Terrain Workshop: Duplo

I know, talking about the larger blocks designed for younger children seems a little odd.  BUT, they are compatible with "regular" Lego and can be used to give more volume to builds and keep the parts count low.  I demonstrated this in this review, and I've used the technique in this table-setting.  I have more ideas on how to use these pieces in other terrain builds rattling around my head .  Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to implement them.

The main issue, at least for me, is that Duplo sets are generally over the Golden Ratio.  That's $0.10 per Piece for those not familiar with that term.  Two recent sets 10426 Train Bridge & Tracks Expansion set and 10425 Train Tunnel & Tracks Expansion set both fall right on that ratio and make for a good starting point to build a table-setting around.

The other issue with Duplo bricks is that they don't fall evenly on the "Six Bricks is 1 Hit" divide as a 2x2 Duplo Brick is the same size as four 2x4 Lego Bricks.  This can be house ruled around so I don't feel it's that much of  problem.  Also, I don't see someone investing the time and effort to get to the "center of the Tootsie Roll Tootsie Pop" -- if you'll forgive the joke -- especially if it's a really large terrain build.  Although -- since most Duplo Bricks are two Lego Bricks tall -- you could use them as the base of a terrain build to mark the point at which a piece no longer counts as Cover.

All that being said, set 10425 and 10426 bit me hard after I saw them

in the Lego store.  So much so I built a table-setting around them

in roughly the space of a week.  After starting with those sets, I

added in my Borrower's Trees -- because I had a fair amount of

them and I've really been wanting to use them in a terrain setting.

Triffids?

The next addition was a set of old walls that I recently used in

a playtesting game.  I wanted something to offset the flora and be

a bit more linear and clean than the trees.  The really useful part

about those walls is that I built four different sets.  I can swap

them in and out to vary the look of the terrain for each game.

The last part was a little more difficult.  Since the main part of 10426 is the bridge,

I wanted a "water feature" to go under it.  This, along with the train tracks, will

help to divide the battlefield into sections and create open lanes to travel along

and across during the game.  I couldn't find the scrapbook paper that I've used

before as water so I tried something a little different. This time I used four

9" x 12" Textured Foam Sheets that I bought at Michaels.  I had to cut them to

fit in between the columns of the bridge but that was easy enough.  The textured

foam is a nice contrast to the felt table covering so it helps it stand out a little.

This is a clearer view of one side of the

bridge and the tunnel mouth section.

This is what the entire table looks like without Frames cluttering it up.

I maybe should have subtitled this post "The Evolution of the D Line Dustup".

Review: 30322 Duplo Wildlife Polybag

I picked this one up at Toys'R'Us.  This set wouldn't normally be something I would review but I have a reason you'll see at the end.

Bag.  MSRP is $3.99 which is a Price per Piece of $1.00.

Instructions.

Minifig.  :-)

Parts.  Three Bricks.

Build.  Here's the reason I bought this set.  as you can see in the picture on the left, System Bricks can attach to the studs on Duplo Bricks.  This gives us a base to build pieces of Terrain or Cover using a lesser amount of pieces.  The hill in the picture on the right will take 1 Hit before being reduced under the Height Limit for Cover and 3 Hits before being destroyed.

The Questions:
Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  No.  (-5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Above.  (-10)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  No.  (-5)
Score: -15 (C).  Scoring this set isn't really fair.  This review was done more as a way to inform people of the compatibility between System and Duplo Bricks.