If your stuck at home and looking to expand your miniature terrain collection, don’t forget the aquarium section on Amazon! As anyone that has been following this blog has seen, one of the games I have been holding regularly is Pulp. This type of game allows you to tie your historical collection with a bit of use in a fantasy session. One of the keys to playing pulp is having an interesting terrain table. You can of course keep it simple and play all your games in the desert or on grassy field, but where is the fun in that?
While I leverage my normal historical terrain, I also like to add a little flair. That means odd pieces of architecture from around the world. However, I also do not want to pay a fortune to add such features! I’m too lazy to make them, so buying is my only option. One of the easiest sources for terrain is at the aquarium shop. There you can find interesting assortments of quite impressive pieces of terrain. Sometimes, these get a little pricey, but a little patience, and you can find many sales or deals online or during sales. With a little patience, you can find a large piece for less than ten buck. Perfect!
You will find some decently painted pieces, some that need a little touch up and others that need a full repaint. However, most of these pieces are well below the price you will find for purpose build miniatures terrain.
I followed this approach to buy a number of temple city pieces for a Siam type setting. I found most of these pieces on Amazon, with a couple marked down in a local pet shop and some marked down at Michaels. For what I needed, I was happy with the paint job and kept them as delivered. Each piece was painted and highlighted to a usable standard. So, less than $50 for a temple city. Perfect!
Some of the pieces that I have picked up, just did not meet my standards. The best example was a sunken tug boat model. I wanted something that was on shore and sun baked, so out came the craft paint. Dry brush up the wood to grey, as rust and a few details and an hour later a new boat!
So, if your looking for something to work of, while not blowing your budget, don’t pass up on the Aquarium section!
- Manteuffel