Three Festive Wargaming Goals – and a Creative Terrain Hack

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Over the festive break, I set myself three wargaming objectives. Two were straightforward, and the third turned into a fun little project.

Goal 1: Finish Painting the Last Seven Cold-Weather Survivalists

First on the list was finishing the last seven cold-weather survivalists from Athena Miniatures. This was a satisfying start - I got them done quickly, and they’re now fully equipped to face the harshest conditions. ❄️🌨️

Goal 2: Organize My Battle Systems Terrain

This was a bigger challenge. Back in the 2010s, I backed two Battle Systems™ Kickstarters:

  • Sci-Fi Modular Terrain
  • Urban Apocalypse Terrain

Over time, the pieces ended up scattered across multiple boxes. Being card-based, some of it was starting to show its age and needed a little TLC. So, I dug out every piece, sorted and organized the lot, and condensed everything into two plastic containers.

For those unfamiliar, Battle Systems terrain is pre-printed card that clips together using plastic connectors. The early Sci-Fi set used ramps to keep walls upright - a feature later dropped from newer sets. These ramps had two drawbacks:

  • There were never enough, especially for angled outside corners.
  • They wear out with repeated use.

Not wanting to damage the terrain through constant assembly and disassembly, I started thinking about a more permanent solution.

Goal 3: Create a Solid Base for Modular Rooms

Here’s where inspiration struck. I realized that three straight wall sections span 12 inches, and with ramps, a square room footprint becomes roughly 15 x 15 inches. The question was: what to use as a base? MDF, plywood, foamboard? All come in 12-inch increments, which would mean a lot of waste.

Then I remembered a cakeboard my partner was about to throw away. Perfect! Cakeboards come in pre-cut sizes, so I grabbed a few more from Hobbycraft. I added coloured card for flooring and fixed the walls in place.

The result? Modular rooms on sturdy bases, plus smaller wall sections for corridors and flexible layouts. You can see from the pictures how I mixed different wall types to create varied spaces.

Why Cakeboards?

  • Pre-cut sizes save time and reduce waste.
  • Lightweight but sturdy enough for card terrain.
  • Easy to decorate with colored card or textured sheets.

This simple hack has given my Battle Systems terrain a new lease of life and made setup much quicker. No more fiddling with worn ramps or worrying about damaging the card.

The result? Modular rooms on sturdy bases, plus smaller wall sections for corridors and flexible layouts. You can see from the pictures how I mixed different wall types to create varied spaces.

Urban or Post-Apocalyptic Walls

Sci-fi printed walls (with ramps)

Sci-fi printed walls (without ramps)

Sci-fi 'Clean' walls (with ramps)


Location: Southampton, UK

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