The first offering of RiP’s Lone Tree-imprint offers us the tools to make 3-d paper models to depict our dungeons – which brings me to a point I have to admit: I’m kind of a paper-model nerd and subsequently I love the idea of this series. I’ll nevertheless try to be as unbiased and grumpy as you’ve come to expect me to be.

Designer Brain Bartlow and master of maps Jonathan Roberts have combined their talents to deliver an interesting project: The zip-file contains both the components for the dungeon and some items, as well as .studio files for cutters and 2 pdfs providing instructions on how to assemble the models. Lone Tree seems to have a policy to shun glue whenever possible, which is a boon – after all, it enables you to create the models while e.g. on the train or bus once you cut them out. Which is another definite plus; As many items of a kind as possible have been fitted on each respective page conserving ink/toner while printing out the full-color pieces.

What do you get, then? Each component comes with step-by-step instructions with photos to assemble the parts along easy to understand comments. To construct the dungeon itself, you get instructions on how to build the wall (with the optional step of using a magnet and iron fillings to make the floor heavier), a door (which, due to the moving parts and other concerns uses glue, single, hidden and double doors are provided), an instruction to actually make EASY-to-build stairs, glueless pillars and 2d-floors containing wells, treasure, pits (including spikes) and so on.

The items include iconic things like barrels, crates, curtains (though I would have liked more than one color), treasure chests, bedding, chairs (that look good from every angle and DON’T NEED GLUE!), square, rectangle and roundish tables and none of them require any glue whatsoever! The instructions provided for the assembly once again are easy to follow and illustrated.

Conclusion:
The first offering of Lone Tree offers us a lot for our money, to be precise, all the basic furniture and components you need to create a basic model of a dungeon room. Given the modularity of the models, the ease with which one can assemble them and the fact that Jonathan Robert’s artwork is just cool, there is not much to complain about. I would have loved different-colored curtains or other artworks, just to offer an alternative, but that’s about the only thing I can complain about in this installment. For a very low price you get almost all the tools you need to create a basic dungeon and I hope for future installments to add new components and further expand on the glueless paper-models. My final verdict due to usability, artworks and ease of assembly, will be 5 stars.