10 DAYS...
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I had originally planned on using a long piece of salvaged mast to create a ladder leading from the shelf of rock at the base of the lone spire around the cove up to the bridge at the top. I also thought of keeping the crow's nest on the mast as a sort of lookout tower.
I tried several different designs, but they all started to dominate the map, taking away attention from the shipwreck and getting in the way of play. In the end I decided to scrap the mast and watchtower design and go for something else.
In its place I created a rope ladder. I tried several experiments to create some stakes that looked like they were hammered into the spire top and were yet not permanently affixed to the map, but none of them were successful. (Interesting discovery: Hot glue does not stick well to smooth dusty rocks.)
To give the ladder something to anchor to, I created a rough boardwalk. By crushing some of the lead airgun pellets with pliers, I was able to add a fair amount of mass to the underside of the boards so that things would stay put. To provide better traction against jostling during play, I ran a thin invisible stripe of hot glue down the bottom of each runner. Between the lead and the friction from the rubbery hot glue, things stay in position quite well.
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After painting the lead pellets to hide them and seal them from human contact, I added my rope bridge and a hangman's noose. The ropes for both were made from cloth-wrapped floral wire died with brown ink.
The noose provided a bit of visual interest and balance, as well as an explanation for why the boardwalk extended slightly over the edge. I thought of making a plank for walking-the-plank, but it did not look as good. (Having a board sticking out of some other boards just does not have the visual impact I was going for. It just looked like the engineers got carried away when they were building.)
You can see how stiff the wires are in this pic of the assembly upside down while the paint dries.
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Here is a pic of the assembly in place. I feel it blends rather in well with the rest of the area. It compliments, but does not dominate, the rest of the elements.
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Our scout trooper decided to investigate. After crossing the shipwreck, being careful not to disturb the octopus, he stepped over to the lone spire.
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He climbed the rope ladder, being careful to avoid the broken rung.
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The view from the top of the spire was quite impressive.
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The noose swinging silently in the sea breeze made our trooper ponder his mortality, and rethink the wisdom of of keeping the booty from the smuggler's rowboat for himself.
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With the shipwreck and the access to the top of the spire complete, I am done with all the necessary elements of my maps. After this I have adding greenery, glossing the water with caulk, and squeezing in as many loose pirate elements as I can in the time remaining.
This project is really growing on me. I am tempted to hold on to it, even though I do not play any games that can use it. Smile
Back to work.