Terrain Tuesday! That Cabin in the Woods

Terrain Tuesday is especially witchy today as we do a home inspection on Lyra the Night Hag’s current woodland digs.

DM Ben perused his mega shelf of pre-painted DnD buildings and found a gem from his old Gen Con booth walkabout days. That three-day strolling for new treasures from a multitude of RPG sellers is our absolute favorite part of the annual convention in Indianapolis.

And that’s where we nabbed this quaint, enchantress cabin terrain piece! This marvelous abode nearly knocked the wind out of DM Ben when he first saw this charming little shack! The make-shift chalet was ultimately going to be the perfect building for future scenarios!

That day is today, friends! But first, a very brief recap! Waterdeep’s children are going missing and all signs point to an old woman in The High Forest. Our adventure group made a sweet deal with Omin Dran where this cabin is theirs as long as they rescue the kiddos and evict the Night Hag from the premises.

Our 3D printing world has countless fantasy structure options from the likes of Infinite Dimensions Games and  Iian Lovecraft. So now you can quickly spin up a 3D-printed cabin, lighthouse, farmhouse, cottage, or even some tents!

This 3D RPG “replicator technology” means your DnD outdoor gameboards can now have two phases: the party’s initial approach and then the interior scene. Let’s start with the first time the group encounters your scatter-terrain-building.

The approach to mysterious settlement garners all sorts of possible strategies and dice rolls. You get to do some stealth checks, trap detection, swarm tactics, etc. And the building you ultimately plop down helps tremendously in this regard but more importantly, your building choice sets the all-important mood!

DM Ben prioritizes traps in his games because “one does not simply walk into Mordor!” Important places should be well-guarded and tricky to sneak into…nasty outdoor things like a pit trap, sprung sharp objects, snare traps, rolling boulders, flap traps, exploding runes, etc. Consider snagging the Treacherous Traps book or various trap decks by Nord Games if you need some idea starters.

And how the group gets in matters too! Are they unexpectedly invited in, is there a front door lock to pick, do they sneak in through a back door or window, is there underground access, etc? Don’t just gloss over the entrance scene as you’re missing out on some suspenseful fun!

Once inside, your gameboard switches scenes and focuses on the room’s contents and inhabitants. You can print up some Village Inn tiles by Milestone Heroes (and follow our easy interior Paint Guide) or plop down a Terrain Tray by Dwarven Forge.

DM Ben is still pondering the final room contents of our Night Hag’s home base but it might look something like the picture above here. His current plan is to use a Forest Terrain Tray for the first floor but then utilize Milestone Village Inn tiles for the secret basement. More on that to come!

Just don’t pass up the joy of utilizing both an initial exterior building combined with its interior room spaces! It’s pure RPG magic!