We use Melee Mats (can search for that, and they sell on Amazon) for the grid portion. The dry erase is great.
For minis, we actually use Pathfinder tokens, though some of our players have purchased custom ones of Heroforge.com. We also have a couple Wizards plastic pre-painted minis.
Definitely follow the directions and roll up the mat, unless you get a foldable one. Be careful with erasing the dry erase, if you use it, as the veneer doesn't last too long, though we use ours a LOT. We've started using dungeon tiles more, though, and that's pretty cool. These, too, are searchable on amazon. (D&D Dungeon Tiles Reincarnated)
Otherwise, you're going to want to make sure you have a large enough table to accommodate all of this, as it can take up quite a bit of space.
For logistics, I would recommend having the players move their own minis. Makes them get up and physically invested and more involved in whatever's going on.
I even might direct the players to move other minis depending on the situation.
Lastly, make sure you have a safe place to store the minis, if you get proper plastic ones. They can be fragile.
I get my minis from two sources: Nolzur's and Games Workshop
Nolzur's Marvelous Minis are officially licensed, so they have most potential race/class combo from the PHB, as well as a good deal of monsters. Their minis are pretty detailed, and pretty cheap as well, but you only get one or two for each package.
Games Workshop (you may know them from Warhammer 40 000/Age of Sigmar) are great when you need large armies or big monsters. They don't make D&D monsters specifically, and they won't fit perfectly on a 1-inch grid, but they have packages with like 10-15 skeletons, zombies, dryads and demons/devils for pretty cheap, and their models are also great for modifying, so even if the models don't fit perfectly, you can modify them very easily (I've been looking at making a pit fiend from their Daemon Prince). GW also have a lot of paint and painting technique advice that also can be used on Nolzur's minis.
As for general advice and inspiration, take a looksee at the r/minipainting subreddit
Arcknight.com has a wide selection of flat plastic minis. Sly Flourish of Way of the Lazy DM fame has a curated set. I like them because all of my collection of minis now fit in a gallon size zip lock, with smaller bags inside to organize. This gallon bag takes up less space in my DM kit than my module book.
I personally prefer wet erase to dry erase but that is just me. My Chessex battle mat has served me quite well.
On the low end, you can get markers with slots that let you stick printed figures in them. For one step above that, get figures for the PCs and major NPCs then either simple markers or the ones with printed figures for the rest of the enemies. If you want to use miniatures for everything, you might want to consider a 3d printer.
For the battle mat, I suggest a mix of dry and wet erase, wet erase for the semi-permanent area map and dry erase for more temporary effects.
I use monster tokens for my creatures since there is a lot of monsters an I would need multiple minis for one monster lol. I use battle grids I purchased on Amazon that are forest, stone, wood, water, and desert. Then I made terrain with a 3d printer so it's easier to set the battle scene instead of drawing the whole map everytime. There is a website one of my players found where you can order a custom mini, I would suggest your players use it so they can have their characters be accuratly made.
Would that website be Heroforge.com? Expensive, but very worth it if you have a need for a premium mini for your game. Not recommended for Meat Grinder mode ToA!
can start with just a chessex mat. a bag of simple candy as enemies. kill them, eat them. next step. invest in a decent enough laser printer. copy paste images from the monster manual or pinterest. creating simple papercraft mini's. can even buy a simple plastic base real cheap to put the paper mini's in. they're also easy to store in those plastic binders people use for collecting cards. each plastic sheet being quite cheap as well. buy simple tile boxes for varying environments Get each member of your group to put in a small monetary contribution into a general D&D pot. save up to get all the cool expensive shit that you like to use.
Want some really cool markers to use for spell effects/oozes/other odd stuff?
Search Ebay for '25mm flatback round resin' or '20mm flatback round resin' for some really nice, flashy items...usually about a dozen for $2, as long as you don't mind waiting for shipping form China or wherever.
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Edeleth Treesong (Aldalire) WoodElf Druid lvl 8 Talaveroth Sub 2 Last Tree StandingTabaxi Ranger, Chef and Hoardsperson lvl 5, Company of the Dragon Team 1 Choir Kenku Cleric, Tempest Domain, lvl 11, Descent Into Avernus Test Drive Poinki Goblin Paladin, Redemption, lvl 5, Tales from Talaveroth Lyrika Nyx Satyr Bard lvl 1, The Six Kingdoms of Talia
can start with just a chessex mat. a bag of simple candy as enemies. kill them, eat them. next step. invest in a decent enough laser printer. copy paste images from the monster manual or pinterest. creating simple papercraft mini's. can even buy a simple plastic base real cheap to put the paper mini's in. they're also easy to store in those plastic binders people use for collecting cards. each plastic sheet being quite cheap as well. buy simple tile boxes for varying environments Get each member of your group to put in a small monetary contribution into a general D&D pot. save up to get all the cool expensive shit that you like to use.
Back in the day, all I had was theater of the mind. We might have sketched out a dungeon on paper, but when combat came around we didn't used minis or terrain. When we switched to Champions and my Chessex mat, we still didn't use minis because...honestly the options sucked in the late 80s for super hero minis. Now, if I want a mini for myself I use HeroForge to print up a custom hero for whatever game and rely on my Arcknight minis for the monsters and NPCs.
Would that website be Heroforge.com? Expensive, but very worth it if you have a need for a premium mini for your game. Not recommended for Meat Grinder mode ToA!
Hero Forge is a great option for us since we 3d print many of our own minis. They just lowered the price on STL files to $7.99 so at that point, if i'm going to print more than two or three of a given mini, they are the cheapest way to go.
When I play a face to face game I just use a a ruler/tape measure. Depending on how much space you have you may want to cut back on the movement speed when using minis to half. Anyway, I would just use the kitchen table or coffee table along with whatever I could gather up to use as props. I used to make terrain for warhammer so I have stuff laying around. Other then that just about anything can make a great prop. I personally feel it offers more freedom of movement not being on a grid.
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I'm not using miniatures or maps now, but wants to start using them, ho do you do it? Are there any tips and tricks?
We use Melee Mats (can search for that, and they sell on Amazon) for the grid portion. The dry erase is great.
For minis, we actually use Pathfinder tokens, though some of our players have purchased custom ones of Heroforge.com. We also have a couple Wizards plastic pre-painted minis.
Definitely follow the directions and roll up the mat, unless you get a foldable one. Be careful with erasing the dry erase, if you use it, as the veneer doesn't last too long, though we use ours a LOT. We've started using dungeon tiles more, though, and that's pretty cool. These, too, are searchable on amazon. (D&D Dungeon Tiles Reincarnated)
Otherwise, you're going to want to make sure you have a large enough table to accommodate all of this, as it can take up quite a bit of space.
For logistics, I would recommend having the players move their own minis. Makes them get up and physically invested and more involved in whatever's going on.
I even might direct the players to move other minis depending on the situation.
Lastly, make sure you have a safe place to store the minis, if you get proper plastic ones. They can be fragile.
I get my minis from two sources: Nolzur's and Games Workshop
Nolzur's Marvelous Minis are officially licensed, so they have most potential race/class combo from the PHB, as well as a good deal of monsters. Their minis are pretty detailed, and pretty cheap as well, but you only get one or two for each package.
Games Workshop (you may know them from Warhammer 40 000/Age of Sigmar) are great when you need large armies or big monsters. They don't make D&D monsters specifically, and they won't fit perfectly on a 1-inch grid, but they have packages with like 10-15 skeletons, zombies, dryads and demons/devils for pretty cheap, and their models are also great for modifying, so even if the models don't fit perfectly, you can modify them very easily (I've been looking at making a pit fiend from their Daemon Prince). GW also have a lot of paint and painting technique advice that also can be used on Nolzur's minis.
As for general advice and inspiration, take a looksee at the r/minipainting subreddit
For mats, I use a Chessex mat with wet erase pens
Arcknight.com has a wide selection of flat plastic minis. Sly Flourish of Way of the Lazy DM fame has a curated set. I like them because all of my collection of minis now fit in a gallon size zip lock, with smaller bags inside to organize. This gallon bag takes up less space in my DM kit than my module book.
I personally prefer wet erase to dry erase but that is just me. My Chessex battle mat has served me quite well.
On the low end, you can get markers with slots that let you stick printed figures in them. For one step above that, get figures for the PCs and major NPCs then either simple markers or the ones with printed figures for the rest of the enemies. If you want to use miniatures for everything, you might want to consider a 3d printer.
For the battle mat, I suggest a mix of dry and wet erase, wet erase for the semi-permanent area map and dry erase for more temporary effects.
Do not use dry erase markers on a Chessex mat. It will be a hell to get it away.
I'm still using my chessex battlemat which is decades old. It's wet erase so finding markers is slightly harder than dry erase.
Regarding miniatures, invest some time looking through the Arts and Crafts board on this site. There are people there producing awesome stuff.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
OH MY GOD YES! I "loaned" one of my Chessex mats out to a student in my afterschool club...
The dim echoing cries of my lamentation can still be heard in these halls if the students are quiet and listen hard enough.
It no longer has the outlines of his 2 foot by 3 foot dungeon, but has a "nice" reddish pantina after 2 years of off and on scrubbing.
Only use Dry Erase on sealed, smooth mats. Chessex mats are lightly textured and that marker crud just doesn't wipe off.
Amazon.com is *your* source for wet erase markers. They have a set up up to 12 markers that I keep in my DM kit.
I use monster tokens for my creatures since there is a lot of monsters an I would need multiple minis for one monster lol. I use battle grids I purchased on Amazon that are forest, stone, wood, water, and desert. Then I made terrain with a 3d printer so it's easier to set the battle scene instead of drawing the whole map everytime. There is a website one of my players found where you can order a custom mini, I would suggest your players use it so they can have their characters be accuratly made.
-Sol
Would that website be Heroforge.com? Expensive, but very worth it if you have a need for a premium mini for your game. Not recommended for Meat Grinder mode ToA!
Thanks guys!!!!, I was wondering if warhammer miniatures will work?
Of course they work!
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
In a pinch if you need a bunch of minions, chess pieces work just fine.
can start with just a chessex mat. a bag of simple candy as enemies. kill them, eat them.
next step. invest in a decent enough laser printer. copy paste images from the monster manual or pinterest. creating simple papercraft mini's. can even buy a simple plastic base real cheap to put the paper mini's in. they're also easy to store in those plastic binders people use for collecting cards. each plastic sheet being quite cheap as well.
buy simple tile boxes for varying environments
Get each member of your group to put in a small monetary contribution into a general D&D pot. save up to get all the cool expensive shit that you like to use.
Want some really cool markers to use for spell effects/oozes/other odd stuff?
Search Ebay for '25mm flatback round resin' or '20mm flatback round resin' for some really nice, flashy items...usually about a dozen for $2, as long as you don't mind waiting for shipping form China or wherever.
Edeleth Treesong (Aldalire) Wood Elf Druid lvl 8 Talaveroth Sub 2
Last Tree Standing Tabaxi Ranger, Chef and Hoardsperson lvl 5, Company of the Dragon Team 1
Choir Kenku Cleric, Tempest Domain, lvl 11, Descent Into Avernus Test Drive
Poinki Goblin Paladin, Redemption, lvl 5, Tales from Talaveroth
Lyrika Nyx Satyr Bard lvl 1, The Six Kingdoms of Talia
I use an unholy combo of minis, painted/unpainted/prepainted, chess pieces, board games pawns, checkers and other bits
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
Back in the day, all I had was theater of the mind. We might have sketched out a dungeon on paper, but when combat came around we didn't used minis or terrain. When we switched to Champions and my Chessex mat, we still didn't use minis because...honestly the options sucked in the late 80s for super hero minis. Now, if I want a mini for myself I use HeroForge to print up a custom hero for whatever game and rely on my Arcknight minis for the monsters and NPCs.
Hero Forge is a great option for us since we 3d print many of our own minis. They just lowered the price on STL files to $7.99 so at that point, if i'm going to print more than two or three of a given mini, they are the cheapest way to go.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
When I play a face to face game I just use a a ruler/tape measure. Depending on how much space you have you may want to cut back on the movement speed when using minis to half. Anyway, I would just use the kitchen table or coffee table along with whatever I could gather up to use as props. I used to make terrain for warhammer so I have stuff laying around. Other then that just about anything can make a great prop. I personally feel it offers more freedom of movement not being on a grid.