Port Rufus (craft project)

Rufus is the name which came with the jackapoo (Jack-Russell cross Poodle) little fluffy Anubis rescue dog who only obeys Charley, almost telepathically. He is well loved and quite a character to the extent we named a recurring coastal village after him in our fantasy games which has gradually and in stages developed into Port Rufus. 

Then came the cardboard model of a ship at 28mm/32mm scale for ocean adventure. It was only a matter of time before I got around to building a wharf and surrounding area. 

Basic structure prior to “planking”

Hot glue and corrugated cardboard maquette to develop into a more realistic yet practical gaming table. 

The area is 12” x 24” featuring;

wooden dock, four warehouses, a pirate-sailor inn (the Drowned Rat Inn), the harbour-masters office where confiscated goods are stored, a basement level entrance (tunnel leads to a hatch located somewhere in the area), two alleys connecting the board other areas of the town, a road and some space for storing coils of rope, chests, fish racks and the like. 

Tapping into Creative Energy... 

Today I discovered a sufficiently sized pile of 2mm x 15mm wood strips someone had dumped into a hedge while walking the dog. These will be wooden beams and planks for the surface facade glued with PVA onto the cardboard. 

Returning home with my gift from the gods I discovered a broken sheet of 2mm insulation foam, not sure if it’s XPS carpet insulation or the polystyrene used for chip cartons in some greasy fish shops, it’s green. There was loads more in the park next to the house, the wind has blown it my way. The stuff is perfect for etching cobblestones onto with a biro. 

Enshallah. Evidently I am supported by the Gods for building Port Rufus as a gaming table. I am grateful. 

 

Every level is 2” tall and every level is modular, detachable. The rooftops lift off, the first floor of each building lifts off. This is so gameplay can continue inside of the buildings, which are all specific locations. 

Four warehouses are necessary for one being empty, one a totally legit nautical trading operation, one rentable by the player-character crew, one is mafia-gangster-smuggler outfit. Searching these at night will obviously be a plot necessity at some point. 

Next up: shops & market area.