[Arts & Crafts] DIY dungeon tiles - printing & mounting advice

[sev]

Great post Sev. I definitely agree with you on the "making". I've dabbled with various textures and graphics in Photoshop and it's awesome when you create something that can really bring your game to "life".



Is this the stuff you are referring to? The description says it's 14-ply.

Crescent Regular Surface Matboard, White and Off-White - BLICK art materials

I think the stuff I'm using is this:
Mat Boards by Bainbridge - Paper & Boards - Art & Illustration Boards at Utrecht
...at least, I got it at Utrecht.

the most similar product at Dick Blick is this one:
Crescent RagMat Matboard - BLICK art materials

but the reason that's what I'm using is that's what I have on-hand. I think the main difference between the expensive matboard and the link you posted is 1) the cut-edge is a different color than the surface and 2) it's non-archival. Probably doesn't make a big difference -- you can always go over the edges with a sharpie if you really don't like the beige. And you probably aren't aiming to make it last for 30 years, so the archival quality isn't a big deal.

If you can get to an art store and actually put your hands on it, I recommend that. You can get a sense for how stiff it is -- you might find you prefer the more-flexible posterboard other people have recommended. (I don't store my tiles flat, so I like the extra stiffness of the mat board.)

EDIT: Actually, now that I look at those links more closely it looks like both kinds of board from Dick Blick are white on the inside, so that's even less of a consideration.

 

[sev]

Regarding sliding around on the table...you're gonna get that no matter what you do. Best way to get around that is get something to lay down on the table...be that felt, thin foam (like a yoga mat) or even that woven rubber stuff you can use to keep things from sliding off your dashboard.

"shelf liner", too. Which is probably the same stuff as you use for your dashboard, but cheaper because it's made for kitchens instead of cars.

It staggers me that the one thing I've noticed that no one ever thinks of as a material for dungeon tiles...is actual tiles. I mean the cheap linoleum kitchen ones. They're 1 foot square, and even have the adhesive right on the back...just peel off the wax paper like a sticker. Nice thing is they have some weight to them but are fairly thin, and you can get em for a buck at Home Cheapo.

I'm not crazy about the offgassing that occurs with the really cheap tiles. And once you go for the seriously real-linseed-linoleum no-formaldehyde stuff it's not cheap any more (at least at my local home depot).

For people without that kind of environmental sensitivity, it's probably not a problem -- but I do recommend working with adequate ventilation.

 

[frankthedm]

Cheap self stick vinyl tile makes good backing for printed terrain, templates & counters.

Print, apply, cut.

Three 12" squares for one dollar is the best price i have found them at. Pricier stuff tends to be thicker.

 

[Toy Boy]

I've dabbled in this and have used a variety of materials. Foamcore, corrugated and paperboard. I like foamcore the best, but it is pretty thick. I guess if I was gong to be making a lot, I would invest in a mat cutter and get nice mat board. Then when you're not making dungeon tiles, you can make nice mats for framing too. The idea of shelf liner on the back of the tiles is great too. Just a 1x1 piece in each corner should do the job.

 

[Perram]

With the new Dungeon Tiles Master Set coming out soon, they are not supposed to go out of print, and there will be an wilderness/forest set included. Certainly I would refrain from spending $50 on a set until those come out and you can see what they look like (for $20).

That will certainly help the issue... but not solve it complete. Streets of shadow will not be included in that set, for instance, and it is another one that has shot up in value. You can't really rely on the dungeon tiles you need being available any longer.

Dungeon Tiles are a great product, and I buy every set released (two copies), but there are a ton of good reasons to make your own.

That said, back to the advice requested in the OP's post, I find printing tiles onto cardstock and then mounting them to black foam core ( $4ish for a 3ft x 4ft sheet that will make a whole lot of tiles ) is the best solution for me. They are a little thick, but they hold up well!

 

[falcarrion]

you can always put them on self adhesive magnetic material

 

[Krensky]

I haven't dabbled with map tiles, but I make tokens semi regularly with mounting adheisve and 25 pt pressboard (the stuff used to make classification folders and file guides). If I'm making a whole sheet of them, I'll often cheat and use full sheet labels.

 

[GlassJaw]

Any thoughts on what kind of printer paper to use? Not sure I want to go the glossy photo paper route. Seems really expensive and I'm not sure I like the glossy texture. I was thinking about getting a decent quality matte paper.

Thoughts?

 

[FATDRAGONGAMES]

Glassjaw- we have a free Beginners Guide with how-to advice on mounting tiles, materials to use, free sample models, etc. A link is on the front page of our website in the upper left corner.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

There are thinner varieties of foamcore - check framing shops. Though in my experience the thickness really isn't a huge problem, you can fit an amazing amount in a fairly small box - plastic file boxes work well if you are aiming at 8.5 X 11 or so.

As for mounting - you may want to look into printable adhesive paper. The downside is price, about a buck a sheet.

Very easy to mount though, and can be run through an inkjet. You will need to balance cost vs. convenience.

Another option is spray adhesive - a bit more work, much cheaper, and just as durable.

For protection you can use clear contact paper - which also allows wet erase markers to be used, and then washed off. Handy for things like Wall of Fire.

The Auld Grump