Terraclips Terrain and Terrain LinX Terrain

[TheAuldGrump]

Wyrd Miniatures and World Works Games are coming out (again) with a collaborative effort for some modular terrain for the Malfaux game.

The initial release was supposed to be last year at GenCon, but the manufacturer took some, ummm, liberties with the specifications. (In other words the things got messed up by the company that was supposed to make the pieces.) So, a year later, they are finally coming out this August (in time for this year's GenCon) - Sewers, Streets, and Buildings are the initial releases, gods willing and the creek don't rise.

Made from fairly thick cardstock, the walls and floors are held together with translucent grey clips. (They learned the hard way that clear is actually more visible against the bits than a translucent grey - much like 'invisible' tape.)

Currently they have pictures of the Sewers set, in the newer edition:

List is $49, for a decent amount of terrain, but preorders at $40 are typical prices at online places like The War Store or FRP Games.

I use World Works Terrain LinX, which uses tabs and slots, but can be printed at home, and the floor tiles glued to foamcore board, a bit more work, but inexpensive, and it is just a bit of work to make more when you need it - this is my personal reference, but others in my game groups seem pretty enthused about preprinted and precut terrain.

By comparison, the TLX Sewers:

I prefer the flexibility of the TLX terrain, but the ease of just ordering the boxes, and the portability of the new sets, has a lot going for it.

Both are darned pretty. (I kind of wish that they were compatible - I would use both together, quite happily. )

The Auld Grump

 

[TheAuldGrump]

For the record - I don't yet play Malifaux, so I am mostly looking at these for RPGs and Mordheim. The sewers are the most interesting in that regard, but all would be handy. (It always seems that sooner or later, in any urban setting, regardless of system or era, the PCs will end up wandering around the sewers... even if the GM had no plans in that regard.)

A link to the Wyrd discussion boards about Terrain Clips Sewers of Malifaux.

The Auld Grump, don't forget the blind albino sewer 'gators....

 

[Kzach]

Oh, my FLGS just told me yesterday that they're ordering a huge amount of these in after I mentioned the Dungeon Stone stuff to them and I was like, "Ok... but I think I'd prefer the Dungeon Stone stuff." Now I'm not so sure...

 

[Mark CMG]

Nice looking terrain.

It always seems that sooner or later, in any urban setting, regardless of system or era, the PCs will end up wandering around the sewers...

They can crawl in or fall in, but they are definitely all in if I purchase that set.

 

[Kzach]

(It always seems that sooner or later, in any urban setting, regardless of system or era, the PCs will end up wandering around the sewers...

After watching the latest Game of Thrones episode, my friend and I were discussing how cool the Eyrie dungeons were and how they wouldn't work in a D&D game since everyone would just climb out. This then led to a discussion about the differences between reality and D&D. In reality, the Eyrie dungeons are bloody scary and no person in their right minds, even with pretty decent climbing skill, would try and climb out. The same goes for sewers. If you've ever been in a sewer that's large enough to accommodate a person, you know just how seriously terrifying they can be... at least, they are if you have half a brain and know about flash-flooding, carbon dioxide poisoning and just how long batteries actually last in a flashlight.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

After watching the latest Game of Thrones episode, my friend and I were discussing how cool the Eyrie dungeons were and how they wouldn't work in a D&D game since everyone would just climb out. This then led to a discussion about the differences between reality and D&D. In reality, the Eyrie dungeons are bloody scary and no person in their right minds, even with pretty decent climbing skill, would try and climb out. The same goes for sewers. If you've ever been in a sewer that's large enough to accommodate a person, you know just how seriously terrifying they can be... at least, they are if you have half a brain and know about flash-flooding, carbon dioxide poisoning and just how long batteries actually last in a flashlight.

You may want to look for a wonderful website titled Vanishing Point - dedicated to sewers, drains, and utility tunnels. I first found it through a link from BLDG|BLOG.

Two of the most intriguing sites that I have ever found. Have fun splish splashing around those sites.

The Auld Grump

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Preview of the Streets part are now up -

Nice looking.

Less nice - I just learned that the clips are not included with the terrain boxes, and you will need to purchase one box of clips for each box of terrain that you intend to use.

I suspect that the clips are manufactured and packaged by a different company than that which handles the cardstock, but I still find it annoying. A lot of e-tailers are still showing the boxes from back when they were planning to include the clips.

So, anybody who has pre-ordered the terrain - don't forget to get get clips in equal measure.

The Auld Grump

 

[Kzach]

Less nice - I just learned that the clips are not included with the terrain boxes, and you will need to purchase one box of clips for each box of terrain that you intend to use.

I really think that's a poopy move. The sets are useless without the clips and they don't even include clips in the packs? Come on. That should be an obvious given.

That really alters the value of these packs. My retailer will be selling these for $55 a set so I'm guessing the clips will be about $25. That means $80 a set. At $55 a set I was fully intending on buying two of each of the three sets. Now? I don't know if I even want to buy one

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I think US list for the clips is $18, but given that your retailer is charging $55 I am guessing that you aren't in the US?

I let folks on the World Works forum know that I was not best pleased by this change - though I should say that they didn't know about the change Wyrd made until not long before I did. Make your complaints to Wyrd, not World Works. I made my point loud and clear.

I think that this change may kill the product. I can understand the why of it, but it is not a smart move. I actually ordered my sets early in the fear that they might not be around all that long. Two sets of each terrain, four boxes of clips. The Warstore has them for $40 US, $15 for the clips, and reasonable postage world wide.

If you are handy with a hobby knife then I heartily recommend the TLX PDF terrain - I actually think that it looks better than the clips, and it is less expensive. More work, but less expensive and a lot more flexible. And there are a lot of TLX sets, ranging from sewers to dwarven vaults to modern city to the same city post Apocalypse to what I use for Vaults in a Fallout game. I may kvetch about Clips, but I love the TLX sets. (They remind me of Girder & Panel, a favorite construction toy when I was a Young Grump.)

The Auld Grump

 

[Kzach]

If you are handy with a hobby knife then I heartily recommend the TLX PDF terrain - I actually think that it looks better than the clips, and it is less expensive. More work, but less expensive and a lot more flexible. And there are a lot of TLX sets, ranging from sewers to dwarven vaults to modern city to the same city post Apocalypse to what I use for Vaults in a Fallout game. I may kvetch about Clips, but I love the TLX sets. (They remind me of Girder & Panel, a favorite construction toy when I was a Young Grump.)

I don't know anything about TLX. If they require printing out, though, then it's not for me. I've already bought a few World Works files and tried the whole building thing. I even bought a CIS for my inkjet. But the work is simply too much and without a massive amount of storage space (that I simply don't have), their fragility (the best cardstock I can get is 200 GSM), and the fact that they don't suit my preferred DM'ing style (no, or very little, preparation), just makes it beyond what I feel is reasonable.

The TerraClips are exactly what I want; something modular that I can build on the fly, readily portable and storable, durable, and don't require massive amounts of effort.

The lack of included clips is just a really big turn-off