The Lego / D&D Project: Part 1
After my talk at GenCon, I've become more and more interested in the idea of using Lego in table top games, and this new ongoing feature will spotlight some simple, easy ways you can add bricks to your adventures.
Before I jump into my first idea, I want to address the obvious question "why?", what does Lego add to my games that I don't already have?
I would respond with a counter question. What does Dwarven Forge and Hirst Arts add to your game? What do minis, tokens, and battle maps add to your game? In all cases, I see those tools adding greater immersion in your game, and facilitating a clear understanding of what exactly is going on.
When you set down a battle mat of a forest clearing, your players are not going to mistake that for a dungeon dwelling. And when you lay down a trio of mountain trolls, players are not going to mistake them for lizard men.
Lego can do the same thing, but with one other key benefit, they are customizable and reusable. What I use one session can be torn down and reconfigured into something else withing the same session. The chairs and tables in the local tavern can be broken up for the debris in a dungeon room, or built up to be the pillars and throne for a great king.
For my first example, I wanted to highlight something icon, simple, and not too expensive that you can make out of Lego for your next game.
At it's most basic, a chair is just two bricks, a 2x3 and a 1x2 (bricks are typically described by the configuration of studs on the top surface).
This simple design gives us something you can quickly build and deploy, allowing you and the players to see the setup of a room in an instant.
But we can do more with the chairs to dress them up.
From changing them to stools
To something that looks more like a chair
To a fancy throne
(via Surduk Vergl MOC page)
And once your players start seeing more and more details on the battle map, the more creative they will start getting, like smashing chairs to create difficult terrain in an area, or turning over tables for quick and easy cover. The options are endless...
Next time, we'll look at some tables and benches.
Before I jump into my first idea, I want to address the obvious question "why?", what does Lego add to my games that I don't already have?
I would respond with a counter question. What does Dwarven Forge and Hirst Arts add to your game? What do minis, tokens, and battle maps add to your game? In all cases, I see those tools adding greater immersion in your game, and facilitating a clear understanding of what exactly is going on.
When you set down a battle mat of a forest clearing, your players are not going to mistake that for a dungeon dwelling. And when you lay down a trio of mountain trolls, players are not going to mistake them for lizard men.
Lego can do the same thing, but with one other key benefit, they are customizable and reusable. What I use one session can be torn down and reconfigured into something else withing the same session. The chairs and tables in the local tavern can be broken up for the debris in a dungeon room, or built up to be the pillars and throne for a great king.
For my first example, I wanted to highlight something icon, simple, and not too expensive that you can make out of Lego for your next game.
Tables and Chairs
Let's start with chairs. One of the nice things about chairs is they can be really, really easy to build.At it's most basic, a chair is just two bricks, a 2x3 and a 1x2 (bricks are typically described by the configuration of studs on the top surface).
This simple design gives us something you can quickly build and deploy, allowing you and the players to see the setup of a room in an instant.
But we can do more with the chairs to dress them up.
From changing them to stools
To something that looks more like a chair
To a fancy throne
And once your players start seeing more and more details on the battle map, the more creative they will start getting, like smashing chairs to create difficult terrain in an area, or turning over tables for quick and easy cover. The options are endless...
Next time, we'll look at some tables and benches.
