"Dungeon Doors - A Hassle?" Topic

Troy Taylor on the Gnome Stew blog says that 3D doors for a dungeon are a hassle:

When it comes to game play, merely the "suggestion" of a doorway works best.

Do you agree?

I have some dwarven forge stuff and their doors are functional so I don't find it too fiddly to swing them open or shut.

No.

I don't have a problem with them.

That's probably right. Most miniatures will not fit through a normal-sized doorway due to base height, protruding weapons or equipment, etc. This is especially true if the ground and building scale is slightly smaller than the figure scale which is common. So no functional model door is actually functional.

Bruce Hirst of HirstArts recommends a free-standing door on its own base (he suggests a clear acrylic base so it is hard to see). That is probably the best way to go: stand it in the doorway, remove when open, or if necessary to have the opened door intrude into combat, the same door game piece serves no matter which way the door swings.

Edited: I have Dwarven Forge doors too. They are pretty. We sometimes stick weapons through the doorways for dynamic effect, but no figure actually passes through.

I have Dwarven Firge doors also and I think they work well.

That said, I understand where the author is coming from: sometimes scenery can be less than functional or otherwise get in the way of the game, particularly in dungeons or similarly cramped locations.

No. I also disagree with several of his other aesthetic choices.

I have been pondering this question as of late, and have come to thing that a gap where the door is and a removable door piece is probably the best trade off between aesthetics and game play.

I am considering acquiring a passel of Litkos' new standing door tokens.

I prefer 3D. No hassle at all.

As I recall, Heroquest has a very practical solution.

There are pieces for closed doors and others for open doors. You swap them as you open or close a door.

Anything else (i.e opening doors) appears to be very complex to model and to use.

Happy to use 3D doors and remove them as required

The door is handy for blocking line of site and the model helps in this area better than anything else.

I prefer a removable 3d door.

Nope.
I like to use them myself.

I like to use 3d doors on maps drawn upon our playing mat. They give the suggestion of walls and show at a glance where entry points.

No problem with them here. I like them.

Most miniatures will not fit through a normal-sized doorway due to base height, protruding weapons or equipment, etc.
…
So no functional model door is actually functional.

While this is true, I don't walk my figures along the ground to move them, either. I measure and pick them up, then set them down at the location.

For having ones that open and close, my favorite solution is to have the archway, then hang a folded door over it.

I use the Dwarven Forge Doors perfectly well. The only issue I has is, I could occasionally do with more of them. :)

I think the doors help to give a feel to a game. If you have problems with a figure getting stuck, etc, then just remove the door. Never found it a problem yet.

No. Doors are good to have.

We don't use miniatures… I make my players map from my verbal description.

Well, technically they don't have to map, it would just be suicide not to.