Terrain

 When I first started in the hobby, our DM used a sheet of clear plastic laid over a posterboard with a grid drawn on it.  He would use dry erase marker to lay out a dungeon location, and we have markers to draw in ongoing spell effect.  We would often have a player's map set out before us of the overall location (frequently provided by the module itself, this was the era of poster map inserts).  That worked for many years, figuring out how to position minis and spell areas for maximum effect was an enjoyable tactile and tactical part of the game.

When my time came to run my own games, I did not have a source for nice big sheets of plastic.  I ended up with the idea of carving the grid direct into a whiteboard.  It was tedious to set up, and there were a few stray lines bit it worked great at the table.  The downside was being a lot more difficult to transport.  

Other than the occasional bit of HeroQuest or Dark World furniture, we never really used terrain.  I had made a small diorama on a shelf as a way to display commonly used minis, but that was it.  I used to covet the Dwarven Forge adds in Dragon magazine, but dismissed it as being too much of a luxury item (never mind how mch I had spent on minis, dice, and books for the hobby).

However, when they did their first Kickstarter for the new "dwarvenite" material, I was on board.  The price was good, the piece count was good, and I was in a place financially where I could easily justify it.  The Dungeons and Caverns were perfect for at the table. They were highly modular, and you got enough bits in a base set to make what you needed.

City and Castles where a different story in my opinion.  While they were still "modular", they were designed in a way that gave you less options.  Due both to the layout options and the number of bits you got in an affordable base set. You could build one house and swap a roof or wall, and one tower, swapping a wall section.  Don't get me wrong, the price per piece offered was still reasonable, you just could not do as much with it.  There were still some good introductory sets and add ons that were useful and I invested in.

Their next set of Caverns and Dungeons were good, and had a $10 buy in so you could just get small bits, and since it was compatible, there was still use to be had.  However, now with the latest Lava and Woodlands its gotten too niche, too expensive for what you get/ I can use.  Personally I would love if they would jsut put out a dwarvenite version of their classic tudor style building tiles. 

This has turn less into a discussion of Terrain and more a referrendum on Dwarvenforge.  I still think they are a great company and am pleased with everything I have gotten from them.   Perhaps because gaming has moved all online and I just don't have much use for terrain right now.  Though I have made use of the time to craft plenty.  A topic to revisit later.