BSC2021 -more planning!

So, on to the next step:  more planning!  

Here are the floor tiles.  Hopefully by putting the plastic side down, I'll be able to protect the table underneath from scratching or other damage.

The tiles have a tongue-and-groove assembly on each side, so they can fit together snugly.  However, this is intended to be done once only, and won't stand up to multiple connecting and disconnecting.  Great for laying down the subfloor, which will not be seen for years at a time, not so much for what is intended to be a portable game board!  

So instead, I will butt the smooth sides together, and just depend on friction to hold them through a game.  It means there will be a visible line where the boards rest against each other, but will be much easier for assembly and removal.

I've used a sharpie to draw out the road center lines with dashed lines for where the road shoulders will go.  I'm starting out with 4" wide roads, but may adjust that as the build proceeds.  The narrowest part of the river gorge will be 9½" to match the bridge (again working the wrong way on this!).  My intent is that the height of the bridge abutments will be 2" above the river bed.  The maximum height of the hills will be 4".  My idea right now is that the entry road (coming in from Valguarnera) will enter at 1" height, and will be 3" or 4" where it moves off the table towards Leonforte.  The 4" max height is based mostly on concerns about storing and transporting the boards.  If they get too tall then they'll be much less practical.

I've adjusted the layout a bit from my original concept.  I'm thinking of potential reuse of these boards, so I want to be able to connect to other boards that I could build in the future.  So instead of continuing off the far ('west') end of the board, the exit road will turn 90 degrees to the right and exit in the middle of the 'north' side of the board.  This will make a future connection easier.  It will also let two sides of the 'west' tiles be 'at grade', so can connect with any flat boards - this might allow (for example) using the same boards for the NWF, with a British force to advance from the plains against some wily Pathans in the hills!

I have mixed thoughts about the road surfacing.  I think the road was paved in 1943, but again, considering future replayability, an unsurfaced road will allow use in pre-20th Century settings.  Maybe, (thinking as I type), cut the road bed into the hills, and then have slate-coloured felt that can be laid down for roads or removed depending on the setting.

Next step will be to obtain some insulation board and a hot wire cutter!  That's going to take me a few days, so next BSC update probably won't be next weekend.  In the meantime, more art from the Canadian  War Museum. This time, a Bailey Bridge in Italy!