The Build
Here it is the painstaking and sometimes nerve racking build of Ascension. This game was originally to be built as 1 large ring with 2 inner smaller rings as you get to the center island. Rotating bridges to access each inner ring was to be something like the stair cases at Hogwarts. One day, Husband said it needed to be much grander. So he went upwards. I told him he was crazy but as Husband always does, he sold me on the idea... and we went upwards.
I tried really hard to make a lava cave and found this terrible Styrofoam stuff. Work with it is a mess! It worked out really well though.
This was to show lava flow from out of the dragon's lair.
Husband wanted runes and symbols embedded in the cave walls.
Here are some symbols for game play quests.
Now that I have this painted and fitting properly between the three dowels, I feel so much better.
Husband wanted large columns holding up the next level. So, I had to figure out how to make large columns.
Heres the prototype of sleeving the dowel.
Some watered down PVA glue and construction sand work great for texture.
Cut these from XPS Foam board and scrapped them up for a lave rock texture.
Husband wanted the upper level to have a different shape and feel. He wanted to see through the game board.
Not wanting this level to look like the others, I had to make the spaces look like water had worn the rocks round and smooth.
Foam board to the rescue. This thin stuff from hobby stores and my favorite, the dollar king, is great!
Again as done with the lava level, had to get a good layout with the stones.
Water level needed an island for a dragon to rest on. Now I have to disguise the dowels a different way. Oh and make this look like water.
Having the minis to reference sure helps. Not to mention the director (The Husband) navigating these waters for me.
I spent so much time cutting and distressing foam board to make these cavernous columns.
The painting process really is my favorite part of this.
Lots of toilet paper and watered down glue to make this level look like water.
Husband came up with the idea that the top level should be a dead forest. That the ground split into sections due to the immense power of the Portal to leave the underworld.
Since the bottom level had a thickness to it, two boards of XPS foam. The middle level was a single foam board. I wanted the top level to be really thick, so 3 boards it was.
Well this was fun.
By this time in my build, Husband had bought me a hot-wire foam cutter. GAME CHANGER!
After the first coat of paint, it wasn't looking very underworldish. So I took to it with pliers and started taking chunks out of it.
The first iteration had a cavish portal and rune columns surrounding it.
Husband changes his mind often and sometimes its for the best. I was having a hard time figuring out the lighting to the Portal.
Out of the cave and into the Temple. This proved to be easier to light.... well al little easier.
The Temple has these Symbols that mean something. I don't want to give away any spoilers.
No too much to it, some hot glue and done.
You can't really finish a level below if you don't have the level above. You can see the how I took out chucks to give the top level a more earthly feel rather than a smooth finish.
This level was the hardest and most enjoyable to place everything on. Less surface area but cooler items.
Husband really wanted scary rickety old bridges connecting the levels of broken earth together. The bridges also worked as a way to support the three floating islands together.
As you can see, I added some greenery to the level. The Portal island is the greenest and the others get more dead trees and dirt.
It was almost a thing. We were trying to figure out how to hide one of the dowels inside a waterfall. This was a really hard decision to not go with a waterfall from the top level to the middle level but it worked out fine without.
Once I had the trail around the top level figured out, I could begin spacing out the rock spaces that the minis would move along on.
The bridges were made from wire hangers, twisted together then hot glued to give it a rope like texture. I cut pieces of popsicle sticks to size for wooden planks. Paint and glued together.
taking some plastic plants from the dollar king and painting them to make them look better was a lot of fun. I LOVE DOLLAR KING!
