D&D: Cheap Village Terrain

A few weeks ago on Twitter, I mentioned some inexpensive terrain options I found on Amazon, specifically some boats and medieval village pieces I thought might go well with Ghosts of Saltmarsh. I ended up purchasing a couple piece and here is my quick review. Below the video are also comparison shots with some Dwarven Forge and papercraft terrain options. You can read my earlier post on paper craft options here. Enjoy!

The KERANOVA buildings are little small when compared to the hefty, chunky Dwarven Forge houses.

The buildings are also slightly smaller than the free paper craft options from Wizards of the Coast,
but not so remarkably that you'd notice a major difference at a distance on the table.

The KERANOVA medieval models are well detailed and decently sized for miniatures play. 

D&D: More Cheap Terrain Options

I've posted before about cheap terrain, but I've also come across some other fantastic options for putting together a table for use with Dragon Heist or Ghosts of Saltmarsh. There are several cardboard-craft publishers that provide genre appropriate buildings and ships.

First, for Dragon Heist (or any other town, village, or city adventuring), there are an amazing array of cardboard scenery options that are significantly cheaper than resin or other 3D options. These buildings run around $15 to $20 each (if you find them available with Prime shipping).

Tavern: https://amzn.to/2ugUBu5
Stables: https://amzn.to/2OdnsIN
Merchants: https://amzn.to/2UJOGJq
Burgher's House: https://amzn.to/2Y9Vx0Q
Town Walls: https://amzn.to/2UF7GsM

Search around a bit and you can discover all kinds of variety.

For Ghosts of Saltmarsh, I also found some excellent naval options to enhance your wharfs and set sail for adventure. Again here, these ships are anywhere from $15 to $20 and would be highly useful for a sea-faring campaign.

It just goes to show you don't have to spend $200 for a sizable ship to add some 😮 to your table. For a little bit more, you can upgrade to a plastic pirate ship model, the Queen Anne's Revenge (requires a repaint).

Caravel: https://amzn.to/31KvIIm
Cog: https://amzn.to/2OaIhoc
Longship: https://amzn.to/2UH9f9r
Queen Anne's Revenge: https://amzn.to/2Crcvyw

Low Cost D&D Terrain

Some simple 3D elements can make your table pop!

People who enjoy watching live-play D&D streams will notice some of the amazing terrain and dungeon set-ups that are often featured on these shows. There are products like Dwarven Forge and Miniature Building Authority that would make anyone oooh and aaah over the amazing creations that DMs can bring to the table… and there's a temptation to think we need to be as visually impressive in order to run a quality game.

But those props come at a relatively steep cost that make most game masters pause.

Do you really need those kinds of fancy props? Absolutely not… but sometimes you still want to put something out on the table that makes your players go “Wow… Cool!” You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to do it. Here are some cheap and easy options to spiff up your game.

Episode 1: Nightstone and Chapter 3 - Running Storm King's Thunder

I started out my blog posts on Storm King’s Thunder as a series of articles, but there is just so much to talk about, it’s just much quicker to do some extemporaneous videos instead of writing it all out (ain’t nobody got time for that). I have a lot to say, and video seems to be the better medium... So this is kind of a video reboot of the SKT series. This first episode focuses on the introductory chapters of Storm King’s Thunder and tips for starting out. Forgive me if I meander a bit. Episode 2 will be much tighter (30 minutes) with more of a scripted outline.

In this episode, I discuss:

• Tom Lommel’s Disorganized Play videos (1:30)
• Getting a handle on the sprawling Chapter 3 hooks and scenarios. (3:20)
• Using a Google Doc (or other note software) to mine ideas out of Chapter 3. (8:00)
• Write a one-sheet summary or encounter packet for upcoming encounters. (12:00)
• Coming up with better introductory hooks than the weak ones in the book. (13:00)
• The perils of using Storm King’s Thunder outside of the Forgotten Realms. (16:50)
• Stealing other’s ideas. (19:00)
• Teasing the broader story and mystery to the players. (19:40)
• Tying the Nightstone attack back into the larger plot. (22:00)
• Buffing Nightstone for higher level parties. (23:30)
• Making set piece encounters more interesting with 3D visuals. (29:00)
• Dollar store deals on gaming paper. (31:00)
• More on 3D visuals and crafting. (34:20)
• Teasing an upcoming video on the adventure in Dungeon #144. (38:00)

Some images of my 3D set ups using papercraft, styrofoam, Dwarven Forge, or even Lego.

D&D in 3D (printing)

Mixing existing OpenLOCK and OpenForge tiles,
I modified some arched corners for my dungeon.

You may have read in an earlier post that I funneled some funds that might have been spent on other terrain into a new 3D printer. It was a bit daunting, because there seemed to be a lot to learn just to get started, but I found an excellent entry-level printer, the Monoprice Select Mini V2, for around $250 (including the first spool of filament). [PS - Don't buy one off Amazon, they still only have V1's. Go direct to the Monoprice web site].

First Impressions

First, I must say the MP Mini is an amazing entry level 3D printer. The build area is a 120 mm cube, or just shy of 5 inches along the X, Y and Z axis. Note, this does mean some models may be a bit large to print without breaking them into pieces, but printers with a 6’ x 6’ build area are more than I was prepared to spend and I was ok with compromise on this one point. If you do have a little more to spend, consider one with a slightly larger build area.

The Mini V2 comes pre-configured out of the box. Sometimes a little plate-leveling is required, but there are a few YouTube videos to assist the learning curve on this. I had a small struggle getting it just right, but all in all, it wasn’t a major issue and the Facebook communities were a huge help. I selected PLA filament, which is better than ABS for my purposes (and no poison fumes), and I was off to the races!

D&D: Breaking My Dwarven Forge Addiction

My intrepid PCs invading the Caves of Chaos.

I confess I have an addiction to Dwarven Forge.

Years ago, I’d see their resin dungeon sets at conventions or online and always thought “Wow. Those would be so amazing to own and use in play.” Then in 2013, they kickstarted a light, durable plastic version of their Dungeon tiles and I was immediately sold. It was the first product I pledged on Kickstarter. I unhesitatingly pledged two unpainted sets for the amazingly low price of $120. I later regretted not buying painted sets, as I have still not finished painting all my tiles… but I still love the tiles.

In 2014, they introduced the Caverns and I promptly signed up for 2 painted sets at $220 (not going to make the unpainted mistake again). In 2015, I pledge the city builder, but at $250+, could only afford to buy enough for a few small houses and a bridge. In 2016, my Castle Builder pledge was another $200+, but that really only got me a few extra City Builder pieces, another bridge and some terrain bits. I couldn’t really afford any of the actual castles. The pledge amounts were getting higher, but the sets I could afford were getting smaller.

In 2017, Dwarven Forge kickstarted a new set of Dungeon tiles that solved a lot of the issues I’ve had in play with my own DF pieces. You could purchase base trays to pre-set rooms to easily move on and off the table. They added more magnetized parts to hold things together. They introduced large-size elevation boxes to allow easy creation of elevated terrain. They added all kinds of awesome bit and parts to make encounter areas just drip with detail and theme.

D&D: Miniatures on the Cheap

Beaky, the unoffical mascot for
Raging Owlbear was acquired for a cool $5.

One of the more commonly asked questions I see on social media is, "How do I add miniatures to my game inexpensively?"

That's a bit of a loaded question. Miniatures are generally not cheap... but there are ways you can add some pizzazz to your games without completely breaking the bank.

If you know me, or read enough of my blog, you may know I am a bit of a miniatures fiend. What you probably don't know is that I've spent well over $1000 on miniatures alone... probably much more. Between Reaper  Bones Kickstarters, D&D Miniatures and Pathfinder Battles random boxes, and countless lots on Ebay, it all adds up to a sum that I don't actually want to calculate (and I'm not even counting the Dwarven Forge). I've got an absurd amount of miniatures... but I always find more I'd like to get. Let my addiction be a wake-up call for you.

So how can you do it on the cheap?

WTF AltSpaceVR?

So, I've been meaning to write about this for a few months now... About 6 months ago, there was a social media stir around this new "D&D virtual reality" tool called AltspaceVR.

To sum up, the players (using VR head sets) gather in a Second Life-esque virtual room to play D&D... on a flat surface... with dungeon tiles.

I need a VR headset for this?!?

Seriously, WTF?!?

Hero Forge Miniatures Review: A Massive Improvement

UPDATE 08/20: View my latest Hero Forge miniatures review here: 

http://ragingowlbear.blogspot.com/2020/08/hero-forge-custom-miniatures-review-2020.html

UPDATE 01//18: A lower cost "Plastic" option is now available which I have reviewed here.

Too Long; Didn't Read Summary:  So, you probably just want to know, "How much better is the new Premium Plastic offering?"  In a word, immensely better. OK, that's technically two words. The new plastic offering from Shapeways means that the Hero Forge Gray Plastic miniatures are an order of magnitude more durable than the Ultra Detail figures from before. The detail of the Premium Plastic is also significantly better in my estimation than Ultra Detail was. In summary, buy Premium Plastic. Avoid Ultra Detail [Note: Ultra Detail is no longer offered].

The Bronze figurine works well as a
showpiece. Detail is very good.

Introduction

A little over a year ago, I came down hard on Hero Forge miniatures (rightfully so). I had ordered 2 "Ultra Detail" miniatures ($50) as a gift for my wife and myself... a gnome and half orc. After receiving the figures, I immediately noted issues with the detail. While the detail was not considered a show stopper, the fragility of the figures absolutely was. The Ultra Detail printing process creates a very stiff and brittle plastic which breaks under even the most minor pressure. My gnome's sword blade broke off during light handling while painting, and later a drop of a few inches fractured the ankles separating the base from the figure. Both breaks could be re-glued, but it illustrated that the figures would not be durable enough for play.

Fast forward a year later, Hero Forge contacted me to try out their new "Gray Plastic" material as well as their metal offerings, Steel and Bronze, to see how they compare. They have also added some new items and features to their figure creation software, I will touch upon those later as I know everyone wants to know about the new plastic.

Full Disclosure: Hero Forge provided me vouchers to print 3 miniatures for the purpose of evaluation. There were no strings attached to provide a positive review. I hope I have provided an unbiased view of the results.

D&D: Add 3D Flair on the Cheap

Dwarven Forge City Builder -- beautiful but pricey

UPDATE: Many of Dave Graffam models just went on sale for just $1!

If you are not tuned into the crowd funding world, you may not know that Dwarven Forge has run a few extraordinarily successful Kickstarters. They're products look amazing on the gaming table, but they're not for the faint of wallet.

They're current campaign for the City Builder System looks just amazing, but has an [unpainted] entry point starting at $165 in order to get the stretch goals. With all the attractive add-ons, one could easily spend a lot more than that.

So what do you do if you want to spice up your table from time to time, but don't have hundreds of dollars to drop on 3D accessories?