Dungeons of Ikea! (Ep. 290) 

In the houseplant section of IKEA they sometimes feature larger cork discs, which would be a size similar to your original 'pizza' circle

Putting the craft back into dungeon craft! Love the "personal pan" dungeon pizza idea. I already have several larger varieties, might need to make these too.

The flagstone one turned out great. I like how the cork texture works with the stippling on the grass one too.

"Build my own case" lol. Deathbringer comin' in hot with the fresh puns. Great vid, Prof!

Nice to see more Crafting Videos--love it. Based on your idea I made my own Dungeon and then created an Outdoor variant--representing a road and river crossing.

Milton Bradley's original Hero Quest came with little card stock tokens that helped to change the layout of the board the game came with so that it could represent different dungeon layouts. For me the Ultimate Dungeon Terrain would be a large circular board with a set of nicely illustrated durable cardstock tokens for walls, pillars, pool, altars, and other assorted dungeon features. 3D terrain is lovely, but in terms of convenience and saving space cardboard tokens are an unbeatable solution. Just pick your miniatures off the board then sweep the tokens into a box and you've packed up for the night.

I think UDT is the perfect tool to align the imaginations of all the players while still allowing each player complete the image within their mind.

These cork heating pads are already marked as "bestseller" on my countries ikea page. 😆

I have adapted your UDT concept by drawing the 'tiles'/'stones on a circle of upholstery leather (scraps/offcuts sourced for free from a local upholsterer). I use the soft 'inside' rather than the glossy outside. I also use a length of 12 inch wide leather (with grid) as a travel map - One end is start point, other end is destination, grid represents time periods (hours or days). If folk want the flexibility of a map/terrain they can roll up and pop in a document tube to transport to their games, I recommend getting on good terms with your local upholsterer :) Thanks, Professor DM for the inspiration.

Outstanding video. I've utilized the principles outlined with your ultimate dungeon terrain, and they've been a massive success with my theater of the mind group. One of my players decided to try running games, and he's doing great with the same principles. Very recently, due to some of the excellent ideas and miniatures from your channel, I also started painting miniatures. I'm painting skeleton archers right now (as undead are my favorite monsters). While my paint style is reminiscent of a deranged preschooler, and no one will have trouble figuring out that it's my first time ever, it's an absolute blast painting miniatures. My only regret is not starting sooner.

It's worth noting that most of the big box hardware stores allow you to order items online and then have them "shipped to store" for free if they aren't in stock.

I love it. I am one of these "no xps but ikea" cases. Very cool, need to build these.

This was great! Please do more Ikea related builds. They have a wooden spinning tray the size of your large ultimate dungeon.

Easily in your top 10 videos in my opinion. I've been using the UDT system for a little bit now, and this evolution is a phenomenal upgrade!

Nice video! Other options for those without access to insulation foam are foam core sheets from craft stores, vinyl flooring tiles from home improvement stores or corrugated cardboard

These theater of the mind maps are great idea not only for small apartments but also traveling DMs. A couple of those plates and a dozen mini's could easily fit in a small computer laptop backpack verse lugging a small suitcase full of 3d printed battle map tiles.....(sigh) I'll have to remember that next time 😀 Thanks Professor!

I love the compact vibe of this. It’s the same reason I designed Rusty Dagger: Solo Adventure Game. To get that same epic quest feel in a small space.

Great video! PDM shows the fun of crafting- using “local materials “ to the popping rhythms of techno music

Love the simple builds you present! This channel got me into building terrain with videos like this that made me say: Hey! I can build that!

New DM. I have been enjoying running the game. Thank you fall all your advice. Thought we were going to terrain and miniature it out, but my group has been using theatre of the mind as our go to. Which works well with our speedier approach to what the characters get into.

Nice idea. It's more immersive than a dry erase grid. Even if you love building terrain (not me) this would work for many an impromptu encounter.

Did my first Aldi version of UDT using a cake plate and less resources then in the video. Didn’t turn out bad. Learned a lot from it. Next iteration after I get rest of the crafting material. Can’t wait, and thank you for all the tutorials professor DM 😁

Interesting, the "spotlight" is a nice compromise between maps/minis and theatre of the mind. And the crafty bit turned out pretty well too!

The caption instructions over music are good, I’m sure that’s easier and quicker to put out than a voice over. I’ll definitely be doing this for away games.

Really want to work at these sorts of things

I like larger areas for more complecated battle tactics, but this is great to make little blocks of terain in smaller areas.

Those look splendid. I guess that cake bases could work for this; as they come in 12" diameter. "I had to build my own case." 😆

When I was a teenager I would spend hours making Necromunda terrain from old cereal boxes and toilet paper rolls. I suppose you could also just use your leftover pizza box for dungeon pizza.

Oh this is a great idea! IKEA is everywhere! 😆 Those turned out beautifully!

This is such a great way to "spotlight combats". I even like this more than the near/far and banana system from other games. I usually run "Theater of the Mind" games. But I may be including this for those end boss battles. Thank you.

Great crafting video PDM. Ikea the RealDungeon for Adults. It starts with a short rest at the cafe for some Ikea MörkBalls. Next, collect your map and loot bag and head into the 'dungeon'. Many days later after reaching your encumbrance limit, you emerge exhausted and drained of your ready cash and in need of a long rest. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

When it first started I thought of my own wooden UDTs that I got from Walmart for 90 cents which are a similar size and I've highly enjoyed. Then as it played I saw the texture that the cork provides. They look 3D compared to my painted wood UDT. I might have to make a few of these.

My older son made these as stands for his Mc Farland Witcher models , they look great .

Deathrbinger and Dungeon Pizza. Catchy.

Campaign Yard signs make great maps. very light and stiff.

This video was nicely slick in it's production. I have watched your previous video(s) about your homemade dungeon terrain, so I am familiar with the process, but I bet that even people who don't speak English well could follow this. And you had no running dialog, but that was ok. Great way of expanding the usability of your original terrain thing

That pizza dungeon idea is absolutely great.

My players insist on exact movements and measurements, so I think maybe the same idea, but with the stones in a grid might work.

Love this! Especially great for systems that use abstract range bands like Genesys and FATE

I work construction in Oklahoma City and can find the pink foam insulation all over job sites. I pick up the nice scraps they're throwing out. I've got a nice sized stack of it in the garage to start my dungeon tile set.

No Ikea where I live but more XPS than you can shake a stick at. After following your channel for ages I just recently finally made a big ol UDT and I love it!

Never thought I'd see a pocket size gaming board, Nifty.

I built some miniature UDT back in the spring out of cake trays from Walmart. Even tiny it works wonderful.

This is an even more compact option for travelling DMs! Thank you Professor! You could carry all your terrain pieces in a tortilla warmer.

Love it! Thanks!

Great stuff, Prof!

You can also display these with terrain on them as a diorama when your not using it for gaming.

Built mine like 2 years ago, it's still going strong. Dungeon on one side, dirt on the other.

If make a couple of these personal pan pizza sizes, you could have one for each of several battles going on simultaneously for BBEG boss fights, too!

I believe Ikea has lazy susan bearing sets to attach under a plywood or wood disk, or a complete lazy susan that could be dressed up... tippity tap, they have a 15inch lazy susan for $18 "Snudda". More expensive than the cork trivet set though. Hardware stores have the lazy susan bearing sets.

A new twist on a classic. Love it.

I wish I had known about this in college! Brilliant!

Funny you should mention pizza. I bought a Walmart pizza for dinner one night and it came with a circle of cardboard under it to provide rigidity. Which proved to be the perfect size/shape template for me to cut out three layers of cardboard from a big box I had, glue them all together (different angeled corrugation for strength,) and then top it with Dollar Tree foam board. Works great, costs about nothing and I can make a dozen for less than the cost of a takeout pizza.

Deathbringer is too modest. His "rapier wit" is actually a "greataxe wit"!

This is awesome. Im gonna get my 50ft of rope and some torches. Maybe 7 days rations. An head into the IKEA labyrinth.

They all look fantastic! Reminds me why this channel is called dungeon craft.

I am graving Quaker Oats now. Thank you Sir for a very nice video on terrain building.

Love your videos. But what about two pieces of round cardboard glued together to keep from warping?

The UDT Strikes Back

hey ! I was going for it with the music ! cool vid ;)

haha, Ikea Lawyer, what a great deal! I'd like to see the instructions for building the Ikea Lawyer.

Great stuff friend 👏 👍

I'm sure someone's also written an adventure where the dungeon is literally an IKEA as well.

Good vid. Format is quick and expeditious. But there is no soul. I use udt. Like ur stuff

*Meanwhile in Sweden* Herregud get the cork coasters ready for shipping already felix they’re in big demand

cake stand circles would also work well for this, you can get them in lots of sizes

Was only thinking the other day, "PDM hasn't done a crafting video in ages." Very cool, Sir! UDT lite. Hope you got Mrs PDM some replacements, or you're living on salad and cold cuts until there's something sensible to rest hot pans on 😁

I miss these crafting videos.

"Versa-tile" lol Maybe you should make a UDT system book, too. I love the videos, but imo a written set of principles, tips, and guidelines would be very useful. (I know you're always looking for more projects. So you're welcome.) Also, bonus xp for the Ikea joke.

Always inspiring!

This cracked me up because my fiancée and I actually already own both those IKEA trivets and coasters.

Great video!

I hope the kitchen counter stayed paint free this time.

Cool idea

that's awesome!

you are a master artist

Very cool! Might have a go :)

Professor, as always…super cool idea. I know you have previous videos on how you use the spotlight terrain, but I dont really understand how to utilize it properly in a setting that isn’t confined. Let’s say in an outside setting where space is large. Any chance you can do a simulated combat for us in a future video? Maybe how you would run a few players with either a larger monster or several enemies?

I'd be really interested in seeing how these are actually used in game. Even with the larger piece it seems as though it's just a physical representation of ranges for ToTM combat rather than useful for any tactical usage. I have to wonder why the need for the expense and trouble (mind you, I love them) of minis if you're actually just doing ToTM.

Nice Butcher. He's our next showdown. 😰

It looks a bit like a zones system from FATE.

Just curious about weapons with Reach because the inner melee circle does not seem to support a second rank of melee combatants. It looks like the inner circle is about 20' or more from center to edge. In combats with many participants keywords like Cleave and Reach become important. Do you do away with keywords or present a more granular approach?

How do area effect spells (grease, Tanglefoot bag, etc). work in this type of system. More generally, how does the concept of battle field control and tactics work with this?

I just wish Ikea would make a recessed table with a cover so I could leave games set up, cover them, have dinner, then remove the cover and keep going. With Ikea's infrastructure, they could make very affordable gaming tables

Oohh ... New intro!

I like the UDT with two different ranges. Seems a bit cramped with terrain elements on it. I might try to replicate it with slightly bigger cork plates. How is the durability?

Good soundtrack ;)

I ordered some crafting materials online because I wanted to get started with the hobby and the packages were stolen from my porch. So, yeah. This is it, I think imma give up on this hobby which sux but I really don't have that kinda money.

Awesome!

Sweet!!

Love the way it looks. But isn't the surface way to small for dynamic combat?

Curious how you rule cone spells, friendly fire, or disengaging, such as charging toward a spell caster, or groups of enemies. I absolutely love your philosophy and your ideas and your channel. I've learned so much from you, but the UDT system of combat stresses me out. the more I think about it, the more it breaks my brain. I even tried a modified version of it for tracking hidden and out-of-range tokens with a pie chart method. I even made a baseball field type of UDT in roll20 based on your idea, but i still catch fever trying to run it. lol. What I do love about it is the concept of a marching order scenario that uses the darkness of a dungeon, as the circle represents what you can see within visible and lightly obscured ranges. in this way, a chase scenario, such as a wagon chase would be perfect for UDT! however, every other use cooks my noodle. And I am once again thwarted by your paywall goodsir! The crown jewels hidden behind a dark and powerful patron wall of force. To step through the mist would cost me greatly. A sacrifice I am not yet willing to make. One day I will find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a UDT circular combat system! lol

There's no way out!

I wonder how much you could make these for is it were automated? This looks like something someone could program a machine to do.

What about gluing 5 together? 4 in a square pattern and one centered on top?

For some reason I thought this would involve the infinite ikea scp as a dungeon

I still don’t get how you would handle two groups. Like if you have a group of gnolls swarm the fighter over in one area, and the paladin attacks the demon leading them. The rogue and gnolls are in one melee group so in the center, and the paladin and demon are also? In the center?

Plot twist - this is a secret ad for IKEA. Lol

Any chance for a Shadow of the demon lord review? I'm just interested what your take on it will be given how it's meant to be a more grimdark 5E.

I’m more interested in what that weird paper is you’re using. Almost like someone printed a bunch of articles off the internet and put them together.