Creating immersive wargaming terrain in Blood & Plunder is one of the key to bringing your tabletop wargames to life. In this guide, we’ll walk through the simple steps to craft 28mm scale sugarcane fields on a budget. The process uses some simple accessible materials to transform your tabletop into a rich, tropical battleground featuring some patches of sugarcane field.

In the 17th and 18th centuries (and beyond), sugarcane wasn’t just a crop—it was the lifeblood of the Caribbean, driving the region’s economy and fueling the sugar and rum trade. These sprawling plantations became centers of wealth and conflict, with trade consortiums and rival empires vying for control of the riches they produced. Recreating these fields not only adds historical authenticity but also enriches your gameplay, offering a setting rife with opportunities for ambushes and skirmishes.

Sugarcane’s immense value also gave rise to harsh dynamics in the Caribbean, with the plantations relying on enslaved labor to maximize production. The trade routes that carried sugar and rum back to Europe were also a source of constant threat, as pirate crews sought to plunder this precious cargo. By incorporating sugarcane fields into your terrain, you’re not just creating cover for your miniatures—you’re reflecting the historical backdrop that shaped the era of piracy.

List of Materials Needed to Make Sugarcane Terrain

To create your sugarcane terrain, you’ll need a few materials and tools that are both accessible and affordable. With the following items in hand, you’re ready to start crafting your sugarcane fields!

Finding a Cheap Corn Broom. Don’t buy a new broom unless you just want to. I have purchased 3 for miscellaneous projects in the past 2 years. All 3 were from local consignment stores. I paid $2, $3 and $5 respectively. It might take a little patience but they do exist!

Step 1. Prepare the Sugarcane Terrain Bases

To start building the sugarcane field, you’ll need a sturdy base for the plants. I recommend using paneling board or foam core. Cut as many 1.25″ x 9″ strips as needed to cover your desired area. These strips will form the foundation for your sugarcane rows.

Use Strips Over Square Fields. Building the terrain in strips allows you to customize the size and shape of your sugarcane fields rather than forcing them to be generic squares. It also is much, MUCH easier to interact with and move your minis on the table. you can shift the strips to add some spacing or temporarily remove a strip to place a large squad of minis if needed.

I run multiple games for our local group and at conventions as a Firelock Games Quartermaster, so I did more than you probably want to fool with. Having 6-12 is probably sufficient for most game tables.

Paneling. I had some scrap 1/4″ paneling that I used for the base of the fields in my setup (shown below). While heavier than foam core, these are still lightweight and functional. They are a bit more durable as well.

Foam Core. You can get a large poster board-size piece of foam core at most dollar stores (e.g. Dollar Tree) or big boxed retailers. Don’t remove the outer layers, keep them for sturdiness and to keep things from warping. Use a sharp hobby knife or box cutter for clean, straight edges, and a ruler or straight edge to ensure consistent sizing.

Foam core can warp over time. One solution to add durability to your terrain is to buy some thin peel-n-stick linoleum tiles from your local big box hardware store and apply them to the bottom of the foam core. You can cut them with scissors or a hobby knife to match. Peel the sticker and put them on the bottom to help add some weight and durability.

Step 2. Add Craft beads to the Bases

Next, take your 1.25″ x 9″ strips and use hot glue to attach a line of craft beads down the center of each strip. These beads will serve as the base for your sugarcane stalks, giving them an anchor point and stability.

I shifted spacing a bit over time as I was working, but I would recommend gluing the beads with about 1 bead width game between each. That keeps them close enough together to make them dense, but leaves small gaps to simulate natural spacing between the stalks and saves you work on the number of stalks you’re going to be gluing. It works out to 18-20 beads per strip.

Time-Saving Tip: The longer you go into the project the more tedious it can become. Save some time by laying down a 2-2.5″ line of glue on the strip and putting the beads in place rather than doing each bead individually. The glue is going to get covered in a later step so you can be a little messy in the name of speed. Be sure to work quickly before the glue cools, and press the beads gently into place to ensure they stick firmly.

Step 3. Conceal the beads and Create Some Terrain Texture

To add realistic texture to the bases and hide the bottom portion of the beads a bit, apply a coat of drywall compound or Sculpt-A-Mold. I used drywall compound, I put some in a bowl and thinned it down to the consistency of frosting by adding a small amount of water and mixing until smooth. Even with the extra moisutre, I didn’t have any cracking issues when it dried.

I used a butter knife to spread the mixture over the base strip and around the bottom of the beads, covering any gaps and creating the appearance of uneven soil or dirt. Make sure not to cover the entire bead—just the lower portion—so it looks like sugarcane sprouting from the earth. It doesn’t have to be super smooth as it will add the appearance of rough ground. If the drywall compound is thin enough you can lather it on and then tap the boards on the table and it will thin and spread things a bit for you.

Allow the compound to dry completely overnight before moving on to the next step.

Step 4. Paint the Bases

Once the compound is fully dry, it’s time to paint the bases. I started by applying a base coat of dark brown (Burnt Umber), as the foundation. I didn’t wait for it to dry and went straight into a drybrush technique to add a layer of medium brown (Nutmeg Brown), lightly brushing over the raised areas to bring out the texture. And then as a final highlight, I did a dry brush of a light brown (Mocha Brown) over the surface, focusing on the highest points to give the terrain a sun-baked look. The combination of these three shades will give the base a natural, earthy feel that is perfect for a Caribbean sugarcane field.

Step 5. Preparing the Sugarcane Plant Stalks

For the sugarcane plant stalks, you’ll be using the fibers from a corn broom. Carefully cut the broom fibers into strips to represent the tall, slender stalks of the sugarcane plants. You don’t have to focus on making them perfectly uniform as some variation in length will add to the natural look.

In real life, sugarcane can grow between 10 to 24 feet tall. Looking at pictures of real sugarcane during harvest they are 2.5 x as tall as most of the workers. So I laid out 3 minis on top of each other and cut the length roughly to the height of 2.5 minis. Super big brain science.

SAFETY TIP: Don’t use your wife’s fabric scissors for this project. She’ll hang you like Jack Rackham if you do! The fibers are tough and they are likely to dull a good pair of scissors. I used a free pair of industrial scissors from Harbor Freight. They are in their free giveaway with any purchase fairly often, but they are $0.99 if you want to pick some up.

Depending on the size of your field, you’ll need a fair number of stalks. In the end, I cut my entire broom into 4 horizontal segments, hands were sore so didn’t bother with the 5th. Set the cut fibers aside for the next step.

This process is messy and the cut fibers are bulky so cut it in batches as you use them.

Step 6. Adding the Sugarcane Foliage

To create the foliage for your sugarcane plants, take small tufts of broom bristles and glue them into the beads on your base strips. Use a hot glue gun for a strong bond, placing a small amount of glue inside each bead before inserting the bristles. Aim for a cluster of bristles to mimic the dense, leafy tops of sugarcane stalks. Vary the amount of foliage on each bead to enhance the natural look, ensuring that some stalks appear fuller than others. Allow the glue to set completely before moving on to the finishing touches.

WARNING: This is a long and tedious process. Take breaks or put a movie on and multitask to help maintain your sanity.

p.s. My fingernails aren’t that nasty, it’s from a black paint wash I put on a different terrain project earlier that day.

Here are a few work-in-progress photos of a few rows of bristles glued into place:

Step 7. Painting the Sugarcane Foliage

To add realism to your sugarcane stalks, it’s time to paint the broom bristles! I started by applying a thick wash of ochre over the entire bristle. This will enhance its fibrous appearance and introduce some color variation. Lay the strips on their side so it doesn’t run into the base.

As sugarcane nears harvest season it starts to brown towards the bottom.

Once the ochre wash is dry, I applied two different washes of green on the top half of the bristles. I used Hunter Green on the top half of the bristle, followed immediately by Foliage Green (and some Leaf Green cause I ran out) to create depth and dimension. I dipped my makeup brush between both paints and made a happy little mess as I went.

For the best results, apply the greens while they are still wet and let the brush mix the colors. This technique allows the colors to blend naturally, resulting in organic variations that mimic the look of real sugarcane foliage. The natural fiber of the broom bristles will soak up the color and moisture.

Again, leave the pieces on their side and allow the paint to dry completely before handling the terrain or standing it upright.

Step 8. Enjoy the Outcome of Your Hard work!

Congratulations! You’ve successfully crafted a stunning sugarcane field for your 28mm scale wargaming. Take a moment to appreciate the detail and effort you’ve put into creating this terrain piece. Whether you’re using it in a game of Blood & Plunder or displaying it on your shelf, your sugarcane field is sure to enhance the experience and bring your battles to life. Gather your miniatures, set the scene, and enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Conclusion

I 3D printed a windmill and sugarcane grinding mill almost two years ago and I have wanted to do some sugarcane fields for some time. I’m hoping to build a few more pieces as part of a full sugar plantation terrain board. Hopefully, these sugar cane fields will get some good use soon locally and maybe they will inspire you to try your hand at making some for your game tables.

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