Playing Solo D&D online

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, I haven't been able to get together with my gaming group and we've decided not to go the online play route. In the meantime, I wanted to keep my DM skills sharp, so I've released an in-browser solo adventure, The Saint's Tomb, using 5e rules. The game requires you to have a character sheet and keep up with HP and inventory, but runs enemies and the story for you. This is similar to the old Fighting Fantasy gamebooks and other single-player books for RPGs.

If you're running Lost Mines of Phandelver, there's a hook in one of the endings that suggests joining up with a group that just left for a frontier town, escorting a wagonload of supplies. I put this in to allow for players who want to join an in-progress game to jump in without feeling left behind.

Making tiny skulls

These tiny skulls are fairly easy to make and have many uses in my D&D game. I've used them to make a flameskull, convert minis into skeletons, decorate bloodstained altars, and provide some atmosphere in lairs. I start with white polymer clay. It's cheap and available at any craft store and most big box stores. The only tools I use for sculpting these skulls are a flat-head sewing pin, a pinch of poster adhesive putty, and a wine cork. Full instructions with pictures are below the break. 

LEGO Nothic

When I started this project, I considered using LEGO minifigs as Dungeons & Dragons PCs and humanoid enemies, but rejected this idea for three reasons: First, unless you already have a large number of Lord of the Rings sets, minifigs can get really expensive. Second, the 2-in scale of minifigs won't work with the 30mm scale of D&D minis. Third, the blocky cute aesthetic of LEGOs doesn't really mesh with D&D.

However, for non-humanoid minis, LEGO can be a convenient stand-in. This nothic, a one-eyed magical creature from the Redbrands' hideout, is a good example of a D&D creature that can be translated to LEGO bricks. The official drawing from Wizards of the Coast shows long legs, claws, and spikes along the back. I've used slope blocks for the back, but the horn pieces would be just as appropriate. The rear legs gave me the toughest time, but I think the hitch piece with the L-shaped piece attached looks fine. More views of the build and parts are available after the break.

Redbrand Ruffians and Glasstaff

In the second chapter of Lost Mine of Phandelver, the main adversaries are the Redbrand Ruffians. They are a gang of human bandits led by the wizard Glasstaff. I used the Andalusian Light Infantry for the gang, painting them with a burnt sienna with red belts and turbans. I applied my black and brown wash pretty thickly to make them grimy-looking.

For the Glasstaff miniature, I used the spear-weilding bearded man from the same Andalusian set. I cut off the point of the spear and painted the shaft white with a blue wash to make it look something like a glass staff. The model has a turban, but I painted the top of the turban the same grey as his beard and hair, while painting red the first fold of the turban and knot in the back. This way it looks  like he has a strip of cloth tied around his head.

I finished off the minis with 1-inch washers for the base. I coated them in white glue, then added uncooked grits. I painted everything black, then overlayed with a tan drybrush.

Sildar Hallwinter and guard

The first minis I painted from my Andelusian Light Infantry kit were a couple of armored guards. After starting, I realized that I'd need a mini for Sildar Hallwinter, the knight who appears in the first chapter of the adventure.

I modified the armored crossbowman by turning his hand around and cutting off the crossbow at the stock and trimmed up the bow to make crossguards. I then took a paperclip (similar to this style) and cut the flat part at an angle to make the blade. I superglued the blade into a notch I cut at the tip of the crossbow to make a nice-looking sword. I then took a flat pushpin with a paintable surface and glued it over his other arm for a shield.

For both figures, I followed the easy paining guide from Black Magic Craft. I used a thin solution of black paint, water, and dishsoap for my wash. I glued both figures to 1-inch fender washers, coated the surface of the washer in white glue, sprinkled on some salt and painted the bases black. I drybrushed the base with tan to make the rocks stand out.

Andalusian light infantry

For the second and third chapters of Lost Mine of Phandelver, several humanoid figures will be required.  The most cost-effective way to get 28 mm scale figures is to go with wargaming miniatures rather than fantasy minis. These tend to be cheaper because they are molded as multiple figures on a plastic tree (a rack) rather than individually. The ones I got were the 28mm Hat 28006 Andalusian Light Infantry  (Amazon link). The 28 mm Hat 28002 Spanish Light Infantry  (Amazon link) look pretty good too, if not better, but were more expensive on Amazon for some reason. If you're having trouble finding either in stock search for Hat + the model number on multiple hobby websites.

This is one of 4 trees that I got in a box that cost $10. All four trees have the same 8 model poses, but I plan to modify some of the models extensively to make them distinct characters.

To prepare the figures for painting, I first washed them in warm soapy water, rinsed them well, and allowed them to dry thoroughly. I then spray-primed one tree with white primer and will spray prime another tree with gray primer.

Once the primer was on, I noticed the prominent lines from the molding process. I used a hobby knife and sanding stick to remove these lines.

The figure poses are as follows:

Left to right from the top:
1. Short bow, robe, no head covering, full beard
2. Javelin held upright, socket in hand for holding second javelin horizontally, robe, turban, no beard (spear is molded separately but was broken in 3 out of 4 trees)
3. Sling, robe, no head covering, no beard
4.Crossbow, chainmail, helmet and turban, face covered (crossbow and hand are molded separately and glued on)

Going back right to left on the bottom:
5. Short bow, chainmail, no head covering, no beard
6. Two javelins (second arm and javelin are molded separately and glued on), running, robe, turban and beard.
7. Spear facing down, small shield (molded separately and glued onto peg on arm), robe, turban, and beard.
8. Crossbow, robe, turban and beard (hand, arm and crossbow are molded separately and glued on.

I'm pretty happy with my purchase. I got a total of 32 figures for what would usually buy between 2 and 5 D&D figures. One downside is that these figures are true 28mm scale. I had assumed that D&D figures were also 28mm, but measuring the ones I got from WizKids and a few others that I have from another campaign, they are typically 30-35mm. The difference makes these figures look out of scale when placed right next to the larger D&D figures. However, since these will mostly be baddies, I'm okay with letting my PCs be literal Big Damn Heroes.

And out come the wolves

After making goblins and a bugbear, the last enemies I needed for the initial adventure in Cragmaw Hideout were a few wolves. With their dual status as a photogenic wild species and a fairy tale villain, you'd think that finding a little plastic wolf toy would be cheap and easy. If not, a bag of plastic dogs that look wolf-ish should be readily available in the dollar store. As far as I could tell, this is not the case. All the wolf toys I could find are over 4 cm tall and cost upwards of $4 each.

So, I went super-cheap. This tutorial and this video demonstrate how to make an easy origami wolf. There are origami wolves that are more detailed, but this one works for my skill level and for the size of paper needed for D&D minis. I cut out a 2 by 2 inch (5 x 5 cm) piece of tan copy paper for my wolves, which ended up being just the right scale for my miniatures. I used a black Sharpie marker to add some details, then cut out a piece of cardstock to glue the wolf to so that it wouldn't fall over. The overall effect is a bit chintzy, but the origami wolf fills the role and is practically free.