DM Toolkit: Tact-Tiles

What do I use when I'm not using Dwarven Forge or WorldWorks? Most of the time I use a set of twelve Tact-Tiles by BC Products. I love the fact that I can scroll or resize the battlemat at any time. I also like that it's dry erase and relatively portable. Needless to say, my son Joshua enjoys drawing on the Tact-Tiles using the seven or so colored markers I have on hand for my games.

I have used a Chessex Battlemat in the past, but I never really enjoyed cleaning up after the wet erase marker. I also accidentally used a dry erase marker on it one day, so now it has permanent artwork.

I ordered a Steel Sqwire Flip Mat several months ago, but I still haven't used it. It's very portable, and the fact that it accepts any type of marker is quite appealing. I don't like the fact that it has fold marks in it after unfolding it. Perhaps I'll bring it along when I travel for gaming.

Other DM Toolkit posts


Now thinking about: Lord of the Ring Online

Adventure Gear (43 Saddlebags to 48 Tent)

43 Saddlebags
44 Scroll Tube
45 Spellbook
46 Spyglass
47 Tankard
48 Tent


Now playing: Frank's Zoo (card game)

Discount Cards

As I opened up some more Hero's Hoard this weekend, it occurred to me that I have way too many of some cards (just as I have way too few of some others). With that in mind, I'm offering the following cards for $.25 each for this week (while supplies last):

Hero's Hoard
07 Platemail
63 Scroll
64 Scroll
75 Staff
79 Wand
81 Wand
82 Wand
94 Boots

Relics of War
14 Wooden Shield
16 Club
17 Crossbow
29 Quarterstaff
36 Spiked Guantlet
38 Whip
61 Ring
64 Scroll
68 Scroll
71 Scroll
85 Wand
87 Wand

To see what else I have for sale, visit the Item Card Extravaganza.

DM Toolkit: Dwarven Forge

Technically I believe Dwarven Forge is the name of the company and Master Maze is the name of the fantasy product line, but I've come to use the first name for both. I started collecting these dungeon pieces once my wife and I bought a house back in 2004.

Although they are a little pricey, Dwarven Forge pieces make a big impression at the gaming table. The three dimensional element appeals to the tacticians in the group, while the incredibly detailed sculpting and painting appeals the storytellers. If you fall into both camps like me (check out this survey of RPG Player types), they are well worth the cost.

To get the most out of Dwarven Forge pieces, it is helpful to test build dungeons before the actual gaming session. I don't always have time for that, and so I don't use them every week. However, I have enjoyed using them to set up some of the showcase locations in the Shackled City and Age of Worms campaigns.

A tip for Dwarven Forge users that I learned from my five year-old son Joshua: remember that the pieces can be rotated in any direction. He will place pieces on end or upside down to create truly intriguing environments. I will typically let him play with two sets (and one case of minis) during the first two hours of our weekly gaming session.

I have these sets:
Room & Passage Set
Deluxe Room Set
Traps Set
Traps Set #2
Cavernous Passage Set
Cavernous Lake Set
Cavernous River and Walls Set
Den of Evil Set
Fantasy Starter Set
Sci-Fi Starter Set

I have most of the individual pieces from these sets:
Wicked Additions #2 Set
Advanced Builder Set
Cavern Set

I plan on getting these sets:
Wicked Additions Set
Den of Evil Room Set
Den of Evil Wicked Additions Set

For the time being though, I've started to build WorldWorks cardstock models. More about that in another post.

Other DM Toolkit posts


Now reading: PVP

Adventure Gear (37 Pouch to 42 Saddle)

37 Pouch
38 Rations
39 Ring
40 Rope
41 Sack
42 Saddle


Now reading: Down to Earth (Book 2 of Harry Turtledove's Colonization series)

Adventure Gear (31 Manacles to 36 Pole)

31 Manacles
32 Mirror
33 Parchment
34 Piton
35 Poison
36 Pole


Now watching: Flushed Away

Adventure Gear (25 Ink & Quill to 30 Magnifying Glass)

25 Ink & Quill
26 Lamp Oil
27 Lantern
28 Lock
29 Lute
30 Magnifying Glass


Now playing: Kill Doctor Lucky

DM Toolkit: DM's Familiar

Something else that I have been using in almost all my campaign sessions for the last four years is DM's Familiar. It's software which helps DM's manage combats, organize adventure materials, and reference rules.

The reference library is fantastic. I can almost always look up a spell, skill, feat, or rule faster than someone using a rulebook. The software comes with the 3.5 versions of the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual. There's a DM's Familiar Unofficial Fan Site on Yahoo! Groups where members have posted content from dozens of other supplements and adventures.

The combat board is also a great time saver. It can track initiative, ongoing spell effects, make attack and damage rolls for creatures, make skill rolls or saving throws, etc. I am currently having my players manage initiative and spell effects with index cards, but I use all the other functions. My players are convinced that the computer cheats.

There's a tree that allows DM's to organize adventures, grouping rooms within adventures, monsters and traps within rooms, etc. Then everything under a particular node can be moved to the combat board with a single drag and drop. This allows DM's to locate relevant materials before a session rather than during.

The main drawback of DM's Familiar is that you need a computer on hand to use it. Occasionally my laptop has been an obstacle between the players and I, but now it is sitting comfortably off to the side.

The best thing about DM's Familiar is that the evaluation copy is free, and purchasing it is only $30, about the price of a single sourcebook. As such I highly recommend this software to other DM's.

Other DM Toolkit posts


Now watching: Boston Legal

Adventure Gear (19 Flask to 24 Holy Water)

19 Flask
20 Grappling Hook
21 Hammer
22 Healing Kit
23 Holy Symbol
24 Holy Water


Now playing: Paranoia XP (Troubleshooter Tonka-R-TRK-10 reporting for duty!)

DM Toolkit: Dungeons & Dragons Minis

Today I'm going to start discussing some of the other products I use regularly as a Dungeon Master. I'll start with Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures (DDM). I've probably spent more money on DDM than any other gaming product, and it sees use in my campaign almost every week.

Like a lot of gamers, I had a bunch of metal miniatures growing up, and I painted a few, but I generally felt that painting miniatures took more time than the finished result was worth. I love DDM because it's prepainted, portable, and diverse. The available figures include more than a thousand different Dungeons and Dragons characters and monsters.

My first exposure to DDM was in Japan, where my friend Rob used them in a campaign called Regents of Atlantis. I started collecting them in the summer of 2004 after returning to the States. The first three sets (Harbinger, Dragoneye, and Archfiends) were out and still available at that point, so I was able to get in relatively early. The 12th set (Unhallowed) will be released next month, and I'm still buying them.

My collecting strategy is fairly straightforward. I preorder one case (12 boosters) of each set from CCG Armory. That generally gives me 4 of each common and 2 of each uncommon and half of the rares. I trade away Medium rares to get the Large rares I want, and I trade old rares for recent resculpts (e.g. Ogre Ravager for Ogre War Hulk), often getting additional rares in the bargain. This gives me loads of good minis for RPG purposes. I do all my trading on maxminis.com.

My five-year old son Joshua also gets a kick out of the miniatures (aka "Daddy's Toys"). He uses them in combination with my Dwarven Forge scenery to create truly complex stories and battles. More about that in a future post!

Other DM Toolkit posts


Now playing: Lord of the Rings Boardgame

Adventure Gear (13 Candle to 18 Disguise Kit)

13 Candle
14 Chalk
15 Crowbar
16 Deck of Cards
17 Dice
18 Disguise Kit


Now playing: BANG

Adventure Gear (07 Bedroll to 12 Caltrops)

07 Bedroll
08 Bell
09 Blanket
10 Block & Tackle
11 Bottle of Wine
12 Caltrops


Now watching: Battlestar Galactica

Adventure Gear (01 Acid to 06 Bag of Marbles)

01 Acid
02 Alchemical Fire
03 Alchemical Stone
04 Backpack
05 Bag
06 Bag of Marbles


Now playing: Halo

Adventure Gear, eBay and Removable Labels

Quick update today. My Adventure Gear sets arrived last night, and I handed them out the players at my Thursday night Age of Worms game. They seemed quite pleased. I took a look through the cards myself this afternoon. The items have a mundane feel without being unattractive.

I also handed out sheets of 80 removable labels (Avery 6467) to my players in case they want to label item cards without writing on them. I preprinted labels for all the magic items in the current adventure, and used them to label cards once they'd been identified. They fit quite nicely on the cards.

I didn't have time to scan the Adventure Gear cards last night due to the game, but I'll scan them over the weekend and post them next week. Stay tuned!


Now reading: Secret War (Marvel Comics)

Recommended Cards for DMG Magic Items

Potions (Healing, Buffing)
Potions (Illusion, Abjuration)
Potions (Movement, Offense, Defense)
Potions (Elixirs, Misc)

Rings

Rods

Wondrous Items (Neck)
Wondrous Items (Head, Shoulders, Eyes, Torso)
Wondrous Items (Arms, Feet, Hands, Waist)
Wondrous Items (Containers, Books, Gems)
Wondrous Items (Other)


Now watching: Heros

Item Pack 1 Gallery

Armor (1-9)
Weapons (10-25)
Potions (26-29)
Rings (30-32)
Scrolls(33-36)
Rod/Staff/Wands (37-42)
Wondrous Items (43-54)

Vincent Dutrait's composite image of Item Pack 1 and Hero's Hoard
Paizo's Item Pack 1 product page


Now watching: Angel - Season Five

Recommended Cards for DMG Potions (Movement, Offense, Defense)

Movement
HH 49 - The ivory petals on this pale blue vial with silvery liquid look almost like feathers, making this the right choice for fly or levitate.

HH 50 - Jason Bulmahn called this one on the Paizo messageboards. This clay flask with glowing yellow liquid and an octopus symbol is perfect for water walk or water breathing.

HH 48 - The dark umber glass with brown spots and a humanoid symbol seems appropriate for jump, enlarge person, and reduce person.

HH 56 - How can you go wrong with this one? A glass bottle with bubbling brown murk and a spider symbol has got to be spider climb.

RW 47 - In a reversal of expectations, the fiery bottle with honey-like liquid wrapped in red flower petals turns out to be haste.

Offense
HH 51 - This glass vial with thick black moving liquid sure seems to be an oil, which makes it suitable for magic weapon, shillelagh, magic stone, keen edge, or bless weapon.

RW 50 - Why not use the potion containing the decaying severed finger with a jagged nail for magic fang. Hopefully, you'll only need to feed it to your animal companion (pity the monk).

Defense
RW 40 - Another oil, this corked glass with black motes and a square geometric symbol will serve for magic vestment.

RW 51 - Glass with thick blue syrup and a leaf pattern, this potion is the most likely choice for barkskin.


Now reading: Dungeon 144

Recommended Cards for DMG Potions (Illusion, Abjuration)

Illusion
RW 49 - The clouds drifting in the blue liquid of this round potion remind me of the appearance of someone under a blur or gaseous form spell.

HH 45 - This glass flask with bubbling amber liquid suggests invisibility, hide from animals, hide from undead, and pass without trace.

HH 55 - Green glass with sticky brown liquid and a personal symbol is my recommendation for displacement.

RW 56 - A coiled clay bottle stained with a swirly red stripe suggests the obscuring effects of misdirection, nondetection, and undetectable alignment.

Abjuration
HH 52 - Heavy glass with a sun symbol seems appropriate for resist energy and endure elements.

HH 57 - A bulbous glass bottle with fiery golden liquid speaks primarily to fire, but could also serve for other forms of protection from energy. It's also just right for flame arrow.

RW 54 - Aged bronze with briny liquid and stone cap is an excellent choice for shield of faith.

HH 44 - This glass bottle with sluggish green liquid containing brown crystals could provide protection from arrows, mage armor, or sanctuary to a desperate adventurer.

RW 39 - Rough green glass with single red pearl, this potion will provide our protection from (alignment) or magic circle against (alignment).


Now playing: Zombies!!!

Item Pack 1 Wondrous Items

43 Amulet - Smooth shaped jade with carved baboon image
44 Amulet - Monstrously shaped stone with chips of gold
45 Bag - Black and white leather with dragon clasp
46 Belt - Leather with three demonic faces as buckle
47 Boots - Leather with painted white wings
48 Bracers - Wood with metal wrapping and eye-shaped glass
49 Cloak - Blue with embroidered moons and stars
50 Cloak - Ornate white and black with gold trim and red lining
51 Gemstone - Rough-cute amber with shining lights inside
52 Gloves - Leather with spotted fur lining and scale backing
53 Headband - Dyed fur with simple symbol
54 Necklace - Gold coils with large dark gemstone


Now watching: Children of Men

Item Pack 1 Rod/Staff/Wands

37 Rod - Metal with serpent's head
38 Staff - Wood with stone bust of magus
39 Wand - Wood with looped head and leather fetishes
40 Wand - Bone with smooth black stones
41 Wand - Blue scales with shell tip
42 Wand - Sandstone with gold star and golden hair


Now NOT playing: Neverwinter Nights 2 (Curse my metal video card! It's not fast enough.)

Recommended Cards for DMG Potions (Healing, Buffing)

Healing
HH 41, IP 26 - There's something about this blue clay jug with human head stopper and water symbol, so I'd recommend it for cure light wounds.

HH 43, IP 27 - This aged iron flask with oily red liquid and X symbol could be an oil, but I'll interpret the X as "extra" and make it cure moderate wounds.

HH 47, IP 28 - A clay flask with blue liquid, metallic scent, and S symbol rounds out the cure series. That S stands for cure serious wounds.

RW 55 - There's something poetic about a antidote that's nastier than the poison, so I'll use this oily black muck for neutralize poison and delay poison.

HH 46 - This glass flask with the oily crimson liquid and number 4 label
reminds me of snake oil and hucksters, which seems appropriate for lesser restoration.

RW 41 - There's something medicinal about the look of this stone bottle encrusted with olive-colored ooze which might work for remove paralysis and remove disease.

RW 48 - Rounding out the medicine cabinet is this glass with oily liquid containing grimacing clay face. Let's make it remove blindness/deafness and remove curse.


Buffing
HH 40 - This stone flask with a twisted cord looks sturdy and rugged enough for bear's endurance.

HH 42 - Amber glass with swirling brown liquid and a demonic face symbol suggests the raw power of bull's strength.

RW 52 - This sleek orange glass with a charcoal-scribed symbol of small creature will make a reasonable cat's grace.

RW 44 - One of the more attractive potions, this clear glass containing an ageless white flower will be our eagle's splendor.

HH 54 - Wizards like scrolls, so the smoky glass with clear liquid containing rolled-up parchment is appropriate for fox's cunning. It's also a good choice for tongues.

RW45 - There's a natural charm to this brown bottle with a redcap mushroom symbol and stopper that seems like a good match for owl's wisdom.


Now reading: Looking for Group

Dragon's Trove, eBay, and Competition?

Interesting news today. Jason Bulmahn posted on the Paizo messageboards that Dragon's Trove will be released as a set of 110 cards rather than as 11 card boosters. Many board posts and product reviews over the last nine months have asked for non-random item cards, and it looks like they are coming. As Kyle Baird noted, the new collecting challenge will be for DMs who want multiples of a particular card. I'm considering buying a number of complete sets and then selling matched sets, but I've got to think about it some more.

My first Relics of War Complete set sold on eBay. Woo hoo! This week I've got Potions, Scrolls, and Rod/Wand/Staff subsets from Relics up for auction. It think I've figured out how to create a link to my auctions.

Kyle Baird noticed that CCG Armory is now selling Item Card Singles. I have ordered my Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures cases from CCG Armory for the last four or five releases, so it's with interest that I see them getting into this market. I doubt we'll be in direct competition, as my focus is selling sets and subsets. Sadly, they are also out of stock of my most wanted cards. As a side note, they are selling Hero's Hoard and Relics of War boosters for $2.62 each, the lowest I've seen outside of eBay.


Now playing: Viva Pinata

Item Pack 1 Scrolls

33 Scroll - Vellum with celestial patterns
34 Scroll - Weathered parchment with flowing scrip
35 Scroll - Long scroll on pair of dowels with mystic symbols
36 Scroll - Red-stained parchment with silk ribbon


Now reading: Order of the Stick

Item Pack 1 Rings

30 Ring - Gold band with red gemstone
31 Ring - Coiled silver serpents
32 Ring - Woven gold with elven script


Now playing: Marvel Ultimate Alliance

Uber Excited! Adventure Gear Preview #4 and More

On Friday Jason Bulmahn posted the last quarter of the upcoming Adventure Gear set, and I'm psyched. Not only does the set sound great, but I won a complete set of Relics of War foils for correctly guessing 16 Deck of Cards, and Jason gave a nice plug for the blog. Thanks, Jason and Paizo!

I think I'll be getting eight packs of Adventure Gear. I've got six players in my weekly Age of Worms campaign, and it would be handy as a DM to have two packs to use for magic item proxies and items of interest in the campaign. As soon as the cards arrive I'll scan them and put up an Adventure Gear gallery. This week I hope to complete the Item Pack 1 gallery, as well as offer some recommended cards for DMG Potions.

If you've been following the blog, you probably noticed that I now have galleries up for both Hero's Hoard and Relics of War. I'm also selling both complete sets through a thread on maxminis.com, the Item Card Extravaganza, which is also the top link in my Links section on the right. I need to figure out a way to link my eBay auctions there as well. This week I'm auctioning a complete Relics of War set, with a little more than a day left to bid.


Now reading: Cyteen

Item Pack 1 Potions

26 Potion - Blue clay jug with human head stopper and water symbol
27 Potion - Aged iron flask with oily red liquid and X symbol
28 Potion - Glass flask with bubbling amber liquid
29 Potion - Glass bottle with sluggish green liquid containing brown crystals


Now watching: Stargate Atlantis

Item Pack 1 Weapons

10 Axe - Iron with black bands
11 Arrows - Flame-embossed quiver with yellow fletching
12 Arrows - Wind-patterned quiver with silver feathers
13 Crossbow - Bone and wood with silver wrappings
14 Dagger - White blade with brass handle and talon pommel
15 Dagger - Copper with bronze handle
16 Double Sword - Iron blades with leather handle
17 Longbow - Yew wrapped in leather and silver
18 Longbow - Oily black wood
19 Longsword - Silver blade with flowing, delicate pattern
20 Longsword - Pulsing inner fire with iron crosspiece
21 Longsword - Gray steel with gold pommel and crosspiece
22 Mace - Iron head with jade and ivory handle
23 Shortbow - Thin branches woven together
24 Shortsword - Black blade with gold pommel and crosspiece
25 Spear - Serpentine head with iron ribbon around shaft


Now watching: Accepted

Recommended Cards for DMG Wondrous Items (More Misc)

Various
RW 97 Cube - This tarnished iron device with black bar patterns is naturally a good choice for the cubes of force and frost resistance and the cubic gate. I also think it's a good proxy for the apparatus of the crab, the folding boat, the bowl of commanding water elementals, the brazier of commanding fire elementals, the censer of controlling air elementals, and the instant fortress.

RW 98 Demon Fang - Stained with blood, this single tooth doesn't have a clear match with any wondrous items in the DMG, but for the time being I'll use it for the various figurines of wondrous power.

RW 99 Feather - This white feather rippling in the still air is most obviously one of the feather tokens, but it could also be a wind fan (or wings of flying).

RW104 Powder - A small glass tube with very fine black ash suggests the dusts of appearance, disappearance, dryness, illusion, and tracelessness. Let's use it for incense of meditation as well (my PC's love their incense).

RW 107 Salve - A clay jar of creamy substance with clove scent can be quite versatile. Perhaps it's stone salve or salve of slipperiness, but it might just as well be marvelous pigments, restorative ointment, silversheen, sovereign glue, unguent of timelessness, or universal solvent.

RW 109 Unicorn Horn - This cleanly severed member of a noble beast, if hollowed, could be made into horns of blasting, fog, goodness/evil, tritons, or Valhalla or into pipes of haunting, pain, sounding, or the sewers. It's equine nature also suggests the horseshoes of a zephyr and of speed and the stone horses. Adventure Gear may give us something more appropriate, but with some imagination this long narrow object could also be candles of invocation or truth, chimes of interuption or opening, or a talisman of the sphere.

Armor, Weapons, Etc.
RW16 Club - Spiked stones with twisted wooden handle seems to be our best choice for the maul of the titans.

RW 29 Quarterstaff - Wood with strange markings and oily stains, this staff is a reasonable proxy for a broom of flying (bristles not included).

RW 59 Ring - Although it's a little thick, this plain silver band with tiny cracks is what I'd use for ring gates.

HH11 Buckler - Iron with numerous scars, this device can serve as our drums of panic.

HH 39 Warhammer - A stone head with a serpentine stain, this hammer is our mattock of the titans.

Item Pack 1 Armor

01 Breastplate - Silver with green leaf symbols
02 Chainmail - Steel with green and black leather
03 Chainmail - Iron with black and white leather trim
04 Leather Suit - Brass with geometric symbol
05 Platemail - Silver with amber stones
06 Platemail - Bronze with iron shoulders
07 Steel Shield - Silver with claw and eclipsed sun symbol
08 Steel Shield - Demonic face motif
09 Wooden Shield - Round with iron trim