| | You are not authorized to post a reply. |
| | Author | Messages | |
Thoth, Gatherer of Knowledge
MerricB
Underboss
2353 Posts
    
Australia
 | | 01/08/2006 10:11 PM |
| http://www.3rdedition.org/merricb/musings/index.htm
Cheers! | |
Merric Blackman
| |
|
PatEllis15
Commander
4463 Posts
| | 01/08/2006 10:38 PM |
| Right on Merric...
I was lucky. My brother introduced me to miniatures and a battle mat back in 1988. It still amazes me that people regularly play without mini's or battle maps at all!
Pat E | |
"Games evolve. Otherwise we'd still be pushing rocks around the dirt. What do you think the cavemen said when some dude showed up with sticks?" - Chairman7w | |
|
Pale Rider
Underboss
1023 Posts
London, Ontario, Canada
| | 01/08/2006 11:14 PM |
| quote:
Originally posted by PatEllis15
Right on Merric...
I was lucky. My brother introduced me to miniatures and a battle mat back in 1988. It still amazes me that people regularly play without mini's or battle maps at all!
Pat E
I think they're probably to busy learning the motivations of the goblins and why they feel the need to keep their stuff. [)]
And I absolutely agree with you on the use of exciting terrain MerricB. I am going to be getting some of the Fantastic Locations soon but for now I rely on my descriptive prose and megamat battlemat to help me out. The party in one of my games is about to fight a massive horde of Kyuss Zombies in my Age of Worms game in the middle of Diamond Lake. Lots of open ground and buildings to run in and out of. | |
Completed Trades: Crescent Hawk, Vimes, demagogue, vidman, Eric is God, Strachan Fireblade, FungiMuncher, Dudeeehm, Shasack, gausse, kyrin, nyjastul69
Champion of the Remorhaz | |
| 
Lab Monkey
Commander
4136 Posts
| | 01/08/2006 11:49 PM |
| quote:
Originally posted by Pale Rider
I think they're probably to busy learning the motivations of the goblins and why they feel the need to keep their stuff. [)]
LOL! That's hilarious.
Merric, I've had the same experience. Corridor battles that only allow 2 players and 2 monsters to engage are extremely boring. More and more, I enjoy encounters in bigger areas with more interesting terrain features (hopefully my players agree).
| |
Have: Cat; Want: Storm Giant
Champion of Anything Dragonlance
Before trading, please check the Disputed Trades Thread | |
| The Great
Choco Monster
Ghendar
Warlord
12441 Posts
The G Spot
| | 01/09/2006 6:55 AM |
| quote:
Originally posted by PatEllis15
Right on Merric...
I was lucky. My brother introduced me to miniatures and a battle mat back in 1988. It still amazes me that people regularly play without mini's or battle maps at all!
Pat E
When I started playing way back in 84, the DM used a chalk board and drew out the rooms. Very useful to have such tools. | |
WotC - making me wish more and more every day for a return to the TSR days. :(
I fought the snark and the snark won. I'm baaaaaaaaaaack!
Some of my favorite Maxminis quotes
I actually love to be swallowed. - Posted By gss_000 on 09/04/2007 2:32 PM
Could somebody explain Snatch to me? I understand the basics, but not how to enter/use it. - Posted by orcmonk220
G's the man. - Posted By greyhaze on 11/11/2008 8:58 AM | |
|
Monsoon28
Underboss
2313 Posts
Toronto
| | 01/09/2006 8:00 AM |
| quote:
Originally posted by Ghendar
When I started playing way back in 84, the DM used a chalk board and drew out the rooms. Very useful to have such tools.
Did you play at school?
Graph Paper and a pencil was the way for me. I still really want to try battlemaps and minis and trust me I will!
Good read, thanks Merric! | |
"I was sittin' here eatin' my muffin, drinkin' my coffee, replayin' the incident in my head, when I had what alcoholics refer to as a moment of clarity." - Jules Winnfield
Sales/Trades Bad (1): Ironfist Boulderbender
Trades/Sales completed (8.): Danthl, Dafrca, Garyaxe, qillan_dvra, realmaster, Vandal_Savage, cavedweller, unearthed arcana.
Champion of Gem Dragons, VINDICATED Squire of Duergar Commander, Knight of the Astral Stalker.
| |
|
griffrat
Commander
3506 Posts
|
| 01/09/2006 8:17 AM |
| To get more out of the 3d aspect of things I have started to make my own terrian for use on the mat. I sent some of them to Nixlord to get an idea of how they work out for others.
One of the things also to consider when dealing with movement in a combat setting is the little modifiers, such as balance checks and slowed movement for terrain. Think your heavy armored fighters and dwarves hate being at a 20 speed; throw some scree or undergrowth down on them.
Even in the open woods there are still modifiers for cover and concealment. Using a mat and minis makes the game that much more dynamic. Gawd, I love this game!!! | |
Ambassador of FUN!!! | |
| The Great
Choco Monster
Ghendar
Warlord
12441 Posts
The G Spot
| | 01/09/2006 9:21 AM |
| quote:
Originally posted by Monsoon28
quote:
Originally posted by Ghendar
When I started playing way back in 84, the DM used a chalk board and drew out the rooms. Very useful to have such tools.
Did you play at school?
If we could have gotten away with it, we would have. [:D]
But no, the DM had a small hand held chalk board. Don't know where he got it. | |
WotC - making me wish more and more every day for a return to the TSR days. :(
I fought the snark and the snark won. I'm baaaaaaaaaaack!
Some of my favorite Maxminis quotes
I actually love to be swallowed. - Posted By gss_000 on 09/04/2007 2:32 PM
Could somebody explain Snatch to me? I understand the basics, but not how to enter/use it. - Posted by orcmonk220
G's the man. - Posted By greyhaze on 11/11/2008 8:58 AM | |
|
Pale Rider
Underboss
1023 Posts
London, Ontario, Canada
| | 01/09/2006 9:47 AM |
| quote:
Originally posted by Monsoon28
quote:
Originally posted by Ghendar
When I started playing way back in 84, the DM used a chalk board and drew out the rooms. Very useful to have such tools.
Did you play at school?
Graph Paper and a pencil was the way for me. I still really want to try battlemaps and minis and trust me I will!
Good read, thanks Merric!
I love my battlemat but the more I see & hear about them I want to try Tact-Tiles. That and in a moment of utter stupidity I accidentally wrote on my battlemat with a Sharpie permanent marker [:(] I'm going to get some Acetone today and try to undo my mistake. | |
Completed Trades: Crescent Hawk, Vimes, demagogue, vidman, Eric is God, Strachan Fireblade, FungiMuncher, Dudeeehm, Shasack, gausse, kyrin, nyjastul69
Champion of the Remorhaz | |
|
PatEllis15
Commander
4463 Posts
| | 01/09/2006 10:07 AM |
| quote:
I love my battlemat but the more I see & hear about them I want to try Tact-Tiles.
Heh! Tact-Tiles are on my "to buy list". Currently I have a BIG Map (Mega?), nor the 4'x8', but one size down, it's got be 5 feet long... that one is our Main mat, but we were all members of the RPGA back when you had to pay. When they went free they sent Battle Mat's to everyone to help compensate (rather than send money back!). So we have layer upon layer of battle mat that we end up laying down... it gets pretty comical!
I didn't see Tact-Tiles at GenCon, but I'll definatley have to remember to hunt around for them when I go this year...
Pat E | |
"Games evolve. Otherwise we'd still be pushing rocks around the dirt. What do you think the cavemen said when some dude showed up with sticks?" - Chairman7w | |
|
Count Dooku
Commander
4637 Posts
New York
| | 01/09/2006 11:06 AM |
| Go to Staples and buy an Easle Pad with the 1" squares on them. Draw each dungeon room and corridor as they are encountered.
Its an AWSOME tool and I prefer it to the battlemat.
Dry Erase Boards are cool to but being able to tear off a sheet and draw a new map is great....And if you are a decent artist and have multi colored markers you can pre-prepare a map ahead of time and spring a cool battlefield on your players.
Try it you will LOVE it. Ive been using easle pads for years.
Merric Im really surprised you havent been using battlemats until a bleh product like FL inspired you. (If the adventures that support them become better and beefier I'll change that tune. Right now its a skirmisher product with a lame paper-thin adventure thwown in for RPGers.) | |
Champion of the Skulk
Vindicated Champion of the Twig Blight | |
|
Pale Rider
Underboss
1023 Posts
London, Ontario, Canada
| | 01/09/2006 11:15 AM |
| quote:
Originally posted by Count Dooku
Merric Im really surprised you havent been using battlemats until a bleh product like FL inspired you. (If the adventures that support them becaome better and beefier I'll change that tune. Rigth now its a skirmisher product was a lame paper-thin adventure thwown in for RPGers.)
I thought the maps were the whole point of Fantastic Locations? I played the Fane of the Drow at the Games Day event at my FLGS and it seemed that the map was the prime factor in the product.
I've never tried the easel pad before - what do you do with all the used paper though? Do you keep them? | |
Completed Trades: Crescent Hawk, Vimes, demagogue, vidman, Eric is God, Strachan Fireblade, FungiMuncher, Dudeeehm, Shasack, gausse, kyrin, nyjastul69
Champion of the Remorhaz | |
|
Count Dooku
Commander
4637 Posts
New York
| | 01/09/2006 11:37 AM |
| Sometimes.
I have a ships layout for example that I save because the party uses the same ship.
I sometimes make other ships and cut them out so I can position them side by side for pirate attacks and such.
But FL and other dungeon oriented places are places where after the fight happens the party probly never comes back. So those get thrown out after use....Especially since we draw spell effects and puddles of flaming oil and all the other stuff that goes down durring a fight. :) | |
Champion of the Skulk
Vindicated Champion of the Twig Blight | |
|
Count Dooku
Commander
4637 Posts
New York
| | 01/09/2006 11:41 AM |
| quote:
I thought the maps were the whole point of Fantastic Locations?
Oh they are...thats why for RPG its a bleh product.
How often do you fight in the same location in an RPG. Its kind-of a one-use item.
Plus it has all the start squares and those triangles on the rough terraine....Its all very Board Game-ish.
They realy should just admit is a skirmisher product and not try to add a weak adventure and market it as RPG as well. | |
Champion of the Skulk
Vindicated Champion of the Twig Blight | |
| 2004 D&D Miniatures Champion
Kiddoc
Underboss
1797 Posts
| | 01/09/2006 12:36 PM |
| quote:
Originally posted by PatEllis15
quote:
I love my battlemat but the more I see & hear about them I want to try Tact-Tiles.
Heh! Tact-Tiles are on my "to buy list". Currently I have a BIG Map (Mega?), nor the 4'x8', but one size down, it's got be 5 feet long... that one is our Main mat, but we were all members of the RPGA back when you had to pay. When they went free they sent Battle Mat's to everyone to help compensate (rather than send money back!). So we have layer upon layer of battle mat that we end up laying down... it gets pretty comical!
I didn't see Tact-Tiles at GenCon, but I'll definatley have to remember to hunt around for them when I go this year...
Pat E
I use Tact-Tiles for our game. They're slightly over-hyped.
Don't get me wrong, they are, in every way, superior to vinyl battlemats.
Unfortunately their advertising hypes them up to be VASTLY game-changingly, brilliantly superior. Not so.
I find because of the difficulty of moving tiles (getting up from my DM spot, going over to one end of the table, picking up the pieces, moving them to the other end, all while avoiding elbowing my players or spilling their beer), I rarely use them for the "scrolling" ability they're so attractive for. I have a big table, but I'd need a HUGE table to be able to easily scroll the tiles. Still, it's much easier to scroll them than a battlemat. But still, "easier" doesn't necessarily imply "easy."
The dry-erase also has issues on Tact-Tiles. The major issue is that it comes off too easily. Brush it with a hand, and you've lost it. Again, I need a bigger table, but still, you can't help but touch the game surface when rolling dice, moving miniatures, and drawing new stuff.
The other issue that I found out after a late night session was that if it comes off too easy in the short term, it's damned hard to get off if you leave it overnight. Don't even try "saving a map" for next time. I had to bring some wicked elbow-grease (and cleaner) to bear against those tiles to get that dry erase marker off after a night lying fallow. Then that "dry erase dust" got all over my table, leaving a perfect puzzle-piece map of where the tiles had been, and I had to scrub the f'ing table too (causing much laughter from my wife). I couldn't believe how easily it came off in the short term, only to stubbornly solidify a few hours later.
So, that also means not to much pre-drawing your maps. With Vinyl I would sometimes draw my maps a few days in advance, and you could leave them for the next session. With Tact-tiles everything has to be freshly drawn, and if you draw it too far in advance, good luck scrubbing it off (it's 100% possible, it just takes a lot more work). So if you have an elaborate map or set-up coming, you'd better plan on taking the time to draw it out, and then wipe it off.
I do really like some things about Tact-tiles though:
1) Much more portable. Sounds strange, but it's not. ALL My tactiles fit neatly into a little box, along with every color dry erase marker in existence. Way easier than having to tote around 3 or 4 vinyl mats.
2) Scalable. Any size I need. We always play with a map, so I always have them all assembled, but if I just needed 4, I could do 4, in my case I'm using 20, and drawing what I need on them.
3) Potentially scrollable. I'm going to give this one more of a chance on my next adventure, we'll see how it works. I have a feeling it'll be too disruptive.
4) Durable. Those things are frickin' sturdy. | |
POST DISCLAIMER: Above post may contain humor. Now with micro scrubbing bubbles. Do not operate heavy machinery. Take with food. Use only as directed. Contents may settle during shipping. No user-servicable parts inside. Void where prohibited. Beware of dog. This side up. Do not fold, spindle, or mutilate. No salt, MSG, or artificial coloring or flavoring added. Actual cash value of this post is 1/100th of a cent. Avoid contact with skin... | |
|
Count Dooku
Commander
4637 Posts
New York
| | 01/09/2006 3:44 PM |
| Wow Kiddoc..that was a fantastic review. Thanks.
Ive been wanting to get the $60 set but was unsure if it was worth it.
Im not sure if I should give up my Easle Pads now :) | |
Champion of the Skulk
Vindicated Champion of the Twig Blight | |
|
Stabmastaarson
Sergeant
442 Posts
| | 01/09/2006 4:13 PM |
| Informative and entertaining as always, keep it up.
| |
Better to be hated for what you are than loved for what you're not
My Have/Want list
Trades pending with:
Competed trades (11) ares71,pagansexy,bradu,Unearthed Arcana, Garate,Arbados dobblegog, blackthorne,aussie_jim, spikegif, Lady Bast | |
| Professional Fan of DDM
Shoe
Sergeant
804 Posts
| | 01/09/2006 5:25 PM |
| I agree with Kiddoc's assessment - though I've had luck with the Expo2 variety of dry-erase markers in both short- and long-term applications. A tile seems to have a break-in period, as well, where the marker doesn't spread well and the ink tends to "bead up". I've found that after a couple use/erases, they no longer have this problem.
With regard to tactical maps, I do agree that the inclusion of minis makes the "old-school" 30-by-30 room somewhat uninspiring. I find myself designing encounters that allow for multiple approaches, or are spread across multiple rooms, or take place in larger locations with interesting terrain (rubble, pits, fire) scattered about.
I've used the Fantastic Locations maps in my game on many occasions, though it seems the first couple sets suffered from a lack of re-usability. Only the Mithral Mines and Mushroom Caverns have really been used repeatedly, as generic tunnels or caverns, but I'm also just as likely to throw down some Dwarven Forge for those encounters. I guess I've used the Drow Outpost a few times, but primarily as a static location the PCs returned to, so it doesn't really count.
Here's to hoping that the designers of those products work on having a couple of their future maps be more "generic", and reusable...! | |
Professional Fan of DDM | |
|
kyrin
Commander
3168 Posts
| | 01/09/2006 6:13 PM |
| Hmmm... a rare instance where I must disagree with the Count. I really enjoy the adventure that came with Hellspike. I am going to adapt it to my campaign and fold it into my ongoing storyline. And I think the Fane of the Drow is a nice way to introduce PC's to Elves of Color, although I prefer the... well, let's just call it the "G3" method...
All I really ask from a module is to inspire me and give me a framework. I don't think I've EVER run a module exactly as written in almost two decades...
Getting back on topic, I can't recall how we actually ran combats without miniatures. How did I keep track of it all? Yoiks...
JIM
aka kyrin | |
My Have/Want List <-|-|->My Trades and References 1 <-|-|->My Trades and References 2
Pronounce "Drow" like "crow"! Viva la Revolution! We Shall Overcome!
Vindicated Champion of the Stirge! Vindicated Champion of the Githyanki Knight on Red Dragon!!
Vindicated Champion of the Androsphinx! | |
|
IanB
Commander
3112 Posts
| | 01/09/2006 6:30 PM |
| Hm, I dunno about these Tac-Tiles, but I find wet-erase markers (overhead pens) are the way to go on my battlemat.
Maybe using dry-erase isn't the way to go for the tiles? | |
Anson on WotC boards | |
|
jgsugden
Commander
4320 Posts
Walnut Creek, CA
| | 01/09/2006 7:43 PM |
| quote:
Originally posted by Shoe
...Here's to hoping that the designers of those products work on having a couple of their future maps be more "generic", and reusable...!
Was that a hint or something? | |
Champion of Meepo _*_ Myztek on the Wizards Boards. _*_ (2206 DDM on 03/06/06)
Please note: The use of the  indicates an attempt at humor ... often a bad attempt.
BAD EBAY SELLERS LIST (CLICK HERE): AVOID AT ALL COSTS
| |
|
PatEllis15
Commander
4463 Posts
| | 01/10/2006 12:10 PM |
| quote:
Was that a hint or something?
Well, if you look at the credits in Hellspike prison, the Designer was Matthew Sernett, but Rob Heinsoo gets credit for "Addition Design".
Shoe is listed as a developer.
Now, Shoe has taken over Rob's roll, so it is likely that he would be responsible for "additional" design on the next set of maps.
Pat E | |
"Games evolve. Otherwise we'd still be pushing rocks around the dirt. What do you think the cavemen said when some dude showed up with sticks?" - Chairman7w | |
|
Pale Rider
Underboss
1023 Posts
London, Ontario, Canada
| | 01/10/2006 1:14 PM |
| quote:
Originally posted by Count Dooku
Wow Kiddoc..that was a fantastic review. Thanks.
Ive been wanting to get the $60 set but was unsure if it was worth it.
Im not sure if I should give up my Easle Pads now :)
I checked out the easel pads at Staples here in London - $12 for 50 sheets. I'm still leaning towards my battlemats and (maybe) tact tiles though. | |
Completed Trades: Crescent Hawk, Vimes, demagogue, vidman, Eric is God, Strachan Fireblade, FungiMuncher, Dudeeehm, Shasack, gausse, kyrin, nyjastul69
Champion of the Remorhaz | |
| Professional Fan of DDM
Shoe
Sergeant
804 Posts
| | 01/10/2006 2:05 PM |
| quote:
Originally posted by PatEllis15
quote:
Was that a hint or something?
Well, if you look at the credits in Hellspike prison, the Designer was Matthew Sernett, but Rob Heinsoo gets credit for "Addition Design".
Shoe is listed as a developer.
Now, Shoe has taken over Rob's roll, so it is likely that he would be responsible for "additional" design on the next set of maps.
Pat E
My hand has been in every map we've produced so far, either as early as concepting or as late as sketches. All the maps went through the Minis Dev team (Me, MikeD, and others) so we could test skirmish viability, and that process leads to us modifiying the maps to make them more fun to play.
In FL 1, I had the least to do with the Mithral Mines, but did the initial sketch of what turned into Fane -- after MikeD had the idea of using the spider as a motif on the floor, I built the map around the arachnid (the first spider temple (from Gwen Kestrel) used corridors for the legs, but looked very blocky and not spider-like). I redrew the other two maps in FL1, as well, based on themes from the designers.
The three FL2 skirmish maps were initially concepted by Matt, but changed drastically when I sketched the scale maps and added smoke -- the layout is nearly all me, but the theme was Matt. The prismatic flame temple is almost all Chris Perkins.
I'm also responsible for the Drow Outpost, from concept onward.
I did all the concepting and execution of FL3 skirmish maps, with help from the Dev team to fine-tune them. I'm also responsible for the maps you'll see in the War Drums starter set.
They call me the map guy around here.
So you could say I've been involved. A little.
I'm also a big fan of using great-looking battlemaps and terrain in D&D games - I've use Dunjinni to create a few combat zones, I've been able to collect some of the RPGA's full-color maps they've used at conventions, and I use the FL series, basic game tiles, and the Wardrums starter maps in my games. I also use dwarven forge a lot. I'd like to get to the point where I'm not using dry/wet-erase at all, but it is still very convenient. I'd say I'm about half-and-half with tac-tiles at 50% and "other" at 50%.
| |
Professional Fan of DDM | |
|
Nixlord
Underboss
2468 Posts
Quezon City, Philippines
| | 01/10/2006 2:15 PM |
| I too use that old rubber battlemat. But after our first adventure using it, we realized that the whiteboard markers we used were not so easy to erase. While it did get erased, it took some time that it became an irritating distraction.
But we found an easier solution.
I finally just placed the whole rubber battlemat on top of our game table. And then I simply covered the whole surface of the table with standard clear plastic cover.
Now we just mark over the plastic cover but with the gridded battlemat placed underneath as a guide. And it is so much easier to wipe/erase the markings as the plastic cover is so smooth. We just replace the plastic cover every 3-4 months when it starts to look old and crusty.
| |
PENDING TRADES (0) :none
| My References ( 178 COMPLETED TRADES) | Nixlord's Trades | My Haves/Wants List | Game Soundtracks! | |
| Professional Fan of DDM
Shoe
Sergeant
804 Posts
| | 01/10/2006 2:23 PM |
| | Nixlord - a good idea. For a while, before we used minis extensively, I shared the Count's approach -- I bought the 1-inch-gridded easel pads at the offic supply store and put them on a easel, covering them with a sheet of transparent acetate. I'd draw the dungeons on the paper, and mark PC/monster positions with dry-erase markers on the acetate overlay. | |
Professional Fan of DDM | |
|
Zenako
Commander
3469 Posts
| | 01/10/2006 2:31 PM |
| Mega mats for years (have 3 now) and before that various home grown grid systems and plots. (Worked with some LARGE Electrostatic plotters that could print out J-Size drawings in the early 80's in one of my first jobs.) Picked up a MondoMat recently and will be building a table to put under it this winter I hope.
I have often augmented game sessions with 3-D terrain when appropriate. One session in the Underdark, I knew the characters had to go through a certain location (they were in a tunnel and the way behind them was collapsed, so I knew the work was not in vain) and it involved a stone arch bridge over a pool and some ledges above and to the side of the bridge. For a week or two I scrounged lots of packing foam from work discards and used that to build up a cheap and disposable setting. Cut the foam as you need to make the shapes. Added features as needed. The whole effect was pretty cool. Later on I did much the same with a defensive outpost/wall that the PC's would need to scale/get past to reach their goals. 3-D effects make the acts of climbing or jumping much more effective and the visuals are nice. If you fill the moat with bodies, you can fill the moat with bodies/minis.
One DM uses his collection of domino's to generate semi random outdoor terrain. He gathers them up and tosses them onto the mega mat and lets them fall where they may. The number of pips on the domino indicates how tall the tree they represent is. I also have a whole bunch of old HO Railroad plastic trees that find some use as well. | |
Built the addition for this addiction, now on to the "gaming table" project....
http://www.maxminis.com/hw_list.asp?user=Zenako last updated 29 May 2006
Set Status: in a nutshell = all of all
In Process trades 0), (Sig last updated 05/29/06) 300 plus Completed Trades -
If I seem scarce at times...blame DDO - Sarlona | |
| Thoth, Gatherer of Knowledge
MerricB
Underboss
2353 Posts
Australia
| | 01/10/2006 7:04 PM |
| quote:
Originally posted by Count Dooku
Merric Im really surprised you havent been using battlemats until a bleh product like FL inspired you. (If the adventures that support them become better and beefier I'll change that tune. Right now its a skirmisher product with a lame paper-thin adventure thwown in for RPGers.)
That's not quite true. I've used mats of some kind, on and off, since 3e has been released (more off than on, I must say). When Julian got back from America at the start of last year, he gave me a chessex battlemat, and I started using that more frequently - but still not all the time.
The trouble with the battlemat is that I have to draw out things, and if I'm doing that *in game*, then I don't have time to put in all the interesting terrain features. Oh, and many of my sessions are taken from published adventures anyway.
For a Mark of Heroes DM's Mark last year I used two sections of the Fane of the Drow adventure (mithral mines, tomb of queen peregrine) as is, and it was really interesting to see how they went.
With my Great Kingdom/Necropolis campaign wound up, I'm back writing my own adventures for the Sunday group. I've been taking advantage of the FL maps for them, and my players really like them. So do I, as they're colourful, and involve terrain placement I wouldn't think of.
I haven't got the Hellspike Prison maps yet, as Wizards Australia has failed to deliver them to Ballarat so far (along with many other products released last year).
Cheers! | |
Merric Blackman
| |
|
IanB
Commander
3112 Posts
| | 01/10/2006 7:19 PM |
| I'm telling you people, wet-erase!
http://www.expomarkers.com/sanford/consumer/expo/jhtml/productDetail.jhtml?attributeId=EXPOPA000039¤tType=EXPOPAT100003
Come in a bunch of different colors, and they wipe right off of vinyl battlemats with a wet paper towel. | |
Anson on WotC boards | |
|
mordantos
Underboss
1210 Posts
| | 01/10/2006 8:19 PM |
| Well, one of my early RPGs was Champions, so I had to get used to maps.
And our D&D game was at the local college where we had access to a big blackboard. I remember when we all took a break in the middle of combat after our Mage cast a fireball. The Mage and DM stayed behind, as they computed the cubic volume and scored the 'map' [)]
I have a ton of Vinyl maps from the various companies, in various scales.
quote:
Originally posted by Pale Rider
I accidentally wrote on my battlemat with a Sharpie permanent marker
Thats how I got a new battlemap from a DM who borrowed mine. Somewhere in Maui is an older battlemap with the phone number for the local pizza joint in permanent ink [:D]
We tend to use a large dry erase board (which I got when my worksite was cleaning out) because it is there, it is big and it is stable. But for sites that I prep or know we are going to use over and over, I use the easle pads marked in 1" squares.
quote:
Originally posted by Nixlord
And then I simply covered the whole surface of the table with standard clear plastic cover.
Thats what I do with preprinted maps (I have a ton of 3ftx3ft clear plastic sheets for Heroclix maps when I was running tournaments). That or put them in poster sized toploaders. | | | |
|
Nixlord
Underboss
2468 Posts
Quezon City, Philippines
| | 01/11/2006 2:35 AM |
| quote:
Originally posted by MerricB
The trouble with the battlemat is that I have to draw out things, and if I'm doing that *in game*, then I don't have time to put in all the interesting terrain features. Oh, and many of my sessions are taken from published adventures anyway.
Merric, you should do what I do.
Delegate.
All you have to do is prepare the areas/rooms (that will have all or just the major encounters) on graphing paper(s). Just make sure you don't put any info on the paper the players shouldn't know about. Then when a particular encounter is introduced, give the corresponding graphing paper to a designated "artist" who will then draw the area on the battlemat. While he or she does this, you can then prepare the 3D terrain, etc. Anyway, that's what I always do to minimize "lag."
| |
PENDING TRADES (0) :none
| My References ( 178 COMPLETED TRADES) | Nixlord's Trades | My Haves/Wants List | Game Soundtracks! | |
|
PatEllis15
Commander
4463 Posts
| | 01/11/2006 7:33 AM |
| quote:
Come in a bunch of different colors, and they wipe right off of vinyl battlemats with a wet paper towel.
Except that most of the colors except black and blue will stain the battle mat if left overnight.
They are what we use, but we can't use the fancy colors, as we always keep our battlemats till "next time". I don't like my players to think they've "cleared" an area and never have to think about it again, so I delay erasing explored area's until I'm out of space...
Pat E | |
"Games evolve. Otherwise we'd still be pushing rocks around the dirt. What do you think the cavemen said when some dude showed up with sticks?" - Chairman7w | |
|
Monsoon28
Underboss
2313 Posts
Toronto
| | 01/11/2006 8:36 AM |
| | Thanks guys alot of options listed here, I'll have to think what I want to go with next time I DM. (on hiatus...again.[V]) | |
"I was sittin' here eatin' my muffin, drinkin' my coffee, replayin' the incident in my head, when I had what alcoholics refer to as a moment of clarity." - Jules Winnfield
Sales/Trades Bad (1): Ironfist Boulderbender
Trades/Sales completed (8.): Danthl, Dafrca, Garyaxe, qillan_dvra, realmaster, Vandal_Savage, cavedweller, unearthed arcana.
Champion of Gem Dragons, VINDICATED Squire of Duergar Commander, Knight of the Astral Stalker.
| |
|
| | You are not authorized to post a reply. |
|
| |
ActiveForums 3.7 | You must be signed in to participate in the
games. |