Wednesday 17 September 2014

My take on the 2.5D dungeon system...

If you're not familiar with the 2.5D dungeon method, then I'd recommend you take a look at some of the videos on The DM's Craft or TheDMGinfo's youtube channels first.

As you'll see (if you watched any of the aforementioned videos), the idea is to give a bit more depth to regular two-dimensional dungeon tiles by including a slightly raised area around the edge of each tile to represent the walls.

Well, I've been meaning to have a go at something like that for a while now - but instead of painting the cardboard (like the above you-tuber's do), I thought I would make a couple of custom images that I could print out and simply glue to the cardboard (much like AJ does in THIS video ...but have the wall and floor pattern as separate sheets to make things a little easier)

So, here's what I've come up with...

- a selection of  the finished tiles -

- those same tiles arranged into a little dungeon -

They're pretty easy to make ...as all you need to do is print off the wall and floor patterns that I've supplied in THIS pdf file (note that you'll only need to print 1 'wall' pattern for every 4-5 'floor' patterns) and glue them down to a sheet of thick (double-corrugated) cardboard.

Then simply cut the floor pattern into the size/shape you require (remembering to include a half inch gap around the edge to accommodate the walls) and cut the walls into half inch wide strips ...as shown below:

 (note that I've printed these on regular paper and in draft/low quality - as that is sufficient for this project)

The next (and final) step is to trim the wall strips to the length you require, and glue them around the edge of the tile (leaving a gap of 2 squares for any entrances/exits):

(in this example I'm making a small 'passage corner' piece)

And that's pretty much all there is to it :)

However, you'll notice that I've also included a door assembly in the pdf download ...and to make these I've simply glued the front and back image to a thick piece of (double-corrugated) cardboard, and the base to a piece of thinner (single-corrugated) cardboard. The two pieces where then stuck together with the aid of a hot-glue gun.

 (note that I've made these slightly smaller than 2" wide - just to make placing/removing them a little easier).

And there you have it. A nice and easy (and cheap) way of creating your own 2.5D dungeon :)

- a few of the old D&D pre-painted miniatures thrown in for scale -

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TL;DR here's a free pdf file that you can use to create some 2.5D dungeon tiles like those pictured above:



38 comments:

  1. Amazing! Just amazing! I literally have 100's if not 1000's of paper tiles, but have not converted them to 2.5 due to not wanting to cut them all up!? You are the first I believe to address the walls in this way! Thank you soooo much! So much easier this way to convert to 2.5d and 3d! Hopefully we'll see more from you in this fashion.... a cavern set, a wood/tavern set (hint hint) :D

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    1. Thanks for the kind words.

      I might expand on this in the future ...but for now, this set should allow folks to build dungeon rooms and passages of any size or shape - as it's only really limited by the amount time you want to put into it :)

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  2. My terrain OCD tweaks on the exposed corrugated edges, but those are quite nice.

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    1. A bit of masking tape or something similar along the edges before gluing the artwork on top would finish these pieces off perfectly!

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    2. I thought about wrapping the wall pattern around the wall pieces (to hide the corrugation), but in the end I opted for a quick & easy build.

      Obviously folks could spend more time on their own versions of this ...which would be pretty cool to see to be honest :)

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  3. I tend to use foamboard or cork tile over cardboard.

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  4. Very nice work. Duly downloaded.

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    1. I hope you are able to get some good use out of them :)

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  5. Thanks for sharing!

    Greetings
    Peter

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  6. Loving the work Kristian!

    Quick question. Apart from the hot glue gun, what type of glue would you recommend to stick the printouts to the card?

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    1. In this instance, I've only use the hot glue-gun (the cheap kind you can get off ebay for less than £5) for fixing the bottom of the door to its base.

      For gluing the paper to the card, I've sometimes used a normal glue-stick (i.e. a pritt-stick knockoff) -or- some spray-on glue.

      Both of these I picked up for £1 from the local Poundland store ...with the glue-sticks coming in a pack of 6, and the spray-on adhesive in a 200ml aerosol can.

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  7. I love how your design has preserved the grid. Well done.

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  8. Very generous of you and your time, love the doors!

    How the war gaming community should be :)

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  9. May I beg you to make some science fiction paneled floors? I would adore being able to blend this into my homemade stuff... Looks awesome.

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    1. I could probably put something together that looks somewhat similar to my 'Colony 19' range ...so I'll add it to my to-do list :)

      Oh, and if you haven't already seen the Colony 19 stuff - there's a few samples amongst this lot:
      http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/3785/Crooked-Staff-Publishing/subcategory/6576_8744/Colony-19

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  10. How about same but for dark-gray dungeon?

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    1. You are not the first person to ask for darker floors ...and I actually made some a little while back (but forgot to share them here).

      So, here's the link:
      app.box.com/s/c8kiltmhbgl9fk226pbt

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  11. This is fantastic, I've already made almost everything you've posted. My D&D co-workers (we play at work) were crazy impressed (you and DMG get all the credit).

    Question: I'm using your Balconies images in order to make some wood floors and walls, do you happen to have a door with a wooden wall background instead of stone anywhere?

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    1. Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you and your co-workers are getting some good use out of them (feel free to share pictures if you have any :) ). To answer your question ...sorry, no - I haven't drawn any doors with wooden walls yet, so I'll add them to the to-do list (though I'm not working on any 2.5D stuff at the moment, as the campaign I was using them in has recently finished, so it might be a while before I get back to it).

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  12. I have some Warcraft miniatures and I am going to try and print these at maybe 110% because the bases are a little larger. Has anyone ever done this before and had good results? BTW These look awesome and are exactly what I have been looking for!

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    1. Thanks for the kind words (glad you like 'em). As for printing them slightly larger ...they should still work fine so long as cut the walls to be half the width of the tiles.

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  13. This is phenomenal. My daughter and I have started building our first castle/dungeon and this is amazing. Thanks so much. If you ever come out with more sets like outdoor tiles or really anything please let the community know because this a truly awesome. Thanks!

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    1. Thanks for the kind words. Since I've just started a YouTube channel featuring this stuff, I'll probably have more things to show in the near future :) Thanks again.

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  14. I discovered this post about a week ago and its a godsend! I swapped out the corrugated card for 5mm foamcore for the walls and thin card that we have in droves from work for the floors. You are doing amazing work. keepitup!

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    1. Glad you like 'em :)

      I'll be switching to foamcore myself when I get around to doing a sci-fi version.

      But in the meantime, feel free to check out my new youtube channel - where I'm creating more of this kind of thing:

      https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1cnHiqtsuMk9NwJNj8SmpA

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  15. i just love this blog... the pdf file is amazing... but... can you give us another floor design?

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  16. Started making some of these today, so easy and looks damn cool thanks Kristan!

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  17. Hi Kristian -
    I have been working on a huge set of 2.5D dungeon tiles, changing directions several times as I've come across other techniques (including yours, finally). Lots and lots of trial & error. I started with the DMG style, hand painting and all that. It quickly became obvious that creating 100's of tiles with themes in a consistent style was not going to be feasible.

    So, being an old graphic designer and illustrator at heart who has a full bevy of imaging software and color laser printers on hand, I did just as you have here - created my own floor, wall, and door graphics that I just print out and cut to whatever shape, etc. I have run into a few challenges though, and thought I'd shoot you a note here.

    I've tried using dual layer cardboard for the walls, but need a faster way to accurately cut tons of 1/2" strips. Do you have any suggestions for doing this quicker than a box cutter and steel ruler? Your examples have very clean, 90 degree cuts on the wall strips. How did you achieve such clean cuts? Most of the crafting "trimmers" I've found aren't really designed for this thick of a stock, and end up crushing it a bit.

    Also - what's the best way to cover the corrugation on both sides of the walls? I'm using hot glue and black marker/paint, but the result isn't as clean as I'm looking for.

    Lastly, a couple of tips that are a little more pricey, but make things easier and a bit more functional.

    1. I print on full sheet, permanent mailing label stock (Avery, Fellowes, etc.) This way, everything printed is ready to cut, peel, mount, done. It's extremely clean. It is more $$ than simple paper and spray mount/glue stick, but worth it to me.

    2. My gaming crew (for about 35 years now) love to be able to DRAW on the map surface with wet erase markers for area effects, etc. This will not work with other 2.5D hand painted or printed solutions.

    So, I solved this by getting full page, self-adhesive, laminating sheets. Simply put this on top of each full size tile, before cutting. Then, no matter what you decide to cut for a tile, it's completely sealed, fade-resistant, and supports dry/wet erase markers with no trouble. Again, it adds a little to the overall cost of the tiles. But worth it if your group(s) need to be able to draw on them.

    Please let me know on the cutting suggestions.

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    1. Hello (and sorry for not seeing this sooner).

      Re: cutting the wall. Like yourself, I'm just using a box cutter and metal ruler - though I do trim the ends to length with a pair of scissors ...like you can see here: https://youtu.be/cr5gzdX7m-A?t=322

      Re: covering the corrugation. I'm more of a speed-builder myself (as I treat the tiles in a semi-disposable manner), so I tend not to worry about things like that. However, if I were to start again (with the intent of making a more durable, better looking, set), I'd probably use 5mm thick foamboard/foamcore instead. I'd then cut the ½" strips first, and then wrap the wall texture around the entire thing.

      Re: tips. Yeah, both of those options are well worth the extra investment - but, as I say, I'm more of a speed-builder (I'm also trying to make things as cheap, easy, and quick as possible for those that might be following along on youtube). So yeah, that's the great thing about stuff like this - i.e. I can provide a few textures and show folks the basics ...and they can expand upon the idea (and make them better) as they see fit :)

      Anyway, thanks for getting in touch - and if you ever take any pics of your stuff, I'd love to see 'em!

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  18. Amazing! Thank you for this tutorial. Btw how you put the pieces together, maybe I just ignored that part but didn't remember anything regarding that. I'm thinking about really small magnets which could hold the pieces together.

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    1. Sorry I didn't see this sooner. Anyway, I've got hold of some thin magnetic tape - that I stick to the bottom, i.e. like this:

      https://i.imgur.com/oh3zDiO.jpg

      And I then assemble my encounter areas on a magnetic whiteboard ...and that works well enough for me :)

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  19. Hi, I'm making square tiles to assemble. Is it better going for 2x2" squares or 2.5x2.5" squares? I see why the second option, but the first one makes the gaps nearly invisible...
    Your system rocks btw

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    1. Not sure if I'm understanding things right ...but the extra half inch border is only there to accommodate the walls.

      If you're not using walls, and are just building tiles like this...

      https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hfb_fRt5u5A/XbGXAcmhFLI/AAAAAAAASec/tnVuujhf458hPmCjf-hugWRRBRAcJb9cwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/sf01.jpg

      ...I'd ignore the extra half inch :)

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  20. Hi, just love your tiles, I have built them. Just one question how to do secret doors? I must admit I'm stumped. Best regards
    John



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    1. This is how I've been doing them:
      https://i.imgur.com/oNxoYnq.jpg
      (Obviously, I don't place the secret room itself until after it's discovered)

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