Vietnam War Terrain Tiles Project

This is a tandem project thread, detailing my efforts in making a Vietnam War miniatures game called, “The Legion: Rumble in the Jungle”. The miniatures are complete (see separate thread for those Viet Cong and American Green Berets miniatures); now it was time for the terrain tiles! As this catagory of the forum deals with miniatures, including wargame minis… and because dioramas and game boards are involved, both of which are sometimes designed and created by the posting member, I’ll take the liberty of sharing this project with you. Note that these tiles are an ongoing project, especially as the game itself is still being designed and playtested… there is likely going to be the need to add in different terrain types and the need for more tiles already configuration  designed, so I’ll just add in more as they develope. 

This tiles design and creation project started last January, 2023. This is the full log to this point:are complete

I’ll be using these tiles…

 

From Apostrophe Games, these  2.25 inch/sq. Large Blank Square Tiles ;(57.15mm) come with 48 High quality, blank, square chit tiles, perfect for creating your own boardgames. 

The method I’ll be using for designing the artwork will be with using Copic markers and permanent pen&ink. With both of those mediums, you could use the tiles without much worry of smudging, wear, or fading. If you use other mediums such as colored pencil or pastels, for instance, you’d need to protect the tiles with a finish coat, most commonly a artist’s fixative (spray can delivery) or similar.

The inspiration for the maps came in a book game that uses a graph of tiles… the concept I’m shooting for (no pun intended) is a game where the miniature figures, representing individual soldiers, move through the jungle, hiding as best as possible, as these will all be stealth missions for the Americans. Though the minis are 15mm, I want to represent the terrain as “zones” (or spaces within each individual tile), that is just big enough to accommodate the miniatures’ round disc base; so for instance, if an American Green Beret member is going to move into jungle for cover, the jungle art only needs to be big enough to allow the mini base to enter it. The idea isn’t for super life-like imagery on these, but rather a good artistic impression of such; and at a somewhat high bird’s eye view…scaling is going to be far off, as I only need the representation of what is being moved into or maneuvered around.

For a better  idea of what the inspiration looked like, the book game maps are extremely simplistic in design…

 

…as you can see, huts are merely little cubes, and trees are like message balloons. The one’s I want to design are planned to be more detailed, with downward viewed palm trees and huts that look a little more like huts, but I’ll see as I go. The smart thing would be to try some on paper first and develop a style, so I’ll probably start with that., so taking my own advice, my advice and tried a test tile on art paper, first… rarely do I slow down and do test runs, lol. 

I used a new pen & ink pen with waterproof ink to do a one tree tile; I didn’t bother with a pre draw with pencil, as I’ve found it’s best to just run with the commitment of straight ink on paper (an Artist thing). The “One Tree” is actually one big palm, a smaller palm, and a tiny palm tree cluster, which will be the foundation of all single tree images. 

I then used COPIC markers to fill in the palm fronds with Lime Green, Yellow Green, and Sand; then going back in with the art pen to sharpen up frond edges and add in frond spines. Then came Nile Green to add dark shadows. Lastly, I used Light Suntan and Light Beige for the ground work on the rest of the tile, with dot highlights of Sand.

I’ll wait a couple days to come back to this with a fresh eye perspective, but until then, this is the first try…

 

 

…feeling a little more confident with this project already!

I’m kinda struggling with this one, lol… I tried working on a couple tiles, but they have a glossy film on the paper cardstock which is causing some issues; basically, in the ink pooling, rather than absorbing (like in the art paper)…the blending isn’t blending, but more just running into the adjacent color. My first attempt was kinda chaotic looking (I didn’t snap a pic of it), so I used a colorless blender (COPIC marker), which lifts color up, almost to the point of erasing the layer moved over; I reapplied new ink, in Sand color, and then added some greens and gray. The jungle palm trees didn’t look right so I formed up some lines sun added shadows, ending up with this…

 

…I don’t know…I’m not pleased with the result, but it looks better than the first try on the actual cardstock tile. 

The fronds may need to be bigger; maybe lighter shadows… maybe I need to use some colored pencils added into the mix, but that would require some kind of fixative protectant on top, which is a whole other potential level of crazy.

I’ll figure it out!

 

Well, I’m finding a fix for the ink puddling, a bit anyway, and it tempered the chaos a bit on the existing two tiles; and I worked on two more today, trying to find the groove. I’m getting closer!

So, for an idea of my mad method, I start with drawing the jungle palms with an artist fountain pen, in permanent ink…

 

…I tried using light pencil on the fourth attempt, above, and then inking in, which ales some of the pressure off on getting it right the first time. I then start laying in color with the COPIC markers, using one side that has a conical brush that’s similar to an artist brush, except solid. It’s a tough application, ‘cause the ink puddles due to the alcohol in the ink… it’s a bitch! I start with yellows and light greens in the palms, and then add in lime green. I then move onto the jungle floor (ground )with a sand color, and then add in greens in different shades. Lastly, I go back in and darken uo shadows around the palm leaves; and then place is some ground texture. Really, there just so much yiu can do with these markers the way I’m using them, which may be totally wrong    

This is what the above tile looks like (the bottom one) at the moment…

 

…and all four…

 

 

To be honest, I’m starting to resign myself to the fact that, for what I want to use these for, they are good enough. The Artist in me wants to hide under a rock.

I think I’ve honed in on this! I’d only done the one tile with drawing in the palm fronds in pencil first… I went back to just inking them freehand again and trusting myself    I also honed in on the colors that produce the color laying and blending I need…

 

I’ve found if I lay down Lime Green color first, I get a nice undertone to layer atop of after; working around the palms first and then the rest of the tile; followed by the color Sand, setting up a good overall base coat. I then place in Nile Green around the base of the fronds where it would meet the trunk, and dab outward a tad. I then add the ground texture with Yellow Green in a random pattern, making “clearing spots” in the ground…I try not to portray any directional pattern. I’ll finally go in with Cool Gray and darken up the shadows around the base of the fronds at the trunk line, with small dabs. I’ve tried the color Cinnamon for the shadows in the ground, as a base, and using Yellow Green to blend, works good on some areas. I find I need to go back in with the greens and sand colors a bit here and there to soften up the pools of ink dye that forms.

 

I’ve been working on tiles that represent the “1 Tree” illustrations on the book maps; I tried one tile as a “2 Tree” and it really came together for my being over critical with my results…I was extremely pleased! I figured it might seem a bit muddle in interpreting the tile as a 2 Tree tile, so I made a small winding path separating it into two zones… I‘lol do this with the other 2- and 3-Tree tiles (note: when I say “1-Tree”, I actually mean tree zone, or sector, made up of a few trees).

Heres a progress picture of what I have so far…

 

Today, more 2-Tree tiles!

Half way through the terrain tiles project, with tree combinations. In total, I figure I’m about 10 hours into producing these (I always forget to track my time!), and it’s been an interesting learning curve with the COPIC markers.

 

Next up are huts, swamps, impassable terrain, and dirty road tiles. If I do all the road & tree/road combinations, I’ll need to open another box for a few extra tiles; I’m hoping I’ll be able to fit all the tiles needed for this game in one box, taking advantage of the sturdy box these tiles came in.

Three hours in today, and I left off with all the Huts — the ones with no dirt roads, since I’m trying to decide how much the mechanic using them makes sense to keep; and a couple Rice Paddies…

 

 

 

The book-game maps that inspired my designs don’t have rice paddies, but it does have these sections with what it classifies as “Rocks” (an illustration of a giant rock formation that looks like a big gray turd pile); I’m not sure I like the rocks terrain… it represents impassable terrain, which means you can’t move on that section square, which doesn’t make sense to me (that’s a little too abstract!). So my question ti myself was, if I eliminate Rocks terrain, what do I replace it with?

…well, I thought about this last night and come up with a few possibilities:

• Rice Paddies, which as you can see, I went with! I’ll be doing another one or two;
• Minefields, showing a couple blast craters (and maybe a red upside down triangle, which I’ve seen as a symbol used in the Vietnam War), and I may still do that;
• Dense Jungle, possibly with booby traps are possible, but a lot of painting, and difficult to portray the booby traps, so these are probably out;
• Kunai Grass Field, is a distinct possibility.

…I really like the Rice Paddies, and I might add a mechanic to make movement double cost, and a mandatory mine check to see if the person walking through it is blown to Hell on a 1d6=1. Since I need 10 tiles to replace the Rock terrain, in need at least a second type, if not a third as well. I’ll have to really think on this.

By the way… if ya’ll are wondering why the open grassy area is so bright…well, it’s because I’m working with the COPIC markers I own, and I just don’t own a darker green that works 

Not sure if this is a hit or miss… the book-game has “Rocks” in some sections of the game map; basically, terrain that you can’t trace Line of Sight through and is impassable terrain. 

I’ve been in the fence about this particular terrain, especially it being impassable (keep in mind, the main mechanic of the game is for the Americans or Australians in the jungle of Vietnam, remaining unseen… so standing atop a large rock formation isn’t a good idea, so the premise holds, I suppose). So, my first attempt at a giant-assed rock bigger about the size of a house…

 

What it looks like aside some other terrain…

 

Whatch’ya think?

Finished the Terrain Tiles today, amounting to 54 tiles in all, for my Vietnam War miniatures game! Jungle, Clear, Rice Paddies, Rocky Hills, Village Huts, and Swamps. Done with COPIC markers and permanent pen&ink. Around 10 hours work. Just in time to try them out this weekend with my 15mm miniatures!!! 

The Rice Paddies aren’t in the book-game, but make sense to have… they will cost the usual one Movement die result to enter, but will have roll two Movements die results to move out to an adjacent passable tile.

 

Missing are tiles with dirt roads, but the tiles I have can accommodate the truck attack mechanic on the multi-jungle hexes that have paths; as well as the tiles with huts, since they have open ground that trucks can traverse included.

It took me about 17 days to get to the point in the project indicated above, but I still keep adding to the game map design. I needed to come up with a Viet Cong or NVA jungle bunker for some demolitions missions. Researching the bunkers used in the Vietnam War by Charlie, it came down to a heavy logged roof type, or a concrete bunker with machine gun nest atop; the latter sounding much more exciting for now, I crafted this tonight, along with a 1- and 2-tree tile needed for the third scenario that I didn’t have enough of…

 

…this is good enough for now, though I may make a log roof type, as well. I don’t recall ever seeing stone houses in Vietnam movies or images, so I’ll stay away from those for now.

I also keep having ideas for Radio Stations, Depots, and and Prisoner Holding Cages. 

Next up, Road tiles done!

 

In the end, I’m glad I did them, as it’ll give that games’ scenarios that much more visual appeal. Along with the tiles previously made, I’ve have a great starting point for the Legion game, as well as use for WWII PTO, and a host of other battles zones.

All together, there are now 78 tiles made. I’ll probably make more as needed… both duplicates of tiles needed, and new terrain, such as prisoner enclosures, depots, command posts, and so on.