Making a Mess! (And Hopefully a Dungeon)

My last few posts have shown off some of the miniatures that I have painted for my Dungeon Crawler. The biggest problem, though, is they don't have a dungeon to crawl through! 

I gave this question a lot of thought and came to a few of conclusions. I wanted a 2D+ dungeon - so mostly flat but with 3D details. I find this is the best compromise between look and playability. I wanted to make this dungeon myself, and I wanted it to be infinitely expandable. So, I didn't want to limit myself to what was commercially available or rely on any services such as 3D printing. While I was always going to start with basic rooms and passages, I want to leave it open so I can make bespoke and one-off pieces in the future. 

I originally tried playing around with foam and paper, but wasn't happy with either the look or the heft (foam tiles tend to slide around the table). Instead, I turned to Hirst Arts, makers of the best molds for casting your own wargaming terrain building blocks. This company has been around for decades, and I used to use their molds a lot when I lived in the USA. That said, a decade or more ago, I sold off my molds, thinking I wouldn't use them again (mistake). 

So, I ordered some new molds - which is rather expensive, since they must be shipped over from the USA. I ordered up four molds, two identical ones for casting floor tiles, one to create a field stone border, and one for making doors. If the project goes well, I will probably order some more in the future for more elaborate builds. 

I remember from the old days that plaster of paris is way to soft for this kind of casting, so I ordered some 'Dental Plaster' from Amazon and got excitedly to work! Unfortunately, this plaster also proved to weak, with even the floor tiles snapping easily in my fingers. So, I did a bit of research and ordered some Crystacal R High Strength Casting Plaster. My first attempt at this was also a disappointment, as the tiles still snapped easily. However, I realized the mistake this time was my own. I hadn't got my plaster/water mix correct, and I hadn't given it enough drying time. So, I tried a third time, and got great results! 

Now, the downside to Hirst Arts molds is they are extremely messy. You have to mix the plaster, poor it into the molds so the plaster slightly overfills the holes. Then a few minutes later, you scrape off the extra plaster, and leave it to harden for 30min or so. The real fun is pulling these beautiful little pieces out of the molds, but this does include lots of little plaster flakes.  

Lucky for me, the family was out for the day, so I set up a casting station and did 8 casts. Might as well make one big mess instead of a bunch of little ones! I now leave the pieces to dry for a few days, and then they are ready to go!

This shot above is actually three separate tiles, two straight passages and one bend. I started by gluing the bricks onto a sheet of cardboard using basic white craft glue. (I tried a hot glue gun, but the glue was too thick and made the blocks fit unevenly). I then glued a thin layer of cork board to the underside of the cardboard. This not only helps absorb impact, but helps keep the tiles from sliding on the table. 

I've got a lot more blocks cast than these, but these are the first I've managed to assemble. I want to get some paint on them and see how they look before I go any further. That said, at the moment, I'm really pleased! Each tile has a nice heft to it, without actually being heavy. I wouldn't want to drop them, but they aren't going to break through normal use. The door came out even better than I expected (it's by a far the thinnest piece, so the most likely to fail to cast or break). 

Is this project going to take a long time? Yes, but that is part of the point. I want it to be my handiwork, a unique set that I can be proud of having created. In these days of 3D printing, working with plaster molds might seem quaint, but there is a value to the work.

I'll post again when I've got some paint on the tiles.