Fictions & Fragments

I was lucky to get a new 3d printer for Xmas! It's a Creatlity Ender 3. Creality Ender 3 I had asked for this when I saw the Ender 3 was on sale on Black Friday. I wasn't planning on putting it together on Xmas (3 meals to cook and Legos to build), but my wife encouraged me and I'm glad she did. It took 1 hour and 45 minutes to put together. That included looking at an assembly video by Fat Dragon Games on YouTube https://youtu.be/me8Qrwh907Q and doing basic calibration. My previous printer took 2 nights (6 hours?) to assemble the first time, half that time the second. The Ender 3 comes with lots of pre-assembled parts and it very solid. Easy to put together, probably even for a first timer, though the video is very helpful. The quality has been great. The features on the printer are great. Looking forward to doing more with this new printer. I'm especially excited by the number of hobbyist 3d mini and terrain printers that use the Ender 3 and share their pro...

After having a 3d printer for a while and getting deep into printing 3d dungeon tiles, I've finally gotten around to printing a pretty good number of them. These are Fat Dragon Games brand Dragonlock 3d tiles. They are available on DriveThruRPG and they have a free set you can try. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/197128/DRAGONLOCK-Ultimate-Free-Sample-Set?cPath=587_24363 For a general cost breakdown, the printer I use cost $175 with shipping and required assembly. https://www.gearbest.com/3d-printers-3d-printer-kits/pp_337314.html?wid=1433363&currency=USD&vip=4264393&gclid=CjwKCAjw5ZPcBRBkEiwA-avvk-L2AlIF-Gxq7fnZD7SX_QnUwC6c_b7GnZBloRLMB7Um2sS-wyOmMhoCJPkQAvD_BwE Printer filament is about $20 per 1kg spool.   https://www.amazon.com/HATCHBOX-3D-Filament-Dimensional-Accuracy/dp/B00J0GMMP6/ref=sr_1_3/130-5385302-1079852?ie=UTF8&qid=1535471483&sr=8-3&keywords=filament+pla+hatchbox The models are typically $9.99 per file set. https://www.driv...

Since I've begun working with 3d printed tiles I've noticed that there aren't a lot of resources on setting up your own dungeon using tiles. My previous builds have all been flat cardboard tiles. There are a lot of things I love about flat cardboard tiles: No walls get in the way of the player view. You can always build vertical surfaces for important elevation. No planning space is lost because of tile size. They are FAST and easy to make! 3d printed tiles, like commercially-purchased dungeon tiles, have a different place in a game. There's time and expense in making or purchasing the tiles and painting them.They are awesome show pieces but there's a very different level of investment. Also, it seems like most easily found dungeon maps aren't easily duplicated in dungeon tiles. With either 3d printing or commercial purchase there are several different distinct tile shapes- floors, walls, corners, doors, etc. I wanted to have an idea of how many of eac...

Last week I dusted off my 3d printer and started printing a new set of dungeon tiles using the Dragonlock Ultimate Dungeon Starter Set from Fat Dragon Games. I've printed some other dungeon tile sets and there are things I like about Dragonlock. The tiles are well-designed. 3d printing files that can be printed cleanly and easily make your life as a hobbyist printer much simpler. The more adjusting you need to do, the less likely you'll print the file. These are easy to print and get consistent results. They look good! These are well-designed tiles that mimic the look of Dwarven Forge and other manufactured tiles. The tiles have a nice weight. They feel sturdy and substantial which makes it easier to move them around confidently. The clips for the tiles hold things together tightly and come apart easily when pulled. In previous tile sets, the clips have been the thing to do me in. These have easy ports for attaching and removing clips. The clips themselves are easy to...