Getting into PDF seller dungeon tiles

[filthgrinder]

One suggestion: I'd like to see some 3d terrain features that focus on the types of terrain in the 4e DMG:

• Obscured (3D fog boxes?)

I want to definitely say YES! to that. My party currently has a Drow, with the Dragon Magazine article feat for re-active darkness. Meaning, when hit, he can use the Globe of darkness encounter power as an immediate reaction. He does it, "ALOT". (It's now a running gag, "ooh, you made me ink!"). We first started using poker chips to mark out the squares of darkness. We then created a 3x3 tile section to slide under. I took the Fat Dragon Games "gelatinous cube" model from the "Tombs and Horrors" set, brought it into photoshop, painted it black, and increased the size from 2x2 to 3x3. I made sure to cut out the bottom so I can drop it over the minis and map. I kinda screwed it up a bit, so I had to build it in pieces. However, we are now using that. So, I'd like to see more of these types of things. A cloud of daggers 1 square column with empty bottom to drop in place.

• dwarves - lots of runes, stone tables, etc

Check out FDG's "Dungeons of the Dwarf Lords" Dragon Tiles set. That has alot of dwarven flavored goodness.

 

[skinnydwarf]

Actually, in the new Deluxe Edition there is a stand-alone guide with color layouts showing how to create a multitude of room designs.

I haven't tried the WorldWorks stuff, but I've been loving Fat Dragons' E-Z Dungeons. The WorldWorks dungeon pieces are just too "busy" for my taste. Some of their nondungeon stuff looks pretty neat, though. I got E-Z Dungeons Deluxe a week or two ago, and I've made several pieces so far. It hasn't been too expensive, mostly because I already had a color printer and a large color ink cartridge, to save on the unit price. The pieces are super easy to put together, and look great. My girlfriend is even getting into it. So, thanks Fat Dragon for putting out E-Z Dungeons Deluxe, it's great. And those new traps make the evil DM inside me smile. And as we all know, if the DM smiles, it's already too late...

My only problem has been finding a decent glue. The gluepens I got from Staples are ok, but I'm sure there is something out there better. With the pen I have now, I have to put down a non trivial amount of glue to get it to stay. Is there a particular brand anyone can recommend?

 

[nnms]

It's not hard. It's expensive, as I don't have a color printer, and I have to get pages printed at Kinkos, etc., but no, not hard.

While this may or may not be a feasible recommendation, I'd recommend getting a cheap inkjet printer that works well with manually refilling the ink cartridge. It'll really cut down the costs involved compared to spending 50 cents and up per colour page at a print shop.

The WorldWorks dungeon pieces are just too "busy" for my taste.

I agree. They're also very stylized for a particular feel. I don't know how to describe it, but they feel like they're specific and non-generic. What I mean is that they give off a certain feel rather than being neutral/generic. And if that feel doesn't match your in-game description, they can counter the vibe/move you're trying to give. I don't know if I'm making any sense. They're really nice though. And if they vibe/feel does match what you're going for then, well, awesome!

For tiles, I recommend mounting them on foamcore for sure. Much easier to use that way.

What I use are cheap vinyl adhesive floor tiles. They are like 4 or 5 for a dollar at home depot or whatever. I print the tile on regular white paper, take off the adhesive backing of the floor tile and stick it on the part of the tile that would normally go down on the sub-floor. Then I carefully cut everything with a pair of utility/kitchen scissors. This is obviously for the tiles and not walls and whatnot-- though I'm sure you could make that work too.

Fat Dragon ...I love them.

I am so happy my friend sent me the link to this thread. I had to sign up for Enworld just to post here about it. I've done some WorldWorks stuff, SkeletonKey stuff and a bunch of free online stuff. This is the first time I've seen Fat Dragon's stuff and I'm blown away.

-- Matt

 

[Mark]

Welcome to EN World!

What I use are cheap vinyl adhesive floor tiles.

Do you notice any warping with the floor tiles?

 

[nnms]

Welcome to EN World!

Thanks!

Do you notice any warping with the floor tiles?

Warping isn't quite right, but certainly flexing. They are vinyl, which means they are semi-flexible. For a while I was transporting my tiles in a cheap plastic bag. The pressure of the bag was enough to flex the tiles. So I had to pull them out and gently bend them back the other way. Since then I've been transporting them in a file folder case and have had no issues.

 

[Kris]

...and there are hundreds of free tiles on the web, if you look around.

That is true enough.

I'm not going to say that they are as good, as flexible, or as detailed as some of the stuff you can buy, but for folks thinking of just testing things out before jumping in with both feet, then they might be good to experiment with before parting with any cash.

Some generic 2D tiles that I have drawn myself are available on this page of my website:
PDF Dungeon Tiles

...but there is other stuff out there.

While this may or may not be a feasible recommendation, I'd recommend getting a cheap inkjet printer that works well with manually refilling the ink cartridge.

Having an ink cartridge that you can refill without much hassle is a definite bonus for these kind of things

 

[Novem5er]

Those FDG mechanical traps look exactly like what I was looking for... and at a reasonable price, too. I'll be sure to pick some up soon.

Regarding glue, I've been using just a dab of superglue on each of the tabs. There is actually a few seconds of "give" before it really starts to bond, so I've been able to make last second adjustments. For times that I'm off, I can usually use my hobby knife to just slide in and cut the glued paper and then reglue... since I'm just using a dab, it isn't that bad to cut and fix.

 

[FATDRAGONGAMES]

What I use are cheap vinyl adhesive floor tiles. They are like 4 or 5 for a dollar at home depot or whatever. I print the tile on regular white paper, take off the adhesive backing of the floor tile and stick it on the part of the tile that would normally go down on the sub-floor.

I gotta try this- wonderful idea!


As for glues, UHU makes a scrapbooking glue pen that works good you can pick up at Wal Mart. Once of our customers just e-mailed me that Elmers is making a non-wrinkle glue pen too, but I have yet to try this. I actually use Elmers white glue (VERY sparingly) and I like Eileen's Craft Glue (it's white school glue for crafting, but it has about half the water content so it doesn't warp as much.)

 

[FATDRAGONGAMES]

They're really nice though. And if they vibe/feel does match what you're going for then, well, awesome!

I think this is the best part of having so many good card model manufacturers out there- we each bring our own unique style to the product which means the customer has a far better chance finding a set that fits their particular needs. More choices for the customer is always a good thing, and there is no reason not to mix and match the available sets out there.

 

[nnms]

I think this is the best part of having so many good card model manufacturers out there- we each bring our own unique style to the product which means the customer has a far better chance finding a set that fits their particular needs. More choices for the customer is always a good thing, and there is no reason not to mix and match the available sets out there.

Absolutely. Might I ask for a product recommendation? I want to go with a 2D dungeon solution with 3D doors, furniture, etc.,. I don't want to have walls on every room. What would be the best Fat Dragon product to go with?

Having an ink cartridge that you can refill without much hassle is a definite bonus for these kind of things

Definitely. Getting a good quality refill kit (like Image Specialist/MIS/Precision Colors) drives the cost per page down to about a tenth of buying the official cartridges at full retail. Those cartridges with print heads attached right on them will only last 5-10 refills, but it's great refilling them for $1 a shot and only having to buy new replacement ones every 5-10 fills.