Terrain Building

How did I get into terrain building?

I was bored.  I moved and my old hobbies, by and large, were not feasible in my new setting so I tried to find new ones.

I started with growing fruit and vegetables because…well it seemed easy and I had dirt, well a garden.  Whilst I like eating and the feeling of achievement I also wanted a hobby that allowed my creative side to go wild.

One hobby that did grow in my new address was Dungeons and Dragons, initially as a character then as a Dungeon Master.  Tabletop Roleplaying Games (TTRPG) are experiencing a comeback, definitely elevated  by Stranger Things. This is great for people like me because more people want to play with me!  It did, however, show a deficit.  

My brain works pictorially and although I believe I have a good imagination I have always struggled with visualising the field of play or map we are exploring within the game.  For those who don’t have experience of D&D, historically and perhaps in its purest form it is played in the mind, often referred to as ‘theatre of the mind’.  The Dungeon Master describes the scene and action to the players adding as much detail as they want to bringing the game alive..  By the time the party of players has turned left, right, right, left, into rooms, back out of rooms I am lost trying to keep track in my head (probably a nod of recognition to dyslexia).

When I moved to the DM position it sort of clicked that I would provide visual aids to help players who had trouble with picturing where they were.  I started by drawing maps on whiteboards and whilst that did the job it wasn’t very satisfying and I felt that things would look better in 3D, also I can’t draw.

This is when I discovered Black Magic Crafts and TheDMsCraft on YouTube….changed my life!  Watching these roleplaying enthusiasts craft various types of terrain and scatter terrain (objects) opened a door that my mind walked through and wandered off in various directions allowing all of my ideas some form of creation.  I saw the light.  A trip to the 2 dollar store gave me a selection of cheap acrylic paints, I then had the issue of XPS foam which everyone seemed to build with.  After a lot of emailing I found a builder willing to sell me some, so with that, my Stanley knife, the paint and some cheap PVA glue I am all set.

My first build, a playable villagers house, is not great at all but I like it, it shows where I started, I still use it in game and generally it has a whole heap of nostalgia attached to it.  We all have to start somewhere…right? What I  did learn is what not to do and in making that house  I upskilled very quickly.  Currently I am in the middle of making Strahd’s Castle.  I am not sure at this point if I am just going to create 11 maps of dungeon tiles or if I will add in the walls and roof as well, time will tell.

When I started on Strahd’s Castle dungeon tiles I started on mini figures, to have some playable ‘non player characters’ (characters operated by the Dungeon Master) on the table.

I love the creativity involved in puzzling out how to bring the picture in my mind to life.  Because it is fantasy I can create what I like, colour it how I like and use it however I like.  If you are at all tempted to try something, give it a go you have no idea how it will turn out.

So that’s where I began, anything you feel like beginning?