Category Archives: RPG

3D Printed Dungeons

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I’m currently doing more craft related stuff for DFRPG/DF than I am actually playing. The troubles with living in a University City is the transient population and most of my players have moved away. My new job only gives me 1 full weekend off a month, 1 Saturday, and 1 Sunday. So at best I could get in two games a month which would be great. However I’d have to find a group that will commit to those days. I’d also would rather play in person rather than via a host client like Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds.

I’m contemplating if I should purchase commercially designed dungeons for 3D printing, free dungeons from Thingiverse, or have a crack at designing my own. The last option would take years to accomplish. There are plenty of beautiful Gloomhaven tiles out there but they are 1.5″ and not 1″ hexes and that is a deal breaker with me. I have considered printing the Hex Geomorph dungeons in 15mm scale but you lose a lot of detail and at that point I should just stick with the magnetic tiles.

Some options I’m looking at is Game Decor which has some very nice and affordable designs for sale. They also have a few different styles so you can theme your dungeons. “DungeonWorks uses the InfinityLock system for superior customization, connection, and efficiency. DragonLock and OpenLock are compatible with the InfinityLock system via free adapter clips.”

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Game Decor

Fat Dragon Games has moved away from paper terrain into 3D printed terrain. FDG uses the “DragonLock” to keep the tiles together. Nice models and support from the owner.

Fat Dragon Games
Printable Scenery

Printable Scenery has a huge set of terrain and it all uses the Open Lock system. I don’t know if Open Lock is compatible with DragonLock

Printable Scenery

Rocket Pig Games has some interesting dungeons but it uses a completely non compatible style of connecting the tiles which makes it unattractive. They are also more expensive than the previous three.

Tilescape Trial Pack
Rocket Pig Games, not Lock compatible

Open Forge is compatible with Dragon Bite, Open Lock, and Infinity Lock. It is also Free on Thingiverse! I just wish he would clean up his prints for the photographs.

So I’ve come to the conclusion that if it isn’t “Lock” compatible then it isn’t worth the effort no matter how affordable, or how amazing it looks. I will also have to resign myself to square tiles and use the GURPS Range Ruler during play. However I will not stop the Hex Dungeons and maybe someday I will learn how to 3D model enough to design my own HexCrawl 3D models. I also wonder about the wall height and how that works together.

Laminating

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I finally bought a laminator. I went ahead and got the A3 size (297 x 420 mm or 11.7 x 16.5 in) so I can make laminated book covers for my handmade books. However I found another use for it as well. I.D. laminator pockets are A7 size (74 x 105 mm or 2.9 x 4.1 in) and fits my playing card size Combat Maneuver cards perfectly.

The biggest problem I’ve had with them is they don’t slide like normal playing cards. Well now they do and they are protected from spills as well! Now to spend most of a day laminating enough for all eight players! I’ve also ordered a corner rounder so I can trim off the excess plastic so they fit in card cases.

You can download the form fill pdf’s to make your own cards HERE

A3 Laminator
Will round corners at 3mm, 5mm, and 8mm

The Citadel at Norðvorn

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It has been a really good month for Dungeon Fantasy RPG powered by GURPS! Not only are we getting Monsters 2 but Douglas Cole of Gaming Ballistic, the man who brought us “Hall of Judgment – a Dungeon Fantasy RPG Supplement” has his second book that has been funded “The Citadel at Norðvorn”. It is time to sharpen your sword and return to Norðvorn!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gamingballistic/the-citadel-at-norvorn?ref=user_menu

Mini Magnetic Battle Tiles

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I found some A4 magnetic glossy sheets for inkjet printers. I wanted to see if i could print out the Battle Tiles at 2 inches vertical hexes. This way it can be a ‘mini map’ during play and I can pull out the appropriate 7 inch Battle Tiles during combat or special situations like trying to find traps and secret doors.

Testing them out on my metal filing cabinet.  I have a white board that we have used in the past for gaming and will be using that set on the table during play.

I am really pleased at the print quality that my Epson EcoTank ET-7750 was able to produce on these glossy magnetic sheets.  The stairs, doors, pits, and traps are a pain to cut out but they do stick to the top of the tiles allowing me to add features to the dungeon as well!

They cut better with a scissors then they did with the hobby knife. Now when we play I can place down the tiles as they explore the dungeons and they are just fun to play with on their own.

Binding PDF’s – Adding the cover

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PART ONE

PART TWO

Using Adobe CS2 I created the cover in three parts as I don’t yet have my roll of 115 gsm paper to do a continual cover in one piece.  I’m very impatient and didn’t want to wait another week.

Measure the thickness of the book with the front and back cover on.

Measure the thickness of the book.  The suggested gap between spine and cover is twice the width of the thickness of the cover.  I’m using 2mm greyboard so I’ve placed a 4mm gap.

Cover cut guide

Once you know the size of your cover either measure it out or make a cutting guide like I did.

Normally I would have used a longer steel ruler with a blade attachment to cut these out. However I still have not unpacked it and I’m unsure which box it is in.

Jakar photo mat cutter. Now where did I place it?

My covers got slightly sloppy and I did my best to square them up.

A bit longer on the bottom then the top. Remember to make several shallow cuts rather than attempt to cut it in one go.

Printed out the front, back, and spine art of the book.

How it should look, unfortunately I made an error somewhere.

Now tape your boards together with masking tape.  They are only there temporarily to keep them at the right distance.

Coat the board with acid free PVA glue.

Place the artwork on and use something to smooth it out. This is where I found out I made an error as it doesn’t fit perfectly.

Weigh it down so it doesn’t warp. PVA Glue still has a high water content so things can warp if you use too much.

At this point I’m pretty much giving up and a good cover.  I’ve made a ton of errors so far.

Error 1 is either my board cuts, my Illustrator file, or the actual distance I’ve placed the boards from each other. Or it could be a combination of the three.

Error 2 : Placing the cover on. I did not centre the spine.

Carefully remove the tape

Glue and wrap around the rest of the cover.
Error 3: I didn’t make these long enough.

Fold a sheet of A3 in half. Using scrap paper only expose about 4mm on the papers spine (where it is folded) then glue that bit. Now place it to the first page of the book.

Place the A3 sheet in the book. The 4mm strip of glue is attached to the first or last page near the spine. Then glue the Muslin to the cover

Glue the other half of the A3 sheet to the cover and press.

Since my clamp broke I must press the book between two boards with considerable weight on the top, evenly dispersed

Adhesive plastic film

Next time I will place the book upside down but open at 45 degrees when placing the plastic cover on it.

Tons of air bubbles. Just like my first GURPS 4e Characters book!

So I’m very pleased with the binding method up until I do the covers.  I need to spend a bit more time researching the best way to do it.  The loss of a clamp and the high heat did not help either.  Overall I’m fine with the look of it.  I should have made something triangular to lay the book open over when applying the plastic covering. Or gotten a second person to help me move and stretch.

I will do issues 6-10 next week.

Printing and Binding your pdf

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Part One HERE

The one thing I forgot about EPSON printers (I used to use them exclusively in the 00’s) is they only let you select EPSON brand paper.  This is understandable as when using Epson products which are specifically made to be used with Epson inks the end results are stunning.  However you may want to use water colour paper, or in my case Silk (which is like a semi gloss).  What you need is ICC Profiles that will work with your paper.  I emailed EPSON Technical support and hope I actually get a response.

Before printing I added a Table of Contents with the new page numbers in MS Word then saved it as a pdf then using Soda PDF I merged the contents with the rest of the document.

Then after experimenting with the limited paper options I chose to go with telling the computer I’m using plain paper but I told the printer I loaded semi-gloss.

Once your print is done make sure they are in order, I added test sheets to the front and back to protect the main book.  I will carefully tear or cut them out when the main part of the book is done. Then joj the pages so the are squared at each corner.

Cut guides for the spine

The string will be placed in the groves

I found this saw in my garage, it is absolutely perfect for this job!

Pres back and fan the pages out

Then apply glue. It was very hot and I had issues with accelerated drying.

Bring it up and get it back into normal position before fanning the pages the opposite way

Now glue the other side, the scribbles on the sheet is because that was a test print page

Press the book between two boards

Leave the top of the spine sticking out

 

Add the string to the spine cuts

You can either loop them back and forth or cut strips.

Add some glue to the spine then stretch Muslin cloth over the spine

Add a bit more glue. I was adding a fair bit due to the heat and the glue drying quickly

Let it dry for about an hour to be safe, or even overnight.

Carefully cut away the board and spare sheet. Make sure you use a sharp knife and take your time.

A Double Fan Bind lays flat

Do you even lift?

Project on hold until new clamp can be acquired.

So far I would say it was a success! Next time I might glue when it is cooler out.  They heat caused me to have to hurry a bit on the gluing which made it a bit sloppy.

I’m not sure I have the print quality down yet.  I thought having a nice paper like Silk would give me a great finish but there are some ink smears on some of the pages.  However in my haste I purchased a lot of silk paper because I thought I new better so I will have to make do with what I have.

Now the question is Soft Cover or Hard Cover?  Either way I will need a clamp before I continue.

PART THREE

Swamp Adventures!

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I’m working on a series of short encounters that can be strung together into a campaign.  Each encounter will include 3-7 Battle Tiles and possibly miniatures. The first part takes place in Lizard Man infested swamps.  I’ve still have some work to do on the layers and sheet effects but these first attempts should give a general idea of what they will look like.  Now for the lizard men.

Made with Profantasy Software’s Character Artist 3

I’m hoping to get them printed on high quality gloss photo paper then mount them on 2mm greyboard so they will fit into the Black Hex Bases properly.  It is to bad that Character Artist does not provide the backs to the mini’s.

GURPS now on DriveThruRPG.com!

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I’m seriously surprised to see this but Steve Jackson Games are now on DriveThruRPG.com! You can still purchase them at Warehouse 23 which is were I will continue to get my GURPS books, mostly because that is where I always purchased them and it is easier to have all my eggs in one basket.  However this is a great move on behalf of SJG as it will hopefully bring in new players!  Many fan social media sites are hoping, speculating that this is a first step towards a more open license.  I’m not so sure about that but it is a good move either way.

Speaking of Warehouse 23 you can now purchase Cardboard Hero Hex Bases both the Black Hex Bases and the Rainbow Hex Bases. Twelve bases for only $6.00 USD +shipping.

Hirst Arts diving into hexes

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We need your voice now!  Bruce Hirst from Hirst Arts Fantasy Architecture is asking if anyone would actually use 1″ hexes as most board games that are coming out are using 1.5 inch to 2 inch hexes.  I’ve been asking for years for him to delve into 1″ hexes as I stopped purchasing his moulds (I have a lot of them) when I got seriously into GURPS and was put off by the lack of hexes.  I think I’ve proven that hex dungeons work and I’ve done some work on overland and buildings with hex bases as well.

1.5″ Hex Mould Master Pieces

1.5″ Hex Floor Boards

So if you are interested in creating your own hex based terrain get over to the forums and let your voice be heard!  When Bruce was first experimenting with the “Hex Hills” he started out with 1″ but soon abandoned the idea.

1″ hex tile

You can read the thread for that HERE