Luke at Geek Gaming Scenics wanted to know how much he could down-scale a print for a fantasy miniature on a resin printer and still see most of the detail. And, how small could a miniature be and still be paintable. He scaled up a mini STL file to 54mm and all the way down to 6mm.
They all printed successfully, but as he points out, minis that are designed to actually be 6mm have exaggerated proportions to look more natural, so scaling down a 32mm or 25mm mini makes things extremely difficult to paint.
For over three decades Atlas Games has been in the business of fun. As a game innovator, their focus has been on tabletop play, including traditional card games, board games and roleplaying games.
Their latest endeavor Dice Miner is a dice-based game that for the first time in the company’s history was pre-sold through a Kickstarter campaign. Because of the high expectations Kickstarter funders have, an early visual of the product was necessary to show off the new game to potential backers.
In order to create these visual components, Atlas Games sought out our 3D printing services to prototype the game pieces they needed, and were able to utilize 3D printing for fast and cost-effective solutions from early prototyping to final-stage designs.
Jeff Tidball, Chief Operating Officer of Atlas Games, has a deep passion for games. For a look behind the scenes at Atlas Games’ newest creation, we interviewed Jeff to find out how the advantages of 3D prototyping was critical for Dice Miner’s Kickstarter success.
Could you give us a quick summary about Atlas Games as well as your latest game, Dice Miner?
Atlas Games is a tabletop game publisher with a 30-year history and deep catalog of board, card, and roleplaying games. We’re best known for card games like Gloom and Once Upon a Time. Dice Miner is a dice drafting game with 60 custom dice and a unique mountain component that organizes the dice across each game’s three rounds, showing which dice are available to choose at any given time as the game unfolds.
Dice Miner’s Deluxe Edition mountain. Photo source: Atlas Games
What was the purpose of using Shapeways to make prototypes for Dice Miner?
Dice Miner’s Deluxe Edition will have a plastic PVC mountain, so we used Shapeways to prepare early prototypes of that component. We used Shapeways for two purposes. First, to playtest using components as close as possible to the final version, to make sure they performed as we expected at the table. Second, to evaluate their producibility while holding physical objects, as opposed to needing to evaluate them only on screen, or in our imaginations.
How did you come to the decision to use 3D printing instead of other manufacturing methods?
Other manufacturing methods, to produce only one or two copies of a component like Dice Miner’s Deluxe Edition mountain, simply do not exist. (Maybe we could have hired someone to hand-sculpt one? I don’t even know.)
Did you already have technical knowledge in 3D printing? If not, was there a learning curve to getting into this technology?
Prior to Dice Miner, I had done very little 3D printing for a previous game’s miniatures prototype, also with Shapeways. However, we had the help of a consultant we had hired to create our plastic components, so we were able to use his model directly to produce the prototypes we used. So there was not much of a learning curve, but that’s because we had hired folks to help us already.
3D prototype of Dice Miner’s Deluxe Edition mountain. Photo source: Atlas Games
What material(s) do you print in and why?
We went with [Versatile Plastic, which are] cheap and fast for our game components. We were looking solely at form and function, rather than having any particular materials requirements.
How much time and/or cost were you able to save by prototyping with Shapewaysversus using another method?
I don’t really have anything like that [to compare], since the other options don’t really exist. I suppose you could think about the complete disaster that would arise if a $3,500 mold was created wrong — having a physical prototype can help avoid that instance. Although it’s a small change, spending one or two hundred dollars to hedge against that downside seems pretty reasonable. Creating early prototypes also helped us get an advanced copy to an outside previewer, which helped illustrate to potential campaign backers how the game is played. Waiting for copies of the game from the production line would have simply been impossible. Without a preview of the game, I suspect fewer backers would have been comfortable joining the Kickstarter. Again, no hard-and-fast metrics, but I suspect we’d have left money on the table without being able to preview the game in that way.
Dice Miner box set. Photo source: Atlas Games
Not only was Atlas Games able to succeed on Kickstarter, but they surpassed their goal by almost $80,000. Our 3D prototyping solutions were instrumental in this process by providing a simple and cost-effective means to creating a visual preview of the game.
And more importantly, game fans would now be able to “draft the dice” in Dice Miner with the empowerment that they helped make the game happen by supporting it on Kickstarter!
Are you creating a new game or product for an upcoming Kickstarter campaign? Find out how Shapeways can help with your rapid prototyping needs today.
Whether you’ve been developing board games for a long time, or you are just getting to new ideas to entertain people staying at home, now is a fantastic time to get started on designing and playing high quality, professional-looking board games. You can make a version of your game with cardboard or other craft materials around the house to start, but if you’re looking to make a polished version for play testers and potential investors, 3D printing is a great tool to bring your unique game to life.
3D printing allows artists and designers access to a higher level of creative control where they might have been limited by traditional manufacturing in the past. Here are just a few ways 3D printing facilitates the process of board game creation:
Fast
and Professional Prototyping
Once you have developed the concept of your game, you can start bringing each part to life by creating prototypes of your ideas. Creating a 3D design for the board, pieces and accessories not only means they can be easily reworked and refined but also reprinted any number of times. Creating prototypes will allow you to communicate your ideas to play testers and investors while you continue to develop and refine your game. And the faster you can produce the prototypes for your ideas, the faster you can improve and perfect your design. You can also test your design in multiple materials, anywhere from plastics to metals, to find which one suits your game the most.
Creating
the Board
The landscape of your game can be as simple or complex as your game needs it to be. 3D modeling easily allows for forming geometric shapes or creating pattern-based boards, and using 3D printing gives you greater freedom to explore more intricate details. The board can be designed with interlocking pieces, structure and scenery models, and can even integrate electronics. Depending on your needs, 3D printing allows for the aesthetic and functional ideas to come together smoothly with a polished appearance.
Creating
Original Game Pieces
There are a multitude of custom game pieces available for download on 3D model websites, but an original game idea requires original pieces. 3D printing makes it possible to create completely unique pieces in any printable materials. You can pair your game aesthetic to one or multiple materials for a uniformed design. Or create collector’s versions with game pieces printed in different materials. If you want to learn more about key features of game designs that have withstood the test of time, check out our article on game design here.
Play
Testing & Sharing
Because creating prototypes with 3D printing is much faster than using traditional manufacturing techniques, the process makes it much simpler to create playable versions for play testers. 3D printed parts can make the experience of playing the game smoother and clearer to people who are exploring it for the first time. Your play testers will be able to test your game idea by using real, physical objects, leaving less room for miscommunication during the feedback process. Having the digital files for all of the game’s printable pieces also means you can share your game with anyone anywhere in the world as they can upload the files and print their own through Shapeways.
Lower Start Up Costs with 3D Printing
The start up costs for creating a board game from scratch can be daunting if you’re adding in new equipment and materials. Crafting a board game by hand that looks professional requires a considerable amount of time especially considering the likely need to create several versions before arriving at a final design.
Making use of 3D printing technology and directing your manufacturing needs to Shapeways will allow you to cut down on those costs and put your efforts directly into designing and creating your final product. Ready to start building your own original game? We’d love to help!
Inherent to the 3D printing revolution are several amazing design
aesthetics that are ideal for prototyping toys in the game category.
Whether your game time involves traditional board games like Monopoly and Clue or you are an RPG (Role Playing Game) enthusiast engaged in dice-based fantasy like Dungeons and Dragons; the application of 3D printing can be a perfect fit.
Let me explain!
Perhaps you are a game designer looking to find ways of adding unique playing pieces to you game prototype. A quick review of existing board games provides a clear insight into how 3D printing can offer a great path to success.
The Aesthetics of Game Piece Design
No matter the board game, playing pieces have two key features that make them ideal for 3D printing:
1) Game tokens are never articulated
2) They are always a single bright color
Why is this? Functionally, these two design parameters have
been part of the manufactured gaming category for decades because both design
choices make the playing pieces simple to move around the board and visually
stand out to each of the players.
Whether one is looking at the “pawns” of Sorry or the silver object pieces of Monopoly, the essential play pattern of a board game requires players to easily identify all of the objects on the board (or “field”). And because board games require a higher cognitive level (compared to building blocks or action figures/dolls) the market is almost always an older child or adult, removing much of the risk of toy safety issues.
Not Just Classic Games, But Ancient Games!
Even going back to ancient games like Chess, the success and popularity of the board game was directly dependent on players being able to quickly recognize both their own pieces and their opponents. Likewise, visual identification within your own pieces is just as essential. Reviewing a Chess set, while the material for the pieces can vary from metal, porcelain, wood to plastic; the shape of the individual pieces are unique.
Like the colors of the two opposing “armies,” shape in game pieces like Chess help players (and spectators) to quickly identify each type of piece and likewise their unique abilities/moves. A queen’s silhouette looks nothing like a rook, and good luck mixing up a knight and a pawn visually!
An even more simplistic example that also supports the need
for uniform shape and color is Checkers – or even Chinese Checkers. Both games
consist of “armies” of a single color attempting to outwit the opponent’s
pieces and move across a game field. Unlike Chess, Checkers in all of its forms
has one unified shape for all of the pieces. Color is the single factor used to
identify your team versus your opponents.
In modern manufacturing and licensing, there have been a
fantastic amount of Chess and Checkers sets that break these basic visual
rules, and to be honest, doing so often leads to versions of games that are
surprisingly more difficult to play.
As an example, in licensed Chess sets where the traditional-shaped pieces are replaced by characters from a specific intellectual property (i.e. Star Wars, Super Heroes, Harry Potter, etc) adding colors and unique shapes to every piece may make them visually fun to look at for a fan, but at the same time it makes them exponentially more difficult to identify during play. While these sets are fun to collect and display, attempting to play out a game with multi-colored, multi-shaped pieces adds to the difficulty of playing the game itself.
Why Simplistic Design is Needed for Game Pieces
The goal of a board game is to win, and winning takes more than strategy, skills or luck; it also takes focus and concentration. Simplifying the game token shape and using uniform single colors is a proven tactic for successful game design. This is the reason that manufactured games for the last 80 years have embraced this aesthetic technique. Likewise it is the reason handmade game sets going back thousands of years have also utilized this concept.
The human eye is instinctively drawn to color and shape and those are two of the major advantages to 3D printing game pieces with Shapeways. 3D printing is maximized when a single color and single shape are generated. The board game category is literally dependent on this design choice.
And 3D prototyping is in no way limited to designing playing pieces. Take a quick look at almost any board game and you will note that almost every part of the game that is not “the board” (usually made of cardboard or mashed pulp) is also a simple shape molded in a single color.
From the hotels and houses of Monopoly, to the large white spinner of Life. The list goes on and on. Weapons in Clue, avatars in Dungeons and Dragons, question pie pieces in Trivial Pursuit. Even the dice used in board games are in single colors and basic shapes. The very nature of board games and the need to quickly identify all items on the field invariably call for the use of single colors and easily identifiable shapes.
Both of these design aesthetics are maximized with the power
of 3D printing. And because no two games use the same tokens, pieces, avatars
or spinners, there is a constant need for new design cues, visuals and shapes
in the game category. Every game created needs its signature icons. And the
very nature of playability requires these icons and pieces to be single colored
and simple in shape.
3D Printing’s Core Competencies are an Ideal Game Design Solution
The flexibility and customization of 3D printing has empowered designers using the technology to see their imagination take physical shape. In a product category like gaming, the ability to prototype unique single-color pieces and game tokens is not only an advantage, it is essentially required.
So, if you are a game designer looking to inspire and wow players or potential retailers, Shapeways’ 3D printing technology not only provides an easy-to-use prototyping solution for unique game pieces, but is one that embraces and maximizes the very design ascetics that have made board games popular and fun to play for thousands of years!
Games of all kinds, whether it be RPGs (Role Playing Games), tabletop, console or board games, are boundless domains of entertainment and self-expression. While many people remain homebound and in need of entertainment options, developing games and accessories that enhance the gaming experience and cater to all kinds of needs is more important than ever.
Games give players the ability to inhabit other worlds and so their characters in these worlds are completely unique and subject to personalization. 3D printing allows for a new level of freedom in customization from the original design of the character to creating one’s own props, accessories and consoles. It also facilitates prototyping in the development of original games and has the option of being easily shareable with people all over the world via digital files. As the gaming industry evolves, customization is already a crucial component to immersive gaming experiences and 3D printing makes that possible at a never-before-seen level of efficiency and precision.
1. Custom 3D Printed Miniatures and Game Pieces
Customizing one’s character for any game is the first step in creating an experience that is unique to the player. You can have a say in your 3D printed miniatures at any stage in the design process whether you know how to 3D model or not. There are companies that offer customization services through digital scanning that could infinitely expand the possibilities. For example, Miniature You developed an app that allows one to scan his or her face and print it straight onto one of the hundreds of figurine options in the application library.
You can also choose from a multitude of open-source downloadable designs to work from. Or if you’d rather design the character yourself from scratch, you can always try modeling at a beginner level with programs like TinkerCAD. Owning a 3D printer isn’t necessary as you can prototype and print designs through Shapeways. You can have the same character in different positions, seated or in fight mode, for example, and that character can evolve as the player sees fit. This also goes for your character’s props, and the landscape of your gaming world. The possibilities in customization are endless.
Whether you need one game piece or 10, with a 3D file you can print the exact number of pieces needed and continue to reprint them as many times as you’d like.
2. 3D Printed Gaming Mods and Accessories
Customization isn’t limited to personalizing the world of the game, but also can be used to enhance the context and comfort of the game play experience. There are hundreds of innovative and functional 3D printable bracket mounts, console add-ons, controller chargers and stands and much more. Add-ons like controller grips that help make the controller easier to handle or add style and fun to its original function are popular products. With new gaming devices regularly out in the market, gamers will continue to look for creative solutions to enhance their gaming experience. Because 3D printing allows for so much flexibility in creating unique accessories, every gamer’s needs can be catered to much more easily.
3. 3D Printed Ergonomic and Accessible Pieces
The use of 3D printing also means it is easier to make gaming more accessible to people who have specific physical needs. The DOTS RPG Project produces 3D printed tactile symbols and braille dice for the visually impaired, so that they can participate in games independently. Any tabletop or board game and its accessories could potentially have versions catered to different special needs allowing for even more people to enjoy and participate in these games.
4. Creating Original Games with 3D Printing
3D printing is a multi-faceted resource as it not only allows for boundless customizing but also for the prototyping and production of completely original game ideas. You can create your own chess set with your version of the pieces, you can also create your own game completely from scratch and share it with the rest of the gaming community by making the files accessible for others to print and try out.
The gaming industry is a constantly evolving world and the needs of gamers evolve with it. The versatility of 3D printing means that solutions for these needs are more accessible than they have ever been. Already building a new game and ready to test the market? Let us know how we can help with your prototyping and customization needs.
Our Cyber Monday offer has been extended until the end of Tuesday! Take an extra day to browse and shop on Shapeways.com for 15% off sitewide* with code HAPPYMONDAY.
This is truly our best offer of the year so don’t miss out. Set yourself a reminder to order before November 28 at 3AM EST.
Happy Holiday shopping!
*15% off discount applies to a designer’s own uploads and models in the Marketplace. Promo code HAPPYMONDAY must be entered at checkout. Code is valid for 4 uses per customer with a maximum discount of $250 USD per order before taxes and VAT. If you order a design during the promotion period that cannot be printed, we cannot apply discounts to future orders (even if these designs are repaired) that occur after this promotion has expired. Code cannot be combined with other discounts or offer codes, or applied to orders already placed. Discount does not apply to shipping. No cash value. Eligible with economy or priority manufacturing. Code is active starting November 26, 2018 at 12:01am Eastern Standard Time and expires November 28, 2018 at 3:00am Eastern Standard Time.
Enjoy 15% off sitewide* on Shapeways.com with code HAPPYMONDAY. Go ahead and fill your basket with unique holiday gifts for everyone. Order now to get them in time for the holidays!
*15% off discount applies to a designer’s own uploads and models in the Marketplace. Promo code HAPPYMONDAY must be entered at checkout. Code is valid for 4 uses per customer with a maximum discount of $250 USD per order before taxes and VAT. If you order a design during the promotion period that cannot be printed, we cannot apply discounts to future orders (even if these designs are repaired) that occur after this promotion has expired. Code cannot be combined with other discounts or offer codes, or applied to orders already placed. Discount does not apply to shipping. No cash value. Eligible with economy or priority manufacturing. Code is active starting November 26, 2018 at 12:01am Eastern Standard Time and expires November 27, 2018 at 3:00am Eastern Standard Time.
Need help with your design idea? Take 25% off your initial price† for Design with Shapeways services.
Happy Holidays from Shapeways!
*Promo code MADE4HOLIDAYS is good for 15% off models uploaded by the user that are unavailable in the marketplace. Code is valid for a maximum discount of $250 per order, 4 orders maximum per customer. Order must be placed during the offer period. If you order a design during the promotion period that cannot be printed or is rejected for any reason, we cannot apply discounts to future orders (even if the original designs are repaired and reordered). Code cannot be combined with other discounts or offer codes. No cash value. Discount does not apply to shipping. Eligible with economy or priority manufacturing. Code is active starting November 22, 2018 at 3:00am Eastern Standard Time and expires November 27, 2018 at 3:00am Eastern Standard Time.
‡Spring & Wonder 15% off discount applies to all products and materials on Spring & Wonder. Use promo code MADE4HOLIDAYS and discount applied before taxes, VAT and shipping. Limit one code use per customer. Discount cannot be combined with other discounts or offer codes, or applied to orders already placed. Discount does not apply to shipping. No cash value. Code is active starting November 22, 2018 at 12:01am Eastern Standard Time and expires November 27, 2018 at 3:00am Eastern Standard Time.
†The Design with Shapeways 2018 Holiday Promotion is good for 25% off the initial price for Design with Shapeways services. The discount will not apply to any additional charges required after the design request has been evaluated by the Design with Shapeways team or to the printing of any designed models. The initial design request must be placed during the promotion period to take advantage of the discount. The Design with Shapeways 2018 Holiday Promotion has no cash value. The promotion period begins at 12:00pm Eastern Standard Time on November 21, 2018 and ends at 3:00am Eastern Standard Time on November 27, 2018.
Take 15% off your own model starting tomorrow, November 22, through Monday, November 26. The discount is applicable to all models that you upload to shapeways.com, including those made with our Creator Apps and on Spring & Wonder.
We will reveal the discount code at 8AM GMT / 3Am EST tomorrow. Get a head start by uploading your model today!
