Thread by @TFTGuy

On my 65th birthday a few days ago, I decided I’d devote some time this weekend to a “birthday project” - a creative effort just for me. I’ve been playing with ideas for a modular #LEGO dungeon designed for #TheFantasyTrip. Here’s where I am so far.

Designing in LEGO for a hex board is challenging. LEGO does not lend itself 60 degree angles easily. Hinged bricks and plates left offsets I found difficult to work with. I found two parts that were really helpful.

The smaller plates would be covered by the 1 brick thick walls allowing the walls to sit flat on a megahex mat, but I went with the bigger ones once I came up with the idea of putting a “false floor” in the rooms.

I use modular half-height walls eight studs wide, which turn out to be the PERFECT length. Eight studs (64 mm) is the distance between two hex centerpoints along a hex line.

I found some 8-stud-wide doorways with openable doors which fit right in as well. The most commonly found version is, however, bright orange for some reason. The ones depicted are only partly painted at this time.

The rotor plates used as corners don’t have a stud at the center, just a cross-shaped axle hole. I will be putting a round column there to fill the gap at such corners.

Where two wall modules butt together to make a longer wall a single column of bricks fills it. I used the opportunity to add torch holders for the longer walls.

I printed megahexes (standard 1.5 inch hexes) to cardstock and laminated them to add stiffness and provide a surface for dry-erase markers. These drop into the individual rooms as false floors, resting on the plates that hold the walls together.

These floors were printed using megahexes drawn by Dyson Logos which I obtained as a Patreon supporter. I like them much better for floors. Back his Patreon and get a set for yourself.
patreon.com/dysonlogos

Columns, torches, keys and such add interest. TFT Megahex Tiles can be dropped right on top of the floors for special features. You can use Lego figures, metal or plastic minis, standups, flat counters, or whatever you have for characters.

I used the masonry-faced bricks for my wall sections because I had access to a lot of them quite inexpensively. Standard Lego bricks are also fine — I just like the look of these.

Eventually, I will probably add some weathering effects to the walls, columns and doorways. The components all pack away nicely for travel in a sectioned Lego plastic briefcase I had lying around.

This entire layout tears down to fit in the one plastic briefcase — and there are enough components left in it to double the size of this. The only thing that doesn’t fit is the doorways — they are too tall.

I previously made foam terrain blocks including this stairway and lighted platform. (The latter inspired by SJG’s demo set, as shown some time back on the website.) the modular wall sections stack when, as here, you need higher walls.

Lots more to do, but it’s quite gameworthy as is. I’ll write this up in more detail to post as a web page soon, with better pics, more complete and detailed components, construction details, tips I learned the hard way, and links to get components from various sources.

And for those AFOLs who’ve looked closely, yes — I’ve used a lot of non-Lego bricks in the wall sections themselves. This is a game project, not a Lego build. For those not horrified by the whole concept of knock-off bricks, I have sources that I’ll share if you want.

Anyway, that’s my “birthday project”, which I’ve used to keep me sane in the last few days when the news is so horrifying that I needed a coping mechanism. I hope you like it. Back to work and reality (such as it is) tomorrow.

Hey, @threadreaderapp - please #unroll this one for me!