Just checking if anyone has any experience with building modular arena's.

The basic idea is the following, using isolation foam, and ground tiles cast from hirst art molds, is to create blocks of 5x5 tiles, this comes down to 5 by 5 inch each time;

This will allow for features to be placed in the isolation foam such as real pits, ponds etc.
The thing i am not sure about now on how to handle is, entrance, and walls;

Let me try to explain with a graphic, i am at work for now so cant post pictures i fear;

O - tiles
X - Wall section

should i make the borders like this
XOOOO
XOOOO
XOOOO
XOOOO
XOOOO

And for the corners like this

XXXXX
XOOOO
XOOOO
XOOOO
XOOOO

Or should i just forgo attaching the walls to the outside floortiles and butting them up against the arena floor once it has been deployed

Not much reply guys? Guess i have to post some WIP pictures, i'll take some tonight to give an idea of what i am trying to accomplish.

For now i have a "pressing" matter that i would like some input on.

The texture of the floors, while i know that often arena's are nothing but sand covered pits of death and doom, i was aiming to look for something else.
As the Deathmatches have become a common event in the world of AoW, i assume it is only normal that a more theatrical/permanent location is made for the avatars to fight in.

For this, i am going to make a stone based floor, and in this one i have 2 different styles i could use, and not sure which one is going to make the final cut.

Version one is a Cobblestone pattern, that means plenty of small stones put together to make a flat surface.
While this does look kinda nice, personally i feel it doesnt display the flat and slippery/treacherious surface of an arena floor very well...





This is the version that actually has my preference, due to it being
A. Faster to make
B. Easier to customize to add water features, pillars and other things
C. More fun to paint bloody streaks on it

Some of the things that are in the pipeline based on whatever comments come on this thread are.
Integrated Arena doors in floor and/or walls.
Walkways for supportergroups around the Arena
Pillars that can both stand and lie down (not fixed to the arena)
Actual 3d sculpted pits aproximatly 4 by 4 inch, around one inch deep, giving black underlining to give impression of depth
Circular waterfeatures of aprox 4inch diameter, to be placed anywhere in the arena (might even see to make a fountain of blood, as a feature for some scenario's)

Hey Empirius,
long time no see

Either way which pattern you choose, you still have a problem with the tile-size. Meaning that once you've played a few times in this arena it's easy to make guessing distances...
So if you would choose tiles instead of a sandbased floor, the tiles should be irratic, diff size

The same problem does exist with a sand based tile tho
Once you've played the second game on it and know the middle = x inch, its going to make powersoulsacking an issue

but; good point; there are 1/4th and 1/2nd square inch tiles available as well from the same casting mold; might be mixing them up then; unglueing the work i started =p

A modular arena is indeed a very interesting approach.

Not only it allows you to create several different layouts, but also to expand size with new modules, and it takes very few shelf space once gaming is over. Even better, if a gaming mate creates modules for his arena, that are compatible with yours, you can even mix them!
So I am all for it!

One problem is the walls though. I would not definitely permanently stick the walls to some of the modules, because you are loosing a lot of variety, making those modules only to be positioned on the outside part.

I think the best solution would be not doing the walls. Actually, many arenas can have the "fighting field", then a plain area of about 10 feet or more, then the walls separating the standings for the crowd (similar to a football stadium). So the walls don't have to be directly touching the borders of the fighting ground. That could be a good reason why walls aren't showing.

Will you share pics? I really look forward to see some pics of the modules created.

I will take pictures tonight with my cellphone 3megapixel, not much but the integrated battery of our actual camera died;
They still remain to be painted, went for some painting advice on colourshemes to the hermelijn where we had the first tourney in belgium for ADM;

The things currently done is a lava/Waterpit, its integrated in the foamcore with floor around it, and a circular stone to keep the liquid in check
the rest are for now plain tiles, but i do like what you suggested for the walls, this way what could be done is make dedicated stands that can go around the arena that can hold either dice, dead avatars, or, more important, ultra supporters;

This should allow to build the stand area only on the back and sides, leaving the front open for easy pictures and gameplay;
not sure how i will integrate the gates and the portculisi then for the arena entrance, unless i make them into a seperateble part that can slide up against the arena floors;

Update coming tonight!

beter pictures are incoming as soon as possible; and maybe i'll show some more details then =)
forgive, the bad quality of the pictures please!

Your work already looks nice so far. I am looking forward for some pics of a built up arena and painted tiles, though they are good for play as they are in my opinion, some bloodstains will just give it the right feeling.

Looks totally promising! Love the liquid pit, tiles and columns (well, everything ) really look forward to see the project progressing!

Wow, really impressive! Would love to see finished pix soon....looks likes is going to be an awesome arena when it's finished!

Thanks for the thumb up guys, work is progressing albeit slowly (work geting in the way of hobby again!! grr )

Short word of explination as to why its progressing slowly, each batch of plastercasting takes about half an hour and yields about 9 useable blocks straight out of my mold, at least for the floor. Seeing how each floor section (bare, without any added things) takes about 25 tiles,... you see where the time sink is

I DID finish yesterday tho something that i will try to get on picture, which would start making it semi useable already, the entrance stairs for the arena, but still thinking about which type of gate to implement.
Been thinking of hotsoldering 1mm copper rod to create a real portculis, but will see how far i get tonight

You could easily make different tiles with entrances.

For example you could make two gates in walls and a set of trapdoors like the one in the rulebook, so you can vary the entrances. And having only a gate with movement inches radius to move out your avatars of war in the beginning isn't really suited for more than a maximum of 6 characters imho.

Have you seen Maxpaint's gates (another thread in this forum)? They look great and can be opened/closed. Also I think they would fit very well with your arena.

Yes i have seen the gates mentioned, and the brass etching is very tempting to be honest

In the stuff im working with there is already the doors available but a re-enforced wooden door with metal seemed so.. Quant?

Hence im looking for some out of the ordinary things,

I do like the idea of having multiple versions of entrances avaiable tho, they can be swapped in/out at will anyways so this is something i will be trying to implement as well.

So many ideas, so little time!