The Crystal Fields

Ever wonder where your Necrons get those green glowing crystals from? Well, those are just crushed glass, bent forks, and blind wands. We won’t cover any specific techniques yet (look for those in future articles!) but we will say what general things to look for.

Crystals come in a lot of different shapes and sizes in real life, so keep an open mind when looking for something to use. If something is clear and cheap, chances are you could make it into a convincing crystal. You have your typical large crystal formation, but don’t forget to keep an eye out for smaller shapes too. You can combine certain beads and decorative plastics to make interesting crystal clusters. The last important piece to remember, is that you need a reflective base. This makes the difference between a dead looking crystal, and a bright “glowing” one. Only the surface beneath your crystal need be reflective; feel free to cover the rest of the base however you like. You could paint your bases something metallic, but we opt for a simpler, and maybe more effective method.

washers — Tin cap disks are perfect for bases. Round, flat, and metallic.

You should be able to pick up these kinds of tin cap disks at your local hardware store for a relatively cheap price. You can even find them is a variety of sizes to match your terrain project. These make such good bases that we tend to use them even if we don’t need that reflective surface.