Nerd culture may be the current zeitgeist, but there is still one major pastime of nerds everywhere that’s gotten short shrift – tabletop gaming. Just the phrase conjures images of geeks with huge glasses sitting in a dark basement playing Dungeons & Dragons. This is, of course, inaccurate and unfair. Even less known than tabletop gaming is the potential hobby that accompanies it: painting the miniature heroes and monsters used to play the game. In years past players were required to purchase small predesigned minis – usually metal but occasionally plastic. Now, a new company called Hero Forge has started a Kickstarter campaign to produce custom 3D printed miniatures. You choose your race, gender, build, facial expressions, weapons, armor, equipment and hairstyle and Hero Forge will create that mini especially for you with a 3D printer. For imaginative tabletop fans, the possibilities are endless.
With 3D printers already available on the market, one might argue, “Why can’t I make the minis myself?” But with the average 3D printer running between $1300 and $4000, it seems unlikely that Hero Forge, if it reaches its goal, has anything to worry about for now. And it looks like it will reach the finish line – with 32 days remaining, the campaign is nearly about to surpass their $95,000 goal and soon reach their stretch goal.
Going to Hero Forge’s website redirects you to the Kickstarter page, which can be found here.