Dragonlance D&D Game Blog

In our previous two project posts, we looked at building chairs and tables (and benches) . In this part, we'll build on the previous two articles and look at ways we can dress up those tables with a bit more detail to really help bring a scene to life. And the best part is, Lego has already done most of the work for you. Let's get started... Imagine the PCs come in to a bar/inn and look around. You can set up a couple of tables, each with something on the table to hint at what the NPCs are up to and maybe how the PCs might approach them. If the NPCs are drinking out of mugs or goblets then the PCs might want to buy the next round. But if the NPCs are playing cards (and winning or loosing money) then the PCs might want to join the game. If there's a big feast going on, complete with various meats and breads, laid out on nice dinnerware, then those might the kind of people willing to hire the PCs. And lastly, you ca...

Last post we looked at some simple Lego ideas for chairs. As a companion to that posting, let's look at the next logical piece of gaming scenery -- the table. A table can be just as simple as a chair, all you really need is some size brick and a slightly larger plate (or tile). You can make small tables using just 1x1 bricks and 2x2 plates, and thankfully these pieces come in almost every possible color you could want, but I find this structure is usually top heavy and doesn't stand up well to the casual dings a gaming table can take during a game session. If you really need a small table like this, consider using a Scala Base brick , as the "feet" on the bottom of the piece provide a bit more stability. But more common tables are 4x4, 4x6, or 4x8. And with these, you have some options for the table base, either just a simple brick (like a 2x2 or 2x4 underneath the tabletop, or 1x1 bricks for legs, 1x1 round bricks, archs, or even stacking 1x1 round p...

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. W...

I was recently thinking about Lego and Dungeons and Dragons (maybe because of my recent GenCon speech ) and remembered that there were supposed to be more waves of the figures from Kre-O. After a little Google-fu, I came across a few images of the figures, as shown below. There are definitely a few interesting things I see. Pros The lizardman (back row, left) look interesting (if maybe a bit too much like the Star Trek Gorn ). I'll certainly try to pick up a few of these. There appears to be a drow (back row, left of center) with a new hair piece and crossbow. Back middle figure is some kind of succubus, with some unique looking wings. We'll have to see how they stack up to the Brickwarriors wings or Lego wings . Back row, far right, looks to be a wizard/cleric. I like the neck guard and hair piece. The mummy figure (front row, left) is a new figure for the line and is wielding a new weapon. The ghost figure looks great, and it appears he has a spider accessory ...

As my past reviews here and here have indicated, I'm not very fond of the Kre-o Dungeons and Dragons figures, but considering how truly iconic the character of Drizzt is, I just had to pick one up. As for the figure itself I think it's a wonderful representation of the much beloved drow ranger. The kreon has a nice white hair piece, comes with two scimitars, and has great detail in the torso printing, down to the fur lining of his cloak. The figure also comes with a nice bow and pieces to make a small tree with a practice bulls eye. Unfortunately, that's all you get, and that's where this set, and all the Warriors sets in general, really miss their mark. For the extra price of the set, the Warriors sets run at least $1 more than the blind figure packs, all you get is a handful of extra pieces. In the case of the Drizzt set, just getting a lone figure doesn't really seem like an iconic presentation. Where is Guenhwyvar, his panther companion? The kre-o line ...

If you haven't read the first review of the Kre-o Dungeons and Dragons figures, I highly encourage you to check it out. In the first reveiw, I cover a number of generic elements common to all the Kre-o Army Builder Packs, which I won't be repeating here. That said, let's look at a few more of figures. First up, from the "good" faction, the Flag Carrier . Overall, I rather like this figure more than I initially thought I would. The head piece, with the helm and chainmail coif is really well sculpted. The blue tabbard pattern is continued from the chest to part way down the legs, but the best feature in my opinion is the spear the flag is attached to. This is an impressive looking weapon, standing more than two minifigs high, with an equally matching oversized blade at the tip. This is clearly a great example of a weapon with reach . There really isn't anything I don't like about this specific figure (I do have some general issues with the Kreons vers...

This will be the first of several reviews of the new Dungeons and Dragons Kre-o sets. In the this review, I'll look at a few of the new figures available in the "Army Builder Pack". I discussed my initial thoughts in a previous post based solely on the limited product information and sample images provided. In these actual product follow-ups, I'll touch on some of my assumptions and which have changed, now that I have better information. For my first review, I'm going to focus on the Army Builder Packs. The packs retail for $2.99, which is the same price as the Lego Collectible Minifigure sets. The bags are "blind" (meaning you don't know what is included in each bag), but that's not really the case. On the back of each bag, is a stamped number, which is partially unique for each figure, so a quick Internet search will link you to several pages (or YouTube videos) showing you how to find the number and which number corresponds to which figur...

If you followed my previous posts about the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons Kre-o line ( here and here ), you know I am eagerly looking forward to their release next year. So you can image how glad I was to see preview images of some of the sets and details and prices on those products. Unfortunately, after looking over the images and product descriptions in greater detail, I'm a little less enthused than I once was. If you want to see more of the pictures and read the product information for yourself, check out the post here on battlegrip.com (the link will open in a new window, so you can look at the images and following along with my comments here). First, a couple of things I like about the sets. Variety of sets for different budgets. They have simple figure packs as low as 2.99, up to sets running as high as 24.99, so there's something for everyone. For the minifigs (or Kreons as Kre-o calls them), there are a good variety of armors, helms, and weapons across t...

If you read my previous post, you already know about the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons Kre-0 sets that were announced at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. Just recently I found, on the Kastors Korner blog, images of more of the minifigs that will be appearing in the new sets. Just click on the link above and scroll down toward the bottom of the page to see the photo gallery. What's really interesting, besides what the figures will look like, and some of their accessories, is the fact that they draw on specific D&D IP, namely, key characters from the Forgotten Realms setting. Wulfgar, one of Drizzt's companions prior to the whole spell-plague time jump hints that we might see sets based on some of the earlier books, while characters like Lord Neverember and Isteval hint at sets and figures from the current Sundering event. I was excited when I first heard about these sets, now even more so!

As I've mentioned before in previous posts , I'm a big fan of Lego, even using them in my Dungeons and Dragons games in various ways. I was surprised the other day to read about the license deal between D&D and Kre-o. For those who don't know, Kre-o produces a Lego compatible product, with bricks and other elements that fit with the various geometries of Lego pieces. (I'll save any discussion of the quality of Lego versus the knock-off brands for other sites and blogs.) Kre-o has recently released a number of sets based on license agreements, including G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Battleship (in line with the recent movie). Not surprisingly, all these products, as well as Dungeons & Dragons, share one common element, Hasbro. As the parent company it must have been an easy decision to award the toy brick building licenses to its own in-house brand Kre-o, as opposed to working with the leading, and much better recognized, Lego. On one hand I'm glad to ...

As I've mentioned before, I'm a big fan of LEGO , and on more than one occasion used LEGO elements in my game, from scenery pieces, to my LEGO centaur , as needed. A few months ago, I attended Brickfair, spending a lot of time in the "castle" area and taking plenty of pictures. While many of them did not turn out as I hoped (I'm a better DM than I am a photographer, at least I hope so), I did pull a few out that I think I'll be looking at again as inspiration. This person's layout was huge! I could have shot several dozen photos trying to capture all the elements, for example, the forest leads into an agricultural area, leading into a city, castle, port, ocean... you get the picture. I took pictures of the trees because that's one Lego element I like to incorporate in my games. As much as I like dungeon tiles and terrain maps, for trees and rocks, and other obstacles, they don't convey the full scope of the battlefield the way 3-d elements do, and ...

As you can tell from a previous post showing off my LEGO centaur , I'm as much a fan of LEGO bricks as I am of D&D. There are many ways to use LEGO in your Dungeons and Dragons game. And thanks to a number of LEGO sites for AFOLs (Adult Fans Of LEGO, hey, they have their own lingo too!), it's not hard to find great ideas and get the pieces you need in an easy, cost effective manner. The top LEGO site out there is LUGNET.com . This site has an extensive forum broken down by theme (Pirates, Castle, Vikings, and many other) and topics. This can be a great site for getting advice on building large or small projects and seeing pictures of fan creations, (also known as MOCs or My Own Creations). Another great site is Brickshelf . This is kind of like Flickr for the LEGO crowd. Here you can find a massive amount of images featuring large and small projects on any subject AFOLs can think of, from Lord of the Rings custom figures and dioramas to actual wedding cake toppers made ou...

As a big fan of LEGO and D&D, it would only seem fitting that one influence the other. The Centaur (Male) ( Note: This design is not completely mine, I did make some slight mods to versions I'd seen elsewhere online).