I have been doing a bit of thinking lately and wanted to gather opinions of people I know have a passion for DnD and tabletop gaming as a whole.
I have been thinking about the possibility of creating tabletop terrain products in bulk, with like minded individuals who share the goal of bringing the DnD community functional, affordable, and beautiful terrain to further bring the game to life. This would include buildings, vehicles/structures, walls, vegetation, etc.
Is there any merit to this idea? Or do people prefer to make there own, or purchase the more expensive handcrafted terrain on sites like Etsy or Amazon? Your thoughts are greatly appreciated. I left this vague intentionally so if any clarification is needed feel free to ask questions?
there is merit, but not sure what you consider 'affordable'...you're going to be very challenged to make any money off of it...there's a lot of stuff out there made in china. If you want to do it as a hobby, it might be fun. If you want to make money off of it...you need huge scale.
...and yes, a lot of people prefer DIY...especially now with 3d printers you can just download the models, wash, paint, and go...don't even need to know anything about CAD.
I am really on the fence with DnD terrain and minis in general. I played a bunch of the old Wizkids collectible minis games, as well as building a couple of decent-sized war hammer armies. In those games, the models and terrain were the hobby, and you could trot them out game after game in slightly different configurations because that’s what you were signing up for. I love DnD minis, but have already found that for me, the cool mounted Orc Warlord or Minotaur is awesome the first time, solid the second or third, and past that just feels like you’re playing Diablo or some other “grindy” game.
In DnD, my party might only spend 2 or 3 sessions in a given “area” before moving on, so unless it’s very general terrain like trees /ruins, I think I would be hesitant to spend much on them, knowing I would only use them a couple of times before they were old hat for my group. Honestly something like paper-craft house designs or something I could build in an hour or so, use and chuck or save as needed is probably my speed.
Thank you for the feedback! The goal is to create a marketplace that would provide a wide range of products giving the players the ability to play the game however they deem fit. The beauty of D&D is that the players have all of the control when it comes to how they play the game. For example, for a party like yours, providing minimal terrain such as trees, walls, ruins, etc. that could be easily stored and less expensive than other marketplaces (Etsy, Amazon, etc.). Other parties may find more enjoyment in modular structures they can manipulate, further adding other dimensions to their experiences with the game. The control remains with the players. Ideally this would be a place where each party could come to address their tabletop terrain needs.
I feel like it would be nice to have something modular like dwarven forge with a similar level of quality that is just actually available for purchase.
Thank you for the feedback! The goal is to create a marketplace that would provide a wide range of products giving the players the ability to play the game however they deem fit. The beauty of D&D is that the players have all of the control when it comes to how they play the game. For example, for a party like yours, providing minimal terrain such as trees, walls, ruins, etc. that could be easily stored and less expensive than other marketplaces (Etsy, Amazon, etc.). Other parties may find more enjoyment in modular structures they can manipulate, further adding other dimensions to their experiences with the game. The control remains with the players. Ideally this would be a place where each party could come to address their tabletop terrain needs.
Ah ok, I think I see what you're going for. You're probably already headed in this direction, but it sounds like the way to go about it would be to do a Kickstarter (or similar) to get the initial production run financed, and then go from there?
To compare two existing standards, Dwarven Forge versus Dirt Cheap Dungeons, my guess is that you will find more people wanting similar stuff to the Dirt Cheap Dungeons niche, but with a wider variety. No question that Dwarven Forge makes stunning terrain, but I don't have the space or the funds to make a town out of that stuff for my players.
I play on Roll20, so I don't use miniatures or anything like that... Maybe make and sell some digital landscapes (maps, top-down view for gameplay, etc.)? Certainly it will be more efficient, especially for those whose groups don't meet in person too often.
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Hello all!
I have been doing a bit of thinking lately and wanted to gather opinions of people I know have a passion for DnD and tabletop gaming as a whole.
I have been thinking about the possibility of creating tabletop terrain products in bulk, with like minded individuals who share the goal of bringing the DnD community functional, affordable, and beautiful terrain to further bring the game to life. This would include buildings, vehicles/structures, walls, vegetation, etc.
Is there any merit to this idea? Or do people prefer to make there own, or purchase the more expensive handcrafted terrain on sites like Etsy or Amazon? Your thoughts are greatly appreciated. I left this vague intentionally so if any clarification is needed feel free to ask questions?
there is merit, but not sure what you consider 'affordable'...you're going to be very challenged to make any money off of it...there's a lot of stuff out there made in china. If you want to do it as a hobby, it might be fun. If you want to make money off of it...you need huge scale.
...and yes, a lot of people prefer DIY...especially now with 3d printers you can just download the models, wash, paint, and go...don't even need to know anything about CAD.
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I am really on the fence with DnD terrain and minis in general. I played a bunch of the old Wizkids collectible minis games, as well as building a couple of decent-sized war hammer armies. In those games, the models and terrain were the hobby, and you could trot them out game after game in slightly different configurations because that’s what you were signing up for. I love DnD minis, but have already found that for me, the cool mounted Orc Warlord or Minotaur is awesome the first time, solid the second or third, and past that just feels like you’re playing Diablo or some other “grindy” game.
In DnD, my party might only spend 2 or 3 sessions in a given “area” before moving on, so unless it’s very general terrain like trees /ruins, I think I would be hesitant to spend much on them, knowing I would only use them a couple of times before they were old hat for my group. Honestly something like paper-craft house designs or something I could build in an hour or so, use and chuck or save as needed is probably my speed.
Thank you for the feedback! The goal is to create a marketplace that would provide a wide range of products giving the players the ability to play the game however they deem fit. The beauty of D&D is that the players have all of the control when it comes to how they play the game. For example, for a party like yours, providing minimal terrain such as trees, walls, ruins, etc. that could be easily stored and less expensive than other marketplaces (Etsy, Amazon, etc.). Other parties may find more enjoyment in modular structures they can manipulate, further adding other dimensions to their experiences with the game. The control remains with the players. Ideally this would be a place where each party could come to address their tabletop terrain needs.
I feel like it would be nice to have something modular like dwarven forge with a similar level of quality that is just actually available for purchase.
Ah ok, I think I see what you're going for. You're probably already headed in this direction, but it sounds like the way to go about it would be to do a Kickstarter (or similar) to get the initial production run financed, and then go from there?
To compare two existing standards, Dwarven Forge versus Dirt Cheap Dungeons, my guess is that you will find more people wanting similar stuff to the Dirt Cheap Dungeons niche, but with a wider variety. No question that Dwarven Forge makes stunning terrain, but I don't have the space or the funds to make a town out of that stuff for my players.
If you would indulge me, what are a few products you would consider looking for on a marketplace like this?
I play on Roll20, so I don't use miniatures or anything like that... Maybe make and sell some digital landscapes (maps, top-down view for gameplay, etc.)? Certainly it will be more efficient, especially for those whose groups don't meet in person too often.