One thing that I've done is abandon the aluminum ball for texturing. I've always found it a waste as it smooths out very quickly and you have to keep making more. So I took a dowel and wrapped it in super sculpey clay and then it hit with rocks, the last ever foil ball, scissors, what-have-you to give it that really rough texture. After baking it hard I now have a permanent, long lasting rock texture roller. I also did one on a wooden ball so I had one I could roll around in random directions. Both work a treat.
I think bricklaying is nice... sometimes. For this tower, I really appreciated you including the reference/inspiration and it definitely feels much more "historically" interesting. You've inspired me to make one for each of my dnd mates!
That is an absolutely gorgeous piece of work. Epic, indeed. You'd need to be gaming on a large table to accommodate it, but it'd be worth the real estate it takes up just for the effect.
Awesome work! Love how it came together. To answer your questions, for brick work, pen or pencil all the way, don't have the patience to go brick by brick. Still do individual shingles though. For old rust, I prefer not to use metallics at all and apply a range of orange and brown shades with a sponge to give it a rougher texture.
What a beautiful build! I'm just getting started in the hobby and have been cutting bricks because I don't trust my artistic skill enough, but your vid & your response elsewhere in the comments that it's about time rather than skill have persuaded me to give the pen a go. Keep up the great work - I love how natural your builds are, it's really inspiring stuff!
Thanks so much David! Yes, it really is just simple little tricks here and there done in the right order. I have no doubt that once you try it you will surprise yourself :)
this is a brilliant little build, Im gonna defiantly gonna encoruralte The Pen technique from now on, seems more time manageable than glueing individual bricks one at a time. lol. love the elevated courtyard.
My mind is elsewhere, but I'm seeing light at the end of that tunnel. I'll likely have a chance to craft, steadily, again, in about 3 weeks. That said, I have *definitely* got a list of ideas, ready to build
I made a dice tower once, it changes the Colour very often. From boring Grey, to something that looks similar to wet dirt Colour. A few weeks ago I get a plexiglass pipe from Ebay. I want to make a similar dice tower like the big one in Gerard's video, when he introduced the Stairway tool. Your Dice Tower is brilliant. It looks really like an old ruin. It would be awesome if a sensor at the staies could notice the rolling dices and than the lights are lit, like woke up inhabitants... :D Anyways: Good job, I like it! (Excuse me for this English, I'm not a native speaker.)
love the build! i won't do the LED not because it looks bad or anything, i just don't have the experience or the tools to do it. id 100% build this, if i can get my hands on XPS foam:D
Awesome! Yeah the lights are just an embellishment. You could consider using the little battery powered candle tea lights... that makes electronics super easy ;)
If you want boards and stones to have organic smooth and weathered look you can wipe it lightly with acetone. Im not sure if it will work with PIR foam tho but works like a charm with PVC panels.
I like laying individual bricks because it's like putting a puzzle together, except if you cant find the size and shape you want...you can just cut one to fit! LOL! Love this build! Looks great!
I like your project. I also think a dicetower that may double up as terrain is great. Currently Im building one out of cardstock with individual 7x4mm brickwork out of paper (annoying atm, but I hope for a good result). Your voice over is nice. Thanks for this video and sorry for that many words.
Hi, I follow your TikTok and saw the 40k thank you video the other day, so I did as you bid and came over here to watch and subscribe here. I've been confused about where you are based, I thought it was the UK then the U.S. as you seem to have an ample supply of XPS foam (as commented on a previous TikTok) But it's all starting to make sense now. As for the tower, I made a Dice Tower based on Alfred's Tower down in Dorset/Somerset a couple of years back, which Is one of my best builds/videos, I used the thin radiator foil-coated foam for the walls and drew the bricks with a pencil. I like the spiral staircase that's a nice touch! As for the rust question, I have bought the citadel and other paints but ended up just using acrylic paints, dry brushed in dabs and using a myriad of reds/browns/oranges and yellows it seems cheaper than the little pots named something weird (Elvan Flesh is just Raw Sienna etc). Anyway enough rambling, well done and see you again soon! Nic at London Creative!
@@Nat1videos Very cool! I see a lot of people making their own here, although a lot of them are 3d printed, and I prefer something not 3d printed. Do you have an idea of how much you would charge for one of these?
@@GuardianAngelEatos This one was a commission for a friend an he payed me £100... I'm not sure what people are generally willing to pay for this kind of thing so I haven't got a set price
@@Nat1videos Okay, well I'm not willing to pay that much, especially since I'm not in the same country if your currency is Pound Sterling, so I'd be paying more since due to currency exchange and expensive shipping. That's a shame. It probably wouldn't be worth it for you since I wouldn't be able to offer as much because I need to take shipping costs and paying more since my currency is US dollars. £100 for me would be about $125.67 right now.
@@GuardianAngelEatos I totally understand! These things are not really cost effective to make as commission pieces to be honest... all figured out for time that goes in to the build and also the cost of materials I wouldn't even be making minimum wage. It takes about 30 or 40 hours to make in total. It's why I rarely do commissions. There is just no money in it at a price that people are willing to pay. And I understand that people don't just have disposable cash like that. So I enjoy showing people how to make it instead, then at least if somebody really wants one they can follow the steps :)
I found your channel just today and AAAHH! I adore your videos, they're very good quality! It was a match made in heaven for sure, because I'm making a dice tower for Christmas for my best friend. This gave me plenty of inspiration. Thank you!
Failed roll at the end ... my first roll out of my first dice tower was a 1. Oh well. This turned out cool ... I think I'll try drawing in bricks instead of cutting them out individually for my next tower. Looks awesome!
Sir! You have made a two-purpose terrain piece/dice tower! It's great! In all seriousness, it's one of the best dice towers I've seen out there. I'd love to see this possibly be a series?? Bell tower? Draw bridge? Watch tower? The possibilities are out there!
gotta make a dice tower now. probably going to carve bricks . Your tower here is awesome and inspirational. Also brave move making the stonework so small I always want to but get lazy i guess lol
Beautiful work! I've been wanting to make a dice tower for a gift and I've just found the style I want to build. Thanks so much for the inspiration and for sharing your skill.
Actually thats a good question, I would say just don't make the stair too wide or the dice can stop half way and rest on the stairs. I should have mentioned that in the video ...
Hi 👋🏻 Michael! Though I don’t play tabletop, I love seeing the many works intended for them. I love the concept of the dual use as actual game scenario piece and a dice tower. Nat 20s?! Did ya include a piece of the Blarney Stone in this build & have a wee smooch 😘?! Because it really seems like a blessing out o’ the blue for continued luck for this particular dice tower to start with a bang like that! I read all the comments & looks like you got some sound advice like treating the stairs for repeated dice pounding & the great one about rust. I know you love using natural ingredients like bark, so actual rust would be fantastic. Oh, and, thanks to you, my hubby is out right now as I write this, getting hot chocolate and some other things. Not to use the can, as we get a small boxed version usually, but just because I had run out and then saw your Cadbury one & got jealous. 😄 I don’t know if they carry that kind here, though we have Cadbury eggs for Easter & chocolate 🍫 bars, so, maybe. Now I am curious to try it, but pretty sure hubby just got our regular Swiss Miss. People used to call be that as a kid when I wore braids. 😆 UPDATE: Hubby happened to call me from the store, so I asked him to look for that Cadbury Hot Chocolate. 😂
@@Nat1videos 2nd update: sadly, there was no Cadbury hot chocolate to be found, but I got my regular kind, both with & without marshmallows. Maybe I can find Cadbury at a World Market that has imported foods, etc.
To answer you questions: Yes. I have made a dice tower before. It was more of a dice keep; it was square. The main tower was made out of cardboard. I like laying individual bricks for most things but it really depends on what look you are going for.
Think it would've been cool would be to add motion sensors on the inside of the tower that cause the lights to go on when dice are falling through so it looks like there's someone "walking" down the steps. Might need to modify the tower to make the motion sensors not just go on / off instantly - e.g. taller tower, bigger windows, and a more gradual slope or just having timed delays on activation / deactivation. In my head it seems like it would be cool to have a kind of "stoplight" (position-wise, not color-wise) transition. Another idea would be to add lights on the inside / outside of the tower door - think there's an opportunity for some cool flickering torch effects in general (both in / outside of the tower). Overall though great work!
I think I would have used 12mm foam sheets and cut single step pieces for a more even finish on the spiral stairs and align them with a thumb tack or nail through the bottom of the can and coctail sticks to extend it as needed while gluing the stairs at the center and a line along each step edge. For the rest of the tower I'd probably do the same
Thank you so much Alisatair !! That would be so cool man, I put these tutorials up in the hope that someone will want to try for themselves so this is super encouraging! Please don't hesitate to ask for any advice if you need it ;)
Another awesome build! My dive tower is a prefab d&d one from lootbox and honestly, it's too small. d6 is a bit janky and d20 is just impossible. This is definitely something I wanna do in the near future! Thanks for the ideas; oft to weathertop now 😋
@@Nat1videos when you first started messing with the empty can I was kinda of like 🤦cause I figured it was still gonna look like an empty can when you were done. I was not expecting the end result and your attention to the fine details is what makes a difference
@@mszoomy Thanks for watching passed the can part then! haha If you pay attention to the detail you can turn so many house hold items of junk in to something cool :)
@@mszoomy you gotta start somewhere. Best advice I can give is don’t compare yourself to others. If you like it, then it is good. But balance that with trying to improve with each build even slightly. Also I would say, stop telling yourself that you are not very good... it’s probably not true, and believing that will hold you back. Tell yourself, hey this shit is fun, and if I do the right steps I can totally do it!! You can do it. Anyone can. Have fun with it and I’m happy to answer questions any time ;)
I like the addition of the lights, and salvaging them from tea lights. How do plastic die work in the tower with their lower density? Also does the textured landing pad lead to "tilted" die?
seeing this makes me want to make a expanded version like with some ruined walls another tower and a dragon, but have so the other parts have hidden features like maybe the walls folds down to character sheets and stuff and the other tower could store spare dice and mini's the dragon could be be a light source by breathing fire etc
I've only made one dice tower (finished today), but I did end up sticking my bricks on individually as I was primarily using clay and cardboard. To be fair my dice tower isn't too big so it didn't take to long. Where is a good place to get that foam stuff and just general washes for this kind of thing? Brilliant tower :)
Very nice result from a simple but powerful idea.I really like the way you solve the seam problem. For bricks I have tried drawing them (some XPS foams are better for doing it than others), texture rolls, and cutting and gluing individual bricks. I think that each way has its own uses, and looks better for specific things. For rusted metal I simply use a base of dark brown, like Vallejo's Charred Brown or similar, some bits of orange for the rust, and a wash. Question: Have you protected the staircase foam with something extra, to avoid potential deterioration from the bumping dice?
Thanks! That sounds like an effective method for rust for sure. You know what, that was a slight oversight I think... I didn't add anything extra to protect the stairs. I think I will go back and paint in some matt varnish now you have mentioned it! Thanks for pointing it out ;)
@@Nat1videos A varnish coat would be my first option. I thought on it when I saw those nice dice rolling down the stairs, and I was wondering if you had some secret recipe 😀
Thanks! It seems to hold up just fine. One thing I didn't mention in the video is you can use a couple of coats of matt varnish to toughen it up a bit... but XPS foam is very durable
Awesome sauce! Really inspired now to work on a dice tower... but no Tesla coil or laser beams or depleted uranium powered flux capacitor? I mean the LEDs wired on a parallel circuit is the equivalent of rocket science to my addled brain and the geometry involved in creating a spiral staircase jig on the fly is currently beyond me. For rust I like to actually create rust. Iron oxide powder added to black paint and then an acid type solution to activate chemical rusting process. You can get premixed fancy versions but there's recipes online for both. It's not practical for all projects but you can't beat actual rust to make something rusty.
@@Nat1videos I bought a pricey kit from Modern Masters on Amazon that included a base coat and the iron oxide paint PLUS the activator... but couldn't find it on the UK site. They carry the activator OR... you could just follow this tutorial and mix up a batch as needed like a mad scientist instead of spending all my hard earned money. ua-cam.com/video/TyrdVQ4Sp3c/v-deo.html
I would also try experimenting how the rust looks with different painting effects, washes, and even try mixing the iron powder into paints to see how the end result changes. WARNING!!! WEAR A RESPIRATOR WHEN USING METAL POWDERS. Once it is mixed in your paint it's fine but you really don't to breathe iron into your lungs... while filming a UA-cam video like the video I shared.
Stunning! And so sweet that you christened the tower with that lucky roll 😀 What was the baking soda for at the gate? Your build is way, way beyond me, but I started watching diy UA-cams because I want to make a dice tower for a new board game I've ordered from Kickstarter called Botany. It should be more like a Victorian gazebo or part of a conservatory. (If that sparks your interest, I'd love to see what kind of next-level genius build you could make of that idea!)
Baking soda does two things: 1. Adds a bit of rusted metal “texture”. 2. (And most importantly) It causes the super glue to set really fast so you’re not sitting there holding two pieces together for five minutes. 😅
Great job Michael! I kinda prefer individual bricks for bricking a build. But scribing definitely wins when you want it done quicker. And i love those rocks. Was it pir insulation you used for that? I want to try it out myself aswell
Looks awesome. Couple of questions: As the landing area is not completely flat do you have any ambiguous dice readings? (With your 20s at the end, I thought, perhaps from the camera angle that one of the 20s was slightly off.) Do the dice ever bounce over the low walls or might they if you weren't using metal dice?
No, never get ambiguous rolls... the number pointing up is the one you read and it’s not that uneven really. If anything it adds to the randomness of a dice roll, could never repeat the same roll twice. Also, no problem with bouncing at all... have used plastic and resin dice in it also . By the time they get to that point most of the energy has dispersed. Thanks for the comment !
One more question please! Did you use a specific type of XPS foam? I bought some, it looks the same thickness, it works to carve bricks in, but definitely doesn’t curve or bend! It would snap if I tried.
Nice job. I've did something very similar back in the day and had one issue initially. How are K4 (and K8/k10 I think) rolling in yours? I had to slant the steps quite steeply to prevent them from stoping mid way. So inside is more of spiral slope than spiral staircase.
Did you seal the paint with clear acrylic spray or mod podge? I'm trying to figure out if paint is the last step in these builds, or if there is a protective coating on top of it all.
@@Nat1videos Thanks so much for the reply! I always wonder how these projects are finished off since I'm new to the hobby. Your creations are amazing and give me inspiration and a level to strive for!
One thing that I've done is abandon the aluminum ball for texturing. I've always found it a waste as it smooths out very quickly and you have to keep making more. So I took a dowel and wrapped it in super sculpey clay and then it hit with rocks, the last ever foil ball, scissors, what-have-you to give it that really rough texture. After baking it hard I now have a permanent, long lasting rock texture roller. I also did one on a wooden ball so I had one I could roll around in random directions. Both work a treat.
Thats a good shout! I have seen some people do similar and I keep meaning to try it... think I have just made up my mind! Thanks for watching :)
I think bricklaying is nice... sometimes. For this tower, I really appreciated you including the reference/inspiration and it definitely feels much more "historically" interesting. You've inspired me to make one for each of my dnd mates!
Awesome! They make a great gift for sure!!
I love the courtyard area as the dice tray. It's such a subtle touch that really pays off!
Thank you! I am really pleased with it, sad I didn't get to keep it myself hahaha
An absolutely fantastic project, so many dice towers stand out as what they are, but this just blends in like any other piece of terrain. Great job
Thanks! Yes I wanted it so that you could use it as actual terrain also if you wanted :) Thanks for watching !
That is an absolutely gorgeous piece of work. Epic, indeed. You'd need to be gaming on a large table to accommodate it, but it'd be worth the real estate it takes up just for the effect.
Thank you so much! Yeah it is a little big but worth it for the immersive effect ;)
Awesome work! Love how it came together. To answer your questions, for brick work, pen or pencil all the way, don't have the patience to go brick by brick. Still do individual shingles though. For old rust, I prefer not to use metallics at all and apply a range of orange and brown shades with a sponge to give it a rougher texture.
Nice one Karl! That sounds like a quick tutorial vid to me ;)
@@Nat1videos kitchen supplies video 😉
@@Karlmakesstuff haha yeah, well I'd watch it!
What a beautiful build! I'm just getting started in the hobby and have been cutting bricks because I don't trust my artistic skill enough, but your vid & your response elsewhere in the comments that it's about time rather than skill have persuaded me to give the pen a go. Keep up the great work - I love how natural your builds are, it's really inspiring stuff!
Thanks so much David! Yes, it really is just simple little tricks here and there done in the right order. I have no doubt that once you try it you will surprise yourself :)
Super dope dice tower, you know is extra good when the dice gods give their blessing.
Thanks ! Haha yeah, let’s hope it stays that way for Chris’s sake 😂
this is a brilliant little build, Im gonna defiantly gonna encoruralte The Pen technique from now on, seems more time manageable than glueing individual bricks one at a time. lol. love the elevated courtyard.
I'm making dice towers like yours for my grandson and my granddaughter so thanks for the video tutorial! It's great!
You are welcome!! Have fun 😃
This is in fact the best (and only) Dice Tower I've seen on UA-cam!
I don't even play board games but dam you are a craftsman, its beautiful
Thanks so much :)
You weren't lying, that is the best DTB on UA-cam. Just stumbled upon your channel. Definitely subbing, this is high calibre stuff.
Really nice, Michael. Beautiful work
Thanks so much Cross ! How are your builds going?
My mind is elsewhere, but I'm seeing light at the end of that tunnel. I'll likely have a chance to craft, steadily, again, in about 3 weeks. That said, I have *definitely* got a list of ideas, ready to build
@@CampaignTerrain I hear ya man
I made a dice tower once, it changes the Colour very often. From boring Grey, to something that looks similar to wet dirt Colour. A few weeks ago I get a plexiglass pipe from Ebay. I want to make a similar dice tower like the big one in Gerard's video, when he introduced the Stairway tool.
Your Dice Tower is brilliant. It looks really like an old ruin. It would be awesome if a sensor at the staies could notice the rolling dices and than the lights are lit, like woke up inhabitants... :D
Anyways: Good job, I like it!
(Excuse me for this English, I'm not a native speaker.)
Thank you! Yes Gerard stairs jig is great !! And your English is fine ;)
Bloody brilliant, you've created a beautiful set piece with a hidden function.
Thanks so much :)
OMG I literally just emptied an oatmeal can and couldn't let it go in the trash because it just looked perfect for a dice tower!
YES!! I find it so hard to throw my packaging away, every thing is crafting supplies haha :D
A masterpiece this dice tower . I did enjoyed watch your process . Perfect work with the tower and the light system . Well done .
Thank you so much! I really appreciate you watching :)
@@Nat1videos You are welcome .
That dice tower looks awesome. The amount of detail you get into your work is amazing. Great job!
Thank you so much! Very easy to do just by spending a little extra time on it, no actual skill required just patience :)
You're welcome! I think patience is a skill in and of itself. 🙂
From one NatOne to another... we love this!!!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it :)
Beautifully done. When not in use, it would make a great mini display piece. Two nat 20s! The Dice Gods have obviously blessed your creation! :D
Thank you! hahaha lets hope it keeps rolling well :D
Dude, what a masterpiece!
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it :)
Ita a cool idea! Where is the chocolate???? ;-) . Have a great day 😊
Haha yes that is the sad part of the story... no more Hot Chocolate 😭
Thanks for including the foam types👍
No problem 👍
Awesome build, love the brickwork on the tower
Thanks Jon! But tedious, but worth the effort in the end. Thanks for watching :)
Fantastic work Michael! This is quite a premium dice tower :D
Thanks Martin ! Premium hot chocolate 😂
Seriously cool dice tower! Like how you used the pen for the stonework, simple but perfect! Nice vid.
Thank you!! Yeah, it works really well and it does save quite a bit of time instead of laying lots of tiny bricks haha
love the build! i won't do the LED not because it looks bad or anything, i just don't have the experience or the tools to do it. id 100% build this, if i can get my hands on XPS foam:D
Awesome! Yeah the lights are just an embellishment. You could consider using the little battery powered candle tea lights... that makes electronics super easy ;)
If you want boards and stones to have organic smooth and weathered look you can wipe it lightly with acetone. Im not sure if it will work with PIR foam tho but works like a charm with PVC panels.
Oh cool! Thanks for the tips :)
I need to make one of these. Surprisingly simple, nice one dude
Thanks man! Suer easy to make and you get to drink lots of hot chocolate first :D
I like laying individual bricks because it's like putting a puzzle together, except if you cant find the size and shape you want...you can just cut one to fit! LOL! Love this build! Looks great!
Thanks Coleen! Yeah bricks are definitely a great option, especially if you enjoy the process!!
That is super cool. A gaming atmosphere enhancer for sure. I don’t even like dice towers, but i love this.
Thanks so much !
I want to make a funny dice roller. An Outhouse one the rear is the exit. The entrance would be the hole in the said door. Btw like the build!^^
hahaha that sounds cool!
Super cool work.
Thanks so much :D
I like your project. I also think a dicetower that may double up as terrain is great. Currently Im building one out of cardstock with individual 7x4mm brickwork out of paper (annoying atm, but I hope for a good result). Your voice over is nice.
Thanks for this video and sorry for that many words.
Thanks! I hope your project goes really well :)
Hi, I follow your TikTok and saw the 40k thank you video the other day, so I did as you bid and came over here to watch and subscribe here.
I've been confused about where you are based, I thought it was the UK then the U.S. as you seem to have an ample supply of XPS foam (as commented on a previous TikTok) But it's all starting to make sense now.
As for the tower, I made a Dice Tower based on Alfred's Tower down in Dorset/Somerset a couple of years back, which Is one of my best builds/videos, I used the thin radiator foil-coated foam for the walls and drew the bricks with a pencil. I like the spiral staircase that's a nice touch! As for the rust question, I have bought the citadel and other paints but ended up just using acrylic paints, dry brushed in dabs and using a myriad of reds/browns/oranges and yellows it seems cheaper than the little pots named something weird (Elvan Flesh is just Raw Sienna etc).
Anyway enough rambling, well done and see you again soon!
Nic at London Creative!
Hey, thanks for watching! Nice tips on the rust :D
That is quite the artistic talent you have! That is very cool! I would love one of those that you made!
Thanks! When I get my new work shop I hope to set up an etsy store but I don't have space right now ...
@@Nat1videos Very cool! I see a lot of people making their own here, although a lot of them are 3d printed, and I prefer something not 3d printed. Do you have an idea of how much you would charge for one of these?
@@GuardianAngelEatos This one was a commission for a friend an he payed me £100... I'm not sure what people are generally willing to pay for this kind of thing so I haven't got a set price
@@Nat1videos Okay, well I'm not willing to pay that much, especially since I'm not in the same country if your currency is Pound Sterling, so I'd be paying more since due to currency exchange and expensive shipping. That's a shame. It probably wouldn't be worth it for you since I wouldn't be able to offer as much because I need to take shipping costs and paying more since my currency is US dollars. £100 for me would be about $125.67 right now.
@@GuardianAngelEatos I totally understand! These things are not really cost effective to make as commission pieces to be honest... all figured out for time that goes in to the build and also the cost of materials I wouldn't even be making minimum wage. It takes about 30 or 40 hours to make in total. It's why I rarely do commissions. There is just no money in it at a price that people are willing to pay. And I understand that people don't just have disposable cash like that. So I enjoy showing people how to make it instead, then at least if somebody really wants one they can follow the steps :)
I found your channel just today and AAAHH! I adore your videos, they're very good quality! It was a match made in heaven for sure, because I'm making a dice tower for Christmas for my best friend. This gave me plenty of inspiration. Thank you!
Thank you so much! Really glad you find the videos helpful :D
Failed roll at the end ... my first roll out of my first dice tower was a 1. Oh well. This turned out cool ... I think I'll try drawing in bricks instead of cutting them out individually for my next tower. Looks awesome!
Thanks! Doh Nat 1’s are a pain 😅
Sir! You have made a two-purpose terrain piece/dice tower! It's great!
In all seriousness, it's one of the best dice towers I've seen out there. I'd love to see this possibly be a series?? Bell tower? Draw bridge? Watch tower? The possibilities are out there!
Those are some great Ideas! I will definitely make more in the future! Thanks for watching :)
That’s just beautiful man, great job 👏🏻
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it :D
Nice mate, i was waiting for the tutorial since i saw your tower on tiktok
Oh cool ! I wasn’t sure if I was getting any traffic from tiktok. Thanks for coming over :)
I dont know why i like Videos that arent in the usual terretory of interests of mine, but yeah pretty relaxing.. thanks Nat 1
Thanks! Really glad you enjoyed it :)
Great stuff friend 👏 👍
Thanks so much :)
Great video bud, gonna have to try making those stairs sometime soon for my tabletop!
Thanks dude! Yeah, I really like how the stairs turned out, and not hard to make at all :)
SUPER! WELL DONE!
Thank you very much!
You had me hooked at the intro! Very nice work, I'm inspired to build one this weekend!
Thank you! Hope you have fun with the build :)
Great build! Definitely will give it a go myself
Thanks you! Thats great, I hope you enjoy the build :D
Awesome build. Subscribed!
Awesome, thank you!
Thats such realistic brickwork
This was so creative!!!! Thank you for sharing it
You are so welcome!
Wow great build! 😄👏
Thank you! 😁
That is awesome. It could also be part of the scenery.
Thanks! Yes thats the idea, multipurpose dice tower :D
gotta make a dice tower now. probably going to carve bricks . Your tower here is awesome and inspirational. Also brave move making the stonework so small I always want to but get lazy i guess lol
Once you get started it doesn't take too long... put on a good movie and give it a try ;)
Sweet, sweet work! Let's hope you've set the standard on dice rolls :)
Indeed! But lets not hold our breath! Looking forward to delivering this to you tomorrow dude ;)
Beautiful work! I've been wanting to make a dice tower for a gift and I've just found the style I want to build. Thanks so much for the inspiration and for sharing your skill.
Thanks so much! I hope your build goes well :)
This looks amazing
Thanks so much :)
Looks great 👍🏻
Thanks 👍
Great Work! any suggestion or special note on the shape of the stairs to have a good rolling of the dice?
Actually thats a good question, I would say just don't make the stair too wide or the dice can stop half way and rest on the stairs. I should have mentioned that in the video ...
My favourite dice tower by far! Now subd
Thanks Damion! Appreciate the sub :D
Hi 👋🏻 Michael! Though I don’t play tabletop, I love seeing the many works intended for them. I love the concept of the dual use as actual game scenario piece and a dice tower.
Nat 20s?! Did ya include a piece of the Blarney Stone in this build & have a wee smooch 😘?! Because it really seems like a blessing out o’ the blue for continued luck for this particular dice tower to start with a bang like that!
I read all the comments & looks like you got some sound advice like treating the stairs for repeated dice pounding & the great one about rust. I know you love using natural ingredients like bark, so actual rust would be fantastic.
Oh, and, thanks to you, my hubby is out right now as I write this, getting hot chocolate and some other things. Not to use the can, as we get a small boxed version usually, but just because I had run out and then saw your Cadbury one & got jealous. 😄 I don’t know if they carry that kind here, though we have Cadbury eggs for Easter & chocolate 🍫 bars, so, maybe. Now I am curious to try it, but pretty sure hubby just got our regular Swiss Miss. People used to call be that as a kid when I wore braids. 😆
UPDATE: Hubby happened to call me from the store, so I asked him to look for that Cadbury Hot Chocolate. 😂
Haha I’m glad to be of service, I wish you much got chocolate drinking joy !! Thanks for watching and the great feedback Lora ☺️
@@Nat1videos 2nd update: sadly, there was no Cadbury hot chocolate to be found, but I got my regular kind, both with & without marshmallows. Maybe I can find Cadbury at a World Market that has imported foods, etc.
@@loraelstad8941 At least you got SOME hot chocolate! But .... Cadburys is great
Klasse Arbeit 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼super gemacht
Thanks :D
I want to search this tower for treasure. Great build, great guide!
Thank you :)
To answer you questions:
Yes. I have made a dice tower before. It was more of a dice keep; it was square.
The main tower was made out of cardboard.
I like laying individual bricks for most things but it really depends on what look you are going for.
That sounds like a cool doc tower! Yeah individual bricks work great too, you get a lot of depth that way
This tower is a Nat20!! Beautiful work!!
Thanks so much :)
Think it would've been cool would be to add motion sensors on the inside of the tower that cause the lights to go on when dice are falling through so it looks like there's someone "walking" down the steps. Might need to modify the tower to make the motion sensors not just go on / off instantly - e.g. taller tower, bigger windows, and a more gradual slope or just having timed delays on activation / deactivation. In my head it seems like it would be cool to have a kind of "stoplight" (position-wise, not color-wise) transition.
Another idea would be to add lights on the inside / outside of the tower door - think there's an opportunity for some cool flickering torch effects in general (both in / outside of the tower).
Overall though great work!
Thank you ! Those are some great ideas to think about for future builds too ! :D
This is so nice! I need one!
not a fan of dice towers, but that looks awesome, great job!
Thanks! :D
This is a great video!
Glad you enjoyed it! :D
Well done!
Thank you :D
It's looking very good :)
Thanks so much :D
I think I would have used 12mm foam sheets and cut single step pieces for a more even finish on the spiral stairs and align them with a thumb tack or nail through the bottom of the can and coctail sticks to extend it as needed while gluing the stairs at the center and a line along each step edge.
For the rest of the tower I'd probably do the same
Hey, thanks for watching! That sounds like it would all work really well too ;)
@@Nat1videos well... it's basically how the spiral staircases in the 12th century cathedral of my childhood home town was built using lime stone XD
This is gorgeous! I'm gonna have to make one for myself
Thank you so much Alisatair !! That would be so cool man, I put these tutorials up in the hope that someone will want to try for themselves so this is super encouraging! Please don't hesitate to ask for any advice if you need it ;)
Great job brother. Beautiful! I want to build one soon
Thank you ! Go for it, it's a really fun build :)
Another awesome build! My dive tower is a prefab d&d one from lootbox and honestly, it's too small. d6 is a bit janky and d20 is just impossible. This is definitely something I wanna do in the near future! Thanks for the ideas; oft to weathertop now 😋
Awesome, thanks for watching! Making your own dice tower is the way forward, I hope you have fun :)
Amazing! Well done!
Thanks a lot!
@@Nat1videos when you first started messing with the empty can I was kinda of like 🤦cause I figured it was still gonna look like an empty can when you were done. I was not expecting the end result and your attention to the fine details is what makes a difference
@@mszoomy Thanks for watching passed the can part then! haha If you pay attention to the detail you can turn so many house hold items of junk in to something cool :)
@@Nat1videos I've been trying to teach myself that, I'm not very good at it tho.
@@mszoomy you gotta start somewhere. Best advice I can give is don’t compare yourself to others. If you like it, then it is good. But balance that with trying to improve with each build even slightly. Also I would say, stop telling yourself that you are not very good... it’s probably not true, and believing that will hold you back. Tell yourself, hey this shit is fun, and if I do the right steps I can totally do it!! You can do it. Anyone can. Have fun with it and I’m happy to answer questions any time ;)
I like the addition of the lights, and salvaging them from tea lights.
How do plastic die work in the tower with their lower density? Also does the textured landing pad lead to "tilted" die?
Somehow I never watched this 'til the end... Nice wood grain you got going there :P
Thanks dude! I learned that wood technique of this really weird guy I know.... he is an awesome builder though lol ;)
Very nice tower
Thank you so much :D
That dice tower sure is lucky.
haha lets hope it stays that way :D
seeing this makes me want to make a expanded version like with some ruined walls another tower and a dragon, but have so the other parts have hidden features like maybe the walls folds down to character sheets and stuff and the other tower could store spare dice and mini's the dragon could be be a light source by breathing fire etc
That sounds ridiculously cool and awesome! You should definitely do that 😃
I've only made one dice tower (finished today), but I did end up sticking my bricks on individually as I was primarily using clay and cardboard. To be fair my dice tower isn't too big so it didn't take to long. Where is a good place to get that foam stuff and just general washes for this kind of thing? Brilliant tower :)
wow, crazy cool!
Very nice result from a simple but powerful idea.I really like the way you solve the seam problem.
For bricks I have tried drawing them (some XPS foams are better for doing it than others), texture rolls, and cutting and gluing individual bricks. I think that each way has its own uses, and looks better for specific things.
For rusted metal I simply use a base of dark brown, like Vallejo's Charred Brown or similar, some bits of orange for the rust, and a wash.
Question: Have you protected the staircase foam with something extra, to avoid potential deterioration from the bumping dice?
Thanks! That sounds like an effective method for rust for sure. You know what, that was a slight oversight I think... I didn't add anything extra to protect the stairs. I think I will go back and paint in some matt varnish now you have mentioned it! Thanks for pointing it out ;)
@@Nat1videos A varnish coat would be my first option. I thought on it when I saw those nice dice rolling down the stairs, and I was wondering if you had some secret recipe 😀
I love this!
Thank you :D
It looks great! How does the foam hold up against repeated rolls?
Thanks! It seems to hold up just fine. One thing I didn't mention in the video is you can use a couple of coats of matt varnish to toughen it up a bit... but XPS foam is very durable
THIS IS SOOO AWESOME thank you!
No problem!! Glad you enjoyed it :)
@@Nat1videos I am going to try and use what I learned to make one this week. I will let you know how it goes hah Hope I can get it as cool as yours
@@lennescustomcreations Awesome! Let me know how you get on :)
End music, couldn't find it in the description?
It is called Loch Awe Weeps from my epidemic sound subscription, find it here www.epidemicsound.com/track/6PagpxgiQC/
Just using a pen to make bricks and wood texture is a great idea
The simple techniques are always the best ;)
Awesome sauce! Really inspired now to work on a dice tower... but no Tesla coil or laser beams or depleted uranium powered flux capacitor? I mean the LEDs wired on a parallel circuit is the equivalent of rocket science to my addled brain and the geometry involved in creating a spiral staircase jig on the fly is currently beyond me. For rust I like to actually create rust. Iron oxide powder added to black paint and then an acid type solution to activate chemical rusting process. You can get premixed fancy versions but there's recipes online for both. It's not practical for all projects but you can't beat actual rust to make something rusty.
wow that sounds like a really cool technique, this is exactly the kind of answer I was looking for! Have you got a link to any examples?
@@Nat1videos I bought a pricey kit from Modern Masters on Amazon that included a base coat and the iron oxide paint PLUS the activator... but couldn't find it on the UK site. They carry the activator OR... you could just follow this tutorial and mix up a batch as needed like a mad scientist instead of spending all my hard earned money.
ua-cam.com/video/TyrdVQ4Sp3c/v-deo.html
@@dougmclean1 Awesome! Thank you :D
I would also try experimenting how the rust looks with different painting effects, washes, and even try mixing the iron powder into paints to see how the end result changes. WARNING!!! WEAR A RESPIRATOR WHEN USING METAL POWDERS. Once it is mixed in your paint it's fine but you really don't to breathe iron into your lungs... while filming a UA-cam video like the video I shared.
@@dougmclean1 Yeah man, I imagine a mask is essential. Safety first!
Damn this is so sick.
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy my other videos too :)
Stunning! And so sweet that you christened the tower with that lucky roll 😀 What was the baking soda for at the gate?
Your build is way, way beyond me, but I started watching diy UA-cams because I want to make a dice tower for a new board game I've ordered from Kickstarter called Botany. It should be more like a Victorian gazebo or part of a conservatory. (If that sparks your interest, I'd love to see what kind of next-level genius build you could make of that idea!)
Baking soda does two things:
1. Adds a bit of rusted metal “texture”.
2. (And most importantly) It causes the super glue to set really fast so you’re not sitting there holding two pieces together for five minutes. 😅
Great job Michael! I kinda prefer individual bricks for bricking a build. But scribing definitely wins when you want it done quicker. And i love those rocks. Was it pir insulation you used for that? I want to try it out myself aswell
Thank You Wouter! Yeah bricks are also great. I think each technique is good at different times... and yes that is PIR foam. I love using it :)
Looks awesome. Couple of questions:
As the landing area is not completely flat do you have any ambiguous dice readings? (With your 20s at the end, I thought, perhaps from the camera angle that one of the 20s was slightly off.)
Do the dice ever bounce over the low walls or might they if you weren't using metal dice?
No, never get ambiguous rolls... the number pointing up is the one you read and it’s not that uneven really. If anything it adds to the randomness of a dice roll, could never repeat the same roll twice. Also, no problem with bouncing at all... have used plastic and resin dice in it also . By the time they get to that point most of the energy has dispersed. Thanks for the comment !
Hi, how thin is the pink foam you wrapped around the top? 2mm? 5mm?
Hi, I didn’t make exact measurements but I would say roughly 2 mm :)
One more question please! Did you use a specific type of XPS foam? I bought some, it looks the same thickness, it works to carve bricks in, but definitely doesn’t curve or bend! It would snap if I tried.
What colour is the foam...?
It’s very dark grey
Nice job. I've did something very similar back in the day and had one issue initially. How are K4 (and K8/k10 I think) rolling in yours? I had to slant the steps quite steeply to prevent them from stoping mid way. So inside is more of spiral slope than spiral staircase.
They seem to be rolling fine... I did cut in to the stairs a bit to make them look broken down and that seems to have done the trick!
Did you seal the paint with clear acrylic spray or mod podge? I'm trying to figure out if paint is the last step in these builds, or if there is a protective coating on top of it all.
Yes! I used a clear coat acrylic Matt varnish at the end. I totally forgot to film it though 😅
@@Nat1videos Thanks so much for the reply! I always wonder how these projects are finished off since I'm new to the hobby. Your creations are amazing and give me inspiration and a level to strive for!
This looks fantastic :) How is it practically though? I have concerns over how flat and wide those stairs are - do dice get stuck?
It works great! You wouldn't want to make the stairs much wider though ...
That is so cool
Thank you !!
Amazing
Thanks so much :)