Tabletop Gaming Tiles

I love tabletop games, and I like to look at large tables full of terrain for my adventures to explore. Some people have the space where they can build several 4x6 customized tables with terrain on them. I don't have that space. Here is my solution, a set of one foot square terrain pieces that easily stack and store. It consists of two layers that allow you to vary the terrain and height of what you play on. There are several advantages to building this way

1. They stack and are easily storable
2. They can be used for large or small games. I can build a 4x6 table for a large quest by using lots of tiles or I can put 4 tiles on a lazy Susan in the middle of the table for a more intimate game.
3. You only have to work on 1 tile at a time so you can get one done in a day or two
4. You don't have to build them all at once so you can add tiles as you gaming needs change.

The base is made from peel and stick floor tiles. This creates a nice flat base to play on. For height, I use 1 inch insulation foam cut into 1 foot squares.

The cost is about less than $1 for each floor tile and less than $1.50 for each foam tile. The foam cost is based on a 2x2 foam board. If you buy a 4x8 foot board you can save even more. I like the 2x2 boards because they are easier to manage.

Now lets make some!

• Peal and stick tiles. I chose a pattern that looks like a wasteland https://www.homedepot.com/p/TrafficMaster-Dark-Gre...
• Plastic tablecloth that has a pattern you would like to use. I chose a sea pattern https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HQR7SGS/ref=p...
• One inch insulation foam from the local home improvement store. Mine has a 2' x 2' panal that is perfect to make 4 tiles. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Project-Panels-FOAMULA...
• Craft knife
• Craft Paint.
• Metal yardstick

The plan is to use a nice textured plastic tablecloth and stick it on the back of a tile. The tile has a texture and pattern on it for one kind of terrain. The tablecloth makes it double-sided for twice the use.

• The first step is to cut a piece of your tablecloth that is a little larger that your tile.

• Flip over your tile so that peal away paper is up

• Peal back just a bit of the corner
• Begin by sticking the tablecloth piece on to the corner
• Be careful to not leave any bubbles

• Fold the tablecloth piece over so that it covers paper still stuck to the tile.
• Reach under the tablecloth piece and slowly peal the paper away.
• As you slowly peal the paper, stick down and smooth the tablecloth piece.
• If you go slow enough there should be no bubbles. Trim off any excess tablecloth with your craft knife or scissors.

• You now have easily stackable and storable double sided terrain tiles!
• By choosing different pattern tiles and tablecloths you can easily make many different types! My other set has a tile that looks like a frozen wasteland with a space starfield stuck on the back.

• The next step adds height to our table top. We are going to design it so that it will still stack with our tiles we just made. They are made double sided to give you more variations in the shape. They also use special dimensions so that they can work with each other. The key is to make sure that any edge is either four, eight or twelve inches. This way they can easily be used with each other. Different shapes can create different terrain like rivers or valleys.

• Cut your foam into one foot squares. The easiest way is to get a metal yardstick and an extendable craft knife. Take many passes with the blade. This will keep the foam from tearing as you cut. You now have 4 one foot square tiles.

• I'm going to cut some shapes on two and leave two uncut so they can work as a mountain together. Mark off 4" sections on each side of a tile. The only requirement is that your patterns need to start and end on one of your marks. In my example I did a wide cutout and a smaller one.
• Using your craft knife ( a thinner one works better for curved cuts ) cut along your line through the foam. Once again do it in many cuts. Its ok if there is some tearing or cracking. It actually makes the tile look better.
• When you are done you should have 4 pieces that can be used together, or used with their original tile to create a 1 foot square.

If you would like to add a little texture to the inside edge of the tiles, just take your craft knife and take little chips out of the top and bottom. Insert the knife in a random position and only let it go in about 1/8". Then break the foam away. Do it from different angles on the top bottom and middle to create a random rocky pattern. The pattern will look good if either side of the tile is up. Don't take out to much because you want them to still fit together well.

Here is one way to assemble a hill using the 4 pieces we just cut out.

There are lots of shapes you can cut out and as long as you stick to the 4 inch marks they will all work with each other. Take a look at the images for ideas. You can also add different details to one side or the other such as bricks, wood planks or lakes. By varying each side you can have many options on your table.

You can paint them anyway you want. I did them like this

1. Get a rolled up ball of aluminum foil and roll it all over the top and bottom of the tile to add texture
2. Cover the entire tile with black paint.
3. paint a layer of brown over the black. it doesn't need complete coverage. In fact it looks better if some of the black shows through.
4. With a sponge, use a lighter tan and put it over the dark brown letting whatever you want show through.
5. If your terrain is dirt you can be done.
6. If you want grass sponge on a dark green letting some of the dirt show through.
7. Add another sponge painted layer of a lighter green.
8. Use the photos for examples of how layering adds additional texture to the tiles.

Now you can put your tiles together for your gaming fun!

Because everything is made from 1 foot squares it is easy to store all the tiles. It is also easy to take them for gaming away from home. Enough tiles for a 4x6 foot table can be stored in a 1 foot by 1 foot stack that is 26 inches tall! Happy making!