Thanks to a busy work schedule, it has been a while since I crafted. To get back into the swing of things, I decided to do a very simple cliff build to go with my recent stalagmite/stalactite scatter terrain. Despite the simplicity of this terrain, it all comes together beautifully and made for an awesome session. I’ll write out the process below, but if you prefer to watch, here’s the video on Youtube:
How to Build Basic TTRPG Terrain Cliffs
Gather your foam – XPS foam is best as it is easy to texture and add grids to, but if you have regular packing Styrofoam around, it can work too. If you can, get a variety of shapes and sizes to help you visualize an interesting cliff face with different levels and widths. If you are cutting your cliff from scratch, you may want to sketch out your basic layout first to avoid wasteful cuts.
Find your layout – Spend some time reliving your Lego phase and play with various ways to stack your foam. Think about how the shapes you’re trying would work in a game – some things look great but aren’t very playable. Ensure any playable edges are spaced in complete inches to allow for complete squares (ie, a 2 inch edge is better than a 1.5 inch one.) Try to have a few different levels, and experiment with things like caves and outcroppings until you’re happy with your basic shape.
To make sure it’s going to make for a fun session, grab some minis and layout a likely combat. Does everyone have room to maneuver? Are there any unavoidable bottle necks that may make things frustrating, rather than fun? Are there places where ranged and melee characters can shine?
Trim, Grid, Texture – Using a Proxxon or utility knife, trim up any foam that overhangs or is otherwise not quite right. Cut interesting textures and angles into your cliff faces to roughen them up. For XPS foam, use a ruler and pen to create a grid of 1″ squares for playability. Go over the lines a few times to ensure they are deep enough in the foam that they will still show after painting. Unfortunately, it is difficult to add grids to Styrofoam, but if paired with gridded XPS foam, we found it easy enough to extrapolate where the grid would be.
Lastly, add texture to your piece as desired. I used balled up tinfoil and a texture roller to roughen up the XPS foam but left the rest alone.
Glue! – Once each piece of your cliff is how you want it, use hot glue to stick the pieces together. If you want more texture, you can always glue on some sand or small pebbles at this point. Make sure the glue is completely dry before proceeding.
Paint – Regardless of your colour pallet, I recommend going over your build with a layer of Mod Podge, mixed with black paint. This helps to create some shadows, seal the piece, and bond everything together. I wanted to match my red stone stalagmites, so I went over the black base with a heavy dry brush of bright red, and then a lighter dry brush of pumpkin orange. Turned out great and even replaced my DM screen for the night!
If you try this project, I’d love to see your results! Let me know in the comments. 🙂
Until next time, happy crafting!