I have decided what my Christmas project is for this year - a set of geomorphic builds that can be assembled, with the theme of a college of magics.

I have planned out the first few builds, with notes as to what sets are likely to be used:

Theater Magicka - an auditorium or theater in which the art of conjuration is taught. The pieces include the stands from Arena works, and one of the magic circles. Behind this is a lectern, from which a teacher will drone on from his notes.

Chapel - dedicated to the Generic God of Magic and Scholarship, this is the room in which faculty and students gather together in prayer. The school itself is church owned and operated, think along the lines of old Cambridge. Many of the teachers might be multiclassed Wizard/Cleric. (This scene is intended for D&D.)

Thermae - the bathhouse. A heated shallow pool of water with waterfall, used for cleansing the body, and the ritual cleansing of the mind before important rites and ceremonies. The bulk of this room is from the water 'sewers' in Gothic Realms, the expansion in Missing Persons, and the aqueduct kitbash. Open to the public for a small fee at scheduled hours.

Classroom - room with rows of chairs, several long tables and a desk. Students are expected to bring their own slates, chalk, and other writing impedimentia. One wall is almost entirely covered by a single large sheet of slate, and a lectern stands in the middle of the room.

Any other ideas? Ideally I want to have between eight and ten rooms, not including corridors.

The Auld Grump

Are you going to create any new textures or only use availible stuff?

If you create anything:

Strange creature parts, like dragon skeletons and things in jars.

Shelves with scrolls in the library.



Perhaps a bell tower.

The new statues from hellworks would probably be right at home with a little modifing.

As would the dragon from dungeonlinx and the golem missing persons.

Some good stuff so far.

The outhouse is actually planned as a garderobe, most likely along one of the corridors. I think that I will skip having clothing hanging in there though.

Golem lab, hmmm... I have not used the Missing Persons golem, but using pieces from it as parts during assembly might be just the ticket. Arm bits and leg bits on the tables, head on a stand....

The bell tower reminded me that I also want an observatory - a flat topped tower with a telescope, possibly made from a small cannon from Seaworks.

As this is a church sanctioned school I think that I will avoid anything pertaining to the dark arts, such as Goetry or necromancy. Besides, we all know what happens to Defense Against the Dark Arts professors, don't we?

A magical biology/zoology lab might be good, a tattered dragon's wing stretched across one wall. Some of the tables from Shellendrak Manor might fill in for lab tables. I may need to find one of the less gory tables for this.

I may need to take another look at , and see what I can crib from it. (Redhurst is a very cool gaming supplement, and can be easily modified for most fantasy RPGs.)

Library is a given, I wonder how I can make one of those wheeled ladders that you find in very old libraries... bookshelves running up the walls, and high Shellendrak Manor windows on one or two of the walls to let in daylight.

I have a figure that I can use as the librarian - one time Grenadier, now from Copplestone Castings. (Copplestone photo follows.)


The dashing young fellow in purple is my librarian. (Though a small orangutan would not be entirely out of place either.) The young apprentice might work well for the school as well.

One of the conceits I am holding to in this construction is that while many of the rooms are double height, but all windows are on the second floor - the first floor is really a basement - the place built down rather than up, with the exception of a few towers. This double height is largely to allow me to create half rooms, where a loft or balcony overlooks the larger room.

The Auld Grump

The wheeled ladder should be very simple to make. Assuming you're not trying to use paper wheels that actually spin.

Simply take any ladder and bend over the top so that the bent top portion is flat against the self top and the rest of the ladder is tilted against the shelf at your prefered angle. If the ladder is long enough you could bend it all the way over the top of the book case and have a tab stick down between the bookcase and the wall. That would keep the ladder parrallel to the shelves when its slidding. The wheels could just be photoshoped in at the ladder bottom.

I know it's a vain hope.... But I would really love to see what you built.
Any chance your friend would come over with her camera to practice picture taking with your build

I just got home about a half hour ago from running the Collegium Magicka game, I did indeed use part of Redhurst Academy. Shipping the stuff out on Monday.

The bad news is that I got home to find a message on my answering machine - they need me into work tomorrow morning at 8 AM. ....

BLAARGH!

The Auld Grump

Ye Cods! Postage has gone insane!

I had planned on mailing them out to folks, but it was going to be over fifty dollars all told! Fifty! To send out six very light boxes! Last year when I did this the postage came to less than twenty dollars. (I want to say less than fifteen.)

So, I am going to wait till I see these folks again before giving them the packages, at least most of them - I doubt that I will be seeing Chris before Christmas, given that he lives all the way across the country now. His, I mailed.

The others will be given at the table, or at other appropriate times, some I will give at the Lovecraft party tomorrow. (A get together for Cthulhu movies, mostly with folks from my games, an ersatz Christmas party.)

I don't know if there will be a camera there or not. Molly was invited, I don't know if she'll come. (She is a non-gamer, but we share a taste in movies and dubious music. )

The Auld Grump

Four years later, I gave Chris another bit of the Collegium - a dueling arena. Two floors high, with arches supporting an unseen ceiling.

Two mystic circles, ten stands from Arena works, walls, floor, and stairs from Interior Works. I glued the walls and the stands to sheet cardstock, rather than trying to piece it together.

There is something satisfying about finishing a dedicated build.

I gave it to Chris yesterday - he was down from The Other Portland visiting his daughter, who has started taking classes at USM. Chris is actually better at cardstock modeling than I am - he built a model of Gormenghast using CWU. He moved across country after his divorce.

The Auld Grump

As I began reading your saga I didn't realize it had started four whole years ago. Nice that you were able to continue the 'tradition' with additional builds.
Was curious how you finished off the rolling ladders for the library. Was going to suggest using some sewing or hat pins that have the small round metal ball at the end. Cut-down and pushed into the bottom would make a nice detail of round casters. IMO.

geta Grump, do you have pictures of this?