With my game of the Battle of Bicocca at Historicon only three weeks away I have just completed the final pieces of scenery for the table. With it being a sunny day in Philadelphia I wanted to layout the main scenery items on my deck to check they all fit together. I also wanted to check that there will be enough maneuver space for the troops. As the terrain will cover three 5′ x 8′ tables, I have no space large enough in my house, so the deck was the only option. As it was a little windy, I did not layout some of the lighter items such as trees, vineyards and orchards.
The layout
The terrain will be two 5′ x 8′ tables side by side with another 5′ x 8′ table intersecting in a “T” formation. This last 5′ x 8′ table will be where the Swiss march up the table for the inevitable clash with the Landsknechts at the field defenses.
In the center where the “T” shape joins will be the 6 feet of field defense at the sunken road. The Spanish arquebusiers and Landsknecht artillery will man the defenses. The Swiss Pike covered by the Black Band of Giovanni will march up the table to assault the defenses. To the right of the defenses is the Villa Bicocca with the marshes in the back-ground. The Venetians will make their way slowly through the marsh to threaten the Spanish left flank.
Construction of the ditch
To the left of the field defenses is the drainage ditch with a bridge going across it. The drainage ditch itself is impassable and protects the Spanish right flank. The only way across for the French will be the bridge, which the Milanese are racing to protect. If the French get across the bridge they will be into the Spanish camp and in the rear of the Spanish positions.
I constructed the drainage ditch from a 1′ x 4′ piece of mdf. I then lined the edges of the board with Killing Fields fur, textured the edges, painted the surface brown and varnished the center to represent water. Finally, I added flock and other terrain items. The rocks were molded using Woodland Scenics molds.
In this photo you can see some of the geese that I added to complete the scene. The geese are from the Assault Group.
I am now comfortable that I am ready to put on the Battle of Bicocca at Historicon. The terrain fits together well. All of the players will have plenty of room to move their forces and fight. In addition, the terrain should look full once the trees, extra buildings and Spanish camp are laid out. The terrain will be a great back-drop for the 1600 figures that I plan to deploy.