My question is this, how do I as the DM use physical terrain while still allowing for player-choice? For example, I have a set of cavern pieces, I figure I don't want to have it setup all nice on the table ahead of the game session as that would be a pretty obvious signal that I want my players to go to the cave, kind of takes away from their sense that they are in control of their actions if I have such an obvious sign that "hey go to the cave" sitting there. Do you all just construct an area as quickly as you can once your players do in fact decide to go to that location? Do you have it pre-assembled but covered with a series of napkins?
Any advice on how to make use of terrain once you do have it all crafted and painted would be greatly appreciated!
Unless you have a lot of layout accessories going into the design, I prefer to build it as they go. Now, I may have a layout that I'm sticking to, drawn out, etc so that I'm not fumbling on the fly. This prohibits the illusion that you're railroading them, and helps in keeping the 'fog of war' as they choose to enter.
I went to my local home improvement store and had them cut some plexiglass (lexan) for me into small 8"x10" pieces. I lay them on the table first, then build my design onto them, sometimes having to adjust a room or corridor a little so it fits neatly onto the plexiglass. Then I write a note with a number (if I need to reference a dungeon room list from the adventure) and lay it on each section. Then I just lift them and set them in the next room. I bring out the pieces as the players explore.
Folding battlemats (like Paizo's Flip-mats and such) are easiest because you can set them out quickly.
If you're using 3-D terrain (like Dwarven Forge) it's best to have it set-up ahead of time. I've found the best method is to set your pieces on top of stiff plastic sheets - grab a few of those roadside signs that litter the highways (often one side is blank/white... those are best). This allows you to easily move your set-up. The plastic signs can also be used to cover your pieces when not in use
For large 3-D set-ups (i.e. the whole dungeon, if you have enough terrain pieces), I just cover unexplored portions with cardstock dungeon tiles (cardboard works too) until they are entered.
This is pretty much why i stopped using physical terrain. I love it. I love building it and I love using it. But it's very restrictive on your GM style. I have a whole heap of 3d terrain. It's all modular so I can set it up as they go but that means stopping the game to set it up. Setting it up before hand and putting covers over the dungeon means you are restricted to that dungeon and changing locations involves a chunk of down-time.
Ultimately my GM style is maturing and with that I needed the flexibility to move my players around alot more. I wanted to be able to do that efficiently and as such this is how I game now. I will keep building. I have a village to complete. But that's for my own enjoyment and the odd special game instead of for every game.
Setting it up before hand and putting covers over the dungeon means you are restricted to that dungeon and changing locations involves a chunk of down-time.
btw: incredible set-ups! Thank you for sharing the pictures!
For the longest time I avoided using my Dwarven Forge terrain for exactly this reason, but I eventually found a way to make it work:
Setting up my dungeon on two 18"x24" plastic boards (i.e. abandoned roadside signs) allows me to easily move it around. Sometimes I have to adjust the dungeon (i.e. remove long hallways) to compress it into a 3'x4' area.
The Dwarven Forge pieces (none of which are over 2" tall) stay on surprisingly well, and I can bring out (or remove) the whole dungeon during the game if needed.
Keeping all the terrain pieces at 2" tall allows me to cover the whole thing with two additional 18"x24" plastic boards.
I can place folding battlemats on top of this cover as needed if the players say, have a random encounter in a bar or forest on the way to the dungeon.
If playing in the offline world, I prefer flat tile pieces, pre-printed maps, and gridded battle-mats for greater flexibility of changing the environment, such as when there's an illusionary area or when things get destructive.
Greetings fellow DMs
My question is this, how do I as the DM use physical terrain while still allowing for player-choice? For example, I have a set of cavern pieces, I figure I don't want to have it setup all nice on the table ahead of the game session as that would be a pretty obvious signal that I want my players to go to the cave, kind of takes away from their sense that they are in control of their actions if I have such an obvious sign that "hey go to the cave" sitting there. Do you all just construct an area as quickly as you can once your players do in fact decide to go to that location? Do you have it pre-assembled but covered with a series of napkins?
Any advice on how to make use of terrain once you do have it all crafted and painted would be greatly appreciated!
Unless you have a lot of layout accessories going into the design, I prefer to build it as they go. Now, I may have a layout that I'm sticking to, drawn out, etc so that I'm not fumbling on the fly. This prohibits the illusion that you're railroading them, and helps in keeping the 'fog of war' as they choose to enter.
I went to my local home improvement store and had them cut some plexiglass (lexan) for me into small 8"x10" pieces. I lay them on the table first, then build my design onto them, sometimes having to adjust a room or corridor a little so it fits neatly onto the plexiglass. Then I write a note with a number (if I need to reference a dungeon room list from the adventure) and lay it on each section. Then I just lift them and set them in the next room. I bring out the pieces as the players explore.
Folding battlemats (like Paizo's Flip-mats and such) are easiest because you can set them out quickly.
If you're using 3-D terrain (like Dwarven Forge) it's best to have it set-up ahead of time. I've found the best method is to set your pieces on top of stiff plastic sheets - grab a few of those roadside signs that litter the highways (often one side is blank/white... those are best). This allows you to easily move your set-up. The plastic signs can also be used to cover your pieces when not in use
For large 3-D set-ups (i.e. the whole dungeon, if you have enough terrain pieces), I just cover unexplored portions with cardstock dungeon tiles (cardboard works too) until they are entered.
This is pretty much why i stopped using physical terrain. I love it. I love building it and I love using it. But it's very restrictive on your GM style. I have a whole heap of 3d terrain. It's all modular so I can set it up as they go but that means stopping the game to set it up. Setting it up before hand and putting covers over the dungeon means you are restricted to that dungeon and changing locations involves a chunk of down-time.
Ultimately my GM style is maturing and with that I needed the flexibility to move my players around alot more. I wanted to be able to do that efficiently and as such this is how I game now. I will keep building. I have a village to complete. But that's for my own enjoyment and the odd special game instead of for every game.
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If playing in the offline world, I prefer flat tile pieces, pre-printed maps, and gridded battle-mats for greater flexibility of changing the environment, such as when there's an illusionary area or when things get destructive.
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