Editor in Chief Bill | 12 May 2017 10:40 p.m. PST |
For a dungeoncrawl with 28mm figures, how large should a dungeon be? 4' x 4' 4' x 6' 4' x 8' 8' x 8' etc. |
Coyotepunc and Hatshepsuut | 12 May 2017 10:41 p.m. PST |
3' x 3' should be sufficient. |
Schulein | 12 May 2017 10:54 p.m. PST |
Depends on the game. We use 4*8 for Frostgrave and In Her Majesty's Name. |
bsrlee | 12 May 2017 11:45 p.m. PST |
There have been a few systems that used a 'rolling' playing area. As the group explores new terrain is laid down and old areas removed as required. The GW version was one directional and that avoided any book keeping, but allowed a new dungeon every time with no need for a 'dungeon master' or referee, so everyone got to take part. So you could use several 12" x 12" (30x30cm) base boards with loose tiles on top and have an effectively endless dungeon. |
Cosmic Reset | 13 May 2017 3:36 a.m. PST |
Back when we did that sort of thing, linked underground spaces could run for many miles in scale. These would be maped out on large sheets of small grid graph paper. Sometimes though, they were just a simple cellar, or room limited more or less by the footprint of a building, maybe with a passage or two leading out form the footprint. Representing the "dungeon" on the tabletop would be a function of designed size and scale, not a function of the table itself. |
Col Durnford | 13 May 2017 5:43 a.m. PST |
I did them in 3D using balsa wood. One of the last ones was on an 8x4 foot table. Smaller is better. I would suggest no larger than 4x4 foot. The most important part was number of encounters and number of players. Also after a full season of gaming about every weekend, I determined that I could run an average of one hour of game time in 15 minutes. |
Rich Bliss | 13 May 2017 6:25 a.m. PST |
I'd think it would have a lot to do with the passage/room density. If your 'dungeon' is just a few large rooms, then the larger table size would be appropriate. If, on the other hand, you've got a lot of twisty passages, then smaller is better. |
etotheipi | 13 May 2017 7:48 a.m. PST |
It depends on the scenario, mostly the objective(s) and how many characters you have. We generally play on a 3'x3' or 3'x4' area (dinner table) and use the following space expanding techniques (in no particular order): – take a snack/restroom break while one level is taken off and the next put down (often just rearranging the current bits. – lay down the bottom level of tiles, then a black 3'x3' sheet of posterboard or felt, then put the next layer on top. – done the layers thing with 3D dungeon pieces once. all the walls were the same height and 1.5" thick foam. – various 'rolling dungeon' schemes where old rooms are cleared and new ones added progressively. – rolling dungeon on vinyl mat with dry erase markers. – used an overhead projector (and an extra mirror) to project overhead transparencies on to a table. the light/shadows was a bit annoying. thought about this with a computer projector, never did. will definitely try when flexible lcd screens cost (significantly) less then $10 USDK to cover a dinner table. |
PrivateSnafu | 13 May 2017 8:50 a.m. PST |
The trouble with big ones is that the mystery of dungeon crawling and the unknown of RPG's is diminished if the whole thing is laid out. Having a plan for making it a "crawl" is more important than size. |
Col Durnford | 13 May 2017 8:55 a.m. PST |
You can keep some of the mystery by placing index card on top of the 3D dungeon. I would never do it any other way. When the players first see the dungeon, they can only tell the size and have no idea what the actual layout/contents are. |
Herkybird | 13 May 2017 11:06 a.m. PST |
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ced1106 | 14 May 2017 2:45 a.m. PST |
This looks about right. Dwarven Forge V starts in a few weeks…
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Mithmee | 24 May 2017 5:54 p.m. PST |
Well given that you need to be able to reach the center from the table edge it should be no wider than 7 feet Length is the issue since it is hard to find rooms that can fit. But a: 7' x 10' or 7' x 12' Would work. |
billthecat | 05 Jun 2017 9:23 a.m. PST |
28mm from foot to eye. Unless you want to go bigger, in which case anywhere between 30-38mm from foot to eye, or up to 40mm to top of head, or whatever else you can justify using the word "heroic"… |