I use a battlemat to draw my maps on, but use the dwarven forge stuff for a lot of the interiors (bedrolls, chests, chairs, etc). I also use a lot of wargaming product for outdoors environment, as well as other stuff I buy or pick up.
On the other hand one of my DMs uses no minatures, etc. at all and he runs a 3.0/3.5 campaign. When we need to figure out reach and attacks of opportunity we use grid paper and pencils!
85% of the time I tend to just draw stuff out on 2 or 3 battlemats (my collection has grown over the years)...
To answer your question though... the other 15% of the time, mostly for "end boss" or very important battles, I will cast terrain myself. I use the stuff from:
http://www.hirstarts.com/
Not sure if it's really for someone to use just for D&D... I use mine primarily for wargaming.
UPSIDE: It gives you unlimited flexibility for creating exactly what you need for any big bad D&D encounter, you can use them over and over to make more of whatever you need, and if something breaks you just make another. Over time much cheaper than the Dwarven Forge stuff.
DOWNSIDE: Requires quite a bit of prep time for a D&D encounter if you aren't making generic or modular terrain in your spare time. Also requires you to paint it all yourself as well. A bit of an initial investment.
I've created an extensive "modular dungeon" which I've used for quite a few dungeon crawls... Let me tell ya, there's nothing quite like a full-on 3-D dungeon crawl... the players all love it.
I don't use the stuff. All I have is a magnetic, pre-squared (1 inch), erasable white board on which I draw most of the situations that come up in the adventures. With this I use those colored magnetic letters and numbers that we all used to have when we were children. These are good for maneuvering monsters and players on the board without having to erase and redraw all the time. Works pretty well.
Ultradan
I use a lot of their props, Barrels, Bedrolls, tables, becnhes, sacks, boxes, Torch stands, stalagmites... I found them on sale at a gamestore that was closing. Otherwise they are way too expensive for my taste. still, my players enjoy it when I have 3D probs in the rooms I draw on my battlemap. I've found some other props from other companies and use those too. The Dwarven forge stuff is well sculpted, and painted pretty well. Still. for other props I use plastic trees from train sets or my kid's dinosaur set. If you don't mind painting your self, and a bit poorer casting quality, you can find several other companies that use duristone to cast dungeon dressings and they run a fraction of the Dwarven Forge cost.
I've only played once at Coast Con with a guy who had the whole dungeon layed out with several thousand dollars of Dwarven Forge stuff. It took him over 12 hours to set up, and we played on it for like 4 hours, then he had to pack it all up. It was kind of neat, but not 12 hours of set up neat. On the other hand, the various props like the traps and trapdoor/stairway down tiles are something that I might consider getting if I ever find them at a discount.
ASEO out
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I have used Dwarven Forge and loved it. Unfortunately, sadly, prep time for dungeons and cost significantly outweigh the fun factor. Therefore, i use the battle mats and a dry erase board(definitely recommended) 95% of the time. When determining my credibility level with opinions given, please realise i started playing in the 70's and at that time it was not uncommon for every player to have graph paper so as to draw up the dungeon while adventuring. My 2 cents.
Thoth-Amon the Atlantian Mindflayerian
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In my groups, we're still in the stoneage of pencil & paper-maps. :)
We never considered changing to something like Dwarven Forge.
It sure looks cool, but I think it limits my flexibility as DM.
When I'm DMing i like to change elements like dungeon rooms on the spot when i find it necessary to pace the game or when i have a sudden great idea.
I love to improve and some of our most memorial encounters developed out of this technique.
With Dwarven Forge and similar tools i think a DM has to stick with his initial plans and this would rob me of a serious portion of the fun i have while DMing.
In my groups, we're still in the stoneage of pencil & paper-maps. :)
We never considered changing to something like Dwarven Forge.
It sure looks cool, but I think it limits my flexibility as DM.
When I'm DMing i like to change elements like dungeon rooms on the spot when i find it necessary to pace the game or when i have a sudden great idea.
I love to improve and some of our most memorial encounters developed out of this technique.
With Dwarven Forge and similar tools i think a DM has to stick with his initial plans and this would rob me of a serious portion of the fun i have while DMing.
Actually if you take a look at the hirstarts page I listed above, you can create your own "modular" dungeon... I'm sure you could probably do the same thing with other premade sets. What I did was create 15-20 hallway pieces of varying lengths, some corner pieces, T-intersections, various room pieces/sizes, stairs (yes, I do multiple elevations on the same play surface for some areas with 3" of pink foam underneath an elevated area)pillars, terrain pieces (tables, chairs, etc.)
In any event, once you have your modular dungeon you place out what you need/ what they can see... when you start running out of table (3-4 rooms max is usually what I have out at any given time) I clear off what we don't need anymore and start laying down where they are moving into. Visual aids like these really add a lot of flavor to a game. I'll see if I can get some pics up onto a myspace account or something. That way I can show off some of this terrain for y'all.
*Disclaimer* I'm not the greatest artist/painter in the world, so be kind once you get to see everything...
I was wondering how many DMs used Dwarven Forge products--to create 3D dungeons/caverns--in their game?
If you do use them, which products would suggest for someone who does not own any Dwarven Forge products yet?
Thank you, and I look forward to your replies. Good gaming to you all!
I use dwarven forge but only because I collect it and use for displays, and my own amusement as well. It's too expensive to buy only for use with your game but if you love the sets then by all means, go for it.
I'm looking to buy several sets of used Dwarven Forge! Do you have some for sale or know someone that does? I'm also looking for a large allotment of minis, and terrain. You can reach me at erickandkim AT COX DOT NET.