Train Tuesday Part 124: Hatch Batch

Greetings, fellow DnD train enthusiasts! We’ve got a hefty dose of TTRPG goodness for y’all today, so you can dress up those Hovertrain cars with some style and intrigue. Let’s get to steppin’!

We’re going to share several TTRPG scatter terrain pieces today that work for both Hovertrain and other DnD scenarios. So, even if you’re not riding along on this Train Tuesday journey, these 3D-printed pieces can still liven up your game. Dual-use STLs – the gift that keeps on giving.

Let’s start with a simple, smaller piece that can pack a big in-game punch. Players are certainly going to sneak onto The Forgotten Rails in order to board a Hovertrain conspicuously. Aether Studios has a series of roof tiles that fit on top of different train cars. So, it would make sense that some of them have an opening hatch from above, right?

Curufin is our kinda gamer because he already had this free download at the ready. You’ll end up printing the base and then the top wheel as two different files. Then, a simple dab of glue and assembly is done in a snap.

DM Ben went with an old, grimy metal look for our new hatch. He used a solid weathered paint scheme here.

• Prime Flat Black | Slapchop Base.
• Layer ASP Enchanted Steel.
• Drybrush FAN Rough Iron.
• Sponge-dab a little FAN Fresh Rust.
• Accent the latch with Citadel Stormhost Silver.

We’ve been using this paint approach a lot lately and are really considering re-painting one of our Hovertrain Engines to match this style.

Aether Studios offers a d20 gridded, flat-roof option, and that is our absolute fav because it works so well for placing miniatures and employing tactics. A little sticky-tack on the underside of our new hatch and we get a perfect fit on this traincar for a whole series of shenanigans to take place.

Next up is this steampunk-ish lab piece by STL Miniatures. This DnD STL is from their amazing Fantasy Props Kickstarter (which we can’t recommend enough). This print was giving us Moonshine Distillery vibes, and we have a fun Hovertrain encounter in mind for it that we’ll tease today.

DM Ben colored this one up as well, using several Army Painter Metallics to bring this fun DnD STL to life. We’ve also really been digging FAN Uniform gray as a hose and belt color. We utilized black to ensure we didn’t have too many model elements competing with one another.

We’re thinking of doing a Dwarven Rum Runners scenario here where a sneaky crime clan cooks up their irresistible ale and sells it illegally from stop to stop. Naturally, Omin Dran isn’t thrilled about an unsanctioned seller dodging his Waterdeep taxes and rubbing it in his face. More to come on this encounter next week!

We’re starting to hit our stride in creating new train-specific DnD encounters for The Forgotten Rails, as DM Ben doesn’t want to be flatfooted when the players hop on board for the first time. Hence, here’s another multi-use DnD scatter terrain piece from Toadstool Weaver. This Wrapped Corpse is a free download (with tips encouraged) and could be some highly sensitive, special cargo.

We placed this one on a simple stone slab (fitting, really) so the Wrapped Corpse would be a bit easier to show off. Nothing to this paint job either:

• Prime Flat Black. Slapchop Base.
• Layer ASP Pallid Bone.
• Rope: P3 Menoth White.
• Leather Seam: ASP Uniform Gray.
• Apply a FAN Soft Tone Wash.

Pretty cool with a nice medieval look to it! We’re going to use this deceased scatter piece as precious cargo that the players either have to protect until they can reach a remote location for analysis, or even infiltrate to learn the being’s true identity.

While an assembled Hovertrain car does have a decent amount of physical playspace, it can still be a bit limited, especially if you’re already playing with a six-person adventuring party. So, we’ll be using a series of connected train cars as more of a “rumbling dungeon crawl” map, with a few encounter clues during the initial roof-pullback reveal.

Meaning, DM Ben will probably initially place a piece of key scatter terrain and any enemy combatants into a Hovertrain car, but then “zoom in” onto a Dwarven Forge Terrain Tray so there’s more room to set up a complete encounter scene. We’ll share this gameboard approach in more detail as we flesh out a few specific Hovertrain encounters in future posts.

We wanted to conclude today’s post by circling back on last week’s Train Tuesday post, where we featured this freak-ish hybrid Undead Clockwork Bear. We wanted to flock a bunch of recently completed 3D prints this past weekend, so we finished up this lumbering beast. Since he will most definitely be encountered out in the wild, this nature base fits the bill.

Until next time!