Improvised gaming aids!

Did the guy with all the miniatures get the flu? Things get out of hand? When has weird shit lying around helped out your game?  

This happened to us just last night.  We were playing AD&D in a campus board room, so we were stuck with whatever we brought into the room with us.  For most of the night, narration and scratch paper was working just fine, as you would expect it to.  However, once the evening wore on and we managed to get into some trickier situations, it was getting more challenging to keep track of one or two fights.

It was only a weird coincidence that the library was getting rid of some old educational kits that included some "Koala Counters," that I had them with my gaming stuff, and that I was brave enough to volunteer them.  Worked like charm.  Bet you didn't know an AD&D game could look like this:

Jesus!

I don't know what their stat block is like - but they'd frighten me!

Well, looking at this pic of my wife's set-up when she was running the game, you can see a ton of improvised elements:



Under the grey plastic wrapping simulating the hill you've got piles of RPG books. The walls of the settlement were packaging foam for our TV. The waterfall is wrapping iridescent paper for food. The tower on the right is entirely made of sugar bricks. :eek:

Quote from: Benoist;412384The tower on the right is entirely made of sugar bricks. :eek:

...can't...resist...

That tower is friggin' sweet!

In January, keep an eye out for stuff to make Christmas miniature scenes, which will be 90% off.  Among the stuff I've snagged are stone and wooden bridges, lions on columns, and a gazebo.

Totally, Nic! Classics include Halloween scenery, Christmas scenery, and stuff for Fish tanks too!

These obelisks are from fish tank supplies, for instance:

I'd never thought of fish tank props - I'll have to take a look next time I pick up dog food.

I have no pictures (AND I MUST SCREAM), but I've done the "stacks of books and pillows under green felt" for hilly terrain playing WHFB before.

Quote from: thedungeondelver;412404I have no pictures (AND I MUST SCREAM), but I've done the "stacks of books and pillows under green felt" for hilly terrain playing WHFB before.

Shame, I'd love to see those pics.  Ben's remind me of the hack-jobs I've executed in the past.  I've never used sugar cubes! I've taken LEGO to task.  Some blog I read recently recommended keeping a Jenga set around, which isn't a terrible idea, except for the weight

AD&D, c.1997: Our host had thoughtfully painted miniatures to represent each of the PCs, but had failed to paint any opponents. In a pinch, he stole a sack of Gummi Bears from his little sister's Christmas stocking to provide us with visual markers for the opposition.

Coolest part - you got to eat what you killed!

When the trolls showed up, we decided Gummi Bears were individually too small to represent the threat. So one enterprising player took all the green ones, a pocket-knife and a box of toothpicks and "assembled" a half dozen trolls out of the pieces.

That memory has been the secret inspiration behind my dream to rules-hack Candyland...

Never have, though.

(Yet)

Quote from: Nicephorus;412402I'd never thought of fish tank props - I'll have to take a look next time I pick up dog food.

Where have YOU been? Some aquarium terrain makes great scenery, especially some of those abstract formations, they make great alien mountains and cavern settings.

Quote from: thedungeondelver;412404I have no pictures (AND I MUST SCREAM), but I've done the "stacks of books and pillows under green felt" for hilly terrain playing WHFB before.

Nice Ellison reference.

The very first edition of WH40K had a scenarion in which the players were taught how to make a tunnel entrance (which they had to defend form orks) with books stacked in a particular fashion and covered with green tablecloth if available.

Great thread.  I've used pill bottles and Berocca containers as terrain/ scenery, and a cheap Shrek figurine from a supermarket promo as a hill giant.

Quote from: Cylonophile;413136The very first edition of WH40K had a scenarion in which the players were taught how to make a tunnel entrance (which they had to defend form orks) with books stacked in a particular fashion and covered with green tablecloth if available.

That book has some great photos of improvised battlefields made of cans and boxes (plus the hovertank made from a shampoo bottle) which have been ragged on quite unfairly of late, IMO.

Quote from: Hairfoot;413216Great thread.  I've used pill bottles and Berocca containers as terrain/ scenery, and a cheap Shrek figurine from a supermarket promo as a hill giant.

Bwahahaha.  Awesome.  Did you have it speak with a faux-Scottish accent?