Welcome, Dave!


I've buitl two Maidens, one a customized job with only 2 masts, and I gotta say, it ain't the easiest model in the world to build. I certainly wouldn't suggest it for a newbie builder - its challenging, and its generally a better idea to get some of the basic building concepts down first (and make the usual run of mistakes we all make) on lighter, easier projects first. In general.

But if that is the model that makes you go "WOW. I WANT THAT." - then build it. Know up front you'll probably make a few mistakes, and probably have to build a section or two again (just hope its not the hull), and that it won't be perfect. But you will have a serious sense of accomplishment when you're done.


You might also consider something like Skull Cove to go with your Maiden. That way, you could put together a few starter pieces first (docks, piers, cliffs) and get a feel for the cardstock medium and assembly techniques, then quickly go right to your Maiden - and you'd have some scenery to surround your beautiful ship with.


Just remember, if you have questions, this is a great place to come and ask them. You'll find the folks are very friendly and open with their advice and experiences.

I won't lie to you; the Maiden is a challenging build. I was here from the beginning so I've gone through the learning curve. A set like Villageworks is ideal for beginners, I think. It will get you used to cardstock modelling and the basic techniques involved. Plus you'll be able to churn out a nice village setting for your tabletop relatively quickly. You can also cut your teeth on using foamboard by making some ground tiles. Once you get comfortable with the basics of cardstock construction you can move onto a set that incorporates more foamboard into the builds (which the Maiden uses extensively).
If you like modern stuff then I can't recommend the Urban Mayhem line enough. Its just incredible and would also make a good starting point.
If you need a place for your ship to lay anchor then Skull Cove isn't a bad choice either.

Just take your time and expect to make a few mistakes along the way. Welcome!

Thanks guys.
I guess it was to much to hope for a... “No it's easy.” But I'm not real surprised either.
The ship does look awesome.
Thanks for the info. I'll follow the advice of starting easy first. I hadn't seen any references to foamboard till you mentioned it. I'm obviously just starting that learning curve.
Skull Cove it is.

And... Hey! This really is a friendly place to hang out.

I havn't even tried to build the "Maiden" yet, but I've kitbashed two ships out of the overall design and I have to say your better to start your learning curve on something easier. I had two years of cardstock/matboard experience under my belt before I even tried the simpler first kitbash, and three before I began working one the more complicated second kitbash which made building the actual "Maiden" look like it was easy.

As has been pointed out if you need help or ideas just ask around, if it isn't already posted we're all glad to help you as we can. If you need inspiration just check out the galleries, there are several "Maiden" builds listed and if your worried about ink costs and having to build a practice "Maiden" then I recommend printing it out in black ink first, that way you'll not regret it so much if you waste alot of color ink (brown really drains cartridges).

For the convenience of all I have created two comprehensive lists that will allow you to easier find pictures of builds of all kinds, both in progress and already finished for the sets your playing around with. The links in my signature will make finding "Maiden" builds easy eneogh (there are one or two I have to post links too). The user list is more up to date than the set list though.

Welcome to the forums, hope you enjoy your stay with us and your newest addiction .

The Maiden is my all time favorite World Works model. But it is the single most complex build that World Works makes. But have no doubt - when you are done you have a showpiece, something that dominates the table like no other set, except, perhaps, Castle Works Ultimate. And the Maiden is much prettier.

Skull Cove is also a very fun set, with a lot of diversity - boats, buildings, cliffs, and lots of props. It runs somewhere between second favorite and fourth, depending on when you ask me. (If I am using the Interior Works sets then they become my second and third favorites - simply because I have used those two sets so very much.)

As a starter set Skull Cove would be my first choice because it has so much variety. And if you are running pirate games, or running the Savage Tide adventure path from Dungeon magazines then you are golden.

The Auld Grump

My first purchase (back in November) was the Maiden, I also purchased it for the Savage Tide. I had no real experience doing cardstock before this, however I've done other crafty things before (including other 3-D scenic modeling that takes a lot more time & effort than cardstock).

It took me 3 weeks of working 2-4 hours a night to get the Maiden put together. There were some nights I didn't work on it (this was over Thanksgiving) but I was pretty consistently ALWAYS working on it.

I quickly purchased Skull Cove, but mainly to get access to the smaller boats and the pier.

The Maiden really is a set piece and really set the tone for the entire Savage Tide. Actually, if anything it has set the bar too high. Since then I have built some Minichunk Dungeon (for the Vanderboren Vault and beneath Parrot Isle), as well as Villageworks/Inns & Pubs for city scenes in Sasserine. My players now have adopted almost a ho-hum attitude about everything else since the Maiden. They were like:

`Ho hum...6 buildings complete with interiors, working doors and roofs
that you could climb up to and stand on...so what, we want MORE!'

Spoiled I tell you.

I'm currently finishing up tiles for the Lotus Dragon's hideout. I had to abandon doing the full 3-d walls from chunky dungeons as my players were having a tough time seeing with the walls up. I have kit-bashed my own 2-d door tiles by putting a white-rectangle door symbol on a 1x1 floor tile. I set the doors from mini-chunk on those tiles to show where closed doors are on the map.

I've also had to resort to blowing up the maps from the on-line Dungeon supplements for the very specific cave-like areas in Beneath Parrot Island and the Lotus Dragons hideout. I purchased Caveworks and looked at it, but wasn't able to work out a way to get what I needed out of the set. Instead I used Photoshop (you could use Windows Paint or the Gimp) to blow it up to 1" scale and printed and cut them out and glued them to foam board. After cutting them from the foam board, I attach magnets to the back and they then work perfectly with my mini-chunk tile pieces which I use for all the regular sized corridors/rooms.

My next project will be starting to build the cliffs from Skull Cove to serve as the set for the beginning of the Bullywug Gambit when the players get their first taste of the Savage Tide in Kracken's Cove. I'm hoping that Shellendrak Manor will be out in time for me to build it to be the Vanderboren Estate for the final scene of that chapter.

So, in summary, if you have a month lead time, you can still get your Maiden built. I have been pretty consistently ALWAYS building something with cardstock in my free-time, but you can build the Savage Tide in 3-d with World Works products and some ingenuity. Of course, my group only meets every other week, so having two weeks between sessions helps.

I look forward to the time when I have enough props built up that I can take a bit of a break between sessions

Check out my posts in User Pictures showing in-game pics of and . As the maps have gotten larger I haven't been taking as many pics. I've also diverged some from pure WWG products (incorporating the Dungeon maps into my builds) so I wasn't sure about posting pics of them here. I do have pics of my recreation of Dead Dog Alley that I'll post soon.

Welcome aboard Dave. This community and hobby are well worth it.

I haven't done the Maiden myself, but I can vouch for Villageworks. It's simple and fun to get some basic models made well and quickly, and offers some excellent chances to experiment before taking on a huge project.

Again, welcome and good luck.

Just post pics when you can.