Industrial terrain brings the gritty reality of factories, refineries, and manufacturing complexes to your wargaming table. Perfect for grimdark sci-fi battles, cyberpunk skirmishes, WWII urban warfare, or post-apocalyptic industrial wastelands, our industrial scenery collection creates atmospheric battlefields dominated by machinery, metal, and the remnants of heavy industry.
What Defines Industrial Terrain?
Industrial scenery emphasises functional, utilitarian structures built for production rather than aesthetics. Expect heavy machinery, storage containers, pipework, smokestacks, generators, and refinery equipment. The colour palette centres on metallic greys, rusted oranges, grimy browns, and the occasional hazard yellow. Everything should appear worn, functional, and built to withstand harsh conditions.
Essential Industrial Terrain Pieces
Power Generation
Our Generator represents the beating heart of industrial complexes. These vital pieces work as objective markers, tactical cover, or atmospheric scatter. Paint them with heavy weathering—generators run constantly in harsh conditions, accumulating grime, oil stains, and battle damage.
Heavy Industry
The Furnace brings industrial heat and danger to your battlefield. Perfect for foundries, smelting facilities, or any setting requiring extreme temperatures. Add Object Source Lighting (OSL) effects with orange and yellow glows to simulate molten metal and intense heat.
Vertical Elements
Our Smokestack adds essential height to industrial tables whilst reinforcing the factory aesthetic. These towering structures break up sight lines, provide cover, and create the iconic industrial skyline. Weather them heavily with soot, rust, and pollution staining.
Processing Facilities
The Refinery represents complex industrial processing equipment. These multi-level structures provide excellent tactical terrain with multiple firing positions and cover opportunities. Perfect for oil refineries, chemical plants, or promethium processing facilities in grimdark settings.
Storage and Logistics
Our Container pieces represent cargo storage, shipping containers, or industrial supply caches. Stack them to create multi-level terrain, use them as barricades, or scatter them as objectives. Their modular nature allows endless configuration possibilities.
Painting Industrial Terrain
Metallic Surfaces
Industrial terrain is predominantly metal—master these techniques:
- Prime: Black or grey primer for industrial grimness
- Basecoat: Metallic paint (Leadbelcher, Iron Warriors, Vallejo Gunmetal)
- Wash: Black wash (Nuln Oil) applied generously for depth and grime
- Drybrush: Lighter metallic (Ironbreaker, Stormhost Silver) on edges and raised areas
- Variation: Use different metallic tones—steel, iron, brass—for visual interest
Rust and Corrosion
Industrial equipment rusts—make it convincing:
- Typhus Corrosion: Apply technical paint to areas prone to rust
- Orange Drybrushing: Drybrush Troll Slayer Orange, Ryza Rust, or similar over corroded areas
- Brown Washes: Apply Agrax Earthshade over rust for depth
- Streaking: Thin rust colours and drag downward from rivets and seams
- Chipping: Sponge dark brown and metallic paint for chipped paint effects
Hazard Markings
Industrial sites feature safety markings:
- Yellow and Black Stripes: Use masking tape for clean lines on hazard areas
- Warning Signs: Paint or use decals for radiation, biohazard, or danger symbols
- Weathering: Fade and chip hazard markings—safety paint doesn't last in war zones
- Stencils: Add identification numbers, facility codes, or corporate logos
Grime and Oil Stains
Industrial facilities are dirty:
- Apply dark brown or black washes in recesses and around machinery
- Use weathering pigments for accumulated dirt and dust
- Paint oil stains with gloss black or dark brown, sealed with gloss varnish
- Add soot staining around Smokestacks and Furnaces
- Drybrush light grey dust on horizontal surfaces
Advanced Industrial Painting Techniques
Object Source Lighting (OSL)
For Furnaces and power sources:
- Paint the light source bright (white, yellow, or orange)
- Apply progressively darker shades of the glow colour radiating outward
- Blend transitions smoothly with glazes
- Add reflected light on nearby surfaces
- Keep OSL subtle—less is more
Weathering Powders
Pigment powders create ultra-realistic weathering:
- Apply rust pigments to corroded areas
- Use dark pigments for oil and grime accumulation
- Add light grey pigments for dust and concrete residue
- Seal with matt varnish or pigment fixer
Chipping and Battle Damage
Industrial terrain sees hard use:
- Sponge Technique: Dab sponge in dark brown and metallic, apply to edges
- Scratches: Paint thin lines with silver paint for metal showing through
- Bullet Holes: Drill small holes, paint interior dark, add metallic rim
- Dents: Paint darker shadows in recessed areas to simulate impacts
Building Industrial Battlefields
Layout Principles
Industrial tables require functional, logical layouts:
- Create production zones with Furnaces and Refineries
- Add power generation areas with Generators
- Use Containers to define storage and loading zones
- Place Smokestacks as vertical landmarks
- Connect areas with pipework, catwalks, and access routes
Thematic Scenarios
Industrial terrain supports diverse narratives:
- Factory Assault: Attackers storm defended industrial complex
- Sabotage Mission: Destroy key generators or refineries
- Resource Control: Capture and hold production facilities
- Industrial Accident: Escape collapsing factory with environmental hazards
- Gang Warfare: Underhive gangs fight over territory and resources
Additional Industrial Elements
Supporting Terrain
Enhance your industrial battlefield with complementary pieces:
- Barricades for defensive positions
- Crate Selection for cargo and supplies
- Forklift for logistics areas
- Silo for storage facilities
- Ventilation for atmospheric detail
Combining Industrial with Other Themes
Industrial terrain integrates with multiple aesthetics:
- Apocalyptic: Abandoned factories with craters and battle damage
- Gothic: Cathedral-factories combining gothic pillars with machinery
- Futuristic: High-tech facilities mixing antennas with industrial equipment
- Urban: City industrial districts with civilian structures nearby
Game System Applications
Warhammer 40,000
Perfect for forge worlds, manufactorums, promethium refineries, or underhive industrial zones. The grimdark future is built on endless industrial production.
Necromunda
Ideal for underhive gang warfare. Industrial terrain creates the claustrophobic, vertical battlefields characteristic of hive cities.
Infinity
Excellent for high-tech industrial facilities on colonised worlds. Combine with futuristic elements for cutting-edge production complexes.
Historical WWII
Perfect for factory battles, industrial sabotage missions, or urban warfare in manufacturing districts.
Safety and Hazards
Add narrative depth with environmental hazards:
- Toxic Spills: Paint fluorescent green or purple pools with gloss varnish
- Steam Vents: Cotton wool painted white for escaping steam
- Electrical Hazards: Sparking cables with OSL lightning effects
- Fire: Flames painted on damaged equipment with smoke effects
Modular Industrial Complexes
Build flexible, reconfigurable facilities:
- Use consistent basing sizes for easy rearrangement
- Paint all pieces in cohesive colour scheme
- Create themed zones (power, production, storage) that work independently or together
- Add connective elements like pipework and catwalks
Storage and Transport
Industrial terrain can be bulky:
- Protect Smokestacks and vertical elements with foam padding
- Stack Containers efficiently for space-saving storage
- Magnetise bases for secure transport
- Store delicate pieces like Refineries separately
Expanding Your Industrial Collection
Build comprehensive factory battlefields progressively:
- Power: Start with Generators as essential infrastructure
- Production: Add Furnaces and Refineries
- Vertical: Include Smokestacks for height variation
- Storage: Expand with Containers and silos
- Details: Add smaller scatter like crates, barrels, and machinery
Final Thoughts
Industrial terrain creates atmospheric, tactically rich battlefields that embody the grimdark aesthetic of endless production and mechanical warfare. Our industrial scenery collection—from towering Smokestacks and roaring Furnaces to essential Generators and complex Refineries—provides everything needed to build authentic factory battlefields. Whether you're fighting in underhive manufactorums, storming WWII industrial complexes, or defending vital production facilities on distant forge worlds, industrial terrain transforms your tabletop into a landscape of metal, machinery, and relentless function. The combination of weathered metallics, hazard markings, and environmental storytelling creates battlefields where every game feels like a desperate struggle for control of vital industrial resources.
