Let’s Make Camp

It’s time for another encounter-build continuation as we flush out more of our Hovertrain route stop gameboard. We’re really enjoying this new DnD outdoor scene build because we get to incorporate a lot of fun 3D-printed scatter terrain! So, grab a few coins and let’s check in on its progress.

We’re building on our initial Train Tuesday post from earlier in October, where DM Ben wants to create a one-shot for the players after they disembark from their Hovertrain and have to hoof it the rest of the way. This is going to be a great chapter bridge in our campaign, where the group will even meet a few new NPCs and pick up some additional quests.

So far, we’ve got our remote outdoor hostel guest check-in structure (by STL Miniatures) and some sample tents (by World Forge Miniatures and Aether Studios), but we’re far from done! We’ve got some more miniatures and scatter terrain to energize your storytelling!

Today, we’ll be sharing three new scatter terrain pieces that, on their own, aren’t showstoppers by any means, but can make a huge difference in setting the mood. We believe that transitioning from one chapter in your campaign to the next is a significant milestone, so don’t “cheap out” on the gameboard. Additionally, DM Ben finds that the extra attention to detail really energizes his players and gets them excited about what might be coming their way next in the story.

Let’s start with a classic – this rustic Street Lamp by Cast n Play. This slick STL is from their amazing Terrain Essentials series and Bandits Camp Terrain set. What’s not to love, right?! This 3D print definitely fits the scene.

DM Ben colored this one up using a lot of the standards, including GSW Skeleton Brown for the wood, ASP Pallid Bone for the rope, and then some Citadel Stormhost silver for the metal bits. Optionally, you can run it over with a FAN Soft Tone Wash to darken everything up a notch. We included a mini in all the pics today so you could get a better sense of scale.

Next up is this fun signpost, which will point to different areas of interest and help the party get their bearings after they disembark from the Hovertrain. Again, DM Ben picked up a brush here but went with ASP Dark Wood as a change of pace. We exceeded our one-hour search rule time limit to try and identify the maker. These types of more generic scatter terrain pieces can be challenging to source because so many different makers include them in their ongoing set offerings.

This scatter is most likely either Cast n Play, Loot Studios, or STL miniatures, but we just couldn’t pin it down this time.

Lastly, we added an additional light source to our hostel setting with this Floor Torch, also by Cast n Play. This bright flame is from their gotta-love and gotta-have robust Tavern Set. The thick iron casing filled with loose, large stones has such a cool look and definitely works indoors or outdoors.

Again, no eyes, no problem for novice painter DM Ben, so he pulled a couple of paint pots off the shelf to get ‘er done. ASP Zealot Yellow is fantastic for fire and light sources. ASP Mettalics go on like butta and always look swell.

This scatter terrain is an oldie from our “Pile of Opportunity” because it was 3D-printed in FDM. We hadn’t acquired our resin printer quite yet. These days, we just save the big prints for FDM format, and everything else comes out like roses in resin. We gonna try a few more on our Elegoo at some point.

Now, you might be asking why we are using two light-source scatter terrain pieces? The street lamp will be used at the exit point of the Hovertrain as a sort of “watch your step” marker. The larger signal fire will be located more centrally in the outdoor hostel campsite and serve as a beacon for train operators and passengers to see from a distance.

Until next time!