u/IrishFriskie

I'm going to be DMing this campaign for my group soon with all three story expansions. We have only done a short starter campaign before this one. I asked the group what kinds of things they would like to see more of in this next campaign and several of them have expressed interest in having puzzles included.

There aren't really any puzzles in the module, as written. Do any of you know of a puzzle that fits well into one of the locations or quests in the campaign? Maybe just a puzzle that fits the region that I could use as a random encounter? Or a good riddle for one of the NPCs to challenge them with?

Im thinking Gnomengarde, with all the contraptions, could be a good place to put one. Maybe a puzzle to solve how to rid Axeholm of the banshee for good. Possibly a puzzle to solve in the adventurers' sepulcher at Dragon Barrow to obtain the lute of illusions and the necklace of fireballs. The temple of Abbathor at the dwarven excavation could be a good place for a greed themed puzzle.

Whatever you have would be appreciated! I'll also comment below if I think of any or find good ones elsewhere, that way others looking to do the same will have this as a resource.

Are most of you using Blender (or some other 3d modeling software) to either make or edit miniatures? I do not have more than a tutorial worth of experience with 3d modeling, and I know nothing about graphic design. However, I keep finding models I really like, but want to edit.

For example, a model with arms too thin, or at an angle that makes support difficult. Or a larger model that would lend itself really well to cutting into pieces to print separately and glue together. Understandably, lots of models out there are designed with resin printing in mind instead of fdm, but I think many of those models can be slightly edited so that they are more fdm friendly.

For those that use Blender (or similar), is it easy enough to learn these limited skills that it's worth it? Do you modify a lot of models before printing, or do you just make what's available work?

Tldr; I'm very new to printing minis (or anything) and need advice on where to start learning basics.

I'm just starting into 3d printing, but miniatures are mostly what I want to print and they seem like one of the more challenging things to print. I can't figure out where to start. Most resources I find are print profiles that say "download this and let 'er rip" or descriptions of advanced techniques to push the limits of fdm printing. What I really want is just a good place to start learning the basics of specifically mini printing on fdm. Do you have any suggestions?

It does seem like models vary greatly in difficulty to print, from models that don't even need supports to ones that seem like they really shouldn't even be done on fdm because of thin parts and excessive overhangs (but you enthusiasts still figure out a way to do it). The problem is, outside of a basic understanding of what features make a model difficult or easy, I'm not very good at figuring out the relative challenge of a print. Is there a good place to find easy and moderate fdm mini models?

Also, in case it's relevant, I'm printing on a Bambu Lab A1 and so far I have a .2mm nozzle and just PLA basic and some PETG (I was told to use that for the support interface to make supports remove more cleanly).