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Anyone from the previous KS, i'd appreciate some insight.

How many sets would allow one to densely populate a skirmish game, sized table? Lets say 3x3, or 3x2?

NewTruthNeomaxim wrote:
Anyone from the previous KS, i'd appreciate some insight.

How many sets would allow one to densely populate a skirmish game, sized table? Lets say 3x3, or 3x2?

My '2 sets' from the last KS with all the stretch goals covers a solid 3 tiles of 12"x12". Every 36 tiles is enough to cover a 1foot by 1foot area of play.

So 5 sets currently has 205 2"x2" tiles, which can cover a total of 5.69 12"x12" tiles (your 3x2)

NTRabbit wrote:
I'm wondering if it would be better to go for a painted 3x set, or a painted 2x set and get some of the add ons? There's not alot of painted 2x set pledges left.

The add ons are unlikely to improve much, whereas the tiers will get better and better with each stretch goal. While awesome, the cost (plus getting them painted, plus getting them shipped for those of us outside the US) reduces their value, in my eyes.

If there ends up being a paint scheme or some specific pieces you simply must have (or want more of in an amount that a 3rd set won't help with), 2 and some add ons is a fine start, but I'd lean towards 3 sets myself. I'm only in for 2 currently, but that's due to funding; trying to knock out some debt these days, so I'm trying to show restraint here. But it's not easy.

NewTruthNeomaxim wrote:
Anyone from the previous KS, i'd appreciate some insight.

How many sets would allow one to densely populate a skirmish game, sized table? Lets say 3x3, or 3x2?

The answers above are good, and accurate, but remember that you don't have to cover every single inch of that board with those tiles, so 2 or 3 sets can stretch to cover more terrain than they represent by their base footprint alone. I've got 3 sets from the Dungeon KS, and have built 3x3 tables I've been very happy with using those and a handful of other terrain pieces (streetlamps and assorted odds and ends).

Now, granted, the Dungeon sets were larger than the ones we're seeing now, and we've got weeks left to go and hope for some impressive stretch goal based improvements, but I'd think that with some creative work you could get a hefty chunk of the 3x2, even if it didn't include going right to the edges on all corners, if you see what I mean.

Thanks for the help, I'll stick with 3 for now

NT, they'll likely add more pledge spots for 2x sets, as they've bumped it up a few times already for several of the levels, I think.

It's true that you can only get the lava paint scheme via the add-ons, but it's not as good of a deal as the base sets, imo. When the 45 degree piece gets added to the base sets with the next stretch goal, the only piece missing from the base sets will be "Floor D". And I'm hoping that will get added in as a later stretch goal (seems likely, since they're molding it).

Edit: Whoops, page rollover! Yeah, sticking with 3 sets is the right call, imo

Those are add-ons. They are basically the same tiles with a different paint job, and a few special pieces thrown in.
Or
You could buy unpainted sets and make them yourself.

As an admittedly terrible painter, while I find the cost of add ons painted+shipped internationally to be prohibitive, if the right one came along I could see myself snagging one.

Sure, I *could* do it myself.

If I wanted it to look like a 6 year old got ahold of them.

 Forar wrote:
As an admittedly terrible painter, while I find the cost of add ons painted+shipped internationally to be prohibitive, if the right one came along I could see myself snagging one.

Sure, I *could* do it myself.

If I wanted it to look like a 6 year old got ahold of them.

Honestly, though, with the amount of detail on the tiles, basecoats and drybrushing is really all that's needed to bring out the details. I'd argue a six-year-old could produce the same quality as the factory paint jobs if you showed them how to do it. Painting the small dungeon bricks might be hard to stay "in the lines" - or on the brick - but for the caves, I imagine just some random blotches of browns, tans, and greys, all brought together with a few drybrush coats, will be plenty enough to get the feel of caverns.

The only time I paid attention when painting my dungeon pieces was for the bricks, which coincidentally took the longest amount of time (2 brick colors took ages, and I really wish I'd done a third). The rest I just zoned out and let drybrushing do the work. I imagine the caves will go much quicker without the need to paint small bricks on each piece.



~iPaint

For the 'normal' paint job on the dungeon tiles? Sure, they're fine. I got 3 sets of grey and the paint set and feel thejob went pretty well, and I haven't even done the final 'white stone edge super dry brushing' layer.

But the job they've shown on the caverns? Eh. The finer blending job done with the magma tier? No, I'd rather pay someone $15 to do that than spend around that much on paints I lack and who knows how much time and effort failing to recreate the effect.

I applaud the whole "teach a man to fish" aspect of the hobby, but with finite hours available outside of work, sleep and personal obligations, they're not exactly asking a ton of cash to have better painters do it for me.

The cost is definitely a factor in my lacking interest in the add ons, but if I was to splurge on one or two, I'd be hard pressed to not just have them to the painting as well.

So I'm still debating how much use I will actually get out of these tiles. I use grid maps for all of my D&D 4E combats, but with the Next edition coming out this year I won't be pulling tiles out every session. They might get some use in my Endless Fantasy Tactics games, but I lean towards more open maps when I play right now.

My question to everyone is what games do you intend to use DF cavern tiles for?

I asked myself the same question, came up with "not much" and ended up dropping my pledge.

This just broke 1 million!!

I intend to use them as a display for my armies, and then if I ever get into dungeon crawling games, for that too of course . There's also possibilities of using them for board games to replace cardboard tiles, there's a thread on BGG listing possible games for this.

The board game I think these would work well with is claustrophobia.

We use them for Castles and Crusades, Descent, Mordheim, and plans are in the works for a modded WHFB 500 point game.
I use my older resin stuff as a display background for my painted figures too.
Also used them to help visualise the floorplan for a Haunted Attraction we built last summer.

By the way, the current KS just went over the Million Dollar mark. Updates expected later tonight.

Had this response to a PM, very hopeful for a floors add-on now

RiTides wrote:Glad to support! And if you make a larger floor sculpt or even just normal floors add-on pack, you will get even more of my money and I'm sure a lot of other peoples', too!

Dwarven Forge wrote:Noted! You might be happy soon!

Jeff

I am not pleased with them offering dungeon stuff for a caverns based ks..

Yeah, but I'll just ignore that part... see my comment above. It may help the total and thus unlock more caverns... but yeah, not my preference either.

Still, floors pack is coming eventually, I guess! Off that they seem to still be working these things out, but they're pretty open and just looking to find out what people want.

I don't see the problem. 1 pack of 20 pieces to flesh out some of the old sets with new stuff might attract some more of the missing KS1 backers.

It's not for me either, falling far below my "it'd have to be damned awesome to get me to shell out for more dungeon tiles" threshold, but I can see the appeal for others (with better funding and preferably located in the US).

Y'know, one day, I hope there's a Canadian KS that is super amazing awesome and I save like $200 because I live there.

Getting one of those 'receive items at the border' services is looking more appealing by the campaign.

I think a nice transition between 'caverns' and 'dungeons' would look sweet on the table too!

Yeah, that's been asked for a few times, and I recall them agreeing that'd be pretty sweet.

I think it'd make a nice stretch goal, as a piece that transitioned from finished rock to roughly hewed stone would also make for good entrances in some cases, so they could work even people without dungeon tiles.

I'd prefer that as an add on (maybe even in the pack they're polling about above) since I'll only have caverns, though.

Silly question...do they allow one to add the add-ons with their pledge calculator following the KS, or do you need to add the money in to your pledge before? Thanks.

You can definitely pay for add ons following the Kickstarter (but probably not for much longer than a month afterwards, given how quickly their pledge manager closed last time). However, you cannot increase to a higher pledge "level" as far as I know.

So, if you pledged for 3 sets, you could add on the lava add-on, or a set of 2 more base set caverns... you could not, however, adjust to the 5-set pledge level, unless you pledged enough money to cover that level to begin with ($325 unpainted).

So adding things "a la cart" during the pledge manager, yes, changing pledge levels, no.

Is it me or does this ks not feel as well ran as the first one.. Granted I wasnt able to get in on the first one due to me dropping an obscene amount of money on hirstarts molds.. But I did follow it closely, and it seemed really well ran.. This one seems kinda slapped together once we hit 900k.. Either way I think I am keeping my pledge at the moment and will see how it plays out..

It does seem they hadn't planned past a million really, or worked out the add-ons... but I don't think they had in the first campaign, either (they do so based on community feedback).

Also, the sculptor (Stefan's) Mom seems to be in very poor health, which is complicating things (I'm assuming something developed after the campaign was launched regarding that, and from what he mentioned ab out it).

But, I'm hopeful they'll be including the floor add-on, and that and more free additions to the core is really all I'm concerned about... if they want to put in a dungeon add-on to entice in backers of the first campaign for that, it's not an issue for me.

I didn't pay terribly close attention to it during the lead up, but I imagine right now is just a holding pattern. Slow trickle of cash and backers, a bit of time to assess the interests of those contributing, now is just the setup for the main event in the final days.

Plus, yeah, life seems to be interfering (we're all lucky it doesn't more than it already does), but they've teased some fun stuff, and considering the general reputation of Dwarven Forge from their previous works (and particularly the first campaign), I still think the last few days will be a roller coaster ride.

And y'know what, even if they aren't, they've earned a lot of leeway with me based on delivering a quality product AND on time, which is practically unheard of in Kickstarterland.

Really for me, I pledged for this KS based on the success, quality of product and on time shipping, of the first one. I know DF will put out an awesome product and I'll get it close to when they say I will. Knowing how the first one went, I made my pledge for 2 sets, with the understanding that with all the free add ons I will be getting a lot more then just the 2 sets. I really wont pay much attention to how this KS is going till the last few days, at that point I'll start looking into it more closely to see how much extra stuff is included and at that point make the decision on whether I really need the sets or not. My first day pledge is really more just to hold one for me in case I decide I do want it

There's still a 38% difference between Dungeons and Caverns at their current funding level. I may potentially drop my pledge on the grounds that the absolute area sits around 150" in terms of footprint, but actual playing area is only around 85".

I understand than DF products are of a certain quality, however in terms of sheer volume, it's not working out at $110AUD a set shipping included compared to $85AUD a set shipping included for 150" of absolute area which is also gaming area on the Iron Rings Kickstarter.

I'll hold out until the end, but they really need to pick up their game.

I dont think I'd be in this KS at all if I was outside the US, that shipping cost stinks!

 ironicsilence wrote:
I dont think I'd be in this KS at all if I was outside the US, that shipping cost stinks!

Well unfortunately there are no real existing 3d dungeon tile casters in Australia (at least that I know of) at the moment, only Hirst Art mold suppliers. Unfortunately I don't have the time nor space to do plaster casting (not that I wish to sound lazy). So the options open to us in the land down under to buy pre-casted pieces are pretty much: buy from overseas at exorbitant shipping costs and hope that the plaster survives transit (and that you don't end up with a box of powder going through customs) or go through one of these kickstarters and hope to make a saving on sheer volume or because it is a different material (mainly resin).

Unfortunately, over $500AUD for 5 sets isn't working out unless it pretty much closes the gap on value to the previous KS. Unfortunately that's a near impossibility as they have set themselves a ceiling on volume due to costs (whatever difference in margin there is between the dungeon and cavern KS). Even if this KS raised $3mil I'm pretty sure they'd still find a way to ship less pieces than their last one.