We use miniatures a lot in our games and, while paper minis are awesome for combat, paper terrain just doesn't have the same tactile coolness that miniature terrain does. I use paper print-outs for floor bases, but I sculpt and cast other terrain features when I have a scenario where the characters will be spending a lot of time.
The next story arc takes the characters into the plain of ghosts, and I've got cool little piles of skulls and mysterious evil-looking totems, but a paper ground base is actually detracting from the creepiness factor.
I'd like to cast some thin plaster terrain tiles, but I'm having problems getting the look I want. I'm trying to get a
cracked, parched desert effect, but I can't reproduce the cracks. I've tried the foil-in-clay method and, while that makes interesting topography, it doesn't look like a desert. I've tried carving lines into foamboard and using an acetone spray to corrode it, but then the cracks don't look realistic.
Last night I made up a thin sheet of plaster which I cracked with a hammer, and then reinforced with another layer of plaster. That's currently curing in a 1-to-1 mold, so I'll see later how that turned out.
But I'm wondering if there are other terrain builders here and whether or not they've found a technique for good cracking.
Anyone?