First time DM looking for advice - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

First time DM looking for advice

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
voxynn
Oct 14, 2011 2:32:23 Hey everyone!

I'm creating my first campaign as a DM and i'm looking for some advice on creating a realistic gaming environment.

Does anyone have any tips for producing good, cost-effective tiles and walls for the game board?

Thanks!
#2
Carl_the_half_ork
Oct 14, 2011 8:34:41 Grey ,brown, green tan, and black spray paint, toothbrush, and cardboard.

Spray the main color (get the textured kind if possible) then use a toothbrush to speckle the main color by spraying the bristles and flicking it with your gloved finger.

Cut it, mark 1 inch squares on it and enjoy.

Use egg crates to create other things I suppose.
#3
yronimosw
Oct 14, 2011 14:32:25 If you are just starting out, use pencil and paper to sketch quick world maps, and an eraseable blank grid with dry-erase markers to sketch dungeon maps as needed.

It might not look flashy, glossy, or realistic, but you will have a lot of rules and new skills to learn as it is and this is the cheapest and easiest option, so I recommend keeping it simple with the maps by using pen-and-paper and other sketches as much as possible.

That's my recommendation, but other options include:

Painting as described by Carl, above, seems like a nice, inexpensive, and flexible option, although you might still need to learn a couple of new skills, and you'd still need to invest in some art supplies if you don't already own them.

If you already have some skill with Photoshop and similar software, those are great for building your own, very professional-looking maps, and free alternatives to Photoshop do exist. (However, learning how to use the software to create good maps can be more of an art than a skill that can be learned with an easy tutorial, and it would probably be way beyond the scope of a thread like this.) You might also get away with finding maps online and printing them off. It may be possible to find all sorts of maps online for free, but in some ways this is a very expensive option (printer ink costs a lot!)

Aside from that, I think that a box or two of the Essentials "Dungeon Tiles: The Dungeon" should cover most of the bases that a typical Dungeon Crawl would call for.
#4
Rhineglade_
Oct 15, 2011 20:41:47 You can also often find very useful freebies on the internet. Just do a Google seach for D&D dungeon tiles and see what pops up. If you find anything you like, print it out on a color printer and glue it to a piece of posterboard. Bam! Instant dungeon.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 voxynn Oct 14, 2011 2:32:23	Hey everyone! I'm creating my first campaign as a DM and i'm looking for some advice on creating a realistic gaming environment. Does anyone have any tips for producing good, cost-effective tiles and walls for the game board? Thanks!
#2 Carl_the_half_ork Oct 14, 2011 8:34:41	Grey ,brown, green tan, and black spray paint, toothbrush, and cardboard. Spray the main color (get the textured kind if possible) then use a toothbrush to speckle the main color by spraying the bristles and flicking it with your gloved finger. Cut it, mark 1 inch squares on it and enjoy. Use egg crates to create other things I suppose.
#3 yronimosw Oct 14, 2011 14:32:25	If you are just starting out, use pencil and paper to sketch quick world maps, and an eraseable blank grid with dry-erase markers to sketch dungeon maps as needed. It might not look flashy, glossy, or realistic, but you will have a lot of rules and new skills to learn as it is and this is the cheapest and easiest option, so I recommend keeping it simple with the maps by using pen-and-paper and other sketches as much as possible. That's my recommendation, but other options include: Painting as described by Carl, above, seems like a nice, inexpensive, and flexible option, although you might still need to learn a couple of new skills, and you'd still need to invest in some art supplies if you don't already own them. If you already have some skill with Photoshop and similar software, those are great for building your own, very professional-looking maps, and free alternatives to Photoshop do exist. (However, learning how to use the software to create good maps can be more of an art than a skill that can be learned with an easy tutorial, and it would probably be way beyond the scope of a thread like this.) You might also get away with finding maps online and printing them off. It may be possible to find all sorts of maps online for free, but in some ways this is a very expensive option (printer ink costs a lot!) Aside from that, I think that a box or two of the Essentials "Dungeon Tiles: The Dungeon" should cover most of the bases that a typical Dungeon Crawl would call for.
#4 Rhineglade_ Oct 15, 2011 20:41:47	You can also often find very useful freebies on the internet. Just do a Google seach for D&D dungeon tiles and see what pops up. If you find anything you like, print it out on a color printer and glue it to a piece of posterboard. Bam! Instant dungeon.