Scatter Terrain – African Totems

This week I completed a piece of terrain for the tabletop. I tend to use three sizes of terrain pieces to add character and visual appeal to my games – pieces that are 2-3 inches in width or length, 4-6 inches, and 8-12 inches. I don’t spend much on commercial terrain, usually making a large part of it myself. A few years ago when Acheson Creations had a huge retirement sale, I purchased several African animal miniatures and terrain pieces. One small piece was labeled African Totems.

Totems and spirit poles vary a great deal in meaning across Africa from tribe to tribe. Some mark sacred spaces, burial grounds, while others may simply be boundary markers. Some of these are very elaborate, while others offer a primitive simplicity. On the game table they could represent just a piece of terrain blocking line of site or could be an objective marker for a scenario.

Here’s a small gallery of the process building this terrain piece.

Colonial Era in Cinema

There have been a lot of movies made about the colonial period from critically acclaimed blockbusters to little known films. I’ve found a few on YouTube that are free to watch with little commercial interruption. Here’s a couple I watched this week.

The North West Frontier (1959). Starring Kenneth More, Lauren Bacall & Herbert Lom.

The King of the Khyber Rifles (1953). Starring Tyrone Power, Terry Moore & Michael Rennie.

Well that does it for this week. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.