Jarek Gnoll's Chainmail Pages - Terrain - Project 1

To begin this project, you will need to download the template from Wizards of the Coast for the Ruined and Intact Castle Walls. Feel free to use either the .pdf version or the .jpg version, either one should work. Don't worry about the instructions that are also indicated on that page. Just come back here to find out everything you could possibly need to know about assembling the wall.

Once you have downloaded the file(s), you will need to print these out on a color printer (preferably). I would also recommend that you print on some heavy photo stock paper if possible. If not, you will need to glue the printouts to some card stock after you get them printed for support. Once you have the templates printed, you are ready to begin cutting.

Note that all of the paper modeling templates can be assembled using the same guidelines as below.

Getting Started

The first things that you will need after printing out the templates for the walls, are a good pair of scissors, an exacto-type knife (with extra blades, just in case), a cutting surface (a piece of thick cardboard works well for this) to prevent the table you are working on from getting cut up, and some type of glue. For the glue, I prefer the stick type glue as it is easier to work with. Use whatever kind you are most comfortable with.
The necessary tools.

Cutting - Part 1
I have found that the easiest way to begin is to first cut the pieces out from the larger sheet. Go ahead and to any straight cuts that can be easily done with scissors, as this will make the rest of the cutting easier later on.
Note that when cutting out the normal (non-ruined) castle walls, you should be able to do most, if not all of the cutting with scissors. The ruined walls have a lot of rough edges which are very difficult to cut with scissors. However, if you prefer to do that sort of cutting with scissors, feel free to do so and skip the next step.
DO NOT cut on the dotted lines. This will be explained later on. Only cut around the outside of the piece.

Begining to cut out the pieces.

Cutting - Part 2
Here's where the exacto knife comes into play.
Carefully, cut the remaining areas of the pieces that you cut out with the scissors. Be sure to press hard enough to cut through the sheet you are cutting. If, for whatever reason, you are unable to cut through with the first cut, feel free to cut again. Just be careful to follow the exact same cut that you used the first time, using it as a guideline. Take your time at this point as this type of cutting can be rather tedious and slow. Also try to be as neat and as close to the lines as possible with your cuts. Many of the ruined wall pieces are two sided and will require that you glue them together later on.
DO NOT cut on the dotted lines. This will be explained later on. Only cut around the outside of the piece.
Of course, you could simply not use scissors if you wish and do all of the cutting with an exacto knife.

Cutting with the exacto knife.

Gluing the pieces together
Now, you will need to find the pieces that get glued together. If you are not sure, just place them back-to-back (i.e. with the printed side showing on both) until you find the pieces that match.
Once you have found the matching pieces, apply a light coating of glue to the back (unprinted) side of only one of the pieces. If you are using a liquid glue, be sure to spread it as thinly as possible. Should the glue be too heavy, the paper it is placed on can curl badly.
Once the glue is applied, place the two halves together and press firmly to ensure that they are bonded. I would recommend that you take the glued-together piece and leave it under some heavy books (or other heavy object) while the glue dries, especially if you are using a liquid type glue. This will help to ensure that the pieces are nice and flat once dry.
Needless to say, make sure all of the glue is dry before proceeding to the next step.

Gluing the pieces.

Scoring
By now, you will have no doubt noticed that many (not necessarily all though) pieces have some dotted lines on them. The dotted lines are used to indicate what areas need to be "scored".
"Scoring", in this case, means to cut very gently with an exacto-type knife, only cutting the very surface of the paper, and not cutting all the way through. This is done to make the piece bend easily in a certain spot.
That said, you should now take your exacto knife and score, very, very gently, along the dotted lines on the pieces that actually have such lines. You do not need to push much on the exacto knife. In fact, the less pressure you apply when doing this, the better off you will be. You are only trying to get a very faint cut. If you find you have trouble cutting in a straight line, feel free to use a ruler or some other type of straight edge to help guide your cut.

Scoring the pieces.

The base of the wall
There is one piece that stands out on its own. It will not have any sort of matching piece and will even have no matching piece. It will also look somewhat unusual as it will have only one section that will have any sort of colored printing on it. The rest will be little more than white areas surrounded by solid and dotted lines. This piece is what the rest of the wall sections will be fixed to once the wall is assembled.
After you cut this piece from the sheet it was printed on, go ahead and score the dotted lines.
Once you have finished scoring the piece, fold along the scored lines. The piece should fold into a rectangular shape.

Scoring the pieces.

Getting Started
The first things that you will need after printing out the templates for the walls, are a good pair of scissors, an exacto-type knife (with extra blades, just in case), a cutting surface (a piece of thick cardboard works well for this) to prevent the table you are working on from getting cut up, and some type of glue. For the glue, I prefer the stick type glue as it is easier to work with. Use whatever kind you are most comfortable with.	The necessary tools.
Cutting - Part 1
I have found that the easiest way to begin is to first cut the pieces out from the larger sheet. Go ahead and to any straight cuts that can be easily done with scissors, as this will make the rest of the cutting easier later on. Note that when cutting out the normal (non-ruined) castle walls, you should be able to do most, if not all of the cutting with scissors. The ruined walls have a lot of rough edges which are very difficult to cut with scissors. However, if you prefer to do that sort of cutting with scissors, feel free to do so and skip the next step. DO NOT cut on the dotted lines. This will be explained later on. Only cut around the outside of the piece.	Begining to cut out the pieces.
Cutting - Part 2
Here's where the exacto knife comes into play. Carefully, cut the remaining areas of the pieces that you cut out with the scissors. Be sure to press hard enough to cut through the sheet you are cutting. If, for whatever reason, you are unable to cut through with the first cut, feel free to cut again. Just be careful to follow the exact same cut that you used the first time, using it as a guideline. Take your time at this point as this type of cutting can be rather tedious and slow. Also try to be as neat and as close to the lines as possible with your cuts. Many of the ruined wall pieces are two sided and will require that you glue them together later on. DO NOT cut on the dotted lines. This will be explained later on. Only cut around the outside of the piece. Of course, you could simply not use scissors if you wish and do all of the cutting with an exacto knife.	Cutting with the exacto knife.
Gluing the pieces together
Now, you will need to find the pieces that get glued together. If you are not sure, just place them back-to-back (i.e. with the printed side showing on both) until you find the pieces that match. Once you have found the matching pieces, apply a light coating of glue to the back (unprinted) side of only one of the pieces. If you are using a liquid glue, be sure to spread it as thinly as possible. Should the glue be too heavy, the paper it is placed on can curl badly. Once the glue is applied, place the two halves together and press firmly to ensure that they are bonded. I would recommend that you take the glued-together piece and leave it under some heavy books (or other heavy object) while the glue dries, especially if you are using a liquid type glue. This will help to ensure that the pieces are nice and flat once dry. Needless to say, make sure all of the glue is dry before proceeding to the next step.	Gluing the pieces.
Scoring
By now, you will have no doubt noticed that many (not necessarily all though) pieces have some dotted lines on them. The dotted lines are used to indicate what areas need to be "scored". "Scoring", in this case, means to cut very gently with an exacto-type knife, only cutting the very surface of the paper, and not cutting all the way through. This is done to make the piece bend easily in a certain spot. That said, you should now take your exacto knife and score, very, very gently, along the dotted lines on the pieces that actually have such lines. You do not need to push much on the exacto knife. In fact, the less pressure you apply when doing this, the better off you will be. You are only trying to get a very faint cut. If you find you have trouble cutting in a straight line, feel free to use a ruler or some other type of straight edge to help guide your cut.	Scoring the pieces.
The base of the wall
There is one piece that stands out on its own. It will not have any sort of matching piece and will even have no matching piece. It will also look somewhat unusual as it will have only one section that will have any sort of colored printing on it. The rest will be little more than white areas surrounded by solid and dotted lines. This piece is what the rest of the wall sections will be fixed to once the wall is assembled. After you cut this piece from the sheet it was printed on, go ahead and score the dotted lines. Once you have finished scoring the piece, fold along the scored lines. The piece should fold into a rectangular shape.	Scoring the pieces.