Anyone else prematurely excited by the Specialist Games revival? In anticipation, I’ve finished painting my Epic 40k scenery that I built a year and a half ago. They are a bit more colourful in places than I really intended but that’s the vegetation for you, I may tone it down a little. The aim was to make a very black and white, desaturated gaming board so the little Space Marines really stand out, partially for dramatic effect and partially because it gets really hard to spot the little fuckers. I have an Imperial Guard army too, but unfortunately they are in camouflage and are almost impossible to see.

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I’ve actually got a road network that I should paint next, but I am unsure if it will look particularly good – whoever planned these buildings didn’t really plan for roads it seems. After that I have thousands more tiny wee men to paint, and a dilemma about titans: I have a bunch of titan models but I think a new Adeptus Titanicus must be on the cards with shiny new models. Plus the titans are not in the correct scale (they are too small), which bothers me somewhat considering they are the most iconic part of Epic.

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I seem to always want to play games which need their own scenery, Epic, Necromunda, Mordheim and more. As much as I love making scenery, it is a bugger to store it.

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21 Comments on “Epic 40k Scenery – The Ruins of Aria

  1. Hi Jake, i haven’t heard anything about the specialist games, are there new minis planned?
    The scenery looks great!

    • Yeah man, new studio being formed and new Bloodbowl sculpts previewed so far. Lots of speculation about other things but I just think Adeptus Titanicus makes a lot of sense.

      • Hi there,
        Apologies in advance but I didn’t know where else to post this comment. I’ve just come across your blog and (aside from its aesthetic and geometric perfection) its spooky how close it all is to my ring binder. For about 4 years it’s been getting filled with notes on planetary orbits, composition, history of the Ordo Machinatus and Eternity Marshals. I’m only now just starting to do what I already find here. So, much rage that you stole my totally, 100% original idea and big kudos for the beautiful way you manipulated all those 1’s & ‘s! It’s been a joy to explore! :)

        • Hello, thanks for your comment. I enjoy world building but it is hard to make anything especially interesting for a reader that is already spoiled for choice. The idea with Profundis was to create a setting that would allow for a more Lovecraftian feel than standard 40k. My advice would be to concentrate on the things that make your idea different, those are the parts that will be the most interesting and will draw people in. I am sure there are original aspects to your idea!

          Good luck, I’ll be sure to check out your site once you have gotten established.

  2. Hi Jake!
    Fantastic scenery you did here!
    I’ve never been interested in Epic, but that kind of atmosphere is really appealing.. You did all that from scratch? Can i ask you what kind of material you did use?

    • Thanks, it’s mdf bases, expanded polystyrene and tree bark covered with filler, a few types of ruin kit and a lot of debris made from various things like cat litter. I think that is everything.

        • No problem. This is the first time I have made scenery ‘properly’ with wooden bases and lightweight foam and filler, it makes a big difference I think. All my Necromunda scenery is quite fragile in comparison.

    • Mate, I’ve got cupboards full of expensive guilt. At least Epic is quick and easy to paint, apart from the damn bases. I’m still looking forward to our game one day.

    • I think I could probably avoid Battlefleet Gothic if that came around again. As much as I loved it before I think it might be a game system too far. On the other hand it is quick to paint and to get a game table for…

  3. Really nice scenery. I like the green foliage on them. Makes it look like an abandoned city going to seed

    • Thanks. I did want more vegetation climbing over the ruins, but it becomes hard to maintain a good overall look, and also to make it compatible with my very grey game board (which has to work with other systems too). It’s a struggle to plan all this stuff out!

    • Yeah I really wanted scenery that titans could stalk around. I do hope a new Adeptus Titanicus comes along, I think customising and personalising a titan could be the next big thing.

  4. I haven’t played Epic yet, but have been wanting to more and more so I’m glad it will be coming back. I am more happy about Blood Bowl since its my favorite miniature game, but I am definitely giving Epic a go this time around. Your terrain looks every bit as amazing as your minis, great job. Are the buildings from an Epic scale terrain set?

    • Blood Bowl feels less like it needs an update to me, I suppose because it had a couple of PC/console games that did visual updates, and the rules are totally solid already. Some new figures will be nice, but as someone who would convert their own anyway it’s a bit less interesting.

      The buildings are mainly from the Epic 40,000 boxed set (great components, not great rules), plus some Cities of Death and lasercut parts.

  5. This looks so good, I especially like the blackened derelict in the fourth image. Being quite late to the party I’ve only really got the tales of the specialist games to go by, but they sound great and I can’t wait for them to return.

    As somebody who seems to have made quite a lot of terrain, do you find it better making it with or without an MDF base?

    • Thanks. I think the specialist games I’ve played have been the most fun, although some (like Blood Bowl) are a lot tighter than others. Epic was a great game but there are a lot of different versions, and although the most recent version is popular it doesn’t have the right sense of scale for me and I prefer the earlier Space Marine era rules.

      I think basing on MDF is a good idea, depending what you want to make. I would never base things like woods or hills on cardboard as it will warp or get battered. It’s possible you could get away with a thinner material for some projects though.

      • I didn’t even realise there were different versions, might have to have a read up now.
        Thanks for the advice!

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