Why I Craft Terrain For D&D
I have had many people ask me why I craft terrain for Dungeons and Dragons games. This seems like a simple answer but there are so many reasons that I do it. The number one reason is I get personal enjoyment out of the act of crafting. The second reason is I get personal enjoyment out of seeing players reactions to the crafts. A third reason is it is relaxing actually crafting things. A fourth reason is that it can add some nice dynamics to a game that otherwise aren't there.
The personal enjoyment I get out of crafting is the best part for me. It is awesome being creative and getting ideas out there. When I begin a project I don't always know how it will come out. When I am finished though it is neat seeing what I could do. While I know I am not the best at crafting and am certainly not the most patient it is still pretty awesome seeing what I can do with some glue, cardboard, and paint.
The first time I slapped down some things I crafted on the table with my wife and my gaming group gave me a lot of motivation to do more. The first time I crafted anything it was for a 1 on 1 game with my wife. She had said before that she wasn't into miniatures or terrain but that game changed that. I incorporated a puzzle into the terrain too which she loved. The first time Nate from WASD20 (CLICK FOR HIS WEBSITE) saw my crafts he began to take photos of it all because he loved it. I love seeing their reactions to really cool things I have worked on.
Crafting can be very therapeutic. When I sit down to paint whether it is terrain or miniatures I feel at ease. It allows me to clear my head and not worry about anything else in my life. When I spend hours crafting the same thing happens. My focus goes to what I am making and the game I am going to run. It is the best way to escape reality I think. It is also a fantastic hobby that you can do with friends, children, spouses, or anyone really.
My fourth reason and one of the better reasons is it allows players to visualize everything on the battle field. You don't have to worry about them not hearing your description of the boxes in the corner or the balcony they could swing off of because they can see it the whole time. This can help make for some really cinematic play if your players are adventurous like that. Plus changing up things like room shapes and sizes I feel has more impact in this scenario.
Those are just four of the reasons I enjoy crafting. I posed the question in the DMs Craft Facebook page and got some interesting answers like "chicks dig it" from my good friend DMG on YouTube. Go check out his amazing crafting channel. Also go join the DMs Craft Facebook page to see some excellent work by some of the best crafters I have ever seen.
If you want to see some of my crafts you can subscribe to me on YouTube as I post videos every now and then of things I have made. Hope you enjoyed this post.