Talk Fantasy Football

Hi all ... I am currently in the throes of making my own blood bowl pitch, and since you guys love the hobby so much I thought I'd share my progress with you all (pics included!). This is a long post as its just descriptions of my thought process etc. Skip to pics if you're thinking "tl;dr".

I've wanted to make one for a few years now and while I've had the drive to do it, I didn't really know where to begin or how best to approach it. So about a fornight ago I sat down and made a list of the things I did and didn't want to achieve from it, with some basic specs:

• I want it to be made with 30mm squares.
• I want it to be portable.
• I don't want to have to mess about with any carpentry - simple or otherwise.
• I want to use static grass/flock for the tiles.
• I don't want to have to make separate dugouts, turn tracks, etc.
• I don't want to have to take pieces down/have collapsible elements for transporting.

With this list complete I worked out the minimum measurements for the pitch, with some extra space for dugouts etc. At 30mm per square the length would need to be 78cm at least, and width of 45cm. With a little bit of research I came up with the idea that this is around the size of an A1 piece of paper (59.4 x 84.1cm) and that if I got a board (MDF or the like) of this size I could potentially transport it in an artists wallet! This would be perfect as it could be stored with ease under a bed, in a wardrobe, behind a sofa, whatever!

After more research into the wood cutting, it turns out that B&Q do a free wood cutting service, and for a mere £11 you can get a 60 x 122cm sheet of MDF at 12mm thick. PERFECT! So I went out and bought the wood and had it cut down to 60 x 90cm - this is slightly larger than A1 size, but I'd already seen the carry bag I wanted (pics when it arrives), so this size was great as it gave more space too.

Before beginning the markup process of the board I decided the way I wanted to create the pitch was with 30mm MDF square bases, which I would finish with paint and grass etc and then glue to the board, thus giving the pitch a slightly raised look and making it more promenant. I didn't quite realise just HOW MANY tiles I'd need ... 390 to be exact (15x26) ... its a lot. Fortunately I'd bought a LOT for making some dungeonbowl tiles (a project now on hiatus for this...).

So I set about making the first two rows from which I could measure the rest out. Next came the inevitable "all one colour grass, or two colours? what pattern? ...". I went with two colours:


And I also decided on a chequerboard pattern:

The light quality isn't great, but the effect is pretty good on the actual board. Its a VERY Slow process, since I am gluing sand to the base, then leaving it overnight to dry. Then painting brown and leaving to dry. Then adding the flock and leaving to dry. Can get a production line running, but its slow work.

Anyway, I then moved on to the marking up of the MDF!


And a trial run of those first two rows:


Next I drew on the rough idea for the dugouts position as well as laying down the squares I'll use for turn and reroll tracks:


I actually had some plaster bricks which I wanted to use as the walls of the two main dugout areas (reserve and KO), so added them here for effect - nothing is glued down at this point. The Dead/Injured box will be a muddy 'graveyard' of sorts with plenty blood splatter etc all along the back of the turn tracks.


On the previous pics you can see a place for a score board - I want it to be removable since I don't have space for score tracks. I cobbled this together pretty quickly as a potential solution, where I can hang hand-painted score number cards.

Not 100% sure I'll keep it, but we'll see.

So that was the first few days of the project - over the course of the next fortnight I worked on-and-off on it (whilst painting up some Skaven - who you can see some of in a later pic). I managed to get 6 rows done and decided it was time to glue them down:




As you can see the chequerboard effect is pretty good, meaning I don't think I'll need to put dots in each squares corner.

Next steps are:

• Finish the tiles (about 40% are done at the moment) and glue them down.
• Paint the lines on the pitch.
• Make floorboards for the dugouts.
• Glue the turn and reroll tracks down (the numbers have been applied - pics to come).
• Add sand to the board and paint it brown (plus drybrush).
• Add flock to places around the pitch.
• Finish score board.

I'll keep this thread up to date as I do more!

Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave comments or suggestions.

Looking great so far. Every time I see someone making their own pitch I'm tempted to start my own so I will be watching your progress with interest!

I especially like the chequerboard pattern - that'll look great when it's across the whole pitch. Will the end zones be a continuation of the pattern or something different?

Keep up the good work.

dfunkateer wrote:Looking great so far. Every time I see someone making their own pitch I'm tempted to start my own so I will be watching your progress with interest!

I especially like the chequerboard pattern - that'll look great when it's across the whole pitch. Will the end zones be a continuation of the pattern or something different?

Keep up the good work.

exactly, i feel like i need to make my own!

big question, and im probably daft here but what size are the GW pitch grid sizes? have you considered range rulers for passing (I know some just use a chart now but just in case)

That is going to look great once completed. The chequered pattern is clearly time consuming but the effect it gives is going to be worth it. I'm eager to make my own pitch but I think I need a fully painted team first!!

That's a very promising start. I should try a tiled pitch as well some day. So far I always, lazily, went with the tried and proven "carve out of styrofoam" style pitches

Kaiowas wrote:big question, and im probably daft here but what size are the GW pitch grid sizes?

~29mm, it varies in some places, the print is not perfect.

Thanks for the support guys.

As Steam Ball says there is very little difference - I've had my range ruler on the tiles that are currently there and it works just fine.

Got a very busy weekend ahead of me, so I won't be able to do any more work on it until at least Monday

On a positive note, though; I have managed to find a company to supply me with some protective foam for the top of the board while its in the carry case (which is here, I'll take some pics when I'm free this weekend).

what was the cost of the 390 squares?
Many years ago, in the late, great Citadel Journal, someone made a pitch like yours using 40mm square BASES.that also looked good, but even back then(i'm thinking it was about 1995)it was an expensive outlay for the bases.

I use a company called Hurlbat on eBay for MDF laser cut bases. I'd say that you get about 99% quality MDF bases - that 1% will require a little sanding on the odd edge that's got an extra little piece of wood on, as if it were from where it attached to a sprue.

In total for 400 bases it was £27.92 with free delivery and turnaround in less than a week (5 working days).

Hopefully this link works....


In terms of paint and other supplies I already had/have a lot of it, so its not really cost much above the bases and board itself.

Rather than spend a lot on miniature paints for the amount of brown required to simulate the mud I bought three tester pots of B&Q Dark Chocolat Matte emulsion - this has proven to do the job excellently, and wil more than cover the tiles and board; and at £1.50 per pot you can't really go wrong.

Also, all the wood bits used for the score board (and the floor of the dugouts) are simply wood stirrers I swiped from Costa/Starbucks ... just took a handful of 20 or 30 when the baristas weren't looking.

Thank you. My wife and i may make this a "winter" project.
You work looks great!

An Update!

Granted, its not an amazingly meaty update, but some progress nonetheless - had a busy week with work. I've got a tub with around 70 of the bases sanded, ready to be painted and flock added - it is time consuming though and what with my band, work, and our perpetual league games time is limited.

I have spent some time today making a bit progress though. Which you can see as follows:


Added a two new rows of pitch tiles - doesn't seem a lot, but its all i've been able to complete this week. Also added a scatter template, the bases for the score board, and started to add sand to the rest of the area which I'll paint up as mud as I progress. Looks a little rough at the moment, but it'll improve


Started cutting the wood for the flooring of the dugouts - it's going to be very simplistic overall, but should look good once painted.


Made a couple of simple advertisements, which will sit against the front walls of the dugouts.


And as promised earlier, here is a picture of the bag. It is pretty sizeable, but isn't very heavy at all. It holds the board perfectly.
There are a LOT of big pockets on the front too, as well as a one large on the back. Perfect for holding team sheets, minis, pass rulers, whatever.


Hopefully have more to update with next week as I plan to power through with the tiles. Might even get some paint on the board and the dugout walls.

Thanks again for looking!

Thanks for the update. I hope there will be lots more.

Anyone, is there any use of doing the grass with a static grass applicator on a pitch? How will it hold?

This is really awesome. Have you made any progress?