Building - Castles in the Sand

Crusader Castle

Another Castle Build, something a little more substantial this time.

So the plans for this castle I had found on the internet some years ago and saved.  I can’t for the life of me remember where they originally came from or what the castle was used for.

To me it looks like the ideal castle to be used as both a fort in the ongoing Mars campaign whilst also doubling up as a suitable looking castle for the Crusades period.

Again I used foam-core covered in filler for the structure.   This time I sanded the walls a lot because I wanted a nice smooth texture, especially on the corners.

For the most part the roofs are attached and there is no access to the interior of the towers.  I have found that although having access is a nice feature it rarely sees any use in the games we play.  If we ever decide to place figures inside a tower we can use an abstract way to represent it and remove the figures from the gaming table.

Having said that there are a couple of roofs that come off and I have added a little detail inside by way of shelves and trinkets.

I also added wooden balconies with sun shades to protect people from the harsh Mars sun.

I also took the opportunity to add market stalls.  I imagine the Drunes would use the place as a trading outpost.

I made the main gates lockable and of course fully functional.  The entrance to the gate will have two options.   An earth and rock bank and an alternative wooden scaffolding structure.  These would be interchangeable to allow a slight variation to the building.

I also dirtied the building up a little as I image the strong Mars sandstorms would make it hard to keep the place clean.

The whole model was then painted up in a very light sandstone colour.