The Terrain NOT To Make!

[@DungeonMiser]

I learned from Hero Quest that you can make 1,000 dungeons from a single board and some furnishings, and I never looked back.

[@krispalermo8133]

Years ago at one shop I played at, I took a couple of card board boxes and made a .. tower, with a pull out back corner section with multiple floors. Five feet of pure fun !

[@HereticKage]

THE BEST THING ABOUT HEROQUEST IS THE BOARD!!!!!!!!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

The BEST thing about Heroquest is the tiny furniture!

[@hallking7441]

The best thing about HeroQuest is the gargoyle.

[@mizukarate]

Me too

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Thought this was going to be some kind of April Fool’s joke, but this was much better! Terrain (like any collection) can get out of hand fast

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks!

[@swaghauler8334]

I NEVER had to worry about my kids doing drugs. Between the Dice and Mini addictions, they didn't have any money left to buy crack or heroine with!

[@davidgrubbs6362]

I've been shouting "use blue tack to stick stuff together beforehand" for 5 minutes and then you said it. Should've known to trust the professor!

[@nowayjosedaniel]

Ingenius. So useful! I never would have thought.

[@r7erickson]

“Here in the game room, known to my spouse as the dinning room even though we only eat here twice a year.” So true. Between this and you getting blue paint on your marble countertop you might be in the dog house for a while.

[@jmvh59]

A little drop of cooking oil, a brand new razor blade, and the light touch of a practiced miniature painter/crafter should have made short work of that paint blob. Too bad she saw it first.

[@robertwarren4734]

I would be singing in the next higher octave were my wife's piano surrounded by D&D accoutrements.

[@chazlong61]

Acrylic paint? Rubbing alcohol also helps.

[@chalkboy8]

She's not the boss of you,.

[@samanthalacroix2687]

What is this dinning room you speak of? We dine in the game room, with the fur dragons.

[@rhettburgess8753]

This is the best Dungeons and Dragons channel on KZbin!!!

[@mandodelorian4668]

So good it transcends 'the ultimate game of D&D' and is just great RP-Gaming info in general!

[@jmvh59]

It's a damn fine channel. Always entertaining, informative, and useful.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks, Rhett!

[@rhettburgess8753]

@@mandodelorian4668 Agreed!!!

[@rhettburgess8753]

@@jmvh59 Yep!!!

[@josephbradshaw6985]

A versatile game room can be used, occasionally, for dining.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Lol. I wish I had thought of that. I may steal it yet.

[@liebneraj]

Whether using minis or making digital maps for playing online, this advice is golden.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks, Alex!

[@drewadams6667]

I made a section of front gate , portcullis , end towers and a drawbridge for a campaign . It is two ,two and a half foot section , and a one foot gate section. At our library we have a gaming night for teens . And my local shop holds games , ( pre pandemic) , l loaned it to them and kids can " check it out " , so far, it has not been damaged. And young gamers get a cool place to campaign. And my local shoppe is always happy when people pick up and drop off , they tend to buy something. I am now taking time to craft one big piece to add to my Legacy collection at the hobby shop.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

That's awesome. The more modular the terrain, the better.

[@Dyundu]

Could not agree more with the concept of the staging area. I found a discarded tiny folding table a few years back that I set up at my DM’s station’s right hand to keep minis and maps ready to go. It helps tremendously with speed and organization.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Sweet! And free!

[@ArtJeremiah]

It can make for a special game to have a board set and ready-to-go for that end fight scene. Also, I think for a lot of crafters are just making terrain to make it.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

All true.

[@benvoliothefirst]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 Matt Mercer does exactly this, waits until the players start asking specific questions about the playing field, then goes, "Here you are!"

[@Thornspyre81]

I confess I have a small fortune in Dwarven Forge, but when the session is over if we have a scene set up, we all have a fun ritual where we set up the empty box(s) and everyone starts chucking everything in without a care and it takes mere seconds and I don't have to worry about anything breaking. I also don't set up scenes unless we are going to be there for an hour or more like in an important battle. Prof DM has the best solution to quick and usable terrain hands down. I too love the "bring the terrain to the party" concept. Overall there are enough key moments in our campaigns that merit my Dwarven Forge setups, but it is only maybe 5-10 percent of the time. Fantastic video!

[@HotDiceMiniatures]

Wow good job. The title is so compelling. I just couldn't resist such a seemingly controversial assertion. Having listened to your reasoning, I see that your approach is really quite effective and efficient! I appreciate you sharing your years of experience with us.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks! Don't make the same mistakes I did!

[@trikepilot101]

I basically use (when there is no Covic) UDT but I skip the lazy Suzan. I have a 2'x2' piece of black steel in the center of the table and I drop on cardstock tiles that have magnets on the bottom to stop them from sliding around. I use poster tack to stick the furniture tiles and/or doors in place.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Cool idea.

[@TheTroopersCorner]

Hard lesson learned, I love building intricate terrain because it appeals to the,fine scale modeler in me but you’re absolutely right, a scaled down, minimalistic, open walled combat arena like you made is more than enough.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank you.

[@unit18nate]

I try to set up as much as possible before game time. I only use it for combat encounters. I call moving your minis around a village or town set up dollhousing. It's better just to use a map to explore a city.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Absolutely!

[@tsstahl]

Craft for encounters. Craft to scale for combat. Love your UDT ideas. I transition between theatre of the mind, high view impromptu drawings, and arranged set pieces as the situation requires. I run a true free roaming world. The party has both long term and short term goals. About half the time they go off track and I have to semi-improv. Rarely I pull a DM trick and make the Next Thing in front of wherever they are instead of whatever I envisioned. The players often don't know where it matters and where it doesn't with regard to terrain, which they say is more fun. The base of our playing area is a Chessex mat. I'll often draw what they see on paper (letter size or brown craft). As they explore the 'map', I may have to pick it up quickly and draw the confines of an area on the mat. Sometime it leads to an initiative role, sometimes it gives them visual stimuli as to what to manipulate in the environment. I do have a staging area where I can pull planned terrain, but also have a variety of scatter terrain also sorted in dollar store bins. I never take more than 3 minutes to set up the board. The players are responsible for cleaning the mat after we are done with the area (ideally). I guess this is a long winded way to say that suggestive terrain is enough for game play. Highly detailed buildings, etc. are for the enjoyment of the DM more than anything else. A new thing I'm experimenting with is using my 3d printer to produce models at much smaller scale. I can throw a whole keep together in a small area. If the need arises, I can grab the full size model of say, a tower, for player interaction.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

If you like Chessex, check out Cursed Crypt. You can write on their stuff with a sharpie and it erases--AND it's magnetic!

[@shawnhuls1606]

I like Deathbringer’s Freudian slip at the end there.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@SamIAm-kz4hg]

This is genius. I saw someone else who had made essentially the same thing and thought it was goofy. But, seeing it with a handful of props it really comes alive. You're right. Much easier to use and see. I've got a TV built into my table, so I tend to use that, but I love making brickwork and all of the props like you have. I made a tavern just because. But it would require people getting up. A simple piece like this along with some crates, tables, chairs, and stairs adds so much.

[@ttprophet]

prof DM! try this with your grids: make 4 square flat cut-outs as well! thick printed paper cards if you really want to save space. one side black for impossible terrain (wall, pillar, gap, etc) one side rugged for "rough terrain traps" (roll save to use at half speed, or suffer a minor consequence such as hot coals, quicksand, river current, etc.) - 10' grid and 10' weapon reach respectfully. waves of enemies walking in 120' foot spacing. - roll a die for the amount of rough terrain traps, and a die for the amount of impossible terrain pathing. Flavor text and placing patterns can make anything from church pillars and ruins to rivers and lava falls. - you can endlessly randomly generate maps this way with big battlefields for zoning and kiting without taking up too much space on tables or having big clunky walls. - with 10' grids, the 25x25 map has the potential for great encounters! especially with monsters who have limited sight or tremor sense. place lots of monsters down to scare players, but only trigger into combat if they are spotted, etc. - use a push pin if you don't mind holes in the center tile cracks. Let me know if you try it! I swear by it!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Good idea.

[@ttprophet]

thanks! I built an entire gauntlet system that is completely randomly generated by several dice rolls, then flavor texted with lore depending on the outcome. This idea came to me inspired by your videos! We are currently on our 5th "season" gauntlet run. Only 2/5 teams succeeded (2 seasons and one trial run test play all failed), and only one team finish with all party members. if you die you are out for the season until the next gauntlet starts (about 12 weeks in total). Surprisingly, the players that died enjoyed it so much they'll wait a few weeks just to come back! The thrill of random generation is that each week the gauntlet can be a cakewalk or a death march. Returning champions get big rewards, but understand that no two gauntlets are the same, so there is a thrill of falling in love with your character, working hard to build that story breadcrumb by breadcrumb, not knowing what the new party synergy will be on the next go around. if you ever got 30 minutes in discord and roll20 I'd love to show you my system sometime! you greatly inspired it! app.roll20.net/forum/post/9499271/session-sample

[@lilcwa]

Greetings from Puget Sound in Western Washington, Professor. Excellent video on the practical implementation of sound philosophy to improve our crafting and gaming experiences. Bravo!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for watching and taking the time to write!

[@DeGreyChristensen]

For scatter terrain, I’ve really enjoyed using Crooked Staff Terrain. Cheap and easy and very little mess. And they look really good.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Gotta check that out!

[@DeGreyChristensen]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 I’ve been using his stuff for all my little set pieces and terrain. Tables, crates, chests, barrels, shelves, pillars, altars, etc. It’s all print and paste. So it is just the cost of printer ink, paper and glue (plus some cardboard or or tp rolls).

[@SinisterGamingTabletop]

Great Great episode! The one I have been waiting to see. I unfortunately learned a lot of these lessons already the hard way, but very worthwhile to share. Great job Professor!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks!

[@erikoftheinternet]

5:30 As soon as you decide to only use terrain for combat, it becomes a good idea to occasionally use it elsewhere. By using it here you're giving your players a good visual aid of the scene, encouraging to spend some time really investigating. You're also unconsciously suggesting combat by using terrain, which puts the players on edge and adds tension. Finally you're giving them something they can point at and ask questions about, super helpful when you're running a mystery session in a tabletop game, especially if you sometimes forget to mention important clues in your description or a player misses something you said.

[@richmcgee434]

Agreed. If terrain is *only* for fights, you're telegraphing like mad. It's a real problem if you're planning on doing ambushes.

[@jackiepaper1817]

A picture being worth a thousand words; that murder scene actually is like combat except you're fighting the environment. Instead of you trying to describe every little detail, like the fireplace, immediately followed by a player saying, "I'll investigate that!", you present them with the scene and they can make choices just like in combat. The cleric could investigate the body to try and determine time of death; the rogue could search the fireplace for hidden compartments; the wizard could look through that stack of papers on the desk for clues. Combat is D&D doesn't have to be violent to be combat.

[@bruced648]

the fun of the hobby is the creativity. the joy is sharing with family/friends that appreciate your efforts. being able to use the pieces for your game world is simply a bonus. ... but yes, it can easily get out of hand.

[@nowayjosedaniel]

When I play TOR, you stay in the same terrain type for alot of the time (ex. traveling through Mirkwood taking months). What I do is have the players help setup foliage, bushes, rocks, etc. I use trees at the back and in key areas around that dont block views. Everything 3D printed. Danny's 3d printed tabletop Volume 1 is pretty much all I need for everything. I do City Gate, interior furniture, taverns, etc. Big pieces are for major things I setup and smaller scatter for the players to setup. The players setup the tiny detailed terrains like food on tables or rocks/bushes while I setup what is super important for the scene like a massive waterfall or ruin walls. It's pretty fast and doesnt slow things down, and all the scatter terrain really add a lot. Not too different from DungeonCraft's tavern scene actually from what I see. Except we do move the miniatures a lot. I even make them dance or hang them by thread when they're captured by a net trap. Those circular spinning bases and modular pieces look amazing btw. I will try to improve to be more similar to you bc that is kick ass and way better prep than I do. Would save even more time.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for taking the time to share!

[@SergeantSoldier.peacocks68]

Well thought out. I really appreciate the advice. I am super addicted to building large sets of terrain. And I have it stacked and piled everywhere. I could do without any of it.

[@joekrampus1154]

I started making terrain for my D&D games, but I ran into all the problems you talked about. Now I only make terrain for my 40k setup. I do plan to make a set for udt though.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Post it on the FB group. I love looking at different versions (they're better-looking than mine!)

[@filipr8386]

Its a good thing to have a great number of buildings in an adventure thats, for instance, "the group is trapped in a part of the city by a magical event"; i also find to be a good ideia, in those cases, to spread multiple puzzles on the buildings, giving the players the need to explore and keep there. Removable floor with magnets to cover and uncover parts of the mistery its a good call, too

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Good ideas.

[@davezenz]

Ahhhh Gen Con Milwaukee! Such found memories!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

+100xp for surviving this long.

[@davezenz]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 I first attended Gen Con when it was at UW-Parkside...

[@nickvictor861]

Fantastically pragmatic. Well done sir!

[@MrBrad9]

This is a great video and offers one great way to do things. I also craft and 3D print buildings and terrain. I use what I make in games and my players LOVE it. Also crafting, 3D printing and painting is a hobby in itself. There's never a right or a wrong way to play. Theatre of the mind, UDT, Full terrain it's all good. One person should not tell another not to make or craft things. I encourage everyone to make whatever your heart desires. Whether you use it in game or as a shelf piece. I have many pieces and enjoyed making and using them all. As long as everyone is having fun roll them bones and craft away Cheers!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Karlmakesstuff]

Very sound advice. I like the idea of a staging area. Nat 1 Videos recently showed a magnetic board on his channel, a UDT version of that would work great since you don't even need poster tack.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

True. I've been thinking about that...

[@HouseDM]

10/10 agree and also recommend dungeon corners. Theyre a huge part of the foundation of UDT #impliedwallsarethebestwalls

[@tinaprice4948]

he did recommend corners and put a picture of his

[@boguerogue]

Funny. Our "dining room" looks like yours. Constantly covered with gaming stuff. Except twice a year when my wife makes me clean it off, which is this weekend :(

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Lol. Yep.

[@swaghauler8334]

Two videos this week. I had to give you a thumbs up then take it back so I could give you two thumbs up. GOOGLE really needs to give us a "two thumbs up" button!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks!

[@m_d1905]

Getting lots of good info for my return to DMing. Got a few tiles made, getting minis painted etc. Will be looking for a few cheap props like I used to use, mini poker chips for monster markers, grid paper. I was a broke college student back then, but we had fun.

[@jacobgrimm9475]

Nearly all of my gaming is virtual, even before the pandemic, due to my long time players being spread across the country. I use Tabletop Simulator on Steam. I have been implementing the principles of PDM into my virtual table setup to try and keep things flowing. I think it has helped a lot. Thanks Professor!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

You are very welcome!

[@TaviMBruce]

Im finally giving up for this ultimate terrain, this is the perfect compromise.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

You won't be sorry!

[@JonathanQiao]

You make a lot of great points. I have a bunch of battle maps for different situations but the most useful are the generic street map and grass mat which I have plastic trees and barrels which I normally give instructions to the players to place on the map without knowing what the scene is and it is easy to modify afterwards if needed. I normally have map tiles that I can put over top of battle maps to modify the layout making each map reusable. Often I will prepare all of the map layouts on the table before the game and cover up any non generic maps with a cloth if I think it will take more than 30 seconds to set up. For quick set up maps I usually have a transition scene where the players are role playing or encountering a trap or buying equipment for the journey or travel montage so the players are always doing something. I use maps not just for combat but also for exploring since I could go on lengthy talks of everything in a room or I could show a battle mat. A picture is worth a thousand words and I have found on some occasions that the players will choose to interact with things they find on the map that I didn't even think of which is great.

[@JonathanQiao]

I should also note that I also use doors a lot which was inspired by a game called HeroQuest. It is very useful to keep track of whether a door is open or closed because an open door can allow a wandering creature to sneak up on the party when they are distracted by searching a room but also is a physical reminder to either have someone have a lookout on the door or close and barricade the door in hopes their looting can go unnoticed.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

The transition scene--GREAT idea! I wish I had mentioned that.

[@JonathanQiao]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 I feel this is special recognition. I enjoy your videos even if we don't run our games exactly the same but I like knowing how other people run their games since it can open up new possibilities and when people find ways around obstacles in the same areas it is good to know that you are not alone.

[@nordicmaelstrom4714]

I'm of the old school belief in theater of the mind. I've always felt that putting miniatures on a table and moving them around turned the games into a miniature war game or video game on the table top with modern rules making players so damn powerful. I like terrain making for dioramas or if for instance in my campaign world there is an iconic or awesome location that can be turned into terrain that is a different story as it will help draw players in but I won't break out miniatures or terrain for RPGS.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

I respect that point of view.

[@nordicmaelstrom4714]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 I played for a few years in the society play for both pathfinder and 5E and I always felt those games lacked so much because they relied on battle mats and terrain and moving the miniatures around. It detracted from the story for me. I love terrain making as I am also a miniature painter and model builder so it definitely is quite and enjoyable hobby! I'm looking into getting into the Hirst Arts molds just to make some nice stand alone pieces for eye candy around the house.

[@roderik4]

I'm not into crafting, but I just enjoy watching these videos and also always learn some useful DMing tips

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks! I REALLY appreciate that, as every view helps grow the channel.

[@Mannahnin]

I can't wait to try out UDT once I'm able to play in person again. what I'd really like to do is combine that with paper mapping for full dungeon complexes, although I'm not sure how excited my players will be for that latter. :)

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

In-person play will return! Stay strong!

[@gaz4553]

I totally agree. That being said, I’m still building my big cities cause they just look so nice hahaha

[@krispalermo8133]

Set up a table in the backyard, and put your old house models out on it with weather seal spray on them. Then wait and watch the birds & squirrels walk through the cityscape from your kitchen window.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Rock on! Whatever gives you joy!

[@JRiffle_HeaveHoStudio]

We're using UDT with Mork Borg to great effect.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Cool! I love the simplicity of the Mork Borg rules. They don't condescend.

[@BJBoyd]

This was an exceptionally helpful video. It was good to get recommendations of what types of scatter terrain are essential with UDT.

[@tean03]

I have spend several hundred dollars in beautiful terrain without playing a single session with it yet 😅 It becomes like a hobby in its own way.

[@kitkatwitch]

Sounds perfect for a game of Frostgrave.

[@richmcgee434]

@@kitkatwitch So did that elaborate table Prof described. Terrain collections are useful for more than one game, and there's so much out there to try.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

True. And if it brings you joy in dark times, keep buying!

[@Aragura]

Cool UDT commercial Deathbringer! Looking forward to the end of the plague where I can run games in person again and utilize my set of UDT. Cookie for the metric.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

The light is at the end of the tunnel. Get the vaccine, Aaron!

[@Aragura]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 Already had my first shot, second one on the 11th!

[@LegionofMyth]

I always loved beautiful terrain setups... until I had to play on them. A couple of years ago, I thought I'd give UDT a try on a lark. I really didn't believe it would work for me. Well, that lark is still flying and I have a second piece, thanks to my wife, and I can't imagine any other way of playing. For that you get a big, "Thank you!"

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks!

[@themakeshop1499]

Love the poster tack idea.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Great stuff!

[@botchedminis]

I honestly don’t think there is any other channel as helpful for DMs as this one.

[@TorqueBacklash]

I picked up a bunch of maps and picked up the tiles sets for dungeons, city, and wilderness. I have been making creature tokens by glueing pictures to wood bases. The day before the session feel out making the boards in advance and take pictures of what I make. That way I can remake the boards easily. I’ve had a lot of success with this. Everything is visible. Air template can rest on top so there is no confusion for spells.

[@lesliehackbarth6435]

I have to admit that I'm making a village but its for myself not my players. Love your tips. Thanks :)

[@Balipio]

I was just wondering about this subject today, for good tips on scenery, as I really don't have $1,000's of dollars or alot of storage space for the amazing (but costly) 3D piece tiles, bldgs, and scenery I have been seeing online and Etsy. Amazing timing. Many thanks for these videos!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

You're very welcome. You comment made my day. I really want to save people money. May all your rolls be 20s!

[@Balipio]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 Your videos are very entertaining and right to the point on the topic of the day.

[@zan917]

I made a UDT 8.5 inches in diameter so it can go in a backpack with the standard D&D books and not get smushed. It’s not as claustrophobic as you might think. Plenty of room for several hero minis to crowd around a monster.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for sharing!

[@sirguy6678]

PDM is old school with flare! He does not need to show off a bunch of expensive terrain creation tools or specialized materials in order to demonstrate how run the best to game for your players- less is more!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks so much for your kind words.

[@pez5767]

Great video. I am someone who LOVES miniatures and would be a little sad to play D&D without them. That said, I think PDM is right here that there is a level of versatility and compromise that can be achieved. I think in one of his early videos, he talked about only including thing that would encourage players to interact with the scene. Funny enough, I always drop a chair or two in with a table scene, because I want the visual reminder for my players. :)

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

If you've already got the chairs, rock on!

[@danjamin905]

One thing I have learned playing online is, just because you can make maps for everything, doesn't mean you should. I think it's the same principle as using terrain only for combat.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

EXACTLY! I say that in the extended cut and give examples of scenarios that are better TOTM.

[@workingstiffdiogenes2195]

There are also many beautifully-rendered maps out there that add a lot of atmosphere to your encounters, including 2.5D that blurs the line between maps and terrain. With some of those and a few dozen versatile terrain pieces, you are ready for anything. I don't make towers, cottages, ruins, etc. except for display.

[@mikehoran2602]

The downstairs piece is nifty!

[@njensen218]

I totally expected this to be an April Fool's day joke, but I was pleasantly surprised. Excellent advice! Wish I'd heard it 4 years ago!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for watching!

[@BrenGamerYT]

This one time I was really excited to host a particular one shot. I spent a while (maybe a few hours, not a HUGE time) crafting the map out of foam core board. It wasn’t the most elaborate thing ever, but I used multiple layers of board to represent different terrain and elevation, there are little three dimensional touches for thinks like stepping stones through the water, I built the little altar in the center, and drew a uniform grid over the whole thing to make sure it would be functional and have no confusion. It was simple, but I was really proud of it. For whatever reason the players never reached that final encounter and we never finished, so no one ever saw the map I’d built and I was really beat up about it. I’ve never tried to make terrain since, as much as I might like to, but I’m always worried about it going to waste se we just use the same old blank dry erase map.

[@Decado1628]

I am lucky, my players love terrain and miniatures. Most of my builds fit on a 2’x2’ board but I do do full table builds that they really enjoy.

[@Stuffandstuff974]

I hope you use the really large D20 in the background in games.

[@alexlegrand8386]

I’ve been getting a lot of the wizkids warlock tiles and dungeon dressings. Past on some for the exact reason you stated. Versatility. Some of the market and town stuff coming out is cool but doubt it gets used much in my games. Same with the farming sets.

[@richmcgee434]

Assuming you're GMing, you're looking at it backwards just like Prof is. Buy (or build) the terrain you like, then tailor encounters so it gets use. Marketplace terrain is pure gold for everything from heists to chases to ambushes to street brawls between rival guilds.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for sharing!

[@OddTitan]

I’ve been waiting to test out my UDT at the table. That will help me decide what set dressing to start with. I’ve been using Jamboard for zone combat online.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Cool!

[@MonkeyJedi99]

I am a big fan of scatter pieces. 2" tall columns to represent any height, doors, trees, boulders, a well with and without a roof and bucket, a few torch stands, and so on. - All of the buildings I make have the walls attached to the floor above, and not the floor below, so there is no fighting with fat-finger syndrome to move minis. I have about a half dozen different sized buildings and two round towers. Almost all of the houses can stack to make taller buildings as the roofs all lift off leaving a flat floor. - I have built some generic boats that can be ships or canoes, all sized to fit mini bases, and a number of objects that can be standing stones or mass grave markers or columns. - I have only built a couple of items for specific one-off encounters, and only because the project helped my improve my techniques and are generally small items made from scraps.

[@boxcarsbilly]

At the 4:00 mark, your list of what terrain one should make is great.

[@bengamingames5002]

Trying to get more into crafting, I made my own UDT, kind of a mix of version 1,2 and 3 lol. It looks fantastic! Next are the smaller pieces, thanks Professor!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Awesome! Show them off on the FB group. I love looking at them.

[@tinaprice4948]

Dining room? LOL we turned ours into a computer room when we moved in. Loft for my kids to hang out and watch a separate tv so they don't fight? Nope after 5 years turned that into my craft room when we got back into D&D. And I just converted the largest bedroom(other than my own) into a game room with tons of shelves to hold all my terrain and minis.

[@rowdyparks6770]

I love terrain crates!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

It's awesome stuff. Takes paint so well.

[@dwarvesanddragons6948]

With this video come to my mind a conversation with some friends about a big tower who come to market last year. It was huge and very expensive and I told them, for that amount of money you should think in a very long campaign that happens entirely inside that tower just to not feel robbed for paying so much money and use it in one session.

[@andrejhranac2047]

I made some chairs for my brothers goblin cavalry. They were supposed to ride direwolves, but my brother wanted those separate. I also made some benches that are more useful

[@hobbitonman]

"with Shakespeare" I love the imagery of Professor Dungeonmaster and Bill hashing out a D&D adventure. 🤣

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

He was easy to work with. Barely said a thing.

[@ultrapaladin]

My group transitioned to online sessions. As a hobbyist, I have since gone to the detailed walled buildings/terrain route for my solo games.

[@carpma11]

Other than love of minis I’ve never seen the point of taverns, shopkeeper and wench minis, etc. Unless I’m fightin’ em I’m not paintin’ em!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Good point!

[@lilcwa]

First off, I am a big fan and strong proponent of Ultimate Dungeon Terrain and range zones, especially when using ICRPG for my game engine instead of 5e. I have build my own versions of your UDT concept (as big as 24” square) to employ on a lazy Susan, and it is incredibly convenient and versatile for the savvy DM to integrate at the table. That said, I do a lot of 3D terrain crafting and generally conform my buildings to a 1.25” Wyloch-style grid (usually implicitly as opposed to explicitly) to support their modularity and versatility by making components with compatible standard sizes. This is a follow-up expanding upon my original comment in light of some recent actual play at my table. When I saw an impending city encounter coming in my current campaign, I spent a lot of extra time in the weeks before the session crafting new buildings, extra floors, and roofs to populate my table for the urban campaign setting. Everything you say in this video is true: it can be easy to make things too tall, although designing my buildings so that the walls lift off with the story above to leave a tile-like play area for each encounter helped a lot… (Also, my keeping things modular, you can aid players’ lines of sight by only removing the offending component blocking view instead of the whole building. The adventure I ran was essentially a heist-except nothing was stolen except for information; the PCs needed to break into a private library and find a book that would lead them on their next step to locating a major MacGuffin. While there was no combat, their was a lot of complex stakeout action, hiding in plain sight, breaking and entering, and an epic getaway chase-all of which was greatly enhanced by the three-dimensional nature of the city tabletop layout. If DMs are foreseeing similar kinds of quests and encounters, I would suggest they consider expanding the application of your rule of thumb in the video to encompass non-combat circumstances where exact location, distance, and line of sight can inspire and inform play. I always enjoy your content.

[@ArcNeoMasato]

I seriously need to save up so I can pay someone to make me a few UDT's for my games. Recent life events have left me..... entirely without tools or even an area to work on such things.

[@jackhartford521]

Mission: Watch latest Professor Dungeon Master video in its entirety, give thumbs up, comment. Mission: Accomplished.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Plus 100xp for mission completion.

[@jamesg9840]

Also if you don’t make a big terrain build, you won’t run a foul with Mrs. Professor Dungeon Master by getting paint on the counter top.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

True!

[@Dra8er]

Guess your player's are different than mine. They love the terrain I use. Everytime I don't use it they complain. I have several group's (own/operate an FLGS). Mayhap you just lack space? I have my terrain set up on pine boards for easy swap out set pieces. Keeps scene transitions fast and easy...

[@PrehistoricLizard]

4:24 Nice paintjob on those tables 👍

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank you.

[@RIVERSRPGChannel]

I feel the same way about minis I use minis but draw on a battle mat

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Check out Cursed Crypt if you like mats.

[@HiddenHog]

Very useful information Professor! Thank you!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for watching!

[@asthmatickobold7844]

Thank you for this. I watch a lot of crafting channels and many of their projects seem to have only one use. How many times is one going to need the Graveyard in Hell with 3d-printed Archdevil of Scraping-Mayonnaise-From-The-Bottom-Of-The-Almost-Empty-Jar ("thanks to the sponsor of this video, Useless Miniatures") and special color-changing LED pool of demon sputum?

[@richmcgee434]

Depends entirely on how many encounters you can build that use them, and which miniatures games you also play. That example might be a little out there (although graveyards have got to be in the Top 20 Encounter Locations) but some of the stuff Prof cited comes up all the time. Taverns? How many times in an adventurer's career are they going to wind up in a tavern fight, whether it's a brawl, an assassination, an attempted robbery, or the old "keep the undead hordes from eating the barkeep" scenario? Probably one of the most generically useful sets of terrain you could own, period.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

I hope the crafting community forgives me for this!

[@asthmatickobold7844]

@@richmcgee434 Mine was a very hyperbolic example. A more realistic example is a crafter who made a jungle temple for a snake deity, complete with "bubbling" pool of gold. It's not something that has a lot of uses. As an example of what can be done with crafting terrain, it was very good. The video showed new techniques that could be used to make more generic terrain. Need a bubbling pool? Here's how to do it. The entire piece is what I don't like. It's a lot of work for a one-use item. I mean, how many times can one use a snake deity/jungle temple with gold pool in a campaign?

[@kevynhansyn2902]

Hey there professor, i didnt want to go back on your Frost creation table, however do or did you add Glossy Krylon spray for a good sealant and protection? When i make icy terrain myself using hot glue terrain, after its finished, i spray it with finish. However i was sent Glossy (extra actually) instead of Matte finish. However as some of my minis are super glossy (taking a blind saving throw to a new level), my terrain or elemental effects lok fantastic as auper glossy

[@baldrage2912]

Shhhh, don't tell Wyloch! He just came back!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

I know! Glad to see him!

[@AndrewBeisel]

Or, if you're thinking about replacing a flat screen tv. Buy a cheap table, use a jigsaw to cut a hole that is the shape of that tv in the center of it. Put chip board held up by 4 vices on the under side

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Solid advice.

[@samurguy9906]

You know, I think you could mass produce the UDT out of some kind of plastic pretty cheap and sell it to people who don’t want to spend the time crafting it

[@joshualinley4417]

"It's hard to read with this helmet on."

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for watching until the end!

[@ecfbem]

dont just build for combat, build for events! investigation of a murder is an event, shopping for potions is not (unless while shopping the potions fall over and explode turning the patrons into fishmen which is now a combat event)

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

I wish I had thought of that.

[@herryoung]

Let’s hope Mrs. Professor Dungeon Master doesn’t hear that crack about the “dining room”!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

She watches all the videos for quality. She has a good sense of humor.

[@korth9107]

I made UDT and then covid made my group go online. So i made UDT on roll20 and its been working out great.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Great to hear!

[@epochrpg]

I do love my tavern builds and found many excuses to use them through my swashbuckling campaign.

[@richmcgee434]

No kidding. Prof's just wrong there. Build your encounters around your collection of terrain and figures and build what you want. You'll finish more projects because you'll be more enthusiastic about working on them, and you can find a use for absolutely anything you create with a little imagination. I'd actually rate taverns and inns as some of the *most* useful types of terrain to have, based solely on the number of fights that happen in them.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Awesome! If it gives you joy, make it!

[@sgt-slag]

I love my Chessex Mondo Mat -- sometimes you just want to be able to draw out the entire dungeon on one mat, without erasing and re-drawing! Crayola Ultra-Clean Washable Markers can be left on any mat, for weeks, without leaving any ink behind, when washed away with water. The vinyl mat, with water-erasable markers, is one of the single greatest inventions for TTRPG's, bar none. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool miniatures gamer, as well as a 40+ year veteran RPG DM. I use the right tool for the right game: vinyl mat for RPG's with character and monster mini's, and full 3D terrain for miniatures games. TTRPG's are not full-on mini's games, normally, and mini's games are not TTRPG's. Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em. Cheers!

[@fallenhunter7384]

Question if I may. How do you suggest transporting/storing Minis, and terrain when you do not have space (or at least space you can commandeer), I take care of my folks, and live in one room basically, I don't have run of the house. I play at my local game shop. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks, great vids, btw.

[@HorrorBlog1]

Another fantastic vid. Have you ever made any UDT for a post apocalyptic theme?

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

The closest is Ultimate Sci-Fi terrain. Check it out.

[@earthmanbrick]

Simple but great tip

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for watching!

[@seangrimm1865]

Only make the terrain you want the PC's to interact with. Similar to "Chekov's Gun", if it serves no purpose, don't put it on the table. Also, stalactites and stalagmite columns from Etsy for caves/caverns. as well as a few trees for outdoors. All the best, ~S

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Good point.

[@miladoro]

I have made PDM's dungeon terrain- and I have used it. My players... are still on the fence. But... that said- they have no problems with me pulling out the Dollar Tree 18" square pet carpet tiles that I picked up for grasslands, swamps and rock/cave tiles and using those. I think it is because they are square. I like the zoned idea- but that is the hardest thing to get my players mindset into.