Review of Battlefield in a Box: Tar River / Tar Pits

Blurb from the publisher: 'Scenery plays a vital part in any miniature wargame whether you are playing Historical, Science Fiction or Fantasy Battles. The Battlefield in a Box range of tabletop-ready scenery is a quick and easy way to create a wargaming table straight out of the box, suitable for any scale miniature troops to fight over.

Journey back in time, or to a land that time forgot, where Tar Pits line the landscape.'

What you get: This is a thematic review of two out of the one hundred and thirty one (!!!) products in Gale Force Nine's Battlefield in a Box game line. Its products can be used for anything from wargaming to roleplaying with miniatures, the creation of dioramas and what have you.

The two sets are thematically linked in that they are both about tar, or dark, opaque surfaces.

The two terrain sets are the following. They are sold separately. No set is a prerequisite for the other.

BB603 - Tar River EUR 52 or USD 60 or GBP 44

BB572 - Tar Pits EUR 26 or USD 30 or GBP 22

Tar River is composed of six different river sections, all of them having a width of 160 mm, a length between 300 and 410 mm, and a height of 5 mm. The river is not straight; it keeps on twisting at different angles and can be used modularly. The design of each section is different; one has even an islet in the middle. The alleged liquid inside the river is boiling. Bubbles can be seen bursting on its surface at different stages of their formation and ultimate demise.

Tar Pits contains three oval-shaped items that look like, well, tar pits. Their size ranges from almost 75 x 95 mm to 170 x 215 mm. Their colour is opaque, and somewhere between dark brown and pitch black.

The strong points: Sometimes you want to impress; that's what the Blood River / Blood Crystals are about. Other times you need to set the fundamentals so that the rest of your scenery can shine. That's what the Tar River and the Tar Pits are here for, and they create a lot of synergy when used together. There is absolutely no difference in material and shade; they are literally made out of the same stuff, using similar matrixes. They are neither bright nor eye-catching, they add however a lot to the interaction between the scenery and the content of your game. What is it about battlefields never including bodies of water or other unwholesome liquids? Like the blurb suggests, this might be tar, or sewage, or a toxic industrial pollutant that will dissolve anybody who tries to cross it. You just got yourself some impassable, or barely passable terrain, which enhances your diorama without becoming visually overbearing. I can immediately think of at least three to four genres where this scenery can be used, and not just in alien planets or trite contemporary battles.

Both products are top notch when it comes to sculpting and ease of use. Both the river and the pits will be only half a centimetre above your battlefield's base line; there is no way anybody will mistake them for cover.

No painting or assembly is required. Just take these pieces out of the box and use them. They all feel heavy in your hands. This scenery cannot be toppled neither by dice rolling nor by clumsy players reaching for a mini.

Both items are well-packaged in very sturdy cardboard boxes. Every single item is wrapped inside paper of standard thickness. Make sure to keep that paper and not to tear it when you unwrap the product for the first time. Bubblewrap could have provided a bigger sense of security, on the other hand however, and seeing how tightly packed these rivers are, it wouldn't have made any real difference.

If I were to compare the Tar River with the Blood River, the latter item is admittedly more eye-catching. Attention, however! The red material on Blood River is sticky (it shouldn't have been), and unless you pay attention when you handle it, it might not age well. The Tar River on the other hand is not sticky at all, and can be treated more casually than its flashier brother.

The weak points: None, really. Both the river and the pits are slightly flexible, yet don't overdo it; they will break if you apply too much force. The items are definitely not foldable.

Scenery is expensive, and that's just it. No point in complaining about the river's EUR 60 price tag.

Conclusion: The Tar theme might feel like a counterintuitive purchase. Yet, experience shows that it is an excellent addition to your scenery arsenal, and even more so because it is very well made. I never expected it to serve that many genres.

To find out more about Battlefield in a Box: Tar River and Battlefield in a Box: Tar Pits visit GF9's website at http://www.gf9.com.

Shameless plug: for more gaming news and content (including, for example, pictures of Battlefield in a Box: Tar River and Battlefield in a Box: Tar Pits that I am unfortunately not able to upload on RPG.net for the time being), and to better keep track of my reviews, subscribe to my Antonios S facebook and twitter page.