Dank and dimly lit – 3D Dungeon tiles

We already took a look at my set of 2.5 dimensional dungeon tiles for some hearty Dungeon & Dragons sessions or some simple SoBaH past-time. I also recently completed a set of Hirst Arts castings to furnish the dank rooms of my dimly lit dungeon.

However, the tiles were not entirely finished and some of the features were still missing, such as door and wall elements, tiles with a wooden floor and a bigger room that is suitable for boss encounters. These also elevate the dungeon to the third dimension.

This post is mostly picture centred with some short comments about the techniques used. For a more comprehensive  how-to have a look at the older post.

Stack’em!

All 3D dungeon tiles are made of styrofoam and thus stack easily without danger of crushing the bottom ones. I decided to paint the sides resembling stone. To tidy the sides I covered the styrofoam with wood filler and sanded them flush. Finally, I painted them with a dark grey-brown. A rough drybrush with a greyish-skintone gave the sides a simple rock finish.

Like Tetris – only deadly

Four styles, each featuring a number of shapes, make up the dungeon. Bigger rooms are accompanied by L-turns, T-junctions, X-junctions and straight corridors. Any combination is possible, so I can use smaller sections to form a bigger room.

While most rooms are painted in a similar shade of grey, there is also a set of feature tiles in a reddish stone tone. The red tiles were painted in slightly different shades and then a heavy brown wash was applied to fuse them together.

Finally, a large rectangular room can be used for boss encounters and offers the opportunity to place columns. The tiles are made of cardboard pieces, while the columns are wedding cake decorations. The throne was cut out of balsa wood and covered in wood filler for a stone texture.

Feature walls

To add the third dimension I made a number of feature walls, including open and closed door segments as well as simple wall elements.

One feature wall has five overgrown beer barrels set in wall alcoves. Check out this tutorial if you want to satisfy your inner dwarf.

A special gimmick is the double-sided wall that either depicts a mine shaft or a rock wall. The wooden support structure is made using matchsticks, while the rock face is sculpted using air-dry clay.

I did also experiment with smaller wall segments that can be freely placed on the tiles to make separate rooms or indicate dead ends. I used a press mold to mass produce brick wall segments fast and easy. Check out my tutorial if you are interested in this technique.

Set up a game

So, how does a typical gaming setup look like with all the bits and bobs? I can place the rooms on a table and every player can see and reach their minis. If a wall is blocking the view, I can just remove it. Adding further details like mysterious fountains, treasure piles or strange glowing crystals, will further improve the look and make the game more immersive.

I hope you enjoyed this little gallery of my 3D Dungeon tiles and room configurations and maybe they inspire you to create something similar.