Zona Alfa - Terrain and Exploration

[original circa 2022-06-14]

A while back I decided that I had too much terrain for too many games (I think this was triggered when I ditched a box or two of scratch built 40k terrain stuff... a game I do not even play at all).

When it came to Zona Alfa I decided that one big ass box was sufficient for my purposes. This seemed reasonable and, to date, I've been sticking to that premise - surprisingly perhaps - resolutely.

Whenever I see cool mdf kits  or  other people's terrain/battle reports  or  real life pics of funky terrain  I often get a twinge of... "that would be a cool project" followed by "I'd do that this way, and probably change this, add this, and drop that."

I'm getting to a stage where I'm contemplating... perhaps I can limit it to... two boxes. Well, that certainly sounds like a slippery slope.

Here's the thing... (and I don't think it's just a rationalisation because it's something I want to do (of course, there is an element of that in there)).

When you are away (as I am now, hence the specific contemplation of this topic) you can stack up some books, place some salt and pepper shakers and pine-cone trees and call it a map, for the sake of rolling dice. And... this suffices for the sake of rolling dice - it keeps you in touch with rules and mechanics, and keeps you less hobby-bored than one otherwise might be... but that's about the extent of it.

When I laid out those 3 large maps recently it wasn't about rolling dice or specifically playing ZA. The purpose of my games was exploration within a fictional setting. Similarly, but differently, when you play one vs one it's about competition... within a fictional setting.

For me, ZA provides one of my favourite exploration settings - much as people do with dungeons and dragons or (good) sandbox video games.

Aside: I actively dislike fantasy settings, not for any good reason, I just don't like them.

I like 40k and space well enough, and I really enjoy the post-apoc/stalker setting.    It's just personal taste. I don't expect to convert other gamers, nor do I anticipate a wild change in my personal tastes.

Anyways... DnD has combat in it, and it's pretty much integral to playing, but it's meant to be more about exploration and the story, than fighting everyone you encounter like murder-hobos.

As much as the combat, I like moving my characters through the map, through the setting, the suspense, the dangers, it's not a game, it's an exploration.  I don't really enjoy player vs player confrontation in this (or other) setting as it forces me away from the exploration and into competition, which I'm not into.

Anyways... I enjoy making the maps and exploring within that setting, and I'm thinking I might add a few more structures to expand the worlds I can make. I have a couple of things in mind but nothing specific... abandoned apartments type structures, that kind of thing - developed urban environments rather than very sparely scattered farmsteads and barns. I like those of course, but I'd like a little more variety.

I'm probably set for trees, though those are generally quite fun arts and crafts projects.

And I'm interested in making some water items (lino flats possibly with resin over the top) like I proxied in my winter campaign. 

This all doesn't mean that I'll be jumping online to start ordering things immediately... more an acknowledgement and an acceptance that, yeah, I might end up having more than that one stash box... and so be it.  put another way, if I find an interesting/worth project I may do it even if it takes me over one box.

I'm also interested in making some nicer (chainlink) fences. those ones I have are too chunky/clumsy. they're not horrific and don't destroy the immersion but I'd like to make/get/assemble something better.

Until next time...

Update 2022-08-10

An update before I even release the document. Goes that way sometimes.

Well the final statement has been completed and document in advance. yhay.

The reason this particular document is being dusted off is because i ordered a couple of mdf kits last night. Three quite (nicely) plain apartment structures from brutal cities, who are an aussie co.

My concern with having multiple boxes of stuff isn't just storage. If I want to take a box to a club meet or away on holidays (roll eyes if you must) then having just one box is actually a good thing. shlubbing multiple boxes of terrain around is annoying. It's also annoying if you decide you're only taking one box and the gubbins you want to complete a map/setting are in the other box.

I will be looking hard at whether I can  actually jigsaw the new stuff into the original box. It might (hopefully) be a possibility. fingers crossed and wait and see.

And... release.