First post got removed because I can't flair- let's try this again! 

We used to play dnd all the time but a few years ago our group decided to simultaneously expand our party by having kids and with multiple under 5 year olds that has made regular play really hard. Last month we were able to start a 1 shot but we never finished it since we spent too long on shenanigans, and my husband was really bummed about how we probably won't finish it (this was our 4th false start). I couldn't let that happen so a few weeks back I reached out to the dm and the party to see if they were free, we blocked off that weekend and I had a really good friend set to babysit all the kids. I then decided the friday before "wouldn't it be cool to turn the kids room into a themed room?" This was originally my daughter's room but since neither kid sleeps in their room at the moment I convinced my husband we should do something else - so we combined their rooms into 1 and I told my husband we should turn this room into a playroom. He helped me move all the furniture out that Saturday. This was something I had been wanting to do, but had been procrastinating on.

Monday- I brought in an old table we had in storage and used some scrap plywood to expand it since it didnt come with the matching expanders when we bought it to fit the TV frame I built for the dm's maps. I then hid those plywood sins by taking a tablecloth and aging it with water and paint in a spray bottle. I then spent the rest of the day in decision paralysis because I had so many ideas but not a lot of time to execute said ideas. I also bought a dryer hose for a diy fog machine chiller. About $6. I told my husband I had an idea for his birthday and he was not allowed in this room while I was working on it. Luckily I'm always doing weird stuff so this wasn't out of the ordinary for me.

Tuesday- After debating whether or not 4 days was enough to do a dramatic stone wall I decided to try it and see what happens. I used leftover building materials from a project to build a 2x4 frame and scrap purple insulation foam sheets were cut, carved and painted to look like stone. This ended up taking only 1 day to do.

Wednesday- I brought up any Halloween decorations I thought I'd need and started placing them, but the webs were really frustrating me because there weren't enough places to stick then for the drama I was after. My baby was also being particularly snuggly so I abandoned early and decided to think. 

Thursday - I bought hardware to mount some shelves. In hindsight I should have made these but I was feeling time pressure. These were about $30. Then I cut more scrap wood to make a corner shelf inside the stone wall and used some spare live edge wood for a long shelf to store charcuterie because you gotsta have meats and cheeses while you dnd. I also bought said meats and cheeses and all the materials for themed one shot beverages. I told my husband we were going to have charcuterie for his birthday weekend but I hid the amount so he wouldn't question why there was enough to feed an adventuring party. I also messaged the dm and had him plan to play Baldur's Gate 3 online with my husband and told my husband I'd watch the kids so he was happy he coukd at least get some semblance of dnd out of his weekend. Back when we regularly played we had 2 groups my husband was dm of both and every year around his birthday both groups would get together for a massive shared universe fight.


Friday -still unhappy with my web placement I decided why not try my most bananas idea yet. We have lots of woods near our house so I ventured out with my chainsaw to find fallen trees that would be big enough for draaaama but also light enough for me to haul through the woods, through the house, and into the room. This was the most challenging part, but eventually I found 3 trees that would work. I had to hide the scratches on my arms from the cedar tree. But again, I'm always doing weird stuff so even if he did see them he would not know what to assume. Then came a speed run of finishing touches including hanging the spider sacs and webs, adding spare puck lights and our baby sound machine and nursery ring light, I bought a flame essential oil diffuser and prepped a cedar, Juniper, and dark amber blend to add smell into this 4d thrill ride. I also used spare foliage and decorative leaves to throw around on the ground so it felt more woodsy.

On Saturday I came out in full costume and told my husband "why aren't you dressed -adventuring party- will be here within the hour." We had a great time!

Anyways there is a ton of detail in this video so if you have any questions about anything let me know! The video was taken after the session and with the overhead lights on. We had them off for the party but the video quality is not great with them off. 

[OC] I turned our kid's room into a dnd setting for my husband's birthday one shot!