Welcome to another Game Night Guide! Last time, we have talked about digital battle maps, but what about the real ones?
So – you want to make a map for your roommates game. Trouble is that Dwarven Forge is outside of your price range and you don’t have a 3-D printer. What else can you do?
We’ve got you covered – we are going to go over how to build your own battle maps, no matter your vision or budget.
Before you get started, you are absolutely want to pick up these items. The upside is that the dollar store is going to be your savior with all these items.
The only thing you will need to decide when doing your construction is the type of foam you will be using. Project foam will be good for thin landscapes, but if you want to go full 3-D models, rigid insulation is going to be your best. You can pick some up from your local Rona or Home Depot.
The materials you should have on hand for model making projects are:
Foam is your best friend. Foam is the key to creating the main tiles you will be using on your map.
Start by building some outlines with your bristol board. Outline the different shapes you are going to be using, then mark them out on the foam. Slice up the foam based on the outlines, and boom – you are going to have a beautiful etching from the foam.
The next part is the trickiest. Depending on the thickness of the foam, you are going to want to shave and shape the foam to your desired model. Make sure to plan out how you are going to shave off the shape as best you can, making marks with pencil to note the different spots where you either want to shave back the model or to make special carvings. Once you get to actually doing, take your time, and don’t rush anything.
If you want to add any wood accents, such as paneling or door and window outlining, use up them popsicle sticks! They will offer a new look and texture to really bring the model to life.
The last two things – making the grid and colour. If you are planning on carving the grid into the map, then do that before you add the colour. If you are planning on marking the grid with marker, then do it after adding the colour.
For making the grid, mark out inch squares by creating inch nicks on the length and width of the model. Then, take a ruler and run either the blade or marker from one side of the model to the other. Continue doing this for all the nicks and boom – you have a grid!
For adding colour, different forms of foam can respond in odd ways depending on if you use paint, markers, or pencil crayons. Make sure to test what works best on your specific brand of foam. Take a piece of foam that was cut off during the carving phase, and try different colouring methods to see what gives you your desired effect!
Once you figure out which method works best for you, go nuts! Create your dreams! Paint, draw, and colour in to your hearts delight!
Once you do that – you’re finished! You have created a beautiful landscape ready to be shown to your roommates and friends!
Thank you for checking out this weeks The Game Night Guide, keep an eye out for more coming your way!
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Finding a combat map simulator can be hard. But have no fear – on this Game Night Guide, we will explore how to find the best battle simulator for your next game!
Keep in mind that all of these options have some great benefits and some downsides too. The best option for you all depends on what you are looking to get out of your combat encounters.
Roll20 is both the most revered and the most hated of combat map simulators. It was one of the first, becoming synonymous with online tabletop gaming. Everyone and their mother has heard about Roll20 and it’s gaming possibilities.
The upside of Roll20 is it’s accessibility to numerous game groups and campaigns. Since it’s been around the longest, Roll20 is a great resource if you are looking to get involved in a game. It also allows you to customize the terrain of the map to precisely your choosing. You can have everything on screen exactly as you like, creating some truly unique combat maps.
The downside – it is a HUGE learning curve. There are so many things going on at the same time for just one map. You have to be able to spend hours learning the tools and then being able to prep for a session. If you are an off the cuff DM with random encounters, than this makes showing those combats nearly impossible.
Where Roll20 is the map fanatic’s wonderland, Owlbear Rodeo is the improv DMs dream. Need a quick map? Choose one from Google Images, upload it to the site, then post it for everyone to see. Use the icons on the right as players and creatures, and boom – you’ve got yourself a fight.
Owlbear Rodeo’s biggest benefit is it’s simplicity. Anyone can learn how to use this software quick and easily. It is the perfect example of pick up and play. The one downside is if you want a specific mini for a game to represent a creature or a character, you will need to find it and upload it properly to the site.
However, if you are just looking for something that is going to be easy to get onto the next adventure, then Owlbear Rodeo will do ya just fine.
Mythic Table is a little bit of column A of Roll20 and a little bit of column B of Owlbear Rodeo. This combat map builder allows you to customize and build combat maps, but also to run something on the fly. It’s a very versatile tool, allowing for some great benefits in both directions.
Of course, as the old saying, jack of all trades, master of none. This program doesn’t do what Owlbear or Roll20 nearly as well as these other two programs do for their own. Consider what you are looking for in your next campaign to help see if you want this dual ability, or if just one type would be better.
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Nothing can help players feel connected to a world more than a map. Offering a visual element of your world can help your players decide what they want to chase after next, where they want to explore, or even plan how to get from point A to point B.
During our digital only play times, building maps by hand can be a bit annoying. With new map making programs available on your computer, it may be worth investing some money to really make your next game one to remember.
But where should you start? Check out these three options to find which one will be right for you!
Inkarnate is a great tool to help build your world. This program really kicked off the map maker renaissance, and has a lot of beautiful technical kicks to go the extra mile in your world building.
The benefit of Inkarnate is that it is able to add some more 3-D elements in your map designs. You can make the trees, physical structures like monuments or cities, and mountains shaded and shadowed. This makes the map feel like it is a living breathing place, where creatures and people are hiding behind every little nook and cranny of the world, waiting to be discovered.
You pick up your copy of Inkarnate here!
Wonderdraft provides a classic approach to your map building skills. Everything is done in a hand drawn style, giving it the appearance that someone dedicated a lot of time to intimately make your world map.
The major bonus here is creating a very immersive map. While Inkarnate may have beautiful 3-D elements, this can pull you out of character and the world. You may find yourself being pulled out of the game with the technical bonuses. Sometimes to really establish a mood in a game session, simplicity wins out over the over-dramatic every time. Because of this, Wonderdraft is a wonderful program to help you build your world.
Pick up your copy of Wonderdraft here!
If you’re game is lore heavy, then I would highly suggest World Anvil. You have more than likely heard the endless advertisements about all things World Anvil, but I find this aspect the least documented programs in their catalogue.
The key aspect of World Anvil’s map maker is you can pin lore articles to each location. If your players ever need a refresher on why a location is important, then all they have to do is click on the location and boom – anything they could ever need to know. This does require the players to have a digital device during play, which can be distracting if players aren’t careful. Just as long as you cover that with your players before play, then you have a great interactive tool just at your finger tips.
Check out World Anvil here!
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Get all your board game needs from Three Kings Loot! www.threekingsloot.com
