A Visual [Archive] - Wizards Community - Pages Merged by Solauren

A Visual [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
TheManChild
10-27-07, 07:08 AM Ok, so i DM my dad and hes not the brightest crayon in the box so I try to get a visual so he can see whats in the room and here stuff is but, I just can't find a way to do that... I realy need help and suggestions
kwanzaabot
10-27-07, 08:15 AM Draw a picture?
TheManChild
10-27-07, 12:01 PM I really don't want to draw a whole map
PenderGrass
10-27-07, 12:17 PM No artwork on your part, eh?

Well, then, how about find a picture?

:dragon:
****
Entropy_Judge
10-27-07, 12:19 PM Use a grid and put minis on it to represent stuff?
Thevail
10-27-07, 12:29 PM Sounds like you need minis to me.
albinomonkeyking
10-27-07, 01:55 PM Legos!
1 ton ghost
10-27-07, 02:28 PM Use a grid and put minis on it to represent stuff?

i cannot stress this enough.
a visual aid can do wonders for left/right brain functioning.
failing that, graph paper: PEN out all the hard features that aren't likely to change; stone walls and the like, PENCIL in mutable features; doors, anything that can be sundered easilly, etc.
simply saying it's a 15' X 15' room isn't enough. let the map speak for the dimensions, you may speak for it's type thereof, "flagstone floors, hewn stone walls that are damp (up Climb DC), etc."
eventually, you'll find a system that works best for you, but yeah, visual aids are a nice step.
show them the monster illustration in the book after a good Spot but cover the namesake and things like that.
TheManChild
10-27-07, 07:54 PM I have plenty on minis to go around but, I really don't think I can do this... but, I would like to move on from just playing minis. Don't they have campaign books?
CastTiltowait
10-28-07, 01:27 AM The simplest thing is you can get a basic battlemat and sketch out w/eraseable pens a very simple outline of a rooms dimensions and simple rectangles, etc. for tables, crates, and the like. If for whatever reason, you don't want to do that, you can go for a number of options of pre-drawn maps/map parts:
-you can buy WotC's dungeontiles which are preprinted dungeon rooms.
-Free options can be found at: http://www.dungeoneering.net/downloads.php5?id=ck
-http://dundjinni.com/forums/forum_topics.asp?FID=6 has a bunch of nicely done mpas drawn by some very talented people. They may not match what you want all the time, but they can fill in for some of the random encounters.
- My personal favorite is Worldworks. They sell collections for pdf files that you can print out as many times as you want onto cardstock paper (the stiff paper business cards are made out of). They have simple stuff that can be used to make things similar to the dungeontiles by printing it out and cutting around the edges at http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=103&zenid=573187f037a39edc44ecfbd0d21d4d0c

http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/products/dlinx/dlxlotgb1.jpg

They have more somewhat more complicated stuff where you cut it out, fold it, and glue it to make 3D terrain that looks fantastic. They have many different sets, ranging from castles to village buildings to caves or dungeons. You can look at the standard dungeon one at http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=114

Here's an example:
http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/products/minic/minicb1.jpg

It is pretty easy to do once you've done two or three pieces. The only big challenge is that it can take some time to build an entire dungeon's worth of the 3D stuff, but once you've glued up a number of items, they can be reused, mixed and matched to make a nigh infinite number of set ups.
1 ton ghost
10-28-07, 03:05 AM get a map. map good.
imagine Stratego w/out map. 20 goblins, 2 orgres, 4 pcs and no map bad
Hell of an ad though.
you a company man perhaps?
CastTiltowait
10-28-07, 02:00 PM Do I work for World Works? No. I've been running the Red Hand of Doom module and if you've read any of the recap threads over at the Adventures forum, you may have seen some of the bridge models people have built. I saw those when I was starting to think about running RHoD, and thought they were pretty cool. Then, I saw someone's Vraath Keep model they built from cardboard (I think) and was even more impressed about the impact it could have on a game. I wondered if I could do that, and maybe even take it to the next level, so I started looking around to see what was available. Hirst Arts does some amazing things involving plaster models (and a friend of mine who already had that used it to make my bridge model) but it is too costly and time consuming for me w/all the painting, etc. After a friend suggested cardstock terrain, I tried doing up some of my own designs on my computer. Simultaneously, I was looking around on I think rpg.net and found I think "fat dragon" cardstock EZ dungeon terrain. I was about to buy that when a google search eventually popped up worldworks games. When I saw their quality and freakishly low prices, I bought their Castleworks Ultimate set right away.

Since then, I've purchased a few more sets. Back in mid September, they announced they were going to finally increase their prices after several years of no price change, so I bought a few more things before the new prices kicked in. Even still, the Castle Works thing I bought for $15 is still a major (legal) steal at $16.99, especially since once you've bought it, the only real cost is ink, glue, and a bit of time. There's people on their forums who've entire huge castles built for maybe a total of $40-$50 and that's assuming they used most of an inkjet cartridge to print it out.
Some lame-!#$ hacker crashed their user-gallery recently (hopefully it'll be back up soon) so I can't show you a "real" user's build, but here's a pic from the store site of that castle kit. Remember, since you're buying the digital files, you're only limited in how many pieces you have by your own willingness to put them together.
http://worldworksgames.com/store/products/cwu/cwub2.jpg

In case you think they've photoshopped this photo to make it look so good (they haven't), you can check out my recap thread where I've posted a ton of pics of my inexpertly done builds. I'll point out that I'm cheap so I've been printing on my HP 932c w/the draft setting, and until recently, I didn't realize the graphics program I was using to try to cram more bits onto one piece of paper (cheap, remember?) or make modifications was also dropping the resolution from 300 dpi to about 75 dpi. You can even see in the pictures of Vraath Keep my original efforts at making my own buildings (it's the greenish stable in the background of some pics)
http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=793120

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
TheManChild 10-27-07, 07:08 AM	Ok, so i DM my dad and hes not the brightest crayon in the box so I try to get a visual so he can see whats in the room and here stuff is but, I just can't find a way to do that... I realy need help and suggestions
kwanzaabot 10-27-07, 08:15 AM	Draw a picture?
TheManChild 10-27-07, 12:01 PM	I really don't want to draw a whole map
PenderGrass 10-27-07, 12:17 PM	No artwork on your part, eh? Well, then, how about find a picture? :dragon: ****
Entropy_Judge 10-27-07, 12:19 PM	Use a grid and put minis on it to represent stuff?
Thevail 10-27-07, 12:29 PM	Sounds like you need minis to me.
albinomonkeyking 10-27-07, 01:55 PM	Legos!
1 ton ghost 10-27-07, 02:28 PM	Use a grid and put minis on it to represent stuff? i cannot stress this enough. a visual aid can do wonders for left/right brain functioning. failing that, graph paper: PEN out all the hard features that aren't likely to change; stone walls and the like, PENCIL in mutable features; doors, anything that can be sundered easilly, etc. simply saying it's a 15' X 15' room isn't enough. let the map speak for the dimensions, you may speak for it's type thereof, "flagstone floors, hewn stone walls that are damp (up Climb DC), etc." eventually, you'll find a system that works best for you, but yeah, visual aids are a nice step. show them the monster illustration in the book after a good Spot but cover the namesake and things like that.
TheManChild 10-27-07, 07:54 PM	I have plenty on minis to go around but, I really don't think I can do this... but, I would like to move on from just playing minis. Don't they have campaign books?
CastTiltowait 10-28-07, 01:27 AM	The simplest thing is you can get a basic battlemat and sketch out w/eraseable pens a very simple outline of a rooms dimensions and simple rectangles, etc. for tables, crates, and the like. If for whatever reason, you don't want to do that, you can go for a number of options of pre-drawn maps/map parts: -you can buy WotC's dungeontiles which are preprinted dungeon rooms. -Free options can be found at: http://www.dungeoneering.net/downloads.php5?id=ck -http://dundjinni.com/forums/forum_topics.asp?FID=6 has a bunch of nicely done mpas drawn by some very talented people. They may not match what you want all the time, but they can fill in for some of the random encounters. - My personal favorite is Worldworks. They sell collections for pdf files that you can print out as many times as you want onto cardstock paper (the stiff paper business cards are made out of). They have simple stuff that can be used to make things similar to the dungeontiles by printing it out and cutting around the edges at http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=103&zenid=573187f037a39edc44ecfbd0d21d4d0c http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/products/dlinx/dlxlotgb1.jpg They have more somewhat more complicated stuff where you cut it out, fold it, and glue it to make 3D terrain that looks fantastic. They have many different sets, ranging from castles to village buildings to caves or dungeons. You can look at the standard dungeon one at http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=114 Here's an example: http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/products/minic/minicb1.jpg It is pretty easy to do once you've done two or three pieces. The only big challenge is that it can take some time to build an entire dungeon's worth of the 3D stuff, but once you've glued up a number of items, they can be reused, mixed and matched to make a nigh infinite number of set ups.
1 ton ghost 10-28-07, 03:05 AM	get a map. map good. imagine Stratego w/out map. 20 goblins, 2 orgres, 4 pcs and no map bad Hell of an ad though. you a company man perhaps?
CastTiltowait 10-28-07, 02:00 PM	Do I work for World Works? No. I've been running the Red Hand of Doom module and if you've read any of the recap threads over at the Adventures forum, you may have seen some of the bridge models people have built. I saw those when I was starting to think about running RHoD, and thought they were pretty cool. Then, I saw someone's Vraath Keep model they built from cardboard (I think) and was even more impressed about the impact it could have on a game. I wondered if I could do that, and maybe even take it to the next level, so I started looking around to see what was available. Hirst Arts does some amazing things involving plaster models (and a friend of mine who already had that used it to make my bridge model) but it is too costly and time consuming for me w/all the painting, etc. After a friend suggested cardstock terrain, I tried doing up some of my own designs on my computer. Simultaneously, I was looking around on I think rpg.net and found I think "fat dragon" cardstock EZ dungeon terrain. I was about to buy that when a google search eventually popped up worldworks games. When I saw their quality and freakishly low prices, I bought their Castleworks Ultimate set right away. Since then, I've purchased a few more sets. Back in mid September, they announced they were going to finally increase their prices after several years of no price change, so I bought a few more things before the new prices kicked in. Even still, the Castle Works thing I bought for $15 is still a major (legal) steal at $16.99, especially since once you've bought it, the only real cost is ink, glue, and a bit of time. There's people on their forums who've entire huge castles built for maybe a total of $40-$50 and that's assuming they used most of an inkjet cartridge to print it out. Some lame-!#$ hacker crashed their user-gallery recently (hopefully it'll be back up soon) so I can't show you a "real" user's build, but here's a pic from the store site of that castle kit. Remember, since you're buying the digital files, you're only limited in how many pieces you have by your own willingness to put them together. http://worldworksgames.com/store/products/cwu/cwub2.jpg In case you think they've photoshopped this photo to make it look so good (they haven't), you can check out my recap thread where I've posted a ton of pics of my inexpertly done builds. I'll point out that I'm cheap so I've been printing on my HP 932c w/the draft setting, and until recently, I didn't realize the graphics program I was using to try to cram more bits onto one piece of paper (cheap, remember?) or make modifications was also dropping the resolution from 300 dpi to about 75 dpi. You can even see in the pictures of Vraath Keep my original efforts at making my own buildings (it's the greenish stable in the background of some pics) http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=793120