Most building used for terrain in D&D usually have a problem. They either don’t allow access to the interior, or the interior turns out to be woefully small. Part of the problem stems from the fact that if they built buildings to scale, they would be uber-huge and cost far too much for your run-of-the mill collector. How to find an inexpensive alternative? Something you might not associate with D&D. Dollhouses! No, not Barbie’s Dream House (although it might work for REALLY BIG Giants). Dolls come in a multitude of sizes. Many Dolls are more like action figures, in garish shades of pink and purple, with oversized heads. With a little research, we can find dolls/figures that are around 2” high.
Presented for your approval. The 1988 Oh Jenny (Oh Penny in the UK) dollhouse. Never heard of her? Don’t worry, few have. Similar to Polly Pockets, she inhabited larger playsets and vehicles that didn’t close up into carrying cases. Don’t let the neon colors offend you. Instead, observe the intricate detail. The attention to detail is quite astonishing. From the framed windows and shingled roofs, to the entryway columns and cornerstones. Whoever sculpted this is a true architect. And this was all by hand, no 3D programs and printers back then. You can see that it scales perfectly with D&D figures. |
Enough of my blathering, How to convert this house into a medieval inn. The first trick is to disassemble it into its component parts. I unscrewed the house from the base, which allowed easier access to the interior. Next, I removed all the stickers. The glue was dry and brittle, so removing the 30-odd-years-old stickers was easier than I thought. Unfortunately, the glue left a residue that was difficult to remove. I tried to use an industrial remover. It was a little too strong, as you can see how it melted the garage floor and some of the second floor and wall! Using normal household cleaners, I removed the rest of the residue without incident. |
I forgot to take pictures of a few steps. I gave the base a gray wash, the wooden floorboards a brown wash, and painted the tiles black and white. I thought a brown wash over the gray base would look nice, but it was starting to look too muddy. Notice I gave the wooden floorboards an uneven wash to give it a worn look, A final black wash will bring it all together. Also, I wasn’t too precise with the black and white tiles floor. If you look at real marble tiles, you will notice veins of white and gray flowing through the black ones, and black and gray veins running through the white ones. Once again, a final black wash will bring these tiles to life. A second gray wash to the rest of the base finishes it off. |
For the interior I went with: white window frames; a brighter stucco on the first floor; dark blue walls on the second floor; and natural wood work for the third floor as well as the floors and built-in bookcases. I really wish I took some photos of the wood work in process. It is really easy to achieve a wood texture through washes. Fist put down a diluted wash of brown. Then load your brush with a thick coat of uncut brown paint and draw a series of lines in one direction. Then dip your brush in water and start going over the lines, adding a slight swirl here and there. The water will blend and dry leaving you with a natural looking wood finish. |
I went heavy with the black wash on the chimneys (Fun fact for the day: chimney is one of the few words ending with “y” that doesn’t change to “ies” when plural. Amaze all your friends with this mind-numbing fact!), since they would be belching out smoke all year long.
As I was taking photos, I noticed the wooden support beam over the entryway and under the attic could use a wood finish.
The final touch was to spray everything with a flat coat varnish. I gave it a second coat after the first one dried. This will insure that the paint doesn’t chip or scratch with use.
Not really conducive for fighting in, but a great building to start or end an adventure. Could be used as an Inn, mansion, village hall, library, guild hall, you name it; a great place for adventures to gather information, accept assignments, or pull a heist in. Also just makes a great backdrop, terrain, or an awesome diorama to display your figures in.