The push to design and create the masters for a completely new set of Cavern Tiles is robustly underway.
I’m playing with a few ideas at the moment.
- cover a lot of table space.
- make them appear slightly more dynamic than just flat floor tiles.
- add some literal depth to the pieces.
The first part is the easiest. To assist with the chore of casting several floor tiles I have decided to add not one but TWO 6x6 floor tiles. It will also include 4 4x4 tiles and 9 2x2 tiles. Casting the 4x4 and 2x2 molds ten times js enough to fill a 1000 sq inch table space, FYI. The reason for larger tiles is just sensible. It is labor to cast tiles and more molds makes that task faster.
I’ve also taken the liberty to try to add sections that appear not to be completely stone; aka water. I’m not entirely sure what form these pieces will take yet, but I’m exploring how to add more water features to add depth to a crawl through a cavern dungeon. The easy part is introducing small spots or gaps between tiles that are easy to create and them paint as a puddle for example. They can easily get more elaborate, but initially I’ll keep it simple. I need to strike a balance between simplicity for the painting stage and keeping the piece an actual floor tile. water features are definitely a cool attribute to a cavern however and it is very easy to see how they make a cavern much more dynamic than just floor space.
The last goal of this set: adding depth, is also a work in progress. This set will likely be a minimum of 7-8 molds. I’ve created a few pieces that are 1 1/4 inch high, which after playing with are just enough height to be able to have a raised section of the cavern floor: But it’s just not enough to add the kind of depth I Desire. So I shall continue to design. I’ve been contemplating how to use the painting stage to elaborate on creating the perspective of depth, but at this stage I’m just keeping it simple, and am going to leave the complicated ideas for later. Suffice it to say that having a small mold of five to six 1-1/4 inch raised pieces will allow you to create more dynamic cavern crawls than just flat tiles.
I also like the idea of a cliff’a edge or a chasm To add depth to the play area. Time will tell if I can achieve a result that satisfies me. I’ve considered splitting these ideas into different phases of the Cavern ‘project’ as well. Like Water affects, jagged Cliff/chasm forms, etc. after the initial tiles are created.
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So, a few days later after starting this post, I’ve produced the tile molds. The first was a 6x6 tile, that demolded very well, so I poured the 4 remaining molds; another 6x6, 4 4x4, 9 2x2 molds and the taller single 4x4 tile and five 2x2 pieces. These last 6 tiles stand 1 1/4 inch tall.
Here are a couple pics of the first cast of the demolded 6x6 Cavern Tile.
This shows the edge. The definition will show up after its painted, but I can’t resist posting a finished piece.
Yes, I’m very pleased with how this mold came out.
The other tile molds are curing now, and I’m working on the placable walls pillars and accoutrements, of which there will be a plethora. I will certainly post pictures of the other cast tiles ASAP, while I begin the next round of molds to make a complete set. I expect to have these done in a weeks time. It will be a full week.
This product design phase has been a real pleasure to conduct and execute. in truth it’s not over yet, as I am continuing to make design changes to the placable walls and items. I promise it will be a massive offering. This may be the first project I’ve conducted that I’ve incorporated all the lessons of my prior experience into. You can sense how exciting that is. It will let me keep costs lower and keep the quality of the entire set as high as possible for an enthusiast.
Da’Boss
The Goblin Tinker We Tinker! You Play!
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