And I’m back.

Bored yet?

Today’s belated #RPGaDAY2020 themed post is…

Forests are everywhere in RPGs and the tales that inspire them. From Hansel and Gretal, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood to Robin Hood.

The first combat encounter from the D&D Starter Set adventure Lost Mines of Phandelver that new players have is an ambush in woods on the way to Phandalin. A woods is a type of forest!

However for a long time I was flummoxed with a way to have trees on the battle map.

I looked at stuff for war gamers and the options were way out of my budget. Three trees on a base were twenty or thirty pounds or more. And I would need several. The cost soon shot up.

I tried using these “mini” trees (above right). They were cheap but just not the right scale. They looked too small.

I had some 3D models that looked ok in the photos from the various free 3D model websites. But my source of getting stuff printed had moved away.

Luckily I eventually stumbled across these plaster tree stumps (above left). They were affordable (I forget the actual cost, I think they came out less than thirty). Plus to the right scale.

What I like about these is that they show where the trees are, but don’t block what is going on the battle map. The canopy is implied.

Plus they are generic enough that I can use them with the Last Days skirmish game as well, plus any RPG that needs trees.

If I need to have a mini in the canopy of the tree, then I can (and need to get some) use those platforms that are used to show a mini is flying/swimming.

For me these partial tree stumps are a great solution for the RPG session.