Ten Years of Dungeon Terrain (for

[@MidgardSurvival]

Ten years of great work! Your contribution to the gaming community is immeasurable. Making your files “pay what you want” is extremely generous and surely helps countless young crafters. I’m sure there are many 30-40 somethings like myself that are financially in a position to show our appreciation for your work by paying for it, so having both options are appreciated. Keep up the amazing work; I can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks for the kind words. I also think that having the files be PWYW has helped the channel grow more than if this were purely a commercial venture (plus it's also helped get more terrain on more folks' tables... and that's a nice thought :) )

[@jackhelm9852]

I started watching various creators (Like most, I started with God Father Scotty) and found a few I have actually found worth contributing to. Five or six years on, you are the only one I continue to support and follow. I love your simple style that does not require either a ton of exotic materials or time spent in post production painting and the like and that produces useful items not limited to a single type of encounter. Your stuff is so versatile that it rarely just sits there. And the fact that your stuff stores easily is a huge plus! All around your crafts are, in my opinion, the pinnacle of terrain for casual gamers who are not trying to show off hyper realistic dioramas (not that there is anything wrong with that, just not for everyone) and who would rather spend their precious free time actually using the terrain as opposed to making it. :) On another note, your down to earth, unassuming style puts everyone watching your videos at ease right from the beginning. And the fact that you do different genre's is awesome as you will likely never run out of ideas for one or the other. I look forward to seeing what you do in the future and building more of your terrain as well. Your efforts are worthy and appreciated. Thank you for 10 great years and for whatever the future holds.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks for sticking with the channel (and thanks for the kind words). For most of us (RPG folks especially), just getting something to the table is usually good enough for our games... and, like you say, I think that this 'print & paste' method is a great way of doing that! So, it's been pretty cool to see so many people taking this concept and running with it (though it can be a bit of a strange feeling seeing photos of people gathered around a table on another continent - and they are using terrain made with my textures... it's a bit strange and very cool at the same time... it's hard to put into words :) ).

[@haydnc]

Congratulations on your 10th anniversary. And thank you for entertaining us all with your amazing owrk.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

No probs.

[@PincheHugo_130]

Thanks for your hard and awesome work!! I just discovered the channel, I'm amazed with your ideas, I have adopted them and I'm very happy playing this way 😅 I can't go back, this is it for me, I finally found what I was looking for and the best part is that I craft it my self so it feels that much more personal 😊

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thank you very much. Glad to hear that this method resonates with you :) (it might not produce the best looking or most durable terrain - but it is fun to build :) ).

[@rondanuser1204]

I've been admiring your videos for several years now but only recently dove in and I'm LOVING the builds! I teach D&D to kids and your seasons 1, 2 and 3 builds are a perfect combination of challenges and terrain. Quick and easy to build too! And on my own table we love Space Weirdos and your Sci-Fi sets are some of the best. Congratulations on 10 years and thanks for all you do!

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks (and thank you for the support). It's good to hear that you're finding a use for multiple of the ranges ...and great to hear that you're helping to bring the next generation into the hobby. If you don't mind me asking, is that done at a store, or an after-school club or something like that?

[@goldenvise]

I look forward to every video you produce, and I enjoy all of them. Your techniques are brilliantly designed, and in particular your videos are detailed enough to produce high quality results without being difficult to follow. I've said before that I think you're work is some of the best stuff I've seen in the hobby, and I've been making terrain longer than you have. I've got boxes and drawers full of everything from DM Scotty's original tiles, Black Magic Craft inspired stuff, Hirst Arts by the (almost literal) ton, Dwarven Forge, and a bunch of stuff of my own design. I keep thinking about doing a KZbin channel of my own, but I just don't see me doing one that could match the quality you put out. Keep it up man, you're a star, and we all love seeing everything you do.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks for the kind words (it's always good to hear that folks are enjoying the vids :) ). I put off making a (terrain) channel far longer that I should have done... so if it's something that you're thinking about doing 'some day' (which was exactly how I was), then I'd say just go for it.

[@MikChaos]

congrats on 10 years and lets have another 10 (at least)

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks... and yeah... fingers crossed for another 10!

[@jovialbovine4945]

Started to watch years ago, maybe a year before covid. I kind of got hooked on the videos immediately, and almost binge watched what there was. Then I did some crafting for the "final adventure" fot the campaign I was DM:ing then, and I was surprised over how approachable and friendly both you and the community was when I had stupid questions and tried to put my ideas in reality. Then covid hit, and we never got to use the material I created. Then printer broke down, and we didn't prioritise buying a new one. Never misses an episode, though. It still draws me in like it did at the first time. What I want to say, really, is Thank you, Kris, for taking that step and starting this channel! I might not be as active in the community nowadays, but I'm there in the perifery and follow your work. It's great, as always!

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

No probs. And thanks for our chats on discord (it doesn't seem that long ago - but it's probably been a few years now right?) :)

[@mattboggs1287]

As a broke dad of 3, I have appreciated the pay what you want. Hopefully I can make a donation some day as a thank you for all you have done.

[@mattvaughn8525]

I guess this is a good video to thank you for making my life so much easier. This print and paste style is so easy and looks much better than you give it credit for. I adopted your system a few years ago and It's all i use now. I have even designed my own floor textures and modified some of yours to fit anything I need. Once you know the ins and outs of this system you can create your own set pieces with a little creativity. IMO this is the best sytem ever for DMs who love crafting and want something practical. Creation is easy. Storage is easy. set up and take down is easy. You don't have to worry about unwieldy big set pieces for storage. Everything is, in my opinion, perfectly durable to put stored flat in boxes. I've rarely ever had to replace anything. I will admit my preferred primary board material is the dollar tree foam core. I find it a little easier to work with than the cardboard and seems to be just as durable. I still use single corrugated cardboard for any set pieces that are wooden, however. The cardboard just looks seemless and you don't have to worry about imperfections on the piece. I just love this system so much and I watch all your videos. Good luck in the future, Kris.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

No probs. And yeah... while it's not as nice as meticulously crafted wargaming terrain - I do think that this system is a pretty good fit for RPG usage... you know, where we always seem to need more and more stuff for the next set of adventures... and 'getting it to the table' is the main concern. That fact that it doesn't look terrible is a bonus too :) Anyway, glad to hear that you (and your group) have been having fun with it (hearing stuff like that never gets old :) :) :) ).

[@jazj204]

Congratulations Kris, looking forward to the next 10 years of inspiring tutorials. Keep em coming.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks. Will do!

[@martinscholz8453]

Oh, and congratulations Kris!🤗 Trank you for the litte sight behind the scenes.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks... and no problem :)

[@randalljecksii7757]

I also have a box of cards, ribbon, crafty thing from my mom when she passed away. 15 years now but i still think of her when I craft.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

It's good to keep hold of things like that... and as you say, think of them while crafting.

[@beverleybee1309]

"Dungeon Floor Plans 1", I have the "2" of that. They weren't in the same scale as the other pieces of terrain I had at the time, so they didn't get much use. Also, congratulations to 10 years anniversary.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Nice (and yeah, I think they were closer to 20mm squares - the match the square base sizes of the day).

[@marcmiller7503]

I gotta say I just found your channel about a month ago and I absolutely love them. I have always loved terrain and I am a long time (35+ years) gamer and wargamer that loves immersion and crafting. Thank you for the channel, you make this wonderful stuff so simply. Its so accessible and can be for even by the busiest of us. Thanks again! Here's to another 10 years.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

No probs (and welcome aboard :) ).

[@davidrath4931]

So very happy for you Kris, I wanted to ask a question but failed to get it in on time. So I'll ask now. Where did the name crooked staff terrain come from?

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

It's was a bit of a last minute thing really. Some years ago I was making a website that featured some of my first dungeon tiles and some basic encounters (for D&D 3e). And that website got picked up (temporarily) by EN world... and I needed a name and logo for it. At the time I had two things already drawn... a crooked wizard's staff and a broken longsword (very Lord of the Rings inspired). So it came down to being called 'broken sword productions' or 'crooked staff productions' ...and you can guess what I went with. That morphed into Crooked Staff Publishing a few years later when I registered as self employed (and started selling some of the things I'd made on DriveThru)... and when the channel started I just swapped out 'publishing' for 'terrain' - as that fitted what I was doing a bit better :)

[@nichoalsdarkk8843]

Great stuff. Thanks for doing this. It's always interesting to here a bit about the background of what you do.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

No problem. I wasn't sure how interesting it would be - but I thought I should probably do something to mark the occasion.

[@kevinliennard4521]

Thank you for your work, I am mainly a war gamer rather than playing RPGs, and I use your sci-fi terrain as scatter in my games. Also, I love the fact that you start from scratch, many tutorials assume that you already know the basics, this is not great if you are a beginner (as I was, in the field of paper craft scenery). So once again thank you for your hard work, and I hope more is on the way.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

No probs... and as far as there being more stuff on the way... I'm actually in a bit of a sci-fi mood at the moment myself - so there's probably gonna be a few more episodes for that range before the end of the year :)

[@MarkCMG]

Thanks for the video! Congrats on the anniversary! An amazing trip down memory lane. I recall your EN World posts back in the day too. So glad you made a regular thing of your crafting textures and tiles.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks... and yeah, as you know, I've been doing 'something' hobby related on the internet since the days of 3e (I think there was a real explosion of stuff back then)... but it's taken me until now to really settle in and find my niche* *which just so happens to be similar to the kind of thing I was doing as a kid :) (who'd have thought it lol).

[@boxianracer]

Great video Kris! Congrats on your 10th anniversary!

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thank you :)

[@magnuspaul7805]

I want to thank you for the build along series! I have played it to the second floor with my group and they loved it so far. I cannot thank you enough for it, because it elovatied my game.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

No probs. It's good to hear that you're enjoying it :) :) :)

[@HumbleNearlKnight]

Your terrains, ideas and passion you're putting into every piece you make was the push I needed to become DM. I had it rought to start, always hesitant to commit... But thanks to your videos and things I started to make I was able to develop a "good" reputation as a DM. And for that Thank you.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

I'm glad to hear that you've found some of this stuff helpful. I think most of us have a pretty rough start (at least in our own eyes - we're usually overly self-critical) - but we get more and more comfortable over time... even as players (that's been my experience at least :) ).

[@62seano]

Brilliant Kris, congratulations on 10 years. Bought a lot of your scifi terrain, and some buildings, love it Thank you for everything. Look forward to another 10 years

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

I'm in a bit of a sci-fi mood myself at the moment - so there'll probably be more sci-fi stuff on the way soon :)

[@crapphone7744]

Your dot matrix door is great! So evocative of old style D&D!!

[@deanm375]

I've been enjoying your videos for years and made many of your projects myself. Thank you for all your hard work.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

No problem :)

[@thaliahelene]

I quite enjoy your videos even though I don’t play much. You have an easy presentation style, not intimidating, and your design keeps getting better and better. At first I was drawn to your style because less painting, less mess, no insulation foam, no hot wires, cheap entry materials, cut and paste duplication seems brilliant, but as you keep coming up with items, really does make an attractive little world, as valid as anyone’s. Looking forward to whatever you come up with.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks... and yeah... I do think this whole 'print & paste' thing makes for an easy entry into the world of terrain crafting (assuming you have a colour printer that is :) ). And like you say, being able to duplicate it (so that you can make something a few years apart, or have several people making things in isolation, and still have it all match) is a nice bonus I think :) Thanks again!

[@thaliahelene]

@@CrookedStaffTerrain Heck, just the concept is reproducible without a printer, make a texture on paper and wrap cardboard or shapes with it. A trip to an office center, once to print a pdf or other master then to a copy machine for spares, there you go. And if something is lost at an event or convention, not much financial damage, so much to be appreciated with paper models. That was clever work with the snowflake punch. I kept a lot of my mother’s art supplies too, poignant.

[@JohnGunter_Johnprime]

Congrats on your anniversary. I think you've done great things with your terrain crafts. You've got a lot of skill and inspiration and I think you provide us with inspiration. I know you've inspired me quite a few times. Oh, and not growing up is a good thing!

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

I'm not sure everyone would agree with your last comment... but I do... wholeheartedly :) :) :)

[@donrosavelli8869]

Ten years goes by fast. Here's to many more. Thanks for having all these great tutorials on KZbin. I've been a follower from the first. Cheers and congrats on having a great channel

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Yeah... it's a fair portion of my life when you think about it. But it's been time well spent I think :)

[@myzri3557]

Congrats! One day, I'll actually hunker down and build everything. Thanks for sharing a bit of your history, it's always interesting to hear how people get to where they are today

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks. I'm not sure if anyone, other than myself, builds (or needs to build) everything :) ...and even then, I've still got numerous pieces that I've yet to use :D

[@trikepilot101]

Congratulations on 10 great years. Thanks for all you do.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks... and no probs :)

[@alexanderrudloff9645]

Thank you so much for all your hard work over the years.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

No problem :)

[@gnifle79]

Both fun and inspiring to watch your humble beginnings Kris ;-) You make awesome stuff, and should definately give yourself more credit, it's okay to be modest, but you shouldn't be, it's brilliant what you make and you communicate it so well! Keep on papering and cardboarding :-)

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks... and yep... I definitely intend to keep at this :) :) :)

[@fullerbd]

Congratulations. Keep up the awesome work I have built dozens of your projects with a huge amount still on my to do list. Whether as intended or just using your textures I appreciate all you provide and share with us.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks. Glad to hear that you've got some of this stuff to the table :) :) :)

[@arthaiser]

congrats on those 10 years, and lets hope for at least 10 more. have to say, even if i dont have the space to really store the terrain you make, i have used the textures for simple tiles and "flat" decoration, i have also used some of your ideas for dungeons, if my group has had any terrain to play it has been because of this channel. and just so you know, that rangers of shadowdeep book that you have just shown is probably the answer for a question that we had, im going to try to learn more about it.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Rangers of Shadowdeep is a great game (both me and my brother enjoy it) - though it does assume that you have a lot of terrain and miniatures already. Luckily I know a guy that likes making terrain though ;)

[@willmendoza8498]

I've followed your channel for years, but I haven't really done much map/dungeon making. But Shadowdark gave me the kick in the pants needed to get started. I hope you get to play it soon.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

I've written a short starter adventure... the scatter terrain to run it, and made some 'character creation packs' (printed from the free quickstart pdf) for the players. So, the next time my group need a little filler game, I should be good to go!

[@bigonminis]

Congratulations! Thank you so much for all your amazing contributions to the hobby 😁

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Cheers!

[@jamie69murphy]

Thanks for answering my question. I appreciate the work that goes into the textures you put out. I studied graphic design around 20 years ago, and still dabble with graphics from time to time. I’ve recently been playing with an Apple Pencil on my ipad, using an app like Photoshop. I’ve also been dabbling with using it for 3D sculpting with Nomad Sculpt.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

I'm pretty much self taught (so I'm probably doing things 'wrong' or in the most convoluted way possible :) ...but things have been working out OK... for the most part :D ).

[@sw33n3yto00]

Congratulations on your first decade on KZbin!!!

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Well it's only been around six and a half years on KZbin... as I wasn't brave enough to start a channel to begin with (which is why I just posted my 'print & paste' stuff on my blog back in 2014). I really wish I would have started a channel back then though - but you live and learn I suppose :)

[@jochenkreitz]

Herzlichen Glückwunsch. Du hast echte Keinode geschaffen. Und deine Erklärvideos sind echt klasse. Danke dafür.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks! (and no problem :) )

[@echodelta2426]

Congratulations on the anniversary of your terrain creations. Great video Kris. A fun walk down memory lane. I don't remember if I was around from the start, but I recall stumbling across the blog early on, before your textures were on drive-thru. If you are ever looking for random content to post, I'd love to see a tour of your sketchbooks. Every time you show a snipet or glimpse, I'm blown away!

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Your name is definitely among the very early (and regular) guys that I remember :) (where you also on the old DMs Craft forum?) And as far as the sketch books go... I was actually thinking of maybe giving one away (as part of a prize or something) when/if I get to 25K subs. Perhaps that and one of my 'dungeon boxes' to make it a bit more worthwhile :)

[@echodelta2426]

​@@CrookedStaffTerrainYep. I believe I stumbled on your blog while checking out DM Scotty's forums and YT.

[@crazygeordie1383]

WOW time fly's when were having fun love the channel and all the terrain and PDF files

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

That it does :)

[@Hobberhobbit]

Thanks for being apart of the rpg world.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

It's great being part of it :)

[@donaldharlan3981]

I enjoy your paper craft. Thank you for showing me that. 👍

[@ThoughtandMemory]

Congratulations. Your content is brilliant and videos informative. Recently pointed at your stuff for 5PFH I have all your files in my basket and just waiting for pay day. Keep up the good work. 🎉

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks. And, just so you know, if you're eager to get started you - can download the files for free if you like (you can always come back later and pay a small amount if you feel so inclined)

[@macgruber1920]

The tabletop community is lucky to have you!

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

The community has been really good to me in return :)

[@macgruber1920]

@@CrookedStaffTerrain that makes me very happy to know!! ❤️

[@dungeonscronics3191]

Thanks for sharing your experience and wonderful crafts with us. Good luck on any future endeavors.🎉 love the cat tail grass you did I didn’t think it was possible

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

No probs... and thanks :)

[@bc4198]

It's been wonderful for us, thank you so much!

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

You're very welcome :)

[@lesforgeursdemondes]

Congratulations on all these years and all this superb production ! (even though I've never tried it yet, it looks really great)

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks. If you do give it a try, please do let me know how it goes!

[@lesforgeursdemondes]

@@CrookedStaffTerrain Je n'y manquerai pas ;-)

[@johnlittleton8117]

You are such a great resource for all of us. Thank you so much.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

No problem!

[@Plastic_Spaceman]

Happy Anniversary!

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Cheers!

[@brucehubbell9116]

I typically just use flat cardstock floorplans. I tried 3D terrain, but storage / weight / durability was a problem. Flat floorplans were easy to transport, lightweight and durable (as long as no coffee / soft drink spills occured...)I have found your videos inspiring in terms of the layout of your designs. I just retired and I think I'll try "2.5 D" floorplans (and get back to painting miniatures. They look durable and lightweight if a bit more storage space is required. So, thank you for the inspiration and I look forward to your future videos.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

No probs. And congrats on the retirement (sounds like that means more hobby time :) :) :) ).

[@brucehubbell9116]

@@CrookedStaffTerrain Indeed it does, although the wife has plans for a chunk of that time. I forsee more yard / house work too...

[@eusoukasper3147]

Parabéns pelo trabalho maravilhoso, Kris!

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks :)

[@phredbookley183]

My theory is that your style generates less mess overall than say...cutting up foam and or using paint. Thoughts on this? (At the very minimum, I imagine all your stuff is lighter in gneral.)

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Yeah, it's pretty lightweight - though it does make some mess (as with cutting anything up into pieces) - but, as you say, there's no paint mess to have to deal with (and no having to wait for the paint and washes to dry). As I mentioned in another comment, it also means that you should be able to make tiles several years apart (or have a bunch of different people making them) and they should still all be a good match for each other* *as, when I've painted terrain in the past, if my wash went on a bit strong - the terrain would look darker than my previous batch, or if I went a bit heavy with the drybrushing it would look lighter. Hopefully that makes sense :)

[@морричан]

just thanks for all the videos

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

You're welcome :)

[@redfoxpaints]

Congratulations 🎉❤

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks :)

[@calvanoni5443]

Congratulations

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks!

[@DamienJamesOFarrell]

Congrats and thank you 🎉

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Cheers!

[@vincentconnolly168]

Well done buddy

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Thanks :)

[@aidanoconnell5664]

Thank you!

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

No problem :)

[@neelyohara88]

congratulations! what will the next ten years bring? best to you! 🎉

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Cheers!

[@FrugalShave]

Printing is free if you do it at work...

[@lauramumma2360]

I enjoy your channel

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Cheers!

[@rondanuser1204]

LOL! Kris I keep trying to reply tom your question about the teaching I do in my previous post. I've tried three times and they all seem to post, then disappear. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

A similar thing happened to me the other day whey I tried replying on someone else's channel - so maybe it's a KZbin thing (my comment appeared eventually though) (note that nothing it showing up in the 'spam/review' section of my dashboard - so it's not that either 🤷‍♂)

[@rondanuser1204]

@@CrookedStaffTerrain I did note that I included two links to help explain the teaching I do. I'll try to post it without the links and see if that works. Thanks!

[@NTLBagpuss]

Now if you could just be persuaded to play "County Road Z" we might get some Modern paper terrain from you in future.

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Not heard of that one before - will have to check it out.

[@martinscholz8453]

Which Textures do you use the Most?

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

I've made a ton of dungeon tiles over the years... so it's probably that one. Though if I were to re-do them now, I might use the floor tiles that come with the 'sewer' set - as I like them a bit more :)

[@Mozzytm]

I know its totally against what chan is but... how did you make those trees?😂

[@CrookedStaffTerrain]

Here's the old blog article: www.crookedstaff.co.uk/2014/07/diy-wargamingrpg-trees_4.html

[@bivibuddydan]

"Erm.. uh... you know" do not belong in any you tube vid. Let along fake versions. Your creations are great, unique, why taint them with built in mistakes?