I'm embarking on a new project - one that I think will last me the better part of a year. I recently returned from Dungeon Fest 2026, which has rekindled my passion for the hobby in the way it always does. In the Alberta Mordheim Open, I had my set of psychedelic boards in the mix, and they stood out very starkly. Every time I bring out those boards I get a lot of compliments, which is lovely, but what I really love about those boards is how they are drastically different from most Mordheim boards. We have all settled into the grimdark vision of Mordheim as a brown and grey waste, with gothic architecture and winding canals and sewers - which is all very much canon. But as artists and makers, we have license to stretch that vision. I want to create another full size 4x4 board to bring to Dungeon Fest 2027, and I want it to be visually distinct. I also have another ambition - that this board be used for an all day drop-in game, where people who have not registered for events can still have fun. It will be GM'd, and very narrative and RPG focused in nature. Though the board will be used for Mordheim, I am setting it in the Realm of Chaos!
I wanted to get some of my initial thoughts down in this blog. I occasionally get questions about my creative process, so I thought I should document a bit more. The spark for this board came from a fantasy chaos army I created last year - they are all done in fluorescent green and pink, and they had metallic blue bases. Ever since reading Daemon Slayer as a kid, I remember Gotrek and Felix wandering through colour shifting sands in the chaos wastes, and I thought this would be the way to capture that concept. So, using Turbodork colour shifting metallics, I want paint the entire board with metallic basing. That was the initial spark - and the concept has already developed a lot from that start.
Once I had that kernel, I came up with two short rules for the board. It must be extremely playable (lots of space to walk, interesting pathways, areas are connected, fun not just pretty), and extremely visually interesting. I want people to walk into the convention hall and see the board from across the space and say "what the hell is that". Luckily, the realm of chaos lends itself toward the visually interesting, and I am developing my own vision for the space. Of course, Miscast Trent recently created a masterpiece of an RoC board, using his own visual language and borrowing inspiration from Ian Miller. That board was a huge inspiration for me - but I want to have a very distinct aesthetic. I've been collecting a scrapbook of textures, colours, patterns, architecture, and nature to help guide my vision. There are concepts I want to play with, and I don't know how to visually execute them yet - for example: digital glitching. My friend Zach suggested I try the slicing effect that some vaporwave art uses, and that got me thinking about broader digital glitch artwork. There are many ways I could take that - if I can find a way to replicate it.
I have always struggled with the concept of Illusion, but I have learned it is the most powerful force in the creation of an interesting board. We can't always create a mountain range, or a city in the sky, or any other massive or visually striking effect - but they can be achieved through illusion, hints, and implication. I think that might be the way to get the effects I'm looking for.
While I started my vision with metallic ground cover, I have expanded it - I want to use black 2.0, mirrors, colour shifting metallics, rust, black and white patterns - I want to mix these extremes in strange ways. So, before I actually start building a board, I am going to begin with experimenting. I have a lot of architecture and landscape to think about, but I want to get a sense of my colour palettes - and how they might actually be implemented. I've also started mapping out my board with masking tape, so I can visualize how big each area will be and how they will be connected. Normally I would dive head first into a project and build based on instinct and manic energy, but I have a baby now, and time is precious. Every move has to be considered and then implemented efficiently, so this is also going to be a test of a new way of creating for me.
Wish me luck - I certainly haven't set myself and easy goal.
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