Display and Demo Boards

sample-board

Whether you are a tournament player looking to get that added edge at the judge’s table, a proud general wishing to display his army in all its glory, or a game store owner that wants to hype a new product; display and demo boards will help showcase your models the way they were meant to be seen.

Display Boards

Models are meant to be displayed, not locked away in a foam filled case. Display boards complement your army and forge a narrative environment around them.

Whether your warband consists of soldiers on patrol in a dense jungle, aliens stalking the halls of a derelict space craft, or anything else your imagination can conjure, the process begins with a concept.

Steps to Create

Step One: Conceptualization

krieg-board-concept

In as many words as necessary, describe your concept for a display board to us. We will need to know the exact models in your army’s roster. Our artists will sketch out an initial concept for the board and include a few notes. We may provide you a few different concepts to consider, and then either refine or combine the concepts as best fits the project.

As necessary, clients may suggest up to two major revisions to the concept at this stage. For example, swapping a ruins board for a city in its prime, or swapping a jungle for a swamp, etc.

Here are a few evocative concepts to get your creative juices flowing. By no means is this a comprehensive list. We fully expect requests for display boards with pyramids and temples, castles, mine shafts, graveyards, and the like, but this gives our clients a good place to start.

  • A hallowed Cathedral, dedicated to the Gods of old.
  • An ancient Jungle Temple, lost to the ravages of time.
  • A volcanic wasteland, full of lava flows and rocky black outcroppings.
  • A swamp of rancid pools and decomposing flora.
  • An Imperial City, grandiose, majestic, and full of iconic landmarks.
  • Slums of a Barren City (think Blade Runner), with lots of dark alleys for dark deeds.

Step Two: Scale Layout and Graphic Rendering

Once the initial concept is approved, our graphic artists will render a scale layout (top down) view of the board, and some concept art for you to consider.

These initial images establish elements like theme, scope, and color palette. There is a flat rate of $150 for these renders.

Clients are allowed up to two minor revisions at this stage; for example, modifying the board layout, or revisiting the color palette. Major alterations at this stage require we revert to Step One and start from scratch with new sketches and a new concept art fee.

Step Three: Deposit and Materials Ordering

After the initial 25% deposit (plus the $150 Graphic Rendering Fee) is paid and the project is scheduled, materials for your project will be ordered. This may include scenery kits, basing materials, and more. By booking projects in advance, materials have a longer lead time to reach us and thus the project can begin on schedule.

Step Four: Army Acquired

If the display board is intended for an in-house army (i.e., an army we are also assembling and painting) then the board construction will mostly likely happen in tandem with the army’s construction. This is an ideal scenario as the models are already at the studio and unbased. In this way, the army is based to match the board. Basing (beyond Standard Basing) is considered separate from display board fees.

If the display board is intended for an existing army, we advise the client to send us their army to ensure that the board perfectly matches the army composition. The models will possibly be rebased as part of the project which may incur additional fees such as replacing bases, rebasing, or other associated fees.

Step Five: Board Construction

Once your models are assembled or received, board construction will begin shortly thereafter.

Display boards are a major endeavor, and require no less than a month to complete in their entirety. That is why, with the exception of squad based boards, we rarely schedule more than one display board a month. This allows us to devote the proper manpower and resources to your project.

Premium Features

Your display board will include the following premium features:

Plasti-Card Paneling

To protect your display board, and to give the board an overall professional aesthetic, all exposed elements are encased by Plasti-card panels to ensure they are protected from damage. This will ensure your display board will last for decades if stored properly.

High Density Foam Construction on an Mdf Base

Unlike wood, which can warp over time, we use medium density fiberboard to base your display board. This material is lightweight for portability, but quite durable. The core of your board will be comprised of high density foam. This materials forms a solid foundation for terrain elements.

Modular Terrain Elements for Easy Storage

Each display board comes with a certain number of terrain elements. These are generally modular and magnetized to the board for easy transportation between events. Likewise they can often be used as modular terrain in regular gaming, thus adding to the inherent value of the display board.

These elements are designed to complement an army and as such their design will be determined by the nature of the board itself (bombed out city, jungle temples, etc.) For example, armies that require more space may have terrain elements with more narrow footprints. Likewise armies with specialty units, such as commanders, will be rightly displayed in a place of prominence on the board.

On our terrain page you will find a terrain bank to give you some ideas of the types of terrain elements you may see featured in your board.

Figures ‘Slotted’ Into the Board for Immersive Display

To properly slot your models into the board, we will need your army in its entirety. While many bases are uniformly sized, the marketplace supports a variety third party vendors, resin or vacuformed bases, and 3D printed bases. Each of these bases are slightly different and the only way to guarantee 100% immersion is that we have the models in-house at the time the board is built.

Modular Sections for Easy Storage and Transportation Between Events

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For clients that travel extensively, the board can be designed as modular sections for more economic transportation. Depending on the design of the board, this may not be an option, so its best to tell us about your travel plans early in the design process to ensure all aspects of the project are fully understood from the beginning.

There may in some cases be additional fees associated with this sort of more complex design and construction.

Final Presentation

sample-board-4

When the board is finished, we will photograph the board and provide a video presenting the board to the client. This will allow us to elaborate on aspects of the board that might not be able to be conveyed through photographs alone.

Through our partnership with Spikey Bits and their premium content service The Long War, your army and board can be featured in various Narrative Battle Reports, vlogging, and more.

This allows us to share all the hard work that went into your project with the largest wargaming audience in the world!

Pricing

Display boards are a premium product. Most boards will take 100+ hours of labor, as well as quality materials that go into making them.

The below table summarizes our pricing for display boards. Pricing is based on sized of the board and the level of detail to be achieved. Labor and materials are separated for the purpose for the purpose of applying credits, discounts, etc.

Board Size Tabletop Plus Level High Level Display Level Materials Allowance**
(@10%)
1′ x 2′ $1,000 $1,500 $2,000 $50-$200
1.5′ x 2′ $1,500 $2,000 $2,500 $100-$250
2′ x 2’* $2,000 $2,500 $3,000 $150-$300
2′ x 3′ $2,500 $3,000 $3,500 $200-$350

*2′ x 2′ boards are considered ‘standard size’ for most GT and Display Competitions.

**The materials allowance for the Display board pertains to raw materials, scenery and modeling kits, etc. This generally refers to the overall cost of materials we will purchase to create your board (including foam, MDF, sand, etc). These are loose estimates, as we often kit-bash scenery from a variety of kits, and any materials not used are retained in house for future projects. Not more than half of this fee will be spent on new kits. For example, if a client wished to create a 2′ x 2′ High Level ‘Chaos Fort Dreadhold’ board then the materials allotment would be $250, and up to $125 of that could be allotted to scenery kits. Excess materials will not be returned to the client but rather retained in studio for future scenery projects.

Get 25% off display board labor with the purchase of a matched army valued at $3,000 or higher. No other percentage discounts or credits will be applied to your board, however.

Shipping is NOT included in base price and these boards are shipped in the same way as other terrain; in boxes scaled exactly to their size, with terrain elements shipped separately to best protect your investment

Level Descriptions

Unlike modular scenery kits, which are both consistent and easy to assemble, each display board is a unique creation. The more time we can invest in a board, the more attention to detail we can lavish upon the project.

temple-board-1

These are guidelines to help you appreciate the amount of time that goes into each board:

  • A 2′ x 2′ display board at Tabletop Plus level will take approximately 80 hours to complete.
  • A 2′ x 2′ display board at High level will take approximately 100 hours to complete.
  • A 2′ x 2′ display board at Display level will take approximately 120 hours to complete.

At the concept stage, we will make decisions regarding the details of the board, so as to finish the board within the time frame allotted. For example, using modular scenery kits in place of hand-built terrain to save time on lower level boards, or eschewing minor details in exchange for big picture items.

temple-board-4

Display boards are painted in the same standard as terrain pieces of comparable detail level (Tabletop Plus, High, etc) Detail is a combination of the volume and the fineness of the detail.

  • Tabletop Plus Level includes all major details and some minor details.
  • High Level pertains to all details, although major detail will receive more attention.
  • Display Level means that all details, major and minor, will receive an equal amount of attention.

Stated simply, the higher the level of the, the more rich and full of detail the board will be.

Let’s consider a practical example: A custom made Shield Generator for a Rebel Base.

At Tabletop Plus level we may apply some paint to the generator to show that it was painted to disguise it in the snow. At High level we may begin to add details such as scorch marks or energy effect, and at Display level we will add some frost or water stains, icicles hanging off of it.

temple-board-6 temple-board-23

Squad Displays and Dioramas

Just because you don’t have a big collection, doesn’t mean you can’t display them proudly. These ‘mini-boards’ are perfect for Kill Teams, Blood Bowl teams, and elite Squads. And with smaller boards, more attention is generally applied to detail at all levels.

These boards mirror the larger boards in most ways, other than price and scale. Graphic renderings are still done for squad displays and run a standard $150

Terrain is NOT modular for display boards of this size and instead the board is one solid piece.

Board Size Tabletop Plus Level High Level Display Level Materials Allowance*
6″ x 8″ $225 $300 $450 $50
8″ x 10″ $300 $450 $600 $75
1′ square $450 $600 $900 $100

*Materials are a flat fee for boards of this size, regardless of painting level.

Demo Boards

Unlike display boards, demo boards are built with a more practical purpose in mind. They are meant to encourage play and as such will often be less featured that a display board. In addition, miniatures are meant to move around on a demo board, so figures will not be slotted into the board.

demo-board-001 demo-board-001

Boards may be framed, or PVC plated at the preference of the client. A Flat Materials Fee will be assessed and will vary based on selection (see below).

Pricing

Board Size Tabletop Plus Level High Level Display Level Materials Allowance
(Flat Fee):
Framed / PVC
1.5′ x 2′ $375 $500 $750 $75 / $100
2′ x 2′ $500 $750 $1,000 $125 / $150
2′ x 3′ $750 $1,000 $1,500 $150 / $200

Additional Terms and Conditions

Display and Demo Boards are not subject to the ‘Battle Brothers’ volume discount. They are subject to other forms of discounts and promotions, such as Returning Client (5%), Keep it Coming (8%), credits, and the like.

So, for example, if you book a $3,000 army with WMG, you can save 10% on the army through the Battle Brothers discount, then apply the $150 credit you earned towards a new display or demo board!