aluminium foil. ($1)
Plastecine (Silly Putty) to make master of crater. ($2)

Tools:
Plastic butter container or similar for mixing plaster
1 old breadknife, ditto
Various large paintbrushes
Paint Roller
Stanley or large exacto knife for cutting template
Ruler in cm or 1/16" for measuring template]
Pair of compasses for making template.
Tins snips or pruning shears for cutting lino/cork.

Directions: Use Roller and desert-like paint on tabletennis table. Give 3 coats, allow 1 day to dry between coats. Feel free to add splodges of burnt umber and red oxide to break up the colour a bit. When the paint's dry, spray patches of Ivory on the clear area. Paint the odd hex or two with Burnt Sienna or Red Oxide, mixed with the basic desert colour. Then paint the river.

Prepare a cardboard hex template: each hex side should be 6.5 cm, or 2 5/8 inches. This can be done best by using a pair of compasses to make a circle, then using the compasses to make the 6 vertices.

Spend seemingly forever putting hexes on the table with the black permanent marker, drawing around the template. Then for the masochistic, number the hexes. Finally, very carefully draw in the locations of the craters and debris fields. This is tedious, takes a long time and is terminally boring. But worth while.

Now make a crater out of plastecine. After it's finished, use it to stamp a mould out of aluminium foil. Use some more of it to support the centre, so the plaster won't crush it. Now make a crater. Repeat 14 times, making new moulds each time from the master, being careful to conserve the bits of plaster still adhering to the foil. Also conserve the bits in the bottom of the flexible plastic butter container - just flex it a bit to get it out.

Now use the tin snips to make strips of lino/cork about 6-7cm long and 2cm wide, rounded at the ends. You'll need about 60.

Mix up batches of plaster , with the irregular chunks of plaster debris added to give it some chunky texture. Apply to the strips to make ridges of debris, using the dried-up chunks-in-the-botom from one batch to make the next.

Paint the debris and craters with the tin of paint you used for the basic board. Make "Boiling lava" effect in each crater bottom by first painting outlines of circles in red oxide, then white centres, then yellow feathered between the white centre and the red edge. Wash the debris with very heavily thinned black paint. Drybrush the debris and crater sides with burnt umber.

Picture available at http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/ogre-miniatures in the "Terrain and tables" album. (Photo shows table before drybrushing of debris, and some plaster dust can be seen amongst the PanEuropean 2-Howitzer defence)

Total cost: $100 parts :-), probably 30 hours labour :-(

[Bubbagsj]

I can't access the photos! Is it just me and my phone? Anyone?

[woodchuck]

The first link appears to be bad and I have no trouble with the second one.

[J. Durr]

For me the first link - panpacalliance - works but the second one, the yahoo, returns a "This site can’t be reached - photos.groups.yahoo.com’s server IP address could not be found."

[Bubbagsj]

Originally Posted by J. Durr

For me the first link - panpacalliance - works but the second one, the yahoo, returns a "This site can’t be reached - photos.groups.yahoo.com’s server IP address could not be found."

Yep same here.

[aebrain]

Originally Posted by J. Durr

For me the first link - panpacalliance - works but the second one, the yahoo, returns a "This site can’t be reached - photos.groups.yahoo.com’s server IP address could not be found."

The panpacificalliance link is live.

Photos.yahoo.groups has been dead for 20 years. Since around 2000, yahoo groups was text only, and has been gone completely for 2 years.

Some of the photos that were on it are mirrored as copies on the panpacificalliance site.
All email links are long dead.

The table was made over 30 years ago, and is a reification of the 1977 2nd edition OGRE map, in 3D. Hexes are big enough to accomodate any of the OGRE minis.

[FJCestero]

Originally Posted by aebrain

The panpacificalliance link is live.

Photos.yahoo.groups has been dead for 20 years. Since around 2000, yahoo groups was text only, and has been gone completely for 2 years.

Some of the photos that were on it are mirrored as copies on the panpacificalliance site.
All email links are long dead.

The table was made over 30 years ago, and is a reification of the 1977 2nd edition OGRE map, in 3D. Hexes are big enough to accomodate any of the OGRE minis.

Still one of my favorite websites!
How's Tas doing these days?
Anyone know?

[GranitePenguin]

That's awesome. Can't believe I've never seen it before