Hanging around on twitter as I often do, I came across a response to a NewbieDM blogpost where he talked about the benefits of just playing around with your dungeon tiles to see what you can make, and them using that location in your game (http://newbiedm.com/2009/09/22/playing-with-my-dungeon-tiles/). I think I already got a little more mileage out of my tiles than Newbie, as I’ve used smatterings of them here and there since I first bought them, but always the other way around – location first, and then trying to make the tiles fit it. I have to say that Newbie’s approach is another one of those genius ‘duh! Of course!‘ moments, usually accompanied by a slapping of the forehead. While I probably won’t do it for every encounter or locale, I’m hoping to see some great benefits to my game, with some fully fleshed out areas made with tiles. I paid for them, why not use them to good effect!
This brings me to my second adaptation for dungeon tiles, also stolen from NewbieDM (http://newbiedm.com/2009/09/23/adding-a-new-third-dimension-to-dungeon-tiles/). As the man has done, I’ve just gotten some cotton spools from my local craft store (in my Australian case, Spotlight). Now, I was originally disheartened to find that I couldn’t buy a consistent size – the packs all seemed to have various sizes! I thought I’d try them anyway, and after a little experimentation, I’m really quite happy with the results! The adjusted sizes have given me a number of different ‘pillars’ that can be used, not only to hold up second levels, but also as set dressing. Firstly, they can make good inn tables, or the little ones can be the table ‘legs’ for the Harrowing Halls tiles:
Acting as the table itself...
...and as the legs of the table
Below is a quick slapped together dungeon room displaying the usage of the ‘cotton-reel pillars’:
The three types of pillar I was able to make with some wood glue and a quick coat of paint
Overview
The shifter finds the best spot to evade the beholder...
...and the dwarven sorceror ducks behind a pillar...
...while the dragonborn fighter races up the stairs to face the beast!
Meanwhile, the evil mage (who is both literally and figuratively, behind it all), looks on.
So there you have it. My contribution to Newbie’s awesome idea. Shine on you golden stallion! The only issue I have with the greatness of the 3D tiles is that they make everything on your map else that isn’t look kind of… flat (oh yeah, you saw it coming). True story though. Have any experience playing with 3D tiles? Had to adapt your playstyle or even make a few house rules to suit?
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