Christmas, the New Year, and how I was inspired by "Super Dungeon Explore"

This Christmas was very good to me this year, as always I scored some new Battletech stuff but I also recieved some other things I would like to share. My son got me "ZOMBIES!", a box of Wargames Factory skeletons....and something strange and new- Super Dungeon Explore. This game is basically a dungeon-crawler with some light RPG elements, but thats not all.....it was inspired by the early console rpg's of the late 80's and early 90's (old-school video games like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, Zelda, etc.). The game was designed in the Chibi art style (you know...huge heads, big anime eyes and tiny bodies) which is not everyones cup o' tea, but I have to tell you when I saw those minis I just fell in love with them. I am getting a little ahead of myself here, so anyway...the New Year. As most of you probably already know, almost all of the modular terrain I built for Battletech is done. Now that I have finished I pretty much have no new terrain projects to work on right now. Inspiration can come from the strangest places, and one thing I always wanted to build was a 3D dungeon...this comes from the fact that the only thing I have played longer than Battletech is Dungeons and Dragons (played my first game in 1982). Now most of you are probably scratching your heads thinking "I've never been asked to play D&D at Gregs!" well thats because after several years, too many rule changes, thousands of dollars worth of books, and having played too much...I got burned out. I sold most of my D&D collection over the years piece-meal and have not gave much thought to building a dungeon in several years, so as with alot of ideas rolling around in my head I filed it away in my "things to build before I die list" (same as a "bucket list", but for gamers!!). So, to make a long story shorter I have dusted off my brain and my sketch pad, and after assembling the minis for SDE the ideas just poured out.....flooding my mind with dungeon-Y goodness. I rough sketched a couple of terrain pieces and as I was doing so the creative juices really started to flow. It is a great rush when one is truly inspired and the ideas just seem to draw and build themselves, aaahhh....a terrain builders "happy-place" I have found it once again. I will be posting pics up VERY soon of my progress...until then may inspiration come to you all!! ...and to my Son- thank you so much for always being my BIGGEST inspiration!!

-G. "Spectre" Myers

I will post more WIPs of this project very soon....until then you'll just have to wonder what I'm up to!!

ps-minor correction, above I stated the tile is 12x12 inches...it is not. For purposes of "mini-creep" and due to the fact I will be including walls, each grid square is 1.0125" (original game tiles are 7/8ths) and also I have left a perimeter of 1/8th inch around every tile....again for clearance. This makes each tile closer to 13x13".

Here are a couple of quick shots of some of the other dungeon peices I am working on. The first is the "Great Hall" which of course has fallen into ruin. (its a dungeon after all, and given the nature of the game I HAD to incorperate your typical dungeon cliches!! ).

This next bit is the "Swamp"(which is the one I am working on now), complete with small graveyard, a dead tree stump, and rotting foot bridges to aid in crossing the boggy-bits!! More details will be added post-base paint.

The very last pic here shows what I have planned for a "typical" dungeon/adventure layout. The design incorporates the 12x12" standard tile (based on original game) and some hall, intersection and medium/small rooms. This was a concept arrived at to keep the feel of the original while providing some extra flavor. The other pic is just Joe helping me cut out "base" parts to make walls and stairs out of.

I hope you enjoy these wip's, and as they are completed I will post updated photos here. Until next time!!

Here are a few images of the cavern/mine section (under construction), and an overall pic of what I have so far. Not bad for a weeks worth o' wips!