3D Modular Rivers

My aim was to create a modular system of wargame rivers that would have banks either side of a depressed river. I also wanted the banks to be seamless with the surrounding terrain.
I wanted to move on from having the river depressions built into the interlocking foam mats sitting under my wargame mat. This would make it quicker and easier to set up and provide more flexibility in placing rivers on the table.

I first created a set of modular rivers using clear acetate sheets painted blue underneath and with gloss medium gel dappled on to give a water surface effect. I then brushed some of the medium gel along the edges of each river and stuck on some flock and static grass. The medium gel dries as a flexible film that allows the edges of the river to mold to the banks it will sit in. The rivers are 4 cm wide and are designed to fit with a 70 mm hex grid on the wargame mat.

The next task was to create a set of river banks for each river section. The banks are set 6 cm apart and were made from a thick fleece material with some packing foam under one edge to form the bank. The flexibility of the fleece would provide a smooth transition from the bank to the surrounding terrain.

These banks are placed under the wargame mat, aligned to the hex grid. Then the river sections are placed in the depression formed by the mat between each bank. The wargame mat is a thin fleece material with a very subtle 70 mm hex grid printed on it.

As the photos show, the banks form a nice 3D effect and the transition to the surrounding terrain is barely visible. I'm really happy with the end result. This wargame mat is also the best one I have ordered. The hex grid is so subtle you can't see it at first glance but for game play, it is more than adequate to locate and move units, check ranges etc.