TOPIC: New Token Mats!

Graven wrote: What's on the other side of the mat? Could one side be a beginner's side, with less slots, and some helpful tips? Maybe some starter tokens build in to the mat that can be covered over with tokens, like a really basic weapon? Nevermind that last part

I think Jeff said these will be affixed to the coaching room tables.

David Autzen wrote:

Graven wrote: What's on the other side of the mat? Could one side be a beginner's side, with less slots, and some helpful tips? Maybe some starter tokens build in to the mat that can be covered over with tokens, like a really basic weapon? Nevermind that last part

I think Jeff said these will be affixed to the coaching room tables.

Ok, I missed that. Thanks.

ralykam wrote:

Jeff Martin wrote: Okay...this is the super final uber deluxe with cheese final design.

Unless...

Maybe 'Find great online resources..." with an arrow so they know that's where it's going? (Sorry. Final final the third, perhaps we can add bacon?)

@Jeff, I believe you can drop the white from the QR code, so long as you keep the background color light. This might look good over the parchment. But you should test it out first.

Graven wrote: @Jeff, I believe you can drop the white from the QR code, so long as you keep the background color light. This might look good over the parchment. But you should test it out first.

This is a great idea, the white/black is definitely divergent from the rest of the aesthetic (though it does draw the eye?). When testing I'd be sure to take lighting into account as coaching rooms tend to be a bit darker. Especially with the edges of the mat darkening it may be hard to overlay it on the background as is, but you could have another bit of parchment that allows proper contrast to appear to be set atop it with the QR code.

And I promise I'll try to be quiet after this..

Jeff Martin wrote: Thanks for the great feedback. Take a look at this design. It is a bit wider which will mean higher cost...but it should be worth it.

For those worried about the width, Jeff said they were going to be wider to accommodate the extra token space needed

Graven wrote: My suggestion would be to replace the bonus figurine spot with a column of semi-transparent grey circles each labeled "bonus" or extra. I'd try to make the shadowy circles look more optional than the rest. you could put this along the right hand side. There's enough space for 4 bonus spots.

The why: There are going to be other tokens that players are going to want to place on the mat. for instance Medallion/badge of Nobility, or start of dungeon consumables.

Bonus Figurine is special because it's directly relevant to newbies; certain classes start with 17 CHA and are therefore immediately eligible to equip a 2nd figurine. In this case there's no token telling you you get an extra slot, so if this weren't printed on the mat, there's no way new players would know or even think to ask about it; they would just assume they could only equip one.

Miscellaneous things like a Medallion of Nobility or Totem Paint/Folio/etc are different because in that case you're physically holding a token you aren't sure what to do with, so it should be fairly clear that the thing to do is ask your coach for guidance.

Graven wrote: Maybe some starter tokens build in to the mat that can be covered over with tokens, like a really basic weapon?

I actually really like this idea! The vTD gives some basic tokens to the pre generated classes. Could it be considered to print some pre-generated tokens on each of the mats? Maybe have all 12 mat seats in each coaching room and label at the top “Dwarf Fighter mat” and then it could even have different pre-generated tokens than say the Druid. Obviously, no pre-generated weapon or token you have to show in the dungeon, but it makes the large number of slots less intimidating?

David Zych wrote: Miscellaneous things like a Medallion of Nobility

If you get to 5th level and don't know how to deal with a slotless token, you have issues far greater than what a mat can solve.

Druegar wrote:

David Zych wrote: Miscellaneous things like a Medallion of Nobility

If you get to 5th level and don't know how to deal with a slotless token, you have issues far greater than what a mat can solve.

You might even have issues greater than what a TD coach can solve! But we can help you place your token on the empty orange area of the mat.

Druegar wrote:

David Zych wrote: Miscellaneous things like a Medallion of Nobility

If you get to 5th level and don't know how to deal with a slotless token, you have issues far greater than what a mat can solve.

You might be surprised by how many that is true for. Thanks to vTD, I have introduced several players who played through all of 2022 and more. Our group size is less than 5, so we do pick up games. They commonly feel overwhelmed with the character building and intimidated by the experienced players, so don’t even try and just ask me to build their characters. I think TD could benefit from a character building session for newer players.

Anthony Barnstable wrote: I think TD could benefit from a character building session for newer players.

That's a great idea! Why don't you run one?
I'm not being sarcastic. There is a long history of players volunteering to run educational seminars. There's been True Dungeon 101 at Gen Con for years (run by the DDA) and I think (not certain) more recently there has been TD 102.