I've been using a template for high profile (full height) and low profile (half height) stairs so the stair height is uniform. This has allowed me to design stands for the miniatures to sit on during game play. The design is simple and I have 25mm and 50mm stands for both high and low profile stairs. My group refers to a stand as a tommi, named after a player at the table.
25mm low profile tommi (left) 50mm low profile tommi (2nd from left) 50mm high profile tommi (2nd from right) 25mm high profile tommi (right)
I've gone through several iterations of the bottom before I settled on the pattern you see on the right two tommis. The idea is to make the bottom rough so it can grip the stairs better than a smooth piece.
example of a 25mm high profile tommi being used on stairs
We use tommis in our sessions whenever a player or monster movement ends on stairs. My group enjoys tactical combat and this helps everyone visualize where the PCs, NPCs, and monsters are at during gameplay.
25mm high profile tommis being used on raised portal50mm high profile tommi being used on raised portal
Here is another example, this time with low profile tommis on low profile (half height) stairs. Since I like using stairs in my terrain, these stands help keep things sane at the table.
25mm and 50mm low profile tommis being used on stairs
For part 4, we will look at high profile banisters which allow for the use of newel posts.
By adding side locks to the stairs, we can add banisters securely. I have both a narrow S-Stair and the wider E-Stair variant.
S-Stair High Altar (left) S-Stair High Altar w/ Side Lock (right)E-Stair High Altar (left) E-Stair High Altar w/ Side Lock (right)
The banisters we are adding to the stairs are low profile, meaning they will be about the height of the stairs and therefore will not need newel posts. They are the same width and depth as an A-Wall and there is also an AS variant.
outside view A-Stair High Banister Low Temple (left) AS-Stair High Banister Low Temple (right)inside view A-Banister Low Stair High Temple (left) AS-Banister Low Stair High Temple (right)
A left and/or right banister can be added to the stairs. The right banister is simply a mirror of the left banister and they lock in on the side of the stairs.
S-Stair with left and right AS-Banister
By adding some A-Walls and E-Risers, you can achieve higher stairs.
Stacking 2 Stairsseparated view Stacking 2 Stairs (separated)
Using this technique, you are able to go as high as you want with the stairs.
Stacking 3 Stairsside view Stacking 3 Stairsback view Stacking 3 Stairs
For a recent session, I built the following raised portal which shows the possibilities with these stairs.
side view raised portaltop view raised portal
For part 3, I am going to show the figure stands we use on the stairs.
One of the reasons I like to use 3D terrain for my gaming table is because it offers me the opportunity to create a world with varying height. I think it is boring if the world is flat and I love the opportunity to use height to challenge my players. One of the fundamental terrain pieces that helps characters navigate the world is stairs. I have been predominately using the OpenLOCK stairs from Printable Scenery for my terrain. Recently, I created my own stair template with some enhancements to allow for the addition of assorted banisters and newel posts. I also want to be able to create very high stairs for temples, altars, and daises and was interested in some inner/outer stairs to complete the look.
For the high stairs I designed, I wanted the top stair to end even with the floor above and I made the stair height uniform so I can make little stands for the miniatures to use on the stairs. By making the stairs uniform in height, I can use these stands across all the stairs I create.
Stryfell: S-Stair High Altar (left) Printable Scenery: S-Full Schist Wood Stair (right)Stryfell: S-Stair High Altar (left) Printable Scenery: S-Full Schist Wood Stair (right)
To showcase the difference the height makes, here is a mockup of the interior of a building to show the difference between the Printable Scenery and Stryfell stairs.
Stryfell: S-Stair High Altar 1st floorStryfell: S-Stair High Altar 2nd floorPrintable Scenery: S-Full Schist Wood Stair 1st floorPrintable Scenery: S-Full Schist Wood Stair 2nd floor
For part 2, I am going to show how these stair can be paired with banisters to create very high stairs.
My favorites metal miniatures tend to be those made by Dark Sword Miniatures. They have several lines and most of the figures are useable as either PCs or NPCs but they also have an decent offering of dogs and anthropomorphic animal characters. Their selection of monsters is unfortunately limited. The figures are 28mm heroic scale, but they are a little taller than the WizKids and Reaper minis but not so tall that I would not use them together on the table. Prices for the minis range start around $10-12.
The Female High Elf Warrior (DSM7414) is a good representation of Dark Sword's offerings. Dark Sword Miniatures are pricier, but most of their minis are works of art. This mini from their Visions in Fantasy line is no exception. The figure is clad in elven armor and wields a sword and shield. Her cape is billowing behind her and she looks ready to act.
Visions in Fantasy Female High Elf Warrior (DSM7414)Visions in Fantasy Female High Elf Warrior (DSM7414) comparison to WizKids Male Viking Guard
This high elf reminds me of the high elves made by Citadel and is clearly inspired by Tolkien. I wish Dark Sword Miniatures would produce more variety of these elves as an elven army in this style would be a much appreciated addition to the table.
The bulk of the miniatures I use for my gaming are purchased unpainted plastic minis from WizKids and Reaper Miniatures. Both companies have a multitude of brands they support and Reaper even produces metal miniatures although that seems to be phasing out. Wizkids unpainted plastic miniature lines including:
Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures
Pathfinder Deep Cuts
Critical Role
WizKids Deep Cuts
Of the WizKids brands, I find myself buying minis from the above four brands. These minis are all 28mm heroic scale and they are comparable in size across the lines. The Nolzur's are the official Dungeons and Dragons unpainted miniatures whereas Pathfinder Deep Cuts represents Paizo's Pathfinder RPG. The Critical Role minis are inspired by Matt Mercer's Critical Role campaign and WizKids Deep Cuts tends to be a catchall line consisting of more generic fantasy miniatures.
The Male Viking Guard is a nice figure in the WizKids Deep Cuts line. It was released in the Vikings (90175) box set along with other Viking-themed miniatures and scatter terrain. The figure is in a static position with his hands resting on a large axe and has a large shield strapped to his back. Because the figure is standing upright, I am going to use it as my base figure when comparing sizes with other miniatures.
There is an abundance of choices when it comes to 3D printable terrain. My introduction to the possibilities came when I was perusing the various offerings on Thingiverse for STL files to print on my RepRap printer. My initial reason for building the printer was a passing interest in robotics, but since discovering terrain I can use for my tabletop gaming, my printer has now predominantly been relegated to churning out cool plastic pieces for my TTRPG hobby. There is terrain for almost every imaginable scenario including: forests, rivers/lakes, mountains, ships, dungeons, castles, and towns/cities. If you can imagine a 3D representation of your location, it is possible to create 3D printable terrain for it.
Almost immediately after printing out my first few pieces, I knew I was going to need to make a choice. Was I interested in monolithic or modular components? The terrain I'm discussing here are the larger pieces like buildings or dungeons, not the smaller scatter terrain like barrels, chests, or furniture that would accompany the larger pieces.
Ulvheim CottageUlvheim Cottage
The cottage consists of just two printable pieces; the base has the walls, windows, door opening, fireplace, and floor and the second piece is the roof. There are benefits to this approach from a design perspective. The user of this terrain is getting terrain exactly as the designer intended and the designer did not need to worry about how the user needs to fit the various components together. Because of this, monolithic terrain does not have unsightly seams between the parts. With monolithic terrain, the designer is able to have asymmetrical pieces and that can be very liberating when designing stylized or very detailed terrain. For a user, there is very little cost in time to use this terrain since nothing needs to be assembled.
The lack of modularity leads to a fixed design. The user of the piece cannot decide where a window goes or that they do not want a fireplace in the cottage. Another drawback is monolithic terrain can take up considerably more space when storing than modular pieces.
Rampage Castle TowerRampage Castle Tower
The walls, doors, windows, floor, stairs, and battlement are all individual pieces that need to be assembled. The pieces are joined along defined sides that use clips to hold them together. This provides flexibility to the user on how the tower is laid out. Another advantage to modular terrain is it can be broken down into the individual components allowing for it to be stored in a smaller space than a modular piece.
One obvious tradeoff to modular terrain is asymmetry can be harder to realize. To promote modularity, components are generally symmetrical to allow the maximum options to the user. If a designer wants asymmetry, that has to be accounted for where pieces are joined. Not having asymmetry limits what can be designed in a highly modular system, but using asymmetry invariably makes the parts less modular. Also, the joining of pieces have a visible seam. For a user of a modular system, there is a cost in time to assemble the terrain as well and this mostly precludes using modular terrain for improvised situations.
Conclusion
After weighing the pros and cons, the choice between monolithic or modular terrain was a simple choice for me. I have limited space to store large pieces, so I mostly went with a modular system for my terrain. This is not to say that I do not have any monolithic pieces. I have a few of the Ulvheim buildings and Sophie's Revenge from Reaper which almost always gets used for nautical settings. If I have to improvise terrain, I also have OpenForge terrain pieces designed by Devon Jones that utilize magnets for connecting the components.
Sophie's Revenge
Generally, the asthetics of monolithic pieces tends to be superior to modular pieces. I have seen some terrain designs in recent years that attempts to bridge the gap with monolithic pieces that provide options on how they fit together, but even with those, they tend to be large and consume more storage space.
