MasterMaze products by Dwarven Forge
Being a First Edition AD&D player, getting my hands on "new" or "surprising" game accessories is a rarity. Sure, I don't have every module published for 1st Edition - after all, I can't quite afford the asking price for a copy of ST1 - Up The Garden Path (which recently auctioned for $1600.00 on eBay); and indeed, some items are down right superfluous, even to an old grognard like me. (Anyone want to buy a copy of Dungeon Geomorphs?)
So when I got my hands on a set of MasterMaze dungeon terrain from the folks at Dwarven Forge, I was floored. Before I launch into a full review, let me just say that any superlatives you may have heard about MasterMaze are 100% true. If you've got all the rulebooks, supplements, miniatures and dice you can possibly collect, there's no better way to cap off your AD&D collection than with a set of MasterMaze. Of course, this product works for virtually any genre or gaming system - but the finely crafted walls, doors, pools, stalactites and flagstones best define the real spirit of dungeon adventures.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's take a quick "tour" of the three products I received*. The first set is the Rooms and Passages set. This comes in a largish box, packed with shaped polystyrene packing to hold each individual piece - it's not something you'll discard unless you're building a permanent diorama - and even then, you'll have to move it someday, so hang on to it! In the Rooms and Passages box, you'll find 9 passage pieces, 25 room sections and three fully-working doors. While every piece is exquisitely detailed, the doors deserve special attention - each door fits into it's frame and can be opened most of the way, or can be removed completely for convenience's sake (and, of course, replaced once the party closes it behind them). Also included are 55 "bowtie connectors". These little gems fit between each floor section and fit them together snugly, making the whole "dungeon" safe from an errant grab for dice or miniatures. Finally, there's a book of "example setups". This is actually a very useful item, especially if you or your Dungeon Master is into home-grown dungeon crawls. It's also helpful if you're just noodling around, and want to see if you can build a cave or dungeon and use all of the pieces provided.
The individual pieces are magnificent in detail. There are even "Easter eggs" of a sort within some of the pieces: examine the "layers" of the dungeon floor of an intersection in profile, and you'll see a skeleton embedded in the floor! It's little touches like that which make the whole Master Maze product a delight to own. Each piece is cast from a heavy poly-resin, but it has a distinct stone-like feel. The pieces are durable; despite a minor accident involving a "room corner" section being dropped on a tile floor, no breakage or scratching occurred. The bottom of each piece is covered with felt, thus saving the actual gaming surface from any gouging. Even with a "small" set like the thirty-four piece Rooms and Passages, you'll find that a large number of rooms and corridors can be mapped. Labyrinthine corridors, or large open rooms just ripe for a phalanx of archers - all these options and combinations thereof are open.
The pieces and thus the whole set are ideal for 25-28mm miniatures; smaller scale miniatures will work, while larger ones might be a bit cramped trying to fit down the hallways.
The second of the three products is the equally-well crafted Cavern Set. Where the worked stone and arches of the Rooms and Passages sets lends a true sense of being in the bowels of a well-organized creature stronghold, the open, natural-looking and feeling Cavern Set gives a table top setup an air of mystery and foreboding.
The Cavern Set is packaged identically to the Rooms and Passages set; a two-tiered tray of polystyrene which holds 3 straight wall sections, 2 complex corner sections, 2 dead end sections, 3 floor sections, a "corner conversion" section (which allows the dungeon designer to mate the natural caves to the worked stone of the Rooms and Passages sets), a twisted conversion section (which functions similarly), 2 small flat rocks, two "water tub" rocks (more on these below), 1 medium flat rock, and 4 curved sections, plus 50 bowties. Additionally, sample layouts are packaged as well.
Everything I said about the Rooms And Passages section applies to the Cavern Set. The sculpting and painting is superb, as is the attention to detail. Whether constructing a simple "cave" lair, or a large open cavern complete with stalactites and stagnant pools, this set delivers. Each floor section features a small, semi-transparent blue resin "puddle", representing a pool of water - more of Dwarven Forge's amazing attention to detail! The Medium Flat rocks and small flat rocks can be used to create a choked passage, and as noted, if you wish to join your caverns with other MasterMaze products, you can use the Conversion Sections to easily do so. These are ideal for building the deep tunnels and caverns where dwell the dreaded Ithillid, or creating a huge cavern for a lurking dragon.
Finally, what would a dungeon be without a horde of treasure waiting to be claimed by bold and diligent adventurers? Dwarven Forge obliges here, as well. I was fortunate enough to receive a Treasure and Magic Items set (well...for the Dwarven Forge dungeons - no magic swords and piles of gold ingots this year). These trinkets are amazing. Twenty-three items are contained in the set to stock out your creation (or taunt your players with), all in amazing detail. Included are three sizes of piles of gold, silver and copper coins, as well as three minute "stacks" of coins of each type. A gem encrusted shield, sword in scabbard, quiver of arrows, Atlantean helm and plate armor are present, as are a book, a stack of scrolls, a single open scroll, a medium sized urn, a large urn and a collection of small urns. Two chests - one which opens and has enough room to contain many of the smaller treasures! - round out the collection.
This is truly a fine, fine product for any Dungeon Master looking to wow his or her players. When they walk into a dragon's lair, or loot the local palace vault, don't just describe what they see - show it to 'em! If you've ever wondered what Smaug the Dragon's lair (from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit) looks like...this is it!
If one can fault the Treasures and Magic Items set at all, it's that the weapons, books, scrolls, stacks of coins and armor are tiny. If you do make the investment for such a prop for your game, be sure to keep it in it's container when not in use. This is the sort of thing that loves to hide in the carpet and sacrifice itself to the vacuum cleaner! Another (minor) annoyance is that they're packaged in a somewhat annoying felt-lined blister pack that makes getting the tiniest of them out a pain.
If you're serious about the dungeon crawl, and serious about setting the mood and scene for your games, you can't go wrong by investing in Dwarven Forge's line of products. Just the three (of the many they produce) that I've reviewed will take your game to new heights. No more hasty creations with dominos, legos and lincoln logs! No more vinyl mats that require so much maintenance! This is the real deal, folks! While expensive, there are many online vendors which offer a discount on Dwarven Forge's products.
To steal a line from Frank Zappa, talking about Dwarven Forge is like singing about AD&D rules - head off to their webpage at www.dwarvenforge.com and check it out!
*My Dwarven Forge sets were birthday and Christmas gifts, and I am eternally grateful to my wonderful wife Colleen A. Silvey for the Rooms and Passages and Cavern Sets, and equally appreciative to my two dear friends Sean and Krystal Bishop O'Byrne for the awesome Treasures and Magic Items set. Guys, when you're shopping next year, just keep the same lists!.