My oh my how that ticking clock of father time goes by…

A year to the day the Internet gave birth to a bouncing baby Ben’sRPGPile.com – a collection of misfit gaming addicts who were hell bent on bringing a better gaming experience to their global D&D RPG brethren.

And what a year it’s been. We’ve been inspired and driven to create a slew of handy home brewed accessories (including our beloved Condition Flags and Hit Dice). We’ve uncovered a clump of handy downloads from fellow skillful inventors (such as the helpful Anatomy of a Combat Turn and Magic Item Cards). And we’ve reviewed a flock of must-have gaming products (including industry legends’ Hirst Arts and Dwarven Forge)

We’ve even blessed the airways with our silly banter and endless laughter with twenty-seven (and counting) weekly video podcasts.

And best of all – we continue to meet a plethora of talented and enthusiastic gamers who simply want to roll for initiative.

Here’s to another year of the ever-growing Pile. Thanks everybody.

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Your party’s trips back to town can be real snoozers. Thank goodness there’s lot of ways to fix this common game-drag problem. As a DM, Ben drops in a couple buildings and simple accessories to give these otherwise humdrum affairs a real boost.

When you build street scenes, a whole new world of intrigue opens up. You can add new side quests. Run a skill challenge (courtesy of This is my Game). Or, drop in a little more story dialogue interaction. Any or all of these module ideas brightens up game play and enhances the main plot.

And anyways, BensRPGPile.com was long overdue for another building review. This time Ben thought a simple, yet effective multi-use structure would do the trick. Ben snagged this cottage from Miniature Building Authority at an earlier Gen Con. He’s used this pre-painted, out-of-the-box piece to represent an out-of-the-way outpost and a general store.

MBA’s superior quality and attention to detail once again shine through. A few of these buildings are a must for any Dungeon Master’s arsenal. Pop open a box, place it on a Battlemat and let your imagination take you the rest of the RPG way.

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Sometimes a guy takes a step back to assess his RPG collection and simply wonders how he got all those…dwarves. No complaints cause who doesn’t love a good ale-drinkin’ dwarf?

One particular hand-painted set, the cannon crew, was a no-brainer. No gamer could resist that army behind a glass display case. Ben’s not sure what 4E role they will play but maybe some sort of town siege (for impeding upon their mountain resources). What plot hook would you use?

Ben has lots of nice main characters to choose from including a fearless sergeant, a storied general and a maniac warrior. This one even looks like the Viking dad from the upcoming “ How to Train Your Dragon” animated movie. These all also fit well into your own character mini or campaign NPCs.

Ben’s got ‘em in metal or plastic (bet you can’t tell which is which). Lots of soldiers to choose from too – even a winter brigade (with a fancy “ desktop for download). And we haven’t even talked about all those WotC pre-painted ones either.

So can you ever really have too many dwarves? Well, no…no you can’t.

Side Note: These might be the product of Games Workshop but Ben honestly doesn’t know. Post a comment here if you know the answer and we’ll update the links.

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The Internet is an RPG game aid paradise for the simple fact that it lets you build upon others’ awesome ideas – case in point with our version of NPC Tracker Cards. Ben first caught wind of an NPC Photoshop template on Newbie DM’s site. He then found a spinoff of those cards on The Free RPG Blog site. Creative juices began to overflow-eth.

Operation Iraqi Freedom and the infamous deck of cards used by the military was the main inspiration for yet another Dungeons and Dragons homebrew project. Who could ever forget the four aces?

With all this knowledge in-hand, Ben set off to create his own set for his monthly Thunderspire campaign. Remembering those story plotlines is a difficult task for many of the players, especially if you only play every 3 or 4 weeks.

So Ben wanted to create some eye-popping NPC cards that would help his group better identify with the villains and their role in the story. He used the front for a fancy image and then utilized the back for key stats/hints. You can even use the WotC Character Builder for your item stats on the card backs.

Google images provides a wealth of photo options. It’s kinda fun picking older D&D art for nostalgia-sake. Besides characters and magic items, Ben is looking to do some key places as well.

You can download the Photoshop templates here or peruse the first three PDFs here, here and here. A special thanks to all for paving the way. We’ll be sure to update the NPC cards as we add more.

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Stop Ben if you’ve ever heard these joyous questions around your table:

• “What? Where’s my sunrod radius again? Can I see that square?”
• “Sorry, still confused – which area on the map is on fire?”
• “I don’t get it…what mysterious rock is protruding out of that wall?”

Son of a B@tch! Yes, these are all valid questions but they often deflate a DM’s initial storytelling rhythm. Ben always wants a game accessory that pops and better translates his module vision.

Three Sage Games has answered Ben’s cry for help with some crafty Crystalline Counters. They come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors to help you better organize your game map and story components. Of course, Ben recommends the combo pack for starters as you get a nice trial mix.

And there are plenty of color applications including:

• Black: Call it a special mineral, coal or mining material.
• Red: Place it on a base to denote a bloodied creature.
• Orange: Rejoice as you now have the perfect fire source.
• Blue/green: Use ‘em to mark a gem stash on the map.
• Purple: Search for the magic stone.
• Clear: Uncover a great raw diamond find.

Ben got fixated on the very affordable orange as the practical in-game fire uses are abundant (so consider picking up a dedicated pack of that color). Remember – the best game accessories occasionally spark great encounter ideas. So why not pick up some Crystalline Counter packs for your Battlemat and see what new plotlines unfold?

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Does a DM ever really have enough beds for his room set-ups? They have many uses ya know including a typical barracks’ setting, a comfy room at the local Inn or an item of stature in the Captain’s quarters.

With so many possibilities, we manned up and took a daring stab at creating our own cot mold. Of course our home brew beds will never measure up to Dwarven Forge (our favs). Still, we feel our option is a respectable item in the perennial do-it-yourself bargain bin.

The paint job was a bit of a head scratcher – particularly the blanket. Ben tried several colors but the green had a nice army-issue-kinda feel to it (for the average minion).

The bed surplus has already come in handy several times. Most notably during our Friday Night Strike game when we played the Bloodtower on the Moorland delve from the Open Grave book.

Keep looking for ways to take chances in your own Dungeons and Dragons projects. Don’t let the usual creative hesitations and doubt hold you back. You will be surprised at the results.

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D&D publishes its third and final miniatures set of 2009 in the new box format – Monster Manual: Savage Encounters.

Ben digs this Monster Manual theme as it reaps an absolute bountiful harvest of miniature goodness. Each booster mini count is still the same as its 2009 predecessors (5 per pack, 1 visible, 8 different packs in all).

So here’s our Savage top five: Sorrowsworn Reaper (put the “bad” in “bad ass”), Tiefling Necromancer (total package: great pose, paint job and detail), Zombie Hulk (green is in), Death Giant (an adventurer’s first instinct is to run away), and the Angel of Valor Legionnaire (perfect use of clear plastic).

And here’s our un-saveagely bottom five: Bloodspike Behemoth (dinosaurs are for dime stores), Bodak Skulk (looks like an alien sighting from the deep south), Githyanki Mindslicer (enough already on this lame race), Legion Devil Legionnaire (think a toy eraser from the school store), and the Skeletal Tiefling (a total leaner – too thin).

With no Players Handbook Heroes III set anywhere to be found (last released on July 2009) but rumored to be set for release in February 2010, it seems likely that a shuffle of the overall format might again occur in 2010. Still, it’s been a great year and let’s just hope miniatures stick around for another one.

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The constant flipping and um’ing of one’s stapled character sheet printout is enough to drive poor ol’ DM Ben to (finally) drink. He wants bing, bang and boom-like speed in his precious games. Fear not – enter Daniel of 4E Fan Publishing and his amazing Power Card customizable creation.

He’s masterminded a handy program (with slick video tutorials) that allows you to build your own Power Cards. Daniel’s invention actually preceded Wizards of the Coast’s own cards but we prefer to utilize both (see our May 27th entry for that review).

Ben’s assembly process is quite simple. Get some Ultra Pro Deck Protectors. Find the applicable D&D Power Card as a base. Create and print out your customized card. Assemble and…wallah! You’re well on your way to creating your own character deck.

We owe a heavy thanks to Yosho and his supporting Imagine Games fan site. He’s created a slew of existing templates for you to import and tweak.

You can even create your magic item power cards (but finding the supporting thumbnail pics can be a bit of hunt). Still, do yourself and the DM a favor – give these heavenly cards a try.

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Ben believes a kill on the battle map needs to be celebrated and properly noted. Sure, you could just tip your mini over and crudely call it a dead body but where’s the proper bliss and recognition in that? You own that square – now show it!

Dragonfire Laser Crafts makes the perfect corpse marker. Their death symbol is part of their RPTiles series and more specifically, comes in their Crypt Tiles set. Ben got sneaky though and was able to purchase an extra clump of singles out of their “bit box” by visiting their booth at GenCon earlier this year.

To mix it up, we also use the coffin marker (also part of the Crypt Tile set) to symbolize the bigger kills on the board. After all, those bosses or especially pesky monsters earned the right to have a fancier tombstone.

The Dragonfire corpse tile also allows for easy stacking of multiple bodies. This function is key as our game group’s house rule says two or more bodies in the same space makes it difficult terrain.

Great stuff, fellow gamers…and remember, it’s the little accessory touches that ultimately set your game board apart from the others

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Every DM reaches a point in their game where they decide to throw up a terrain Hail Marry. For Ben, he wanted to seal the deal on his Thunderspire Chamber of Eyes dungeon with a memorable piece of terror.

The assembly components touched on all the building basics including:

▪ Dire Vampire Wolf: D&D Miniatures Unhallowed.
▪ Rocks: Concrete Rubble Mix from GaleForce nine.
▪ Floor terrain & Accessories: Hirst Arts molds (#203 & #85)
▪ Chain: Michaels Craft Store
▪ Paints: Games Workshop series (Graveyard Earth, Silver, Blood Red, & Chaos Black)
▪ Flock: Grass and Dirt ground cover from Skullcrafts.

Ben’s finishing touches included body parts from the land of misfit minis (the bit box at Gamers’ Inn). He also grabbed an old toothbrush (and not his wife’s existing one) for the ominous blood spatter effect.

So now Torog’s Shrine has a focal terrain piece that is sure to make the party shat themselves. Pick a big battle in your own module and one up, Ben. If he can do it, so can you.

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