How We Roll: Maps & Tiles

I love map tiles. In a previous post you saw that my group primarily uses Chessex Battlemats and drawn maps – but once in a very great while, the DM will throw down a 2D tile with all of it’s interesting little features, difficult terrain, and line of sight implications. When he does, it suddenly sparks my imagination to try out new tactics or tricks that I wouldn’t have considered with a crude line art map.

My favorite tiles are the Wizards of the Coast tiles sets. They are of terrific quality and are affordable tile sets. They use very heavy cardboard 1/10″ thick, have great graphics printed on both sides (reversible!), and the printed surfaces are well-bonded to the stock material and even have a durable textured feel. The early sets (which in my opinion are the most useful compared to the later and more expensive niche sets) run as low as $10.

The following are my favorite sets since they are versatile enough for most dungeon crawls and also provide just enough specialty tiles to toss out a feature or trap when the party least expects it…

• Arcane Corridors
• Arcane Towers
• Caves of Carnage

There are three things that turn these unassuming printed tiles into the best dungeon layout you’ll get short of a Dwarven Forge set…

1. Choose a good backdrop. When delving through a dark dungeon, placing the tiles on a black backdrop (perhaps a section of black bedsheet or towel) enhances the feel that the party is deep underground burrowing throw earth and stone. Likewise, green works for wilderness areas, etc.
2. Grab some door standies. 3D doors can enhance the sense of mystery that is foundational to D&D. I suspect your players will take doors more seriously when you plop one down at the end of a long dark corridor.
3. Accessorize. Look for useful mini accessories that can be used to complement your play. Barrels, chests, tables can be bought, made from cardstock, or simulated with everything from matchboxes to bottlecaps. Since you’ll be using these common items a lot, you won’t regret spending a bit of money or time to make items as immersive looking as possible. I’ll follow up on accessories in a later post.

A note on Wizards new 3D tile sets: As much as I like the 2D sets, the 3D objects that Wizards offers just don’t do it for me. The slip fit build doesn’t work well for doors, which fall over at the least provocation. The stairs look awkward and the tab in slot approach for the tops of the objects means they don’t stay attached in normal use. Unless you’re intersted in kitbashing these with a good bit of glue, I’d recommend looking into Mage Knight or Dwarven Forge for good 3D doors, tables, etc.