Old guy here... I used to play and loved D&D and DMing as a teenager but back in those days we just drew the map out on graph paper as I described it.
Now I got some fellow oldies and we are starting adventures anew... except we dont want to use graph paper. So what do you guys do that isn't over the top ( money wise or effort wise - I actually started 3d printing out dungeon lock pieces and quickly realized that its more than I wanted to do )?
I was thinking about buying the dungeon tiles sets but the reviews are mixed. I don't have to try and show them everything all the time... so maybe those would work for me if I just wanted to lay out rooms where combat or important decisions need to be made...thoughts?
- Chessex grid mat and wet erase markers (e.g., vis-a-vis). This will run you about $20-$30.
- Bag of multicolored plastic pawn pieces. You can get 100 for $5-$10.
- Set of nicer pawns for players/important NPCs to make them stand out. You can get a set of 5-10 of these for $5-$10.
- 1 inch cardboard tiles. I used super glue to connect them to make larger pieces for large/huge/gargantuan monsters. When it’s all set, I glue a pawn on top. You can get 50-100 of these for $5-$10.
Grand total, you’re looking at around $40-$50 for everything and it will last you a long time. I would suggest getting a cheap spray bottle and reusable rags for the mat (clean it after every session to make it last) and a cheap organizer for the pawns. I picked up a $3 organizer for screws and parts in the tool section at a local big box store and it holds everything. The dividers are even movable to make the sections the size you want.
There's a lot of good information on youtube about crafting tiles, although as somone who 3D prints, it doesn't seem like it's much less effort (although you probably get a finished product a little faster).
I have 2 boxes of the 4e dungeon tiles and one box of the 5e, and with that much at my disposal, I can do some pretty cool things.
I also use a flatscreen TV that I have laid flat on the table that I use to display digital maps. I had a sheet of plexiglass cut to fit the screen to prevent scratches (roughly $5), and I use roll20 for a fog of war. This is extremely cheap and convenient, but a little bit of a hassle when it comes to setup and breakdown, so as soon as I get more 3D printed assets, I'll be doing away with this method.
Ive actually printed off way more than I remember (and painted them....ha). I remember printing off a bunch of stuff when I first got the printer and didnt even play D&D but just thought it was awesome. I might just keep printing floor pieces. I don't think I will want to setup walls and all that just to show floor layouts which is all I think Ill care about. So now I have to decide if I should print more floors or buy those tiles adventureflight.... Good stuff, thanks guys for the info!
I find the Pathfinder reversible mats really useful, got a set of two a long while ago and still trucking. I've also just recently splashed out on the city set from the Dungeon Tiles Reincarnated, haven't been used as yet but they are a very nice set.
I also use printed paper minis for the PCs and monsters etc. I have a sweet tin full of them, simple, reusable, can find your own art for them online and if you feel like having a nice set for whatever reason you can get some really good ones on the various drivthru sites and dmsguild. If you've got a 3d printer it's possible to now just buy the print files from heroforge to print yourself which is handy for PCs.
I use a mix of everything. honestly. Sometimes I have the craft bug and I make terrain, sometimes I use minis, sometimes I don't. I do use these dry erase 10 inch dungeon tiles.
I got a cheap 40" TV off Craigslist and lay it down on my table with a piece of lexan on top of it. Then I put the maps over on it as a second monitor with MapTool. If the DDB book doesn't have a map I look at DMsguild or make it with Dungeon Painter Studio or Dungeon Fog. From there I just throw some minis on top and away we go.
I find this approach much faster than drawing maps that are already provided and look far better.
You can do a lot in a service like Roll20.net (and others) even without using the other features (like the ability to have character sheets, etc.). Gaming Paper (gamingpaper.com) is a great, and relatively cheap, option, and you can get grid, isometric grids, and hex. You can use markers, pencils, crayons-- pretty much whatever on them. A dry-erase mat is always a good choice, too.
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Old guy here... I used to play and loved D&D and DMing as a teenager but back in those days we just drew the map out on graph paper as I described it.
Now I got some fellow oldies and we are starting adventures anew... except we dont want to use graph paper. So what do you guys do that isn't over the top ( money wise or effort wise - I actually started 3d printing out dungeon lock pieces and quickly realized that its more than I wanted to do )?
I was thinking about buying the dungeon tiles sets but the reviews are mixed. I don't have to try and show them everything all the time... so maybe those would work for me if I just wanted to lay out rooms where combat or important decisions need to be made...thoughts?
We use the following:
- Chessex grid mat and wet erase markers (e.g., vis-a-vis). This will run you about $20-$30.
- Bag of multicolored plastic pawn pieces. You can get 100 for $5-$10.
- Set of nicer pawns for players/important NPCs to make them stand out. You can get a set of 5-10 of these for $5-$10.
- 1 inch cardboard tiles. I used super glue to connect them to make larger pieces for large/huge/gargantuan monsters. When it’s all set, I glue a pawn on top. You can get 50-100 of these for $5-$10.
Grand total, you’re looking at around $40-$50 for everything and it will last you a long time. I would suggest getting a cheap spray bottle and reusable rags for the mat (clean it after every session to make it last) and a cheap organizer for the pawns. I picked up a $3 organizer for screws and parts in the tool section at a local big box store and it holds everything. The dividers are even movable to make the sections the size you want.
There's a lot of good information on youtube about crafting tiles, although as somone who 3D prints, it doesn't seem like it's much less effort (although you probably get a finished product a little faster).
I have 2 boxes of the 4e dungeon tiles and one box of the 5e, and with that much at my disposal, I can do some pretty cool things.
I also use a flatscreen TV that I have laid flat on the table that I use to display digital maps. I had a sheet of plexiglass cut to fit the screen to prevent scratches (roughly $5), and I use roll20 for a fog of war. This is extremely cheap and convenient, but a little bit of a hassle when it comes to setup and breakdown, so as soon as I get more 3D printed assets, I'll be doing away with this method.
Ive actually printed off way more than I remember (and painted them....ha). I remember printing off a bunch of stuff when I first got the printer and didnt even play D&D but just thought it was awesome. I might just keep printing floor pieces. I don't think I will want to setup walls and all that just to show floor layouts which is all I think Ill care about. So now I have to decide if I should print more floors or buy those tiles adventureflight.... Good stuff, thanks guys for the info!
I find the Pathfinder reversible mats really useful, got a set of two a long while ago and still trucking. I've also just recently splashed out on the city set from the Dungeon Tiles Reincarnated, haven't been used as yet but they are a very nice set.
I also use printed paper minis for the PCs and monsters etc. I have a sweet tin full of them, simple, reusable, can find your own art for them online and if you feel like having a nice set for whatever reason you can get some really good ones on the various drivthru sites and dmsguild. If you've got a 3d printer it's possible to now just buy the print files from heroforge to print yourself which is handy for PCs.
I use a mix of everything. honestly. Sometimes I have the craft bug and I make terrain, sometimes I use minis, sometimes I don't. I do use these dry erase 10 inch dungeon tiles.
I got a cheap 40" TV off Craigslist and lay it down on my table with a piece of lexan on top of it. Then I put the maps over on it as a second monitor with MapTool. If the DDB book doesn't have a map I look at DMsguild or make it with Dungeon Painter Studio or Dungeon Fog. From there I just throw some minis on top and away we go.
I find this approach much faster than drawing maps that are already provided and look far better.
You can do a lot in a service like Roll20.net (and others) even without using the other features (like the ability to have character sheets, etc.).
Gaming Paper (gamingpaper.com) is a great, and relatively cheap, option, and you can get grid, isometric grids, and hex. You can use markers, pencils, crayons-- pretty much whatever on them.
A dry-erase mat is always a good choice, too.