Tomb Thursday P43: Nice Digs

Greetings, fellow bargain hunters! Nothing like a little open-air desert market to restock your supplies before you descend into that mysterious tomb. So, let’s see what fun, new stuff our 3D printer contributed to our gameboard now.

We’re on our forty-third post in this sandy series, and we haven’t done too many buildings, so this week’s build gave us all the right feels. There were some nerves about how these might turn out, but come on, it’s not like we’re making a pristine palace. Desert buildings are supposed to be a bit messy and consequently, are very forgiving to a novice painter like DM Ben.

The need for some above-ground, city-style buildings makes sense, as our players will certainly need to stock up before they travel and enter their newly discovered tomb. Even better, they might be able to come and go from their new discovery, and then this sort of market square makes even more sense. Besides, so many cool things can happen in a market, including new, engaging NPCs and enticing side quests.

If you’re not already familiar with Cast n Play’s amazing Terrain Essentials monthly Patreon, we can only assume you have been locked in a shed for the past year. Their DnD STLs are so darn good, you guys! They are just stuffed with a ton of eye-popping details. We’re featuring two of their scatter terrain pieces from the must-own Faraway Lands Desert Winds set.

The first building we got table-ready is their nifty Goldsmith Shop. Of course, the players are going to need a spot to cash in some of their tomb treasure gems and artifacts, so this building (and future NPC) are going to be perfect for our desert campaign.

Lots of street wares dangle from this building’s exterior, and it also features the classic Arabian roof architecture. This TTRPG scatter terrain also has a spot to hold one or two miniatures, which would be a fun way to reveal the game’s newest NPC.

DM Ben knows how forgiving our classic Reaper Paint Scheme can be, so even though there were smaller details here, he wasn’t worried about messing this one up.

• Prime Flat White.
• Clay Pots: Pokorny Paints Deep Lava.
• Copper Plates: ASP Talos Bronze + Black drybrush.
• Wood: ASP Dark Wood.
• Rope: ASP Pallid Bone.
• Curtains: FAN Wolf Gray + Blue Wash.
• Roof Dome: ASP Aztec Gold + Agrax Earthshade Wash.
• Rug: FAN Magecast Magenta + Purple Wash.

We picked up that weathered ornate gold technique from our favorite YouTuber, Miniature Hobbyist. Give it a try. You’ll love the results.

Now, let’s kick it up a notch with this amazing Moonlit Dune Lounge! Every explorer needs a breather and a spot to rest up from the scorching sun. And this STL is the perfect choice. Imagine all the side missions that your adventuring party could grab here! We actually featured the stairs in a previous Tomb Thursday post, so we didn’t include those today.

This one comes in several pieces, but it’s rather easy to assemble. Our roof came out a little uneven, but we never sweat that kinda stuff. We call those “charming consequences.” All the same paint steps used on the first piece are applied here as well. DM Ben just tried GSW Red Opulence with a Red Wash for some of the cushions. We’ve gotten pretty good at palm trees, so you can check that DnD post out here.

This desert STL is much larger and comes in numerous pieces, but Cast n Play provides small notches that make assembly a snap. A nifty trick to hide those glue seams is to use AK Interactive Desert Sand Acrylic. It goes on easily, and then we just apply a little Reaper paint over it to make that sand effect match the rest of our overall paint scheme.

We’re pondering slipping some small magnets into the building and roof so each roof sorta clicks into place, but we ran out of time this week to try that idea out. Still, these new Egyptian city structures are sure to be a big hit and definitely help immerse our players into this sandy campaign.

Until next time!