We interrupt our regularly scheduled Red Rover terrain programming to joyfully bring you a long-awaited pre-painted miniatures review. Our monthly character sacrifices to the RPG Gods apparently worked because for the first time in 16 painful months, we have new boxes of finely made miniatures to unwrap. Hazah! Join Ben as he shares his take on Pathfinder’s inaugural set.

Editor’s note: this post will unavoidably draw comparisons to the Wizards of the Coast’s own miniature line. It’s not done with any negative intent. Ben is a super fan of WotC’s work and has collected every darn mini they’ve ever created. However, for the first time, we have choice and that my friends, is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

Let’s start with where to buy these little bundles of happiness. Pretty much every website is selling cases ($189.99) and bricks ($49.99) for the same price. Certain singles are hard to find right now with a few full sets dropping in and out on eBay for about $163-ish.

Packaging is quite robust so environmentalists of any sort may want to skip this paragraph. Each random mini is firmly packed in its own box – creating a mountain of garbage. It’s incredibly rare to get a bent Pathfinder miniature – yet often a frustration of the old days. However, gamers with little ones of their own will cringe at the sheer amount of waste from the opening of one brick.

Now let’s talk about the actual material. Pathfinder minis definitely seem to be made out of a slightly different substance and consequently, feel a little lighter – certainly in an attempt to keep their production cost down. They feel good in your hand and so far, are holding up well to being stuffed in a box for storage (but a weapon snap can still happen). The bases on some of the small to medium figs are unique in that it’s not a direct connect to the circular base. Instead, the feet are actually on their own plastic circles which in turn, are glued to the final bases. This assembly method is probably a wise attempt to stop that dreaded slump. Sure, it looks different but worth the minor sacrifice if it truly keeps Ben’s monsters upright.

While the set is a tad small for a debut (Harbinger opened with 80 minis in 2003), 40 is still a decent number and is actually 45 if you count the starter set and the dragon promo fig. It took Ben 5 bricks to get a full set but that didn’t bother him at all since the monster types and commonality were well planned. Ben actually bought six bricks in all – more than enough for a full set but he was eager to get doubles in all of these categories:

• Goblins and Orcs
• Skeletons, Mummies and Zombies
• Town Guards
• Lizard Men
• Spiders, Snakes and Rats
• Wolves
• Spectres and Gargoyles

The quality and attention to detail in the set is immediately apparent, particularly in the faces. Really tiny hands or amazing technology has produced amazing facial detail. Gone are many of the common blotches or dot splotch effects. The quality bar has definitely been raised. You also will be quick to admire their new spin on old monsters like the Troll, Orcs or Goblins. They got a tad Cartoon Network with the Ogre and Manticore there could be some staying true to the brand intent there (at least we hope that’s the excuse).

Ben also applauds the innovation of interchangeable weapons as shown in the Frost Giant’s mighty ax or huge sword. This will only get more interesting in future sets.

So here we go with our traditional miniature set top and bottom five. Drum roll, please.

Ben’s RPG Pile Top Five:

• Giant Caveweaver Spider (the red back design is primo)
• Human Ranger (great pose and face)
• Spectre (best all-round mini)
• Human Rogue (no denying the cape sculpt)
• Goblin Warrior (The teeth say it all)

Ben’s RPG Pile Bottomfeeder Five:

• Vampire (more like master butler)
• Manticore (Wizard of Oz cowardly lion face)
• Gnome Fighter (dear god)
• Lizardfolk Champion (more like king of the losers)
• Ogre (your Greant Aunt Ruth wearing a moving vest)

There it is. The bar has been raised! More so, Pathfinder might get one more set in (a heck of a head start) before Wizards even re-enters the miniature arena in July with Dungeon Command: Heart of Cormyr. Its first set since September 21, 2010. We’re entering the renaissance miniature days. Good times…good times.

You would think gluing your terrain to the appropriate base would be a cake walk, right? After all, this is a life skill you learned in kindergarten. Well, Padawans – think again. Glue in haste and your terrain will almost certainly warp and all that hard work thus far is for naught. Glue with pre-calculated planning and techniques and your 3D game board will flourish…let’s explore further.

First off, you can base your newly cast bricks on a variety of materials including:

• balsa wood
• cork board
• pink foam
• foam board

Certainly you want to go with what you’re most comfortable with but Ben’s biggest concern is always the bend probability. There’s great heartbreak in a finished piece having an upward slope like a troll bridge. For that reason, Ben recommends Elmer’s Foam Board (specifically the 20” x 30” x 3/16”) but get it in black if you can. You can readily purchase a sheet at Michaels, Staples or Wal-mart for about $7.

A hot knife or (really sharp) Xacto blade allows you to manually cut your bases to the proper dimensions but that does take some skill for some of us. So, Ben got the assistance of his father-in-law and one of his a big manly woodshop machines. His mighty electric saw cutting method was a huge timesaver (a mere 2 hours for a ton of perfectly cut pieces). And before you say you don’t have a saw, you can always take your stuff over to Home Depot and they’ll charge ya mere pennies to make the appropriate cuts.

Ben keeps some sandpaper handy post-cast so that his terrain glues on as level as possible (especially important when doing custom mold casts). This extra TLC makes a huge difference and is an overlooked step.

Two types of glue get the most love in a Hirst Arts terrain world: Titebond II Premium Wood Glue ($6.49) and Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue ($7.83). Ben actually prefers Wood Glue for your bricks as the plaster seems to adhere better to the foam core. Tacky Glue seems to have better sticking power for basing plastic minis (like MageKnight or Dreamblade).

When applying the glue, Ben likes the medium wood glue bottle nozzle. He also keeps a jar of sturdy toothpicks on hand to apply glue to smaller areas. He keeps a “glue rag” (fancy name for a folded up paper towel) to wipe away the excess.

To ensure your pieces are glued on straight/even, you can get your MacGyver helm on and make your own straight edge. Ben’s dad made him two versions: one for day-to-day and another for higher walls. Large Megabloks also do a fine job but sometimes a few rectangles from the Lego Duplo Brick Set are nice to have within arm’s reach too. The bummer with Legos is they can slide around on ya where as a larger straight edge with rubber stoppers on the bottom keeps everything stationary.

Once glued, some of the smaller pieces will typically turn out better if you immediately drop them into a hobby vice or clamp. That extra pressure just seems to end in a better final product (and helps those ugly seams).

When gluing floors, Ben tries to counteract the dreaded warp monster with a brick press. It sounds silly but it really has made a difference. Tiles are first glued to the foam core using all the techniques above and after about 5 minutes, Ben places them on two wood boards with a large garden brick on top. He leaves this in place for about 24 hours. Just don’t go from glue to brick too soon as the tiles might accidentally shift on you.

So you see there’s much more to this glue step than there appears. While these suggestions seem trite, they really do make a difference. Give ‘em a try and keep those chaotic warp devils away from all your hard blood, sweat and tears.

Questions to Ponder: Do you agree with Ben’s suggestions? What else have you done to ensure this glue step doesn’t ultimately ruin your terrain?

Now that we’ve got our project inspiration and custom molds in hand, let’s get physical with an actual casting or two. Roll up your sleeves with Ben as he shares several tricks of the trade so that you too, can behold the power of the brick.

Let’s start by saying Hirst Arts offers a comprehensive casting guide on their website that we would never dispute. Bruce also has a gargantuan tips and tricks index. So before you do anything, at least peruse these extremely thorough resources.

Still, we’ve learned a ton since our first humble YouTube video back in November 2009. Sure, everyone sucks in the beginning but you simply get better at casting terrain the more you do it (as in real life). Ben has a lousy memory though so he’s taken lots of notes over the years and has a tremendous resource with fellow co-Piler, Enygma. And when in doubt, the Hirst Arts Questions and Modeling Tips forum is as helpful as it gets.

Best way to share knowledge is to see what it looks like when Ben sits down to cast. There is rhyme and reason to everything on his table.

Kitchen Timer
You casting window is short or the material will harden pre-maturely. Two minutes for mixture and ten minutes to pour and scrape the molds.

Casting Material
The best bang for your buck is Hydrocal 105. You can typically get 50 lbs from a local cement or building materials supplier for $55. For this lil’ ol’ Egyptian project, Ben has been using Merlin’s Magic with great pleasure. It costs a lot more ($80-plus online for 50 lbs – nearly half of that shipping) and you can choose from several color tint options which can eliminate an annoying primer step.

Mixing Bowl
You need a container to mix your water and casting material. A traditional Tupperware bowl works fine but for less mess/cleanup, Ben urges you to try a rubber mixing bowl. He bought an iSi Basics Flex-it 1-Quart Mixing Bowl ($12, free Amazon Prime shipping) and it makes a huge difference. You must get this!

Scraper
After you pour your mold, you have to scrape off the excess. Ben has a 4” wide Flex Taping Knife for a regular Hirst Arts mold ($6.39, free Amazon Prime shipping) and uses a 12” wide Wal-board Taping Knife ($8.65) for his custom molds.

Metal Sheet
Enygma gets a lot of the glory on this brilliant idea. Casting gets a little messy so why not make yourself an aluminum sheet (from Home Depot – they’ll even cut it to the 16” by 24” dimensions for you). Ben added some padded corners to avoid scratching his arm and put a felt backing on it so it rests level on his office work table. This sheet skips the annoying garbage bag taping step and cuts down on the paper towels (simply scrape off the dried excess cast material).

Air Bubble War Gear
Oh those Bahamut forsaken air bubbles – they can be the bane of your existence (if you’re a perfectionist). Ben has four weapons to keep Balor’s belches to a minimum:

- Dental Table: Ben bought his a #78RK Atlas Heavy Duty 115V for $186.27
- Almore Debubblizer Surfactant: Bruce has a vid ($12.50 for 8 oz)
- Wet Dry: Soak your molds in Finish Jet Dry for prior to casting
- Material: No real proof but Merlin’s Magic Buff Tan seems to produce fewer bubbles

Pre-measured Cups & Bucket
Ben hopped over to the Container Store for to get some items to hold his pre-measured casting material and water cups. That may seem silly but when you’re in Chinese-assembly-line-mode, it’s nice to have these done ahead of time. Ben also keeps his core ingredients in a Home Depot, sealable bucket.

Speaking of measurements, here’s what Ben swears by:

• Regular Hirst Mold: 10 oz of Merlin’s Magic | 3.5-ish oz of water
• Custom Mold (depending on type): 15-20 oz of Merlin’s Magic | 7-10 oz of water

Accodemtal Chemist Note: Your final mixture should have the consistency of a milk shake. Don’t over water it…always easier to slowly add a little more liquid in if you measured wrong.

Hope you enjoyed all our casting XP. Next week we glue down and start the basecoat painting process!

Questions to Ponder: What other tips and tricks do you recommend? Do you plan on giving terrain casting a try in the coming months? Why or why not? Do you cast outside or throw caution to the wind and do it inside?

See Roving Band of Misfits Hirst Arts Buying Guide | Visit Void Gamers

The foundation of every new terrain environment starts with the selection of your molds. The Pile begins that process with the Industry’s best – Hirst Arts and then created custom molds from those original casts to ultimately support the high-volume pieces of the set. Join Co-Piler Enygma as he shows us how he made these unique works of art.

So why go through all the trouble and expense of making one-of-a-kind molds? You’ve already got the originals from Bruce. Isn’t that enough? Well if you have the Gandhi’s patience and the Pope’s time, read no further. However, if you’re a man of the town like most of us, these larger molds are a lifesaver. Instead of doing essentially a single floor tile, you can create an entire room. Forget doing 10 floor squares in a single cast, how does 100 sound instead via a home-brewed custom mold?

Mold Selection
For starters, Ben’s Egyptian environment utilized the following Hirst Arts molds.

• Tower Mold #93: hieroglyph columns
• Temple Mold #94: more hieroglyph columns
• Basic Block Mold #95: your bread (walls)
• Pyramid Accessory #96: columns, door, sarcophagus, etc
• Tomb Accessory #97: door frames and statues
• Temple Accessory #98: mighty columns and lion statue
• Fountain Accessory #99: water accent pieces
• Floor Tile #290: your butter (floors)
• Weave Floor Tile #291: decorative floor accents
• Decorative Floor Tile #292: more ornamental floors

Now it’s time to identify the critical, mass production pieces of our terrain build. Again, the goal being let’s make larger mold forms here to save us a mountain of precious time. Don’t rush this step. Inevitably though, you will say to yourself, “Why did I pick that particular piece to mass replicate?” Typically, you will need 10 casts of the final pieces.

Go Shopping
So now get out your pen, it’s time to make a shopping list of all the ingredients that go into creating the actual forms and pouring the new mold. Don’t worry many of these items are re-usable.

• 1 sheet of 20”x30”x3/16” Elmer’s foam core ($3, Walmart)
• 1 roll of masking tape ($1, Walmart)
• 1 bottle of white tacky glue ($1.50, Walmart)
• 1 utility knife/paper cutter. ($5, Walmart)
• 1 can of silicone mold release ($10.80, Aeromarine)
• AM 128 Pourable Silicone Rubber, 1 gallon, 2-part kit – 8.8 lbs. ($101, Aeromarine)
• 2 wooden spoons ($1.00, Walmart)
• 2 plastic measuring cups ($1.50 per, Walmart)
• Digital scale ($25,Walmart)
• Cooking timer ($5, Walmart)

This is a two-part process. The first is building the form that will hold the silicone rubber solution. Make the mold form 12’x12’ so you can use a drywall scraper to scrape the form after casting. This configuration gives you 100 square inches of Hirst art floors and walls which is about as fast as you can safely cast.

Pre-glue the original Hirst Arts floor pieces together to dramatically cut down on assembly time. For example, pour a 4×4, 4×3, 3×3, and so on.

Create a Box
With all that said, let’s create the actual form/mold housing:

Step 1: Measure a 12”x12” foam core square and cut with a utility knife.
Step 2: Measure a 1.5”x11.5” foam core side piece and create 4 with a utility knife.
Step 3: Run a piece of masking tape across the whole length of the side piece. Make sure that half of the tape is hanging off and there is an inch hanging off each end.

Step 4: Attach the side piece to the 12”x12” piece. Do the same for all 4 sides.
Step 5: Take tape and run it inside the seam of the 12×12 piece and the side piece.
Step 6: Add tape to each corner (3 pieces, center, left and right of each corner).

Step 7: Run a bead of glue on the inside of the seam of the form and up the corners.
Step 8: Glue casted pieces into box with about a ¼” space between the pieces/sides.
Step 9: Allow it all to dry. The beads of glue will become clear.

Pour the Mold
Now let’s do a step-by-step on the actual mixing and pouring of the mold:

Step 1: Zero out and set your scale to metric as you will need to do some simple mixture math.

Step 2: Pour the first part of the mixture, the silicone (white), into the cup. It comes out thick and takes a good amount. Depending on the size of your mixing cup, you can pour about 180 grams of the white solution into the cup. Mark how much you poured so you can divide it by 10 for the Catalyst.

Step 3: Double check your measurement of the white solution

Step 4: Zero out your second mixing cup. Pour the Catalyst into it at one tenth the amount of the white solution. Example: if you poured 180 grams of the white solution, you would pour 18 of the purple. Tip: it’s best to pour about 1-2 grams extra because you will not get all the Catalyst to come out of the mixing bowl.

Step 5: Double check the measurement.
Step 6: You have 20-30 minutes to combine the two mixtures together.
Step 7: Use the wooden spoons to mix for 10 minutes (on your timer) so the chemical solution fuses together. The latex is thick and will take a lot of mixing.

Step 8: Did you stop?! Keep mixing. You MUST mix for the full 10 minutes.
Step 9: Double check your form and make sure everything is glued properly placed.

Step 10: Pour the Latex in slowly at each of the 4 corners and in the middle. Make sure you pour at least 1/4 an inch above the highest piece your casting. So if you’re casting floor tiles make sure its 1/4 above the floor tile.

Step 11: Once the mold is filled, let it sit for 24-36 hours then strip away the foam core form. This is where you can use some of that silicone spray release product to get the first couple of castings out of the mold cleanly.

Quick-hit Tips and Tricks
Here are some helpful tips that make the whole process go a little smoother:

- Match Pieces: Make sure that you pour all the like pieces together. That means pour floors with floors, walls with walls, and similar pillars together. Make sure all the pieces are the same height (saves on latex).

- Heavy Duty: Don’t be stingy on your form bead of glue around those seams of your box and you double up the tape on both sides of the forms. Can you imagine what would happen if you do this step poorly?

- Level Playing Field: Pour on a level surface. This is a must or all your work is for not. Bust out a level to be sure.

- Pouring Angle: Pour at 70 to 80 degree angle for better settling and an easier bottle pour.

- Detailed Piece Brush: For detailed pieces, it doesn’t hurt to use a paint brush and go over them with latex before you pour the main mold.

- Slow and Steady: Pour gradually as this reduces air bubbles (latex is thick).

Once you make a custom mold you will never want to use anything else. It takes about the same time to cast the custom mold as a Hirst Arts mold (once you get the measurements down). So your doing a 10-1 ratio on your casting time!

Finished Product
After repeating the above process, you walk away with a bevy of Egyptian mass molds.

• Floors: Utilizing #290 to make 4×4, 3×3 and 3×4 in pre-formed bulk pieces
• Walls: From #95, you can mass produce the other core component
• Ornate Set 1: Hallway, doors and columns pieces
• Ornate Set 2: More decorate column, pedestal and statue elements

So with a little extra thought, preparation and elbow grease, you can turn your most important pieces into a well-oiled casting assembly line – drastically cutting down your mold time and ultimately…giving you more time to play.

Questions to Ponder: Have you ever made a custom mold before? Why or why not? What worked well and where were there improvements to be made? What other Egyption pieces would you use a lot of? What set would you mass produce (cavern, field stone dungeon, etc)?

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Let’s ring in the New Year with a brand new terrain-building blog series. Code named, Project Red Rover (Red Rover), Ben will provide step-by-step posts for his next D&D game environment – 4e’s the Pyramid of Shadows. Our first blog post will talk all about the inspiration for this amazing new terrain. Ben can’t build anything unless he’s got the itch. So what were his motivations exactly?

Motivation 1…The Module: So obviously we’re talking Egyptian-style terrain here and that sounds just lovely. Ben’s group has been crawling around fieldstone brick dungeons for the better part of two years now with the playing of Keep on the Shadowfell and then Thunderspire Labyrinth. His game group will be thrilled with the change of scenery in the final module of this series…keeps the ongoing game fresh.

Motivation 2…Gen Con 2011: Six years in the running, a great Wisconsin buddy puts forth a special 4-day adventure at Gen Con entitled The Tales of the Short Nine. He writes the story from scratch and builds out a full Hirst Arts terrain board. Jeff’s stuff is ingenious. This past year, he created an entire Egyptian stetting for our party to explore. It was a mixture of standard mold pieces and his own unique creations. Watch for more insight here in future posts as Ben tries to replicate and in some cases build upon his work.

Motivation 3…Movies: Now think of all the great movies that have turned Egypt into such a captivating RPG haven. Indiana Jones is iconic but the Mummy series was no slouch. Cable chipped in with two rivoting seasons of Rome on HBO and STARZ joined the blood bath with Spartacus. Combine all that violent bliss with the Clash of the Titans remake (with the sequel coming out in March 2012) and its party, people.

Motivation 4…Dark Sun: Certainly you want your terrain environment to have many uses and thankfully, this very same Egyptian terrain blends in nicely with WotC’s outstanding Dark Sun campaign setting. That crossover softens this hobbyist’s hefty time commitment.

Motivation 5…Sample Hirst Arts Build: What ultimately pushed Ben over the edge was this absolutely stunning game board from a fellow Hirst Arts enthusiast out of Toronto, Ontario. He posted a stunning array of images in the Post Your Pictures forum in July of 2010. The quality and detail of his work is beyond words. Once Ben saw this masterpiece, he knew it was time to take the sand plunge. Plus, he now had a really nice set of images to help guide and inspire him along the way (a critical factor in terrain building).

Here are just a few of the photo highlights:

• Intricate Hallways
• Menacing Mummies
• Daunting Monuments
• Raised Stairs
• Decorative Doors
• Mighty Obelisks
• Watering Holes
• Resting Sphinx
• Ornate Walkways
• Colorful Columns

So now that we have our motivation for this brand new environment, it’s time to get building! Next week, we’ll start with the actual piece selections and in some cases, the custom building of the molds themselves.

Questions to Ponder: So now that we have our motivation for this brand new environment, it’s time to get building! Next week, we’ll start with the actual piece selections and in some cases, the custom building of the molds themselves.

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Let’s take the very last blog entry of this wonderful year and share with you all the things Ben’s thankful for in 2011. Hopefully you’ll unwrap a few more D&D items, bookmarks and Twitter followers to add your own RPG Pile.

You know that D&D collectible figures are his obsession, right? Well, who knew that 2011 would become the year of the announcement miniature? Certainly not Ben!

HeroClix opened the plastic foray of goodness with 21 Middle Earth Heroes and Villains in their new Lord of the Rings set. Yes they have to be re-based but that’s a snap. Watch for a future review.

Then Paizo surprised and delighted with Pathfinder Battles Heroes and Monsters which ship on January 4, 2012 and look absolutely spectacular. Another set is planned, Rise of the Rune Lords, in June 2012. Oh happy days – Ben’s cases are ordered. Are yours?

And announced as “one more thing” at the Gen Con New Products Seminar, Wizards of the Coast is bringing back its miniatures! The minis will not be blind and include a no skirmish game (with no dice but probably cards). Nostalgia Ben is beaming…beaming!

This has also been a great year for D&D podcasting. Ben has several download staples. For news and reviews, the Tome Show marches on and has a delightful new co-host in Sara Darkmagic. Dungeon Master’s Roundtable is a dandy and includes several cast members that Ben has even had the pleasure of co-writing with in the past. Ennie Award winner, Critical Hits, has a continuous build-a-better-game-feel. And Ben’s latest download to-do is Obsidian Portal’s Haste podcast. Oh and if you just want to watch an ongoing 4E game, try Ben’s RPG Pile video podcast on iTunes (yep – that’s right video).

The DIY category has several prestigious representatives. Benoit from Roving Band of Misfits is this year’s war horse (and even has a podcast too). Ben can’t wait to read his new article each week. TheSheDM also puts out a periodic post on making something for your game table. And the Hirst Arts community gets you a daily fix with its inspirational Post Your Pictures forum. You will not find a more gifted group of terrain enthusiasts (who couldn’t be more helpful, kind and welcoming).

For a guaranteed chuckle, pop over to d20 Monkey and Brian Patterson’s comic strip. For genuine, try Online Dungeon Master. An industry role model is of course, Sly Flourish and his ongoing column and contributions. And Penny Arcade …well, they’re just immortal.

YouTube also has many fine producers but for space-sake, just click on over to our last YouTube Channel A to Z entry.

Some more great guys to chat D&D with on Twitter to name a few include: Alphastream, ObsidianCrane, ChaoticDM, TheAngryDM, symatt, DeadOrcs, WolfSamurai and KatoKatonian. Ben loves, loves Twitter talk.

Of course, Ben finds new and amazing D&D-related digital goodies every week so he could not possibly mention them all. Thus, please don’t take offense if he accidentally missed mentioning you here. Just leave a comment and a link. Ben will almost certainly know your work and share a thought.

BensRPGPile.com is honored and fortunate to be part of this amazing gaming community. Happy holidays to all and to all a good blog.

Editor’s Note: Next week begins our brand new blog series – Operation Red Rover, Red Rover.

Questions to Ponder: Did you bookmark all these? Who did Ben miss? Share those sites, Twitter handles and YouTube channels for Ben to add and bookmark!

Sweet sassy molassey! Are we actually on the letter Z?! Johnny and the Moondogs were right. This RPG letter series has been a long and winding road that led to your door (for fun-filled 26 weeks). So let’s close out in style with an American cult icon – Zombies!

Our entertainment landscape is filled with Zombie bits and pieces – everything from AMC’s riveting The Walking Dead series to PopCap’s smash hit Plants vs. Zombies.

For terrain Ben has a few undead staples:

• Wizards of the Coast: Put out great choices right from the Harbinger start
• MageKnight: Several re-basing options
• Metal: Snagged these from Gamers’ Inn glass case for a steal
• Gen Con: From the amazing hands of Bob Ladd
• Reaper: Best Zombie pose of the bunch

Let’s thank author Michael Curtis one more time on his inspirational book – The Dungeon Alphabet. His writings would make a fine game group holiday gift, don’t ya think?

For terrain Ben has a few undead staples:

• Jail Cells: Always seems like there’s a corpse just waiting to get out
• Headstones: Graveyards make a nice home base
• Broken Door: Smashing and bashing through something
• Hallways: Cold corridors are a dead giveaway

Questions to Ponder: Whoah, whoah. That’s it?! But what is Ben doing next?!!! Well, sadly it’s time for Ben to start a new chapter in his life. This is his last official…

Are you frakking nuts?! Ben loves D&D and his community brethren! He’s not done! That was simple bluff check! Gotcha:)

Actually, this blog theme stuff has been rather invigorating and helped put a little organization into Ben’s so-called-blog-life. So, next up we’re going to take a very detailed look at how to build a terrain environment from scratch for your next D&D campaign. This Hirst Arts-heavy, step-by-step guide is going to quite detailed and help any novice to jump into the terrain hobby fray with ease. See you next week for chapter 1.

Ask Bob Ladd to Paint You a Miniature (email: bobladd72@att.net | be a pal and mention BensRPGPile.com sent ya)

What a glorious digital age us gamers live in these days! We can play actual D&D games in real-time with friends all over the country, build our D&D characters online (be gone errata supplements) in minutes, and download RPG eBooks in a seconds. But most of all – we have YouTube. An ever-growing video library filled with terrain inspiration and game enhancing ideas.

So what makes a good RPG video these days? Well, certainly to each his own but here’s a taste of the recipe Ben tries to follow:

• Video Editor: Pick out a good software program (iMovie works great)
• Steady: Run stabilization thru your video editor and use a mini tripod
• Close-ups: Zoom in tight on the objects and avoid lengthy wide shots
• Lights: Shoot in a bright room and avoid shadows/glare
• Sound: Smatter in audio effects and music for fun
• Angles: Place the camera above focal point or to the left of the item
• Outline: Jot down chronological talking points before recording
• Length: Use 10 minutes as standard length (20-plus try as a podcast on iTunes)
• Chapters: Create title cards to break the content down into digestible sub groups
• Focus: Stay on topic and leave out rambling commentary
• Respond: Reply (in a professional manner) to viewer video comments
• Closing: Create an end card noting where else you can be found

And every video should get better, right? Ben’s earlier flicks are pretty rough but were necessary in the channel’s evolution. Believe it or not, it’s enjoyable to learn new video skills. Also, make topics unique whenever you can. Regurgitating existing community content often gets lower interest. Mostly, Ben likes to shoot how-to topics (to give back to the community) and built-out game boards (to be different).

So let’s talk video content. What can you create or subscribe to?

• Terrainaholic: A terrain legend and class-act in the community
• Wizards of the Coast: The Penny Arcade D&D games are classics
• TerranScapes: Great how-to terrain guy
• Woodland Scenics: Some fun tutorials on rocks and water effects
• Obsidian Painting: Cool paint tips
• BlueWarGaming: Love their mini basing tricks

Of course, Ben is just scratching your screen’s surface. There’s an immense amount of helpful game content at your fingertips. Try common industry search terms (Dungeons and Dragons, tabletop terrain, miniatures, or mini painting) and see what comes up. Oh and maybe while you’re at, you might consider giving little ol’ Ben’s RPG Pile channel a try.

Editor’s Note: Three cheers to Enygma for this week’s letter suggestion.

Questions to Ponder: Did you ever make a RPG YouTube video? How about your own D&D channel? What inspired you to do so? Want to share some of your favorite gamer clips? How do you use YouTube to help your weekly game?

Ben Top Tube Picks: Make a Miniature P1 and P2 | Character Deaths

Great Mordenkainen’s ghost – the letter “x” is no easy RPG word! Let’s put a playful spin on this week’s entry and go with “extra” but lose the “e” so we can stay classy. This way we can answer the question, “What xtra stuff does Ben have on the Pile that he can share with y’all?”

Let’s start off with this Star Wars miniatures set that Ben nabbed at Gen Con a few half moons back. A tiny booth had a bag of minis and claimed the troublemakers were perfect for any D&D game. The vendor wasn’t kiddin’ – this mish mash group was divine. Plus, WotC’s latest online builder makes monster creation a snap (but the lack of a jpg export feature is still sorely missed).

As many of you know, this whole letter spiel was inspired by the A to Z manuscript but were you aware that Goodman Games has a plethora of books in this genre?!

• The Random Esoteric Creature Generator: tons of trait ideas
• PC Pearls: wide variety of character/NPC inspirations
• GM Gems: lots of reference materials for the inquisitive DM

Better yet, you can grab them for your iPad over at DriveThruRPG for around 4 bucks apiece or you can certainly go the classic paper route on Amazon.

Just as a wine connoisseur occasionally splurges on a particular vintage so shall an RPG officiando spend a few more shekels on an exquisite piece of terrain. Ben reached out to his favorite Thomarillion painter, Yansolo Minis, for this immaculate Living Mirror piece. Sometimes a guy just wants to treat himself, ya know? And yes, Ben is the fairest of them all:)

Let’s close out the week with some artistic glee. Since comic brick and mortar stores are going the way of the compact disc, it’s time you get familiar with the IDW Comic Book Reader iPad app. You can instantly download titles for your viewing pleasure. It’s cheaper (shipping costs more than the digital $1.99 comic itself), easier to obtain (no drive and park) and eliminates bulky storage (now sits on your device).

Consider trying these killer RPG comic book series:

• Dragon Age: Looks very promising
• Dungeons and Dragons: Ben’s absolute fav
• Dark Sun: The setting is the bomb
• Legend of Drizzt: Just cause we love Mr. Salvatore

See?! Just look at all that Xtra D&D stuff just lying around your lair. Don’t forget to dig deep from time and time and utilize everything in your arsenal.

Questions to Ponder: What is resting on your shelf that hasn’t gotten any love in a long time? How come? Have you tried any of those comics? What do you like/not like about them? Ever used a Star Wars mini in a D&D game…which one?

Well, well, well – we’re nearly to the end of our letter-laden journey and what a ride it’s been. Sure we had some obvious choices with this week’s entry but we kinda already did walls and water. So, time to dig deeper and see what actual D&D-style wells are resting in the Pile.

Pegasus Hobbies lays down the circular stone as Ben’s favorite choice. Sadly, this watering hole is out of print but it’s the perfect spot to drop a bucket and grab a fresh drink. It seems like this well would fit best outside a small village setting.

For a city square, Miniature Building Authority has a slew of nice aquifer holders. Try this smaller number if you’re after that simple-settler- kinda-feel. Or, there’s a more ornate option if you’re going for a solid stone look. Ben’s not even sure where this one came from?

If you want to get your hobby on, Hirst Arts has a swell multi-use piece from its Cavern Floor Accessories #282 mold that practically spells well. Often used as a door arch, it also lays flat to form a nice agua container.

Need portable, quick and effective piece? Pop out a square from Wizards of the Coast Dungeon Tile series. Ben’s mixed all his tiles from the sets into one disorganized cardboard pile so alas, he can’t tell you specifically where this piece originates. These always seem to fit nicely into a dungeon setting (as long as you level them off with the rest of the floor).

And if you want a little half-and-half terrain experience, you can get a pre-cast well from Acheson Creations and brush on your own color scheme. You certainly can’t beat the price and time savings but there’s a little bit of elbow grease in the paint prep.

But what kinda monsters could pop out of a well, you ask? Certain pre-requisite traits may apply such as wings, strong claws and an appetite for unfortunate player characters. Well, there’s certainly plenty to choose from but Ben snapped a shutter of a few of his favs.

Ben doesn’t have a great finish here so he’s going to go out on an 80s tune. Take it away, Terence.

Questions to Ponder: What else could one find at the bottom of a D&D well? Given the chance, what would you wish for at your new-found well. Do you recall a particular well encounter from a module?

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