
CONSTRUCT YOUR OWN BATTLEFIELD CENTREPIECE
The Ziggurat makes a great objective to battle over and should serve well for many climactic games. In this article, Ty Finocchiaro breaks out the modelling tools and sets to work on his own Ziggurat of Doom.

Building a Ziggurat or stepped temple is a simple terrain project that can be completed using very few materials - with the most important resource being a steady hand! The Ziggurat makes a great objective to battle over and should serve well for many climactic games. At the bare minimum, you'll need the following materials to build a Ziggurat: 1" thick insulation foam, a straight edge ruler, a sharp knife, and a pencil. If you wish to build a more detailed Ziggurat you'll need a box of Arcane Ruins and some foamcore or foamboard.
![]()
![]() |
![]() |
Start buy cutting out a large 24" x 24" square of pink insulation foam that will serve as the base for the Ziggurat. Mark off a grid of 1" squares 3" in from the edge of the foam using a straight edge ruler. Be sure to score the grid into the foam a bit so that it'll drybrush up later. Once your grid is in place, use a knife to chip and weather the edges of the Ziggurat's base and individual squares of the grid. Take your time and make each cut count. The idea is to make it seem like each square is in fact a separate sqaure of cut rock.
![]() |
![]() |
With the base complete, create the next level by cutting an 18" x 18" sqaure of foam. Mark off a grid just like you did for the base, creating a 3" grid border around the edges. Chip and weather this level of the Ziggurat just as you did in the previous step.
![]() |
![]() |
Build another level for the Ziggurat, this time creating a 12" x 12" square. Finally, cut out the top of the Ziggurat from a 6" x 6" piece of foam. Continue to chip and weather the grid squares and Ziggurat edges using a hobby knife and a bit of patience. At this point you can consider the Ziggurat finished once you glue all the levels together. However, if you wish to add some more detail to the piece, grab a box of Arcane Ruins and continue to work onwards!

With the Ziggurat pretty much built, it's time to add some details. Using the contents of a Arcane Ruins set, add pillars, skulls, and plinths as you see fit. If you wish, you can create a set of steps going up the Ziggurat, simply add them as you see fit. These steps were made from cut and weathered pieces of foamboard. Though a base of wooden MDF hardboard is shown here, it is not necessary. It does however add stability and strength to the terrain piece.

The finished Ziggurat of Doom.
Related Articles:
The Ziggurate of Doom Scenario





