As always guys I'm more than happy to answer questions and hear any feedback! :) EPIC MINIATURES PATREON: bit.ly/EpicPatreon EPIC MINIATURES MYMINIFACTORY: bit.ly/EpicMyminifactory Thank you so much to anyone who goes to check these guys out and helps support the channel :) MAGNET SAFETY: Don’t use around small children or animals, if ingested these can be dangerous. Never let very strong magnets slam together, especially thin ones. They can and will smash under a lot of force, and then become very sharp, highly magnetic shrapnel. Not good. Easy to avoid though, just take care. GROUT/SANDING/WIRE BRUSH SAFETY Wear a dust mask and ideally have good ventilation or an extractor fan on over your workspace when doing these activities. I am no medical expert, but the advice I have found seems to be of the mind that a little exposure your body can deal with and expel, but larger and especially longer term repeat exposure can cause problems -all easily avoided with a proper dusk mask. AIRBRUSH/SPRAY CAN/ENAMEL PAINTS/SUPERGLUE/ISOPROPL ALCOHOL SAFETY To be clear - superglue here refers to extended use. Quickly using some superglue is, to my best knowledge, harmless, which is why nobody bats an eye at it normally. But if you're in an unventilated room with highly liquid superglue for hours on end? That's a bit different, wear a filter mask! as a general rule, these things should always be done while in a VERY well ventilated space OR while wearing a fume filter mask, if not both. I tend to use an extraction fan and mask, and open the window in the room when I'm done. Iso, unlike the others (as far as I've been able to ascertain) can be metabolised by your body, albeit with a bit of a nasty headache. It basically gives you a hangover, which kind of makes sense given what it is… CUTTING FOAM The research I've done into the subject points to the standard white fumes being mostly harmless carbon dioxide (the stuff you breathe out anyway). That said, much like hotboxing in a room without ventilation, its generally a good idea to not let CO2 build up in a room you're breathing in, or you'll get a nasty headache as your body metabolises it. Black fumes from burning foam ARE harmful and should be ventilated/avoided if possible, but these rarely occur when using a hot wire cutter like we do - its just something to be aware of. CUTTING METAL TIPS AND SAFETY Steel/nickel is safe enough to use if you're reasonably careful, I cut most of my steel from tin can lids with scissors, though now I mostly use nickel you can buy in strips (see equipment list). Made sure you're wearing thick gloves when cutting and handling, I use some woodworking gloves. If you want to make doubly sure the steel isn't sharp, use a metal nail file along the edges to round it off. Nickel I've so far found to be far less sharp when cut than steel, but being safe never hurts :) SUPERGLUE AND OVEN SAFETY Don't bake superglue in the oven, when heated it can become cyanide gas. If using superglue, only use it on pieces that are not going in an oven, OR have already been in and have cooled. Its fine to use on after that as long as it's not going back in :) UPDATED PAINTING STONE RECIPE September 2021 equal parts mix of mod podge, tan and neutral grey (or equal tan/neutral grey if using over mod podge and black. If so you'll need 2-3 layers to get decent coverage - it doesn’t need to be perfect coverage though. paint about 1/2 the bricks in either: 3:1:1 tan, neutral grey and white or 1:1:2 tan, neutral grey, white Make sure this layer is strong, not translucent by too much water thinning (glazing) Drybrush with 1:1:2 tan, neutral grey, white Drybrush white - make this reasonably strong, or it just won't show through the wash. It's worth doing a test tile until you're comfortable with the result :) Black-brown wash UPDATED WASH RECIPE September 2021 Only make as much as you need, the mixture will settle over time. A good shake will fix it, but not so well when it gets thicker over extended periods... 100ml, half of a 200ml bottle: 15 drops carbon black ink 5 drops transparent burnt umber ink 60/40 water-matt medium I use a few drops of flow improver per half bottle. Adding more didn't really change the result much, and made it run off the pieces a bit TOO easily! SCENIC SEALANT RECIPE This stuff is really easy to mix, I use the following formula: 1 part mod podge 4 or more parts water - you can make this as thick or thin as you like, and just use more layers to make it harder. A drop of dish soap (fairy liquid type stuff) or flow improver - this helps it…well…flow :) The more mod podge, the darker and more 'wet' the dirt will look when dry. But you can use multiple thinner layers and build up strength that way too. DIRT AND GROUT RECIPE Brown and black unsanded tile grout Dirt cooked in the oven and filtered through a sieve. You want to grind this dirt up with some kind of improv mortar and pestle into smaller grains - it doesn’t need to be dust like the grout but should be otherwise pretty small. The ratio you want here is going to depend on the colour of your local grout I just mixed in a bit of black at a time until the colour darkened down to match the original dirt. I ended up with about a 4:2:1 ratio of dirt:brown grout:black grout I now add 1/2 a ratio (shot glass) of natural earth yellow pigment to make the reddish tint go away, without turning it grey by adding more black grout or grout mix. I added this to 12 dirt, 8 brown, 4 black grout. So its more like adding 1/8 of a glass to the minimum ratio shown above (4:2:1 then 1/8th of pigment) ROAD COBBLE PAINTING RECIPE 2:1 neutral grey and raw sienna basecoat Neutral grey on every other pebble (so basically on as many as possible while having no 2 grey rocks next to each other) 2:1 tan and neutral grey on every other pebble again (so no two tan pebbles together) Then 1:1 neutral grey and raw sienna as a final colour, painting half the remaining brown pebbles, again trying to keep them not touching. It's ok if some tiny pebbles touching each other or larger pebbles are the same colour, these are less noticeable and harder to do this with…
Hi I've had a burning question that I haven't found (yet) in your other videos. For magnetic ext/int walls, are they buried into the "ground" tiles or do they rest atop them? When you add the building in this video to the streets, the walls seem to be sunk into the city streets and interior floors flush with the exterior streets.
@deadeye the exterior magnetically connect alongside, the interior connect on top :) The reason you might not have found it is those interior walls are a bonus video on my Patreon as a thank you to those who make this possible :) patreon is way more important to me than ads or sponsors!
The painting of the stones/bricks is always the step i get bogged down in, but man you really show why it is worth it. Picking out the stones just looks so much better.
Once again, I'm without words. You are a true artist of gaming terrain. To think, less than ten years ago we were playing on painted cardboard and now we have you, the Magnet King, crafting realistic cityscape sets.
I was sitting down to have my morning coffee before starting my own city streets, when I came across this video. I'm so happy I did, because this will definitely elevate my project to the next level.
This is the coolest, most detailed, super realistic, but incredibly practical modular tile system that I have ever seen! This should be mass produced and You should copyright it seriously! Imagine these cast in resin... The possibilities are endless!!
Dang these street tiles look great, looks much more immersive than just having buildings on battle mats. I love seeing your setups get more and more elaborate as you add new terrain and mix and match it with old builds.
These are amazingly elaborate. It always surprises me when I get to the end of a video and realise I understood the instructions and can actually follow them
Just got to say again, your tutorials are fantastic with such high production quality. Really motivating me to think about my terrain I want to start building! Please do a showcase of all your terrain in a massive showcase board!
Matt, I finally put my finger on it! What you are is an artist and the school you belong to is Realism! I was watching or re-watching your video 'Modular Cities' and the way you were working dirt into the cracks between the cobblestones of your streets! You Sir are a Realist! And an awesome one at that!
I kept skipping past this video when I saw in on my recommendations (even though I always love your videos), then I noticed the puddles on the street in the thumbnail. That is such a great detail, which does everything to bring the scene to life.
Thats so epic... We didn't even play on battemats when we were kids, we'd just have sheets of paper with a grid drawn on them, held toghether with scotch tape to make the map bigger XD. This is next, NEXT level!
I’ll also recommend using Foam Board with pictures of textures glued to it and arranged to look like the setting you desire as a fast and dirty method for your upcoming sessions.
Those puddles are very cool, I love how the cobblestones are spread apart from the water eroding the dirt and sand that held them in place. Everything really looks top-notch!
Wow! What a product (craft and video)! How can anyone down-vote this? Superb craftsmanship, filming, editing, and as always an innovative design. Keep up the great work!
Holy hell this is a great system. I'm just getting started in crafting for a planned D&D campaign (my first attempt at both DM'ing AND crafting) and this has inspired me to no end! Well done!!!
This is freakin' awesome! The level of realism that you have achieved is mind blowing! You are approaching Master Luke (Towan) realism! LOL I feel like I'll have to watch and re-watch this video again and again just to catch it all! Seriously dude, two thumbs up! This video is sweet!
@@RPArchiveOfficial You earned it. It's a really great video. My favorite technique that you detailed is the use of dirt in between the street cobblestones! That one right there is worth the price of admission as they say!
No clue why this was recommended to me, but I clicked it and man this was insanely awesome. There’s not a great chance I do it myself but great video/vibe!
Seriously. I dont think anyone argues battle mats are better or even equal to a model city but it's about efficiency of time. I have other things going on as well. Sometimes when I dm I'll draw some planned maps on graph paper and even that feels like a decent time commitment when I usually just freehand on a whiteboard and we all just use our imagination.
@@will224488guy exactly, also about budget and availability, you can literally go into a webpage and create/print a battlemat, no cost except the ink you used and probably taking a third of the time.
See, you say that, but here's the thing - these weren't really expensive. They only cost about £30 in materials and that again (or less) in tools when split over multiple projects... Time, fair enough to some degree, but they didn't that all that long and for many this is an enjoyable experience in its own right! If it's absolutely not for you that's fair enough, you're entitled to your opinion! But I made this video to show those who buy battlemats because the paid for dwarven forge style tilesets are too expensive, that there's an affordable solution with a little time investment. This really wasn't a dig at battlemats :)
Quick mention about Epic Miniatures; used to do some pre-supporting for the guy when I joined his patreon way back when (just offered since I was doing it anyway). He's a good guy just as a person, in addition to making absolutely amazing sculps. Easily worth the money, and hell, I'd support him either way just as a good chap. 10/10
Randomly had this video appear in my recommended, absolutely blown away by the quality of both the terrain and the video itself, you have inspired me to begin making my own terrain following your methods, thank you!
@@RPArchiveOfficial I just put the magnets into my first pair of 3 by 3 Stone tiles tonight and I have another 30 cut and ready to go, I cannot wait to paint them and use these on the table top
Regarding your super glue safety tip, it's also worth mentioning that mixing super glue and paper towel is a low-key fire hazard... The reaction of CA glue, when setting, is a bit more exothermic than you might expect, and the massive surface area of paper towel can cause it to begin smoking. At a large enough scale, it can, feasibly, cause a fire. Not likely, but worth putting out there, regardless. Otherwise, good stuff, you've certainly earned a sub from me...
Love your builds. I've been slowly adding to my collection of tiles. I truly wanted to thank you for the model file to be able to place the magnet holes more precisely. I printed that out almost immediately and it's been awesome. Thank you for all your works.
This is the first ever video I’ve come across for this channel and I am enthralled. Is there a video on this showing recommendations on storing the large collection of tiles? I’ve struggled to find the best solution for storing the tiny bit of Dwarven Forge I was gifted. Great work on this! The video is filmed and edited very well on top of the craftsmanship.
Just discovered this channel. Oh my god. You got my creative side going! Its crazy how at the beginning of the video I was like "this is insane, im never going to do this" to "wow, this might actually be doable!" You're an amazing artist and just as good as a teacher. Will be going through your videos for sure!
Glad to be back! Publicly at least, I've been sharing this with patrons during the build for like a month 😂 I get that. Maybe you'll have more time in the future! Life can always change :)
Awesome! Let me know how it goes! 😁 And come join us in the patreon discord if you feel like it, there's a lot of people trying stuff for the first time there and others giving advice :) Totally optional mind! Just thought I'd mention it's there 😅
Another great addition to your system. Your channel is one of my top resources. I can hardly wait to start using your ideas, and making scans and casts of the finished pieces. Thank you for the ongoing inspiration.
“I’m going to show you why my method of making maps is better than yours.” Begins to show you $500+ worth of equipment and resources, then 70+ hours worth of work.
Yeah it's super cool and super scenic, but it's definitely not a standard option for someone that doesn't have the time, money, or space for all that equipment
Bottom line - the title is a result of TH-cam and who will click on a video. I'd prefer to use clearly labelled tutorial names, but that won't get my channel shown to new people who are interested. I have no issue with people using battlemats! Honestly the main reason I mention them is many crafters who otherwise make things buy battlemats instead of making city tiles, all while wishing they could afford dwarven forge. These tiles cost £30, and if you use the equipment for all your other terrain, it really doesn't cost much either split down. Each to their own at the end of the day - my only goal is to show options to those who otherwise seem to be unaware they exist :)
If you are using a misleading title to attract new viewers to your video then that's click bait, any way you put it. I know this title is objectively better than something like "Map tile building tutorial" but I still have no respect for people who create click bait titles and thumbnails. However, I'll give credit to you in the regards that you make real content, it's just that the video is labeled deceptively.
Do you have an alternative? Beyond work really hard on content and see it go nowhere/get nothing for it. These titles are not the fault of creators. They are a necessity we HATE. Please understand that. All I want is to reach new people who clearly are interested in my content - my comments and new subscribers tell me that :) I would love to do it without these titles, so if you do have some algorithm insight, please let me know. I hate them as much as you do. But you can't argue with facts. Not without losing :/
Matt, most excellent work with this video. It is STUFFED FULL of excellent ideas and tricks that can be used for many different builds. Thanks bunches!
You are the first patreon I have ever supported, inspiring, imaginative and ingenious! Really excited to build along and watch your channel gain momentum. Keep up the amazing work!
Man one moment I’m watching someone paint Warhammer space marines (which I’ve never played) then the next I’m watching this man build an entire city for DND (which I’ve also never been lucky enough to play). Remarkable show of talent and love for your hobby, I’m truly in awe at the creativity of this community that I’ve just stumbled upon. Hopefully one day I can convince some friends to try it out with me.
These ones are incredible. Been a subscriber for a while and thinking you make some of the best home made terrain. But theses at present the best city tiles of any home made or commercial.
This is the coolest thing I have seen on youtube in a while. I'm trying to introduce my kids to DnD and this terrain is going to help my bridge the gap
First time I’m actually buying something from any sponsor on any channel. This is gonna be a godsend for my play group. I have three campaigns currently and this is gonna help bring my games to an 21/20
Thank you man! Talent: its much easier than you think when you have instructions and don't have to figure it out :) Money: foam is dirt cheap/free on a building site if you're lucky, thick card is dirt cheap/free in the back of a notepad, I used just over one block of clay, so £18 or so, other than that it's just glue, paints and dirt. 90%of the other materials I use anyway for other terrain or minis, so the minimal amount used on this project was negligible in cost :) So this whole set probably cost... £30? Maybe? In materials actually used. Patience I can't help you with but the patreon discord is great with project motivation (or so my patrons tell me) 😂
I couldn't imagine this level of detail for IRL tabletop. I mean, the magnetic stuff, and all these details are so amazing. You literally just created TaleSpire IRL Just WOW
Thanks Toasty! You aren't on my discord by any chance? There was a toast war on their recently between the various people with toast in their name....and others that picked sides 😂
This video was phenomenal. Super informative and easy to follow. I have never even considered doing tiles my own, but now i kinda can't wait to try it out myself!
I don’t understand how I’m JUST finding your channel/videos on making your own stuff for dnd. Like, this is incredible work, great camera working and explanations, and honestly just an enjoyable to listen narration and easy to understand for someone who’s only ever been interested but never able to do anything like this myself. Hopefully, these videos, which I’ll watch probably all of, will change that.
TH-cam's algorithm finally figured out what I actually want to be recommended. This is wonderful. I love using polymer clay to build tabletop pieces, but I will definitely have to invest in some magnets and a pasta roller. These ideas are super handy and your work looks brilliant.
We abandoned minis years ago as we felt it just took much away from the game but it’s still incredible to watch the level of effort and ingenuity that goes into this. Nice work.
It realllly depends on the players... I also started doing theater of the mind more often and saving drawn/printed maps for big/complex battles with my current group. I found my current "gamer" group would go into solo/MMO RPG mode when maps were the norm and it went from them less playing the role of their character in combat, to them trying to do everything the most optimal and 'hacky' way. Which often dragged turns on and broke the immersion. Like discussing rules for 2 mins, asking if it can be flanked, then deciding if they want to be the left rear, or right rear, because that other enemy is X feet away and will take X turns to get on their flank, etc etc, ad nauseum. Instead of just saying "My paladin charges the demon you said is less than 30 feet away, and *insert holy praises to their god*, and swings their sword with a smite." I also had a group of older players years ago, and only one was a "gamer", but mostly a DOOM/CoD head. They did amazing with maps, often making mistakes in position by 5-10 feet, or doing something "less optimal" because it made sense their PC would care about a wounded NPC, or actually be too scarred to charge in alone not knowing if the party would do the same next round. It realllly depends on players and how they approach the table mechanically/philosophically.
I usually have a habit of not hitting the like button, but damn dude, the sheer dedication and awesome results were simlly too great! I'm gpnna share this with my DnD friends!
Think I've just found my new favourite channel. Your videos are amazing and so detailed! Thank you so much, I've learnt so much and gotten so much inspiration for my own modular world. Brilliant! Truly!
As always guys I'm more than happy to answer questions and hear any feedback! :)
EPIC MINIATURES PATREON: bit.ly/EpicPatreon
EPIC MINIATURES MYMINIFACTORY: bit.ly/EpicMyminifactory
Thank you so much to anyone who goes to check these guys out and helps support the channel :)
MAGNET SAFETY:
Don’t use around small children or animals, if ingested these can be dangerous. Never let very strong magnets slam together, especially thin ones. They can and will smash under a lot of force, and then become very sharp, highly magnetic shrapnel. Not good. Easy to avoid though, just take care.
GROUT/SANDING/WIRE BRUSH SAFETY
Wear a dust mask and ideally have good ventilation or an extractor fan on over your workspace when doing these activities.
I am no medical expert, but the advice I have found seems to be of the mind that a little exposure your body can deal with and expel, but larger and especially longer term repeat exposure can cause problems -all easily avoided with a proper dusk mask.
AIRBRUSH/SPRAY CAN/ENAMEL PAINTS/SUPERGLUE/ISOPROPL ALCOHOL SAFETY
To be clear - superglue here refers to extended use. Quickly using some superglue is, to my best knowledge, harmless, which is why nobody bats an eye at it normally. But if you're in an unventilated room with highly liquid superglue for hours on end? That's a bit different, wear a filter mask!
as a general rule, these things should always be done while in a VERY well ventilated space OR while wearing a fume filter mask, if not both. I tend to use an extraction fan and mask, and open the window in the room when I'm done.
Iso, unlike the others (as far as I've been able to ascertain) can be metabolised by your body, albeit with a bit of a nasty headache. It basically gives you a hangover, which kind of makes sense given what it is…
CUTTING FOAM
The research I've done into the subject points to the standard white fumes being mostly harmless carbon dioxide (the stuff you breathe out anyway). That said, much like hotboxing in a room without ventilation, its generally a good idea to not let CO2 build up in a room you're breathing in, or you'll get a nasty headache as your body metabolises it.
Black fumes from burning foam ARE harmful and should be ventilated/avoided if possible, but these rarely occur when using a hot wire cutter like we do - its just something to be aware of.
CUTTING METAL TIPS AND SAFETY
Steel/nickel is safe enough to use if you're reasonably careful, I cut most of my steel from tin can lids with scissors, though now I mostly use nickel you can buy in strips (see equipment list).
Made sure you're wearing thick gloves when cutting and handling, I use some woodworking gloves.
If you want to make doubly sure the steel isn't sharp, use a metal nail file along the edges to round it off.
Nickel I've so far found to be far less sharp when cut than steel, but being safe never hurts :)
SUPERGLUE AND OVEN SAFETY
Don't bake superglue in the oven, when heated it can become cyanide gas. If using superglue, only use it on pieces that are not going in an oven, OR have already been in and have cooled.
Its fine to use on after that as long as it's not going back in :)
UPDATED PAINTING STONE RECIPE September 2021
equal parts mix of mod podge, tan and neutral grey (or equal tan/neutral grey if using over mod podge and black. If so you'll need 2-3 layers to get decent coverage - it doesn’t need to be perfect coverage though.
paint about 1/2 the bricks in either:
3:1:1 tan, neutral grey and white
or
1:1:2 tan, neutral grey, white
Make sure this layer is strong, not translucent by too much water thinning (glazing)
Drybrush with 1:1:2 tan, neutral grey, white
Drybrush white - make this reasonably strong, or it just won't show through the wash. It's worth doing a test tile until you're comfortable with the result :)
Black-brown wash
UPDATED WASH RECIPE September 2021
Only make as much as you need, the mixture will settle over time. A good shake will fix it, but not so well when it gets thicker over extended periods...
100ml, half of a 200ml bottle:
15 drops carbon black ink
5 drops transparent burnt umber ink
60/40 water-matt medium
I use a few drops of flow improver per half bottle. Adding more didn't really change the result much, and made it run off the pieces a bit TOO easily!
SCENIC SEALANT RECIPE
This stuff is really easy to mix, I use the following formula:
1 part mod podge
4 or more parts water - you can make this as thick or thin as you like, and just use more layers to make it harder.
A drop of dish soap (fairy liquid type stuff) or flow improver - this helps it…well…flow :)
The more mod podge, the darker and more 'wet' the dirt will look when dry. But you can use multiple thinner layers and build up strength that way too.
DIRT AND GROUT RECIPE
Brown and black unsanded tile grout
Dirt cooked in the oven and filtered through a sieve. You want to grind this dirt up with some kind of improv mortar and pestle into smaller grains - it doesn’t need to be dust like the grout but should be otherwise pretty small.
The ratio you want here is going to depend on the colour of your local grout
I just mixed in a bit of black at a time until the colour darkened down to match the original dirt.
I ended up with about a 4:2:1 ratio of dirt:brown grout:black grout
I now add 1/2 a ratio (shot glass) of natural earth yellow pigment to make the reddish tint go away, without turning it grey by adding more black grout or grout mix. I added this to 12 dirt, 8 brown, 4 black grout. So its more like adding 1/8 of a glass to the minimum ratio shown above (4:2:1 then 1/8th of pigment)
ROAD COBBLE PAINTING RECIPE
2:1 neutral grey and raw sienna basecoat
Neutral grey on every other pebble (so basically on as many as possible while having no 2 grey rocks next to each other)
2:1 tan and neutral grey on every other pebble again (so no two tan pebbles together)
Then 1:1 neutral grey and raw sienna as a final colour, painting half the remaining brown pebbles, again trying to keep them not touching.
It's ok if some tiny pebbles touching each other or larger pebbles are the same colour, these are less noticeable and harder to do this with…
Try waxed bakers paper instead of regular paper. It's designed to release to the dough.
I don't want it to :) I'd rather it stuck to the paper than the roller, the paper is easier to peel from than the cutting mat 😄
Mindblowingly cool! FWIW, a bit of Black 2.0 or Black 3.0 will make cracks and holes look like they are *miles* deep.
Hi I've had a burning question that I haven't found (yet) in your other videos. For magnetic ext/int walls, are they buried into the "ground" tiles or do they rest atop them?
When you add the building in this video to the streets, the walls seem to be sunk into the city streets and interior floors flush with the exterior streets.
@deadeye the exterior magnetically connect alongside, the interior connect on top :)
The reason you might not have found it is those interior walls are a bonus video on my Patreon as a thank you to those who make this possible :) patreon is way more important to me than ads or sponsors!
I swear, people keep getting better and better at tabletop crafting. These are absolutely beautiful
Thank you! I'm always trying to improve 😄
Imagine the future where people can use vr sculpting with 3d printing and traditional crafting and possibly nanoscale detailing
@@crystalclearchaos5387ah yes, I would enjoy having each individual skin cell sculpted on my dead-guardsman scatter 😂
The painting of the stones/bricks is always the step i get bogged down in, but man you really show why it is worth it. Picking out the stones just looks so much better.
It's such a nice extra touch :)
Once again, I'm without words. You are a true artist of gaming terrain. To think, less than ten years ago we were playing on painted cardboard and now we have you, the Magnet King, crafting realistic cityscape sets.
Well you are incredibly complimentary! 😅
Thank you so much. I like to think I've just added my own contributions to the hobby we all share :)
Most underrated craft / TTRPG channel ever. Actually incredible!
Thank you so much man! 😁
Seriously, my mouth was varying amounts of open during half of this video lmao. Excellent
Haha! Well thanks Christopher! 😁
Agreed, all of this looks mind-blowing
Thanks Joshua! 😁
I was sitting down to have my morning coffee before starting my own city streets, when I came across this video. I'm so happy I did, because this will definitely elevate my project to the next level.
Glad I could help!
This is the coolest, most detailed, super realistic, but incredibly practical modular tile system that I have ever seen! This should be mass produced and You should copyright it seriously! Imagine these cast in resin... The possibilities are endless!!
Dang these street tiles look great, looks much more immersive than just having buildings on battle mats. I love seeing your setups get more and more elaborate as you add new terrain and mix and match it with old builds.
Me too! I love being able to pull all the builds together 😁
These are amazingly elaborate. It always surprises me when I get to the end of a video and realise I understood the instructions and can actually follow them
Thank you! And that's great to hear :) I really try to make them as easy to follow as possible, so it's great to hear it helps! 😁
Oh my god, the craftsmanship and attention to detail is incredible! Dirt in the cracks, tiny leaves and puddles, it's all just amazing
Thank you man! 😁
Just absolutely blown away. Can't wait to make enough of these so that my dining table becomes a town >.
Haha! If you make it I want to see it 😁
Just got to say again, your tutorials are fantastic with such high production quality. Really motivating me to think about my terrain I want to start building!
Please do a showcase of all your terrain in a massive showcase board!
I’m constantly amazed at just how much information you manage to pack into each of these videos.
I do try to pack it in 😅
It's mostly so the video doesn't run on for like 45 minutes! 😁
Matt, I finally put my finger on it! What you are is an artist and the school you belong to is Realism! I was watching or re-watching your video 'Modular Cities' and the way you were working dirt into the cracks between the cobblestones of your streets! You Sir are a Realist! And an awesome one at that!
I kept skipping past this video when I saw in on my recommendations (even though I always love your videos), then I noticed the puddles on the street in the thumbnail. That is such a great detail, which does everything to bring the scene to life.
They were a last minute addition, but really worth it I think :)
Thats so epic... We didn't even play on battemats when we were kids, we'd just have sheets of paper with a grid drawn on them, held toghether with scotch tape to make the map bigger XD. This is next, NEXT level!
How have I not seen this before, those textures, color, details, and techniques are all amazing and easy to fallow
Thank you! I'm glad it was easy to follow, that's my goal :)
I’ll also recommend using Foam Board with pictures of textures glued to it and arranged to look like the setting you desire as a fast and dirty method for your upcoming sessions.
Great idea. Thanks!
Your pasta roller gag got me to subscribe. hahaha Nice to be here!
Haha! Excellent 😁👍
Those puddles are very cool, I love how the cobblestones are spread apart from the water eroding the dirt and sand that held them in place. Everything really looks top-notch!
Thanks man! Yeah I love the puddle effects 😁
it rarely takes me just 1 video to subscribe but your channel seems totally worth it.
This is incredible, yet again! Thanks Matt!
Thank you for making it possible :) there's no way I could afford to do videos like this without patreon support from you guys - you made it happen! 😁
So many cool tricks packed away in your videos
Wow! What a product (craft and video)! How can anyone down-vote this? Superb craftsmanship, filming, editing, and as always an innovative design. Keep up the great work!
Thanks Michael! Will do! 😁
Holy hell this is a great system. I'm just getting started in crafting for a planned D&D campaign (my first attempt at both DM'ing AND crafting) and this has inspired me to no end! Well done!!!
This is incredible! Been wanting some cobblestones forever and it was more than worth the wait! Incredible job dude!
Thanks Hunter! Glad it was worth the wait 😁
Hearing all this weird alien measurments like "Quarter of inch! Three inches!" makes my eye twitch nervously
This is freakin' awesome! The level of realism that you have achieved is mind blowing! You are approaching Master Luke (Towan) realism! LOL I feel like I'll have to watch and re-watch this video again and again just to catch it all! Seriously dude, two thumbs up! This video is sweet!
Wow, hell of a compliment man! Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it 😁
@@RPArchiveOfficial You earned it. It's a really great video. My favorite technique that you detailed is the use of dirt in between the street cobblestones! That one right there is worth the price of admission as they say!
Haha yeah I love that it worked! One of those ideas that could have gone badly wrong in practice 😂
No clue why this was recommended to me, but I clicked it and man this was insanely awesome. There’s not a great chance I do it myself but great video/vibe!
Thanks man! Nice to have you here either way :) most videos have this vibe if you wanted to subscribe 😄
That's amazing. I got sucked into the world you created with once glance.
love the look of this! this video is how i discovered your channel....blown away...binging you whole channel today!! excellent job!
Thanks Chuck! 😁
This makes for a beautiful setup. Fantastic job! 🔥🔥🔥
Thanks Art! 😁
I thought this was an ad for factory made tiles, I was very pleased to see you are just a great craftsman; subbed.
Glad you took the time to watch :)
ngl I am not going to ever do anything close to this for my gaming, but I watched every minute because this is amazing. Bravo!
Thanks Mike! 😁
This is lovely work. The amount of thought and planning you've put in has produced an absolutely standout result..
This is one of those things that I'd only do if I had multiple groups to DM for every week, I was rich and had a ton of storage space.
And also talent. That's my impediment.
Seriously. I dont think anyone argues battle mats are better or even equal to a model city but it's about efficiency of time. I have other things going on as well. Sometimes when I dm I'll draw some planned maps on graph paper and even that feels like a decent time commitment when I usually just freehand on a whiteboard and we all just use our imagination.
@@will224488guy exactly, also about budget and availability, you can literally go into a webpage and create/print a battlemat, no cost except the ink you used and probably taking a third of the time.
See, you say that, but here's the thing - these weren't really expensive. They only cost about £30 in materials and that again (or less) in tools when split over multiple projects...
Time, fair enough to some degree, but they didn't that all that long and for many this is an enjoyable experience in its own right!
If it's absolutely not for you that's fair enough, you're entitled to your opinion! But I made this video to show those who buy battlemats because the paid for dwarven forge style tilesets are too expensive, that there's an affordable solution with a little time investment.
This really wasn't a dig at battlemats :)
Wow...this is amazing! #goals for sure. Keep up the awesome work Matt and thanks!
Thanks Rob, I will! 😁
How have I never come across your channel before?!? Beautiful work! :)
Thank you! Give me time, I'm growing 😄
Quick mention about Epic Miniatures; used to do some pre-supporting for the guy when I joined his patreon way back when (just offered since I was doing it anyway). He's a good guy just as a person, in addition to making absolutely amazing sculps. Easily worth the money, and hell, I'd support him either way just as a good chap. 10/10
This is probably my favorite thing you've done yet, the result is fantastic.
Thanks Sizzle! 😁
Randomly had this video appear in my recommended, absolutely blown away by the quality of both the terrain and the video itself, you have inspired me to begin making my own terrain following your methods, thank you!
Awesome to hear man, thanks!
@@RPArchiveOfficial I just put the magnets into my first pair of 3 by 3 Stone tiles tonight and I have another 30 cut and ready to go, I cannot wait to paint them and use these on the table top
Fantastic! Hope you get a lot of use out of them :)
Regarding your super glue safety tip, it's also worth mentioning that mixing super glue and paper towel is a low-key fire hazard... The reaction of CA glue, when setting, is a bit more exothermic than you might expect, and the massive surface area of paper towel can cause it to begin smoking. At a large enough scale, it can, feasibly, cause a fire. Not likely, but worth putting out there, regardless.
Otherwise, good stuff, you've certainly earned a sub from me...
Interesting, and thanks :)
Love your builds. I've been slowly adding to my collection of tiles. I truly wanted to thank you for the model file to be able to place the magnet holes more precisely. I printed that out almost immediately and it's been awesome. Thank you for all your works.
It's so useful isn't it! And no, thank you for watching :)
This is the first ever video I’ve come across for this channel and I am enthralled. Is there a video on this showing recommendations on storing the large collection of tiles? I’ve struggled to find the best solution for storing the tiny bit of Dwarven Forge I was gifted.
Great work on this! The video is filmed and edited very well on top of the craftsmanship.
Thank you! Check out my homemade storage box video, I think you'll like it 😁
Just discovered this channel. Oh my god. You got my creative side going! Its crazy how at the beginning of the video I was like "this is insane, im never going to do this" to "wow, this might actually be doable!" You're an amazing artist and just as good as a teacher. Will be going through your videos for sure!
Thanks Kevin! I aim to keep everything easy to follow :)
This is so good... Glad to have u back. I wish i had the time to build a whole town, but, sadly, i have to many things to do ^^'
Glad to be back! Publicly at least, I've been sharing this with patrons during the build for like a month 😂
I get that. Maybe you'll have more time in the future! Life can always change :)
Well, this is exactly the channel I needed to find at this point in my life! I gotta try this stuff out.
Awesome! Let me know how it goes! 😁
And come join us in the patreon discord if you feel like it, there's a lot of people trying stuff for the first time there and others giving advice :)
Totally optional mind! Just thought I'd mention it's there 😅
You do the best DIY stuff by far!
Thank you so much man! 😁
@@RPArchiveOfficial for real though! Take it to heart! Your awesome!
This video was incredible, mesmerizing to watch!!
Well thanks man! 😁
This video is the most inclusive tile how to I’ve ever seen! This is awesome and I’ll come back to it often. Thank you!
Glad I could help :)
Another great addition to your system. Your channel is one of my top resources. I can hardly wait to start using your ideas, and making scans and casts of the finished pieces. Thank you for the ongoing inspiration.
Happy to help Terence!
0:16 Harry Potter
I thought Daniel Radcliffe, but I guess you're right.
Incredible amount of work but beautiful. Huzzah!
Much less so when you've got the tutorial and aren't making the mistakes, believe me 😂
Harry Potter making youtube videos now?
Well, I knew that was coming sooner or later 😂
The result of your work is breathtaking.
“I’m going to show you why my method of making maps is better than yours.” Begins to show you $500+ worth of equipment and resources, then 70+ hours worth of work.
Yeah it's super cool and super scenic, but it's definitely not a standard option for someone that doesn't have the time, money, or space for all that equipment
Bottom line - the title is a result of TH-cam and who will click on a video. I'd prefer to use clearly labelled tutorial names, but that won't get my channel shown to new people who are interested.
I have no issue with people using battlemats! Honestly the main reason I mention them is many crafters who otherwise make things buy battlemats instead of making city tiles, all while wishing they could afford dwarven forge. These tiles cost £30, and if you use the equipment for all your other terrain, it really doesn't cost much either split down.
Each to their own at the end of the day - my only goal is to show options to those who otherwise seem to be unaware they exist :)
If you are using a misleading title to attract new viewers to your video then that's click bait, any way you put it. I know this title is objectively better than something like "Map tile building tutorial" but I still have no respect for people who create click bait titles and thumbnails. However, I'll give credit to you in the regards that you make real content, it's just that the video is labeled deceptively.
Do you have an alternative? Beyond work really hard on content and see it go nowhere/get nothing for it.
These titles are not the fault of creators. They are a necessity we HATE. Please understand that.
All I want is to reach new people who clearly are interested in my content - my comments and new subscribers tell me that :)
I would love to do it without these titles, so if you do have some algorithm insight, please let me know. I hate them as much as you do. But you can't argue with facts. Not without losing :/
Yeah, I've got a solution. Join our raid on TH-cam headquarters at 3/21/2022 11:32 AM EST.
Wow! Amazing! You're very talented
Matt, most excellent work with this video. It is STUFFED FULL of excellent ideas and tricks that can be used for many different builds. Thanks bunches!
Thanks for watching Kevin! 😁
Im speechless... best crafter out there by far, no one else even comes close. Can't wait to see the street light video!
Tomorrow! 😁
You are the first patreon I have ever supported, inspiring, imaginative and ingenious! Really excited to build along and watch your channel gain momentum. Keep up the amazing work!
Well thank you so much Timothy! Let me know on discord or patreon if you have any questions :)
Man one moment I’m watching someone paint Warhammer space marines (which I’ve never played) then the next I’m watching this man build an entire city for DND (which I’ve also never been lucky enough to play). Remarkable show of talent and love for your hobby, I’m truly in awe at the creativity of this community that I’ve just stumbled upon. Hopefully one day I can convince some friends to try it out with me.
You explain it so well but it still looks like magic to me.
These ones are incredible. Been a subscriber for a while and thinking you make some of the best home made terrain. But theses at present the best city tiles of any home made or commercial.
Had to come back and watch again. A really good video with sooo much in it that help with my own crafting.
If you opened an online store for tiles like these I would 100% buy probably all of it. These are so cool!
More than anything I appreciate your patience in working the details. Bravo, sir! It's a joy to watch you work.
This is the coolest thing I have seen on youtube in a while. I'm trying to introduce my kids to DnD and this terrain is going to help my bridge the gap
Absolutely brilliant video. It's amazing seeing how high quality and intuitive each video is. Keep up the good work mate
Thanks! Will do man :)
Just ran into your video and OMG! Your detail work is just WOW! I am now addicted to your page.
This is going to be my next project. Now let's see if it finally draws me down the rabbit hole of making a ton of your modular pieces.
Do it... 😁
@@RPArchiveOfficial I knew it...you are really Emperor Palpaltine!
Haha!
You don't know the powah of the DARK siyde! 😁
First time I’m actually buying something from any sponsor on any channel. This is gonna be a godsend for my play group. I have three campaigns currently and this is gonna help bring my games to an 21/20
These are awesome and have amazing detail.
Blown away. You should see just how big a battle map you can make with everything you've made so far!
Haha, probably cover my living room floor at least 😅
Another great one. Amazing looking results. Very inspiring.
Thanks as always rin, and thank you for the support!
This is gorgeous. I love, love, love it.
I wish I had the talent, patience, and money to do the same.
Thank you man!
Talent: its much easier than you think when you have instructions and don't have to figure it out :)
Money: foam is dirt cheap/free on a building site if you're lucky, thick card is dirt cheap/free in the back of a notepad, I used just over one block of clay, so £18 or so, other than that it's just glue, paints and dirt. 90%of the other materials I use anyway for other terrain or minis, so the minimal amount used on this project was negligible in cost :)
So this whole set probably cost... £30? Maybe? In materials actually used.
Patience I can't help you with but the patreon discord is great with project motivation (or so my patrons tell me) 😂
I couldn't imagine this level of detail for IRL tabletop. I mean, the magnetic stuff, and all these details are so amazing. You literally just created TaleSpire IRL Just WOW
you know your work really is quite beautiful Matt. Thanks.
Awesome video! Thanks! Hope you had a great holiday!
I definitely did :) a great recharge!
This was an insane video. I was captivated.
Every time I think you've done the best project ever...you go and outdo yourself! Your work is straight fire! Keep it up!
Thanks man!
Worth the wait. I did wonder why you’d been so quiet.
Haha yeah. Glad it was worth it!
What an incredible project and a spectacular result! Thanks for this brilliant tutorial!
Thank you for watching!
I just saw the thumbnail of this randomly and had to instantly subscribe. I don't even know what game this is about yet but this is amazing looking.
Congrats on 300k views! Nice to see your channel growing :)
Thanks Toasty! You aren't on my discord by any chance? There was a toast war on their recently between the various people with toast in their name....and others that picked sides 😂
@@RPArchiveOfficial yes I am on your discord
Ah, but WHICH toast are you, is the real question 😂
Great idea using the pasta machine.
This video was phenomenal. Super informative and easy to follow. I have never even considered doing tiles my own, but now i kinda can't wait to try it out myself!
That's awesome man! 😁 Let me know how it goes :)
I don’t understand how I’m JUST finding your channel/videos on making your own stuff for dnd. Like, this is incredible work, great camera working and explanations, and honestly just an enjoyable to listen narration and easy to understand for someone who’s only ever been interested but never able to do anything like this myself. Hopefully, these videos, which I’ll watch probably all of, will change that.
TH-cam's algorithm finally figured out what I actually want to be recommended. This is wonderful. I love using polymer clay to build tabletop pieces, but I will definitely have to invest in some magnets and a pasta roller. These ideas are super handy and your work looks brilliant.
Thank you! Glad I could help :)
Good work Matt. Thank you for the content.
Thanks as always Robert :)
You are so perfect doing every single details. Excellent job....I love it
Just amazing work
Wow, why did this channel take so long to make it to my recommendations?! Great stuff can’t wait to start my first project.
Awesome! Let me know if you have any questions :)
Wow! Those tiles look amazing! Thank you.
Thanks as always Jacob! 😁
We abandoned minis years ago as we felt it just took much away from the game but it’s still incredible to watch the level of effort and ingenuity that goes into this. Nice work.
It realllly depends on the players... I also started doing theater of the mind more often and saving drawn/printed maps for big/complex battles with my current group. I found my current "gamer" group would go into solo/MMO RPG mode when maps were the norm and it went from them less playing the role of their character in combat, to them trying to do everything the most optimal and 'hacky' way. Which often dragged turns on and broke the immersion. Like discussing rules for 2 mins, asking if it can be flanked, then deciding if they want to be the left rear, or right rear, because that other enemy is X feet away and will take X turns to get on their flank, etc etc, ad nauseum. Instead of just saying "My paladin charges the demon you said is less than 30 feet away, and *insert holy praises to their god*, and swings their sword with a smite."
I also had a group of older players years ago, and only one was a "gamer", but mostly a DOOM/CoD head. They did amazing with maps, often making mistakes in position by 5-10 feet, or doing something "less optimal" because it made sense their PC would care about a wounded NPC, or actually be too scarred to charge in alone not knowing if the party would do the same next round.
It realllly depends on players and how they approach the table mechanically/philosophically.
I usually have a habit of not hitting the like button, but damn dude, the sheer dedication and awesome results were simlly too great! I'm gpnna share this with my DnD friends!
Awesome man! Thank you 😁
This is amazing. You are such an inspiration to start doing some crafting!
Looks awesome, interested in those lanterns, I've been thinking about making something similar
I always find your work dances that fine line between genius and madness, amazing as always.
Haha! Thanks Scott, that's the line I aim for 😂
Gorgeous! You've got so much great stuff packed in here. Love it all!
Thank you! 😁 Can't wait to show the next one 😄
Think I've just found my new favourite channel. Your videos are amazing and so detailed! Thank you so much, I've learnt so much and gotten so much inspiration for my own modular world. Brilliant! Truly!
Awesome to hear man! 😁