Various Solutions For Tabletop Dungeon Terrain

[Meech17]

I've been 3D printing like a bandit for an upcoming con. Though, im hosting a 40 person tournament so its a lot. There is quite a bit of files online for this kind of thing. I just recently backed C.O.R.E. which is a series of spaceships and stations which I think would be great stages for a con game one shot.

Is 3D printing right for you? It has some up front costs. Right now Bambu has a great sale on the A1 printer with an AMS (machine that allows you to print up to 4 colors or more) for $380. Once you have a printer, a spoil of filament is about 15-20 dollars and prints a good amount but hard to say exactly without knowing what you are printing. Alternatively, there are resin printers for about the same cost, but the matieral is toxic and needs a good workspace. The detail of resin is unparalleled though. My rule of thumb is if you are printing lots of miniature figures, than go resin, if you are printing lots of terrain, go filament.
Resin set up
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Filament set up
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Examples of prints I have made.
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This example shows you what an "AMS" can do. All the color is filament I did not have to paint this at all.
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A 3D printer calls to me like the Green Goblin mask.. And this post certainly hasn't helped.. I may use a portion of my bonus this year for one.. My girlfriend is going to be so annoyed with me

 

[aco175]

I think there might be a problem with portability to the convention with big sets and power requirements of bringing a TV. One does not always have space at a convention and all maps/terrain should fit in a briefcase (my opinion).

 

[LordEntrails]

Well, options as I know them:

• 3D Terrain (purchased or printed or foam built)
• TV or short throw projector (would be my approach w/ a VTT personally)
• dry-erase
• printed maps (like the Paizo or old D&D Encounters)
• 2D map tiles
• 3D paper models (i.e. printed out and cut and tape/glue into 3D.

 

[dbm]

I get great value out of map books, in my case Loke but others are available. They have a wide array of fantasy map books, plus some sci-fi and cyberpunk stuff.

 

[CharlesWallace]

I really like painting terrain and minis, but you can do fun stuff with cardboard and a ruler and marker. I made this spelljammer ship once.

 

[Koloth]

I get great value out of map books, in my case Loke but others are available. They have a wide array of fantasy map books, plus some sci-fi and cyberpunk stuff.

I am a fan of the Loke books as well. Backed several of their KS. Got the books plus JPG/VTT files for the maps. The books work well as is. The files are good for the TV solution.

Another option is Paizo's line of Flip Maps. They have a large selection of foldable double sided maps that are 24x30 squares. Given the time frame of Feb 26, these or similar(Loke books) might be your best option if there are some that fit with your game idea.

I would verify with the con what the table facilities are before deciding. Would suck to transport your solution only to find out the tables are too small or shaped wrong. Or there is no power.