Hey, Hey, It’s Game Day (March 2026, Home Edition)

Greetings, fellow dice warriors! This is a big gaming weekend here in sunny AZ, as we have Game On Expo 2026 in downtown Phoenix, and then DM Ben will run our ongoing campaign with the fam. Let’s go!!!

DM Ben is really cutting this one close as he still hasn’t fully cleared off our Wyrmwood gaming table and put away the Dwarven Forge Dungeons Reforged bumper crop of terrain goodness. Sometimes, dungeon masters just have to ride the wave and bear down is all. Meaning, somehow…someway…he’ll be ready!

As longtime 3DRPGers know, we’re playing the same campaign between our Office crew and DM Ben’s family. The work game is a bit ahead of the family game, so that’s allowed DM Ben to spruce up some encounters where he simply ran out of prep time previously. Case in point, he wanted some more signs that the players are being watched by the witch as they trek through the woods to finally locate her dastardly operation.

So, he had 3D printed these wild Curious Eye Stones from Fantastic Plants & Rocks a ways back but felt like this past weekend was the perfect time to paint ’em up and add them to this weekend’s DnD sesh.

After what has felt like constant trial and error with rocks, DM Ben is finally getting comfortable with a specific set of paint steps.

• Prime Flat Black | Slapchop Base.
• Base: Layer on ASP Runic Grey.
• Wash Option 1: a black wash.
• Wash Option 2: a brown wash (for dirtier rocks).
• Circle back with a light grey drybrush.
• Finish it off with an even lighter white drybrush.

And then we just added in some white for the eyes and light green for some pupils to hint that the witch is watching their every move. See below for how we’re going to integrate these into an upcoming encounter. He also applied a little GSW Gloss Varnish to the eyes so they popped a bit more.

Let’s briefly recap what happened last time. The gang is in the midst of a five-day-ish journey (mostly on foot), so several Wandering Monsters from our free Wilderness Trek table were the big focus of the last somewhat shorter session.

• Sudden Stampede: Axe Beaks!
• Unchained Melody: Harpies!

DM Ben didn’t do a random roll for the Axe Beaks; he was just super eager to try out that encounter and felt the existing forest gameboard was perfect for this particular scenario. Plus, he’s super proud of the miniatures he painted. Hence, he just decided to insert this one into the game.

For the Harpies, DM Ben played the “Down to the River to Pray” song from Oh Brother, Where Art Thou. It was just hilarious. Some quick thinking by the group and some really great rolls by the players really saved their skin for that one.

The group is at a key point in the story, where they must travel deep into the mysterious and dangerous High Forest. That nasty Night Hag isn’t just going to be standing there in the wide open. She’s hidden her operation well and absolutely has plans to wear the party down, should they reach her house of terror.

• Venus Print Traps
• Stone Cold Trouble
• Witch Way Did She Go?
• The End is Near
• The Scarecrow Knows
• Wandering Monsters: #5, Rat Swarm

DM Ben is going to place those Curious Eye Rocks from above within the Rat encounter during their next long rest and will swap out existing boulders with these spy ones.

So, we still have a pretty decent list of encounters, but it’s likely these skilled DnD players will knock all of these out this weekend. DM Ben is so paranoid that he’ll even set up the first face-to-face scenario with the Night Hag.

Until next time!