5 Reasons Why a Painting Party Can Bring your DnD Group Closer

Dungeons and Dragons is all about imagination and improvisation.  But sometimes, we can get caught up in the grind and the game loses its magic.  Bring your game group together for a no pressure day or night of fun with a figurine Painting Party!

1) Make it a Party
Organizing a "painting party" with your DnD campaign group can bring you together in a fun and relaxing way.  The campaign party is more than just a group of people playing a game, you’re, presumably, friends. And a great way to bond as a group is to kick back with some paints and some snacks, and have a blast talking about your favorite adventure or even what’s going on IRL (in real life).  Painting the figurines together also gives the opportunity for input from your party. You might need a tie-breaker for what color your armor should be, or you might receive the best suggestion on what color will best show off your special weapon.

2) Bring the Game to Life
The adventure of Dungeons and Dragons relies on a lot of imagination, and sometimes having tangible representations can make the magic of the game even more real.  Utilizing figurines on the board, rather than just tokens or markers, makes you feel more connected to the action.  But taking it a step further and painting your figurines gives another layer of “reality” to the campaign while making the game feel more unique to the party.  Of course, there is the option of buying figurines already painted, or commissioning an artist to paint them for you, but you lose that personalized quality that comes with painting them yourself.  Painting figurines by yourself can sometimes seem like a lonely chore. Making the activity into a party with your group makes the work go by faster and makes it a lot more fun.

3) Conquer as a Team
Painting your character figurines, and even helping the Dungeon Master (or Game Master) to paint some of the monsters you'll face, can bring out even more ideas about your character and how you'll interact together as a team.  It could be a fun surprise for the DM to reveal that you’ll be painting a Lich that the party will be fighting at some point down the road, without revealing when that fight will be. It makes the game board more engaging to customize the monsters and NPCS (non-player characters) you face to give them added personality.  What if your skeleton army suddenly had runes painted on their bones? A whole new story could be unfolding in the DM’s mind because of some creative painting choices the group made just for the fun of it.

4) Take a Break from the Grind
Hosting a painting party can also be a great break to take in between long campaigns to refresh your imaginations and get back to the roots of why you love playing the game and with whom you love playing it.  Painting isn’t about rules or the luck of the dice, it’s all about letting your imagination take over. Sometimes the game can get too serious and tempers can flare. Getting back to basics and spending time with your group in a no pressure setting is the perfect way to bring back the fun of the story and the rewarding challenge of working together.

5) Discovering a New Hobby
An afternoon painting figurines with your friends might be the opportunity that reveals your love for painting.  Whether it be painting figurines for other groups on commission, or even doing canvas paintings, all it takes is that first joy of selecting colors and seeing your creation come to life.  DnD is a great platform to discover and grow other creative pursuits, such as drawing and writing stories. Exploring color and form through painting is just another way you can tap into your imagination and experience the magic of the DnD world.

It's important to remember that a Painting Party is meant to be fun, so painting skills are not required.  Have a laugh or two, swap stories of your favorite battles, and get back to the magic that turns game night into an epic quest!

Alice Liddell is an author, artist, and performer who loves bringing magic and fantasy to all aspects of her working and personal life.  Whether it’s DnD with friends, or a round of Fable solo, Alice has always loved gaming of all kinds. You can find her work on her social media handles Facebook, or under littlalice06 on IG and Twitter.

Picture Reference:
https://all-free-download.com/free-photos/art-painting-kids.html