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<blockquote data-quote="DrNilesCrane" data-source="post: 3029073" data-attributes="member: 7652"><p>One of the issues with the sculpted Dwarven Forge product, while great looking, is its limited use - i.e. how many times are your players going through the same cave (or dungeon)? While you can rearrange the pieces as needed to fight that repetition somewhat, with a projector you can use any map or image that you find or create, making it a much better long term solution if you run adventures in many different environments such as deserts, jungles, at sea, in a city, etc. and/or want to try a more immersive game by setting the mood with more visuals, many of which are fairly easily attainable with a Google search or through the variety of online fantasy art sites.</p><p></p><p>An advantage of the Dwarven Forge product is the tactile, 3-D feel of it (especially with miniatures). I've played using it before (but don't own any of their product) and found that it looked great...although the "wow" factor wore off quickly once that wears off. Plus you have to wrestle with storage and that your investment is not easily changed (i.e. your dungeon tile set is still a dungeon tile when you're on your first adventure or your 100th adventure unless you keep spending money, where as a projector gives the DM almost infinite options after the initial cost). Miniatures (or counters) work well with a projector (the projected image doesn't make them hard to see/read at all, which was one of my worries before I bought a projector) - if you don't have a large miniature investment, counters are much cheaper to print as needed and work better with a flat surface (not as well with the Dwarven Forge product). Another advantage with a projector is that your maps do not need to be static: using Neverwinter Nights, for example, has standard effects for water waves, smoke, fire, etc. that really look great and simulate a 3-D environment. </p><p></p><p>I don't think the forge products are a bad solution by any means, but if you have to choose between the two and can afford either, a projector will beat just about anything else dollar for dollar over the long run. I think it might come down to deciding how important versatility is for you: if that's not a factor (i.e. you just run dungeons, caves, or whatever environment the tiles represent - or don't mind telling your players "the cave is a town now!"), it might be a tougher choice. </p><p></p><p>I've used a projector for about 9 months now and the "wow" factor is still there since it's like a whole new set of visuals and maps every week of gaming. Plus I can improve this as I find more art, new software is released, or make better maps myself while the Dwarven Forge product doesn't physically change and evolve (unless you're spending more money).</p><p></p><p>DonTadow, you mentioned using the projector for a home theater: I don't do this myself so I can't really comment here, although I've seen it done and experimented with it myself and may go that route next time I move (factor for me was wall space, not quality, and I already had the big screen TV). As for converting it, it's a matter of moving it (projectors are very portable) and plugging it in...a minute or two to change over from gaming to TV and vice versa.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="DrNilesCrane, post: 3029073, member: 7652"] One of the issues with the sculpted Dwarven Forge product, while great looking, is its limited use - i.e. how many times are your players going through the same cave (or dungeon)? While you can rearrange the pieces as needed to fight that repetition somewhat, with a projector you can use any map or image that you find or create, making it a much better long term solution if you run adventures in many different environments such as deserts, jungles, at sea, in a city, etc. and/or want to try a more immersive game by setting the mood with more visuals, many of which are fairly easily attainable with a Google search or through the variety of online fantasy art sites. An advantage of the Dwarven Forge product is the tactile, 3-D feel of it (especially with miniatures). I've played using it before (but don't own any of their product) and found that it looked great...although the "wow" factor wore off quickly once that wears off. Plus you have to wrestle with storage and that your investment is not easily changed (i.e. your dungeon tile set is still a dungeon tile when you're on your first adventure or your 100th adventure unless you keep spending money, where as a projector gives the DM almost infinite options after the initial cost). Miniatures (or counters) work well with a projector (the projected image doesn't make them hard to see/read at all, which was one of my worries before I bought a projector) - if you don't have a large miniature investment, counters are much cheaper to print as needed and work better with a flat surface (not as well with the Dwarven Forge product). Another advantage with a projector is that your maps do not need to be static: using Neverwinter Nights, for example, has standard effects for water waves, smoke, fire, etc. that really look great and simulate a 3-D environment. I don't think the forge products are a bad solution by any means, but if you have to choose between the two and can afford either, a projector will beat just about anything else dollar for dollar over the long run. I think it might come down to deciding how important versatility is for you: if that's not a factor (i.e. you just run dungeons, caves, or whatever environment the tiles represent - or don't mind telling your players "the cave is a town now!"), it might be a tougher choice. I've used a projector for about 9 months now and the "wow" factor is still there since it's like a whole new set of visuals and maps every week of gaming. Plus I can improve this as I find more art, new software is released, or make better maps myself while the Dwarven Forge product doesn't physically change and evolve (unless you're spending more money). DonTadow, you mentioned using the projector for a home theater: I don't do this myself so I can't really comment here, although I've seen it done and experimented with it myself and may go that route next time I move (factor for me was wall space, not quality, and I already had the big screen TV). As for converting it, it's a matter of moving it (projectors are very portable) and plugging it in...a minute or two to change over from gaming to TV and vice versa. [/QUOTE]
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