Is this the future of the Tabletop Miniatures Hobby

‪@BlackSiteStudios‬ is at the forefront of the tabletop miniatures hobby. By setting up an effective in house 3D Print farm they are paving the way for smaller companies to compete with the big guys.
blacksitestudio.com/
My Printer recomendation
Elegoo Saturn 3
Amazon Affiliate Link amzn.to/3L6Dl2b
My Resin recomendation
Sunlu ABS Like
Amazon Affiliate Link amzn.to/45MtgAV
Sunlu Affilate Link www.sunlu.com/products/3-1000...
Support the channel by buying me a coffee
www.buymeacoffee.com/oldonesw...

[@oldoneswithdice]

Do you think 3D printing is the future of Tabletop Miniatures Games?

[@doombringer4519]

I think the biggest issue is that GW has such a lions share of consumer attention. Unless GW starts making STLs (which isn't gonna happen for a WHILE) or somehow there's a game that catches the attention of a lot of people, most people are gonna stick to kits as they want the official GW look. That being said, I think smaller games will be shifting to almost exclusively 3D prints, as it lowers their manufacturing upfront cost and helps with outreach

[@Bobyoudontneeemyname]

Without a doubt 3d printing will dominate.

[@JPGotrokkits]

Sea Dog Game Studios has been using 3d printing for production since 2011. BSS is well behind the curve.

[@mechaman88]

The biggest issue is we need a consistent and reliable printer without material risk. I would love an FDM, even with layer lines that could print with accuracy

[@Dstinct]

I think it will add to the hobby aspect, but I don't see it dominating. Injected plastic is still the easiest product for someone to interact with, and many people would rather pay for ease that deal with the extra steps of printing which is basically an additional hobby on top of the hobby.

[@Wolf359inc]

One Page Rules is what you are looking for. Print them at home. Order physical prints. Six core systems, where the basic rules are free, and you get access to the advanced rules, forever, if you subscribe to their Patreon for just one month (though you will probably stay for much longer…).

[@oldoneswithdice]

I really like OPR. They are doing excellent work. I really should pick up some Saurian models to see how well the prints look and how durable they are.

[@Wolf359inc]

@@oldoneswithdice I have the Saurian Starhost minis, and they are great. Nice detail, and print fine on an inexpensive resin printer, such as a low-end Anycubic machine. Prints will be as durable as you make them - I use a 75/25 mix of Monocure3D’s Rapid and Flex100 resins, respectively, which produces great results. Weapons, poles, etc, can be a bit fragile, but OPR minis are designed for frequent handling, so are more suited to purpose than many others. You could opt to print all your minis in a flexible resin, if you are truly worried about such things… Or do the complete opposite, and print them in a much tougher resin. It all gets down to durability versus resin cost, really. I would recommend finding one or two manufacturers with good reputation, and product, and sticking with them. If you want to avoid failed prints, and inconsistencies, it is worth paying a bit more for a proven product. Despite having an Anycubic printer, I prefer Monocure3D’s resin, to their own brand. I started with a Sparkmaker (basically, a toy resin printer). Their resin was awtul, so I shopped around until I found M3D, and have been using their resins ever since. Cheers,

[@martinjrgensen8234]

A lot of people can’t have, or won’t have, toxic printers at home. So while it has a future for sure, it will be a long time before hard plastic and other minis will go away. And a substantial portion of hobbyists enjoy building and making things with their hands, and 3d prints just don’t scratch that itch

[@dustinhollis]

Not a problem. Its getting cheap enough you will see local printers popping up everywhere who are willing to do the work for you. Its only a matter of time before someone sets up a online ordering system where people can send in their order and local printer fulfills and delivers. Until then, conventions almost always have printers who will pre-print armies of minis you can buy.

[@oldoneswithdice]

That's the point I was trying to get across in the video. BSS is 3D printing in house. The components are even on a sprue for the full build experience

[@NotSoMelancholy]

Honestly, especially with mech based games, I’d much rather look at gunpla (specifically the models in that SD/HG inbetween) and mimick that. - Coloured injection moulds that give you a presentable game-ready model out of the box, - Poseable joints (I mean simple like just shoulders/hips. half for variety half because it means they’re modular and you can swap parts out as you see fit & easily take apart for painting/repainting), - Cleaner details (there is no contest, a model with actual joints made up of multiple parts looks much sharper than a single piece model) Wargaming just exists in the weird middle ground though, where some people just want to paint, some people want to build, some people just want to play.

[@doguipreacher]

Nice ad.

[@oldoneswithdice]

Thanks

[@Shogun-c87]

Really interested in Spectre Operations, but the minis are always out of stock in USA. Would love to just print all my own stuff.

[@oldoneswithdice]

I really liked Spectre Operation 2nd edition. I haven't tried the 3rd edition yet. There are some great stl files out there for modern minis.

[@franksilva3566]

I learn a lot from your videos, I just started printing miniatures with resin - because of your experience, it would be helpful if you did a video on how you finish or prep your prints (especially how you deal with the ‘dimples’ - I have the same issues) - is it a support settings solution or is it a finishing (sanding) or a combination of both? Thanks

[@shanekhiu9884]

You probably could fill in a lot of those 'dimples' with modeling clay like Citadel 'Green Stuff'.

[@oldoneswithdice]

Dimples are caused by resin pooling up around the supports on the top of the model during printing. The only solution I have found is to adjust the models orientation to the build plate. The dimples form on surfaces parallel to the build plate. Less surface area parallel means less dimples.

[@theRemyLuna]

This might be the future of minis. I know of another company(Revelations:Skirmish) is doing this kind of thing for their models. And I think it works out pretty well. I'm not currently a user of 3d printers, so purchasing printed models makes it easy for me. But I know there are lots of players that love having the option to just print as needed. Great video!

[@oldoneswithdice]

@@theRemyLuna thanks does Revelation sell physical models?

[@theRemyLuna]

@@oldoneswithdice Yep! Absolutely. Currently I only have bought physical models. They do sell STLs for those with printers. When I can afford and have a place for a printer I'll be grabbing all the files I can get from them. The rules are free to download as well so that helped jumpstart my internet.

[@oldoneswithdice]

I really need to look at them again. I backed the 2023 Kickstarter. I was frustrated with the piece meal way they released the stl files. I ended up kind of forgetting about the game. I logged in to check the updates and there are still files to be delivered. Starting a new Kickstarter before fullfilling the previous one is a huge redflag for me.

[@marchenplay]

Black site does some AMAZING games and rulesets, this one in particular is by Corey who's an awesome dude!

[@oldoneswithdice]

Corey is great guy. I've talked to him on Discord and had the pleasure of meeting him at Adepticon this year.

[@marchenplay]

@@oldoneswithdice Adepticon was amazing! We also brought or game to the convention. I was super surprised on how many smaller games were using 3d printing now.

[@oldoneswithdice]

@@marchenplay what game?

[@marchenplay]

@@oldoneswithdice Ignition core games! We have three game systems! The titular Ignition core: (Giant robots), Shining Heroes (Rpg adventure) and Magical girl assault (Fast low count skirmish wargame)

[@swells1]

Need non toxic resin for me to get into resin. FDM is great for terrain which I am now using.

[@oldoneswithdice]

That's what I like about BSS' approach. By selling the physical and STLs they can appeal to both markets.

[@kylewilliams6091]

Get yourself a cheap 2x2 grow tent and in-line fan combo and pump it out the house

[@peterclarke7240]

You assume we all have outside areas.

[@kylewilliams6091]

@@peterclarke7240 who ?

[@oldoneswithdice]

@@peterclarke7240 ?

[@randomtvninja]

I recently backed two awesome mecha based wargames Fractured sphere And Revelations: Battlefield I'm in talks with the first game to sell printed models for them and the second game comes with both STLs and physical models.

[@oldoneswithdice]

I totally missed the Kickstarter for Fractured Sphere. I just reached out to David about a late pledge deal. I backed Revelations Skirmish but not the latest one. I haven't had a chance to get it to the tabletop yet.

[@randomtvninja]

@@oldoneswithdice I think everything will get uploaded to his MMF account and you'll be able to grab the STLs from there.

[@niannnprou]

It's the future of the hobby in so far as some day in the future, Black Site Studios might get their shit together. Also a really bleak future where beautiful handsculpted metal is replaced by the most boring, safest 3d designs.

[@kevoreilly6557]

The future is now …

[@ErgonomicChair]

I dunno. Looks soft and rounded, no nice clean flat surfaces etc.

[@Bobby11]

Sometimes the resin colour can make models look less crisp. So it might be worth keeping that in mind.

[@ErgonomicChair]

@@Bobby11 Oh? Heck I had no idea tbh abhotu that so, I'll have to look out for that.

[@oldoneswithdice]

I've definitely noticed that. When I switched printing in Elegoo Abs like 2.0 in a dark grey to Sunlu Abs like in a much lighter grey I initially thought there was a loss of detail. After priming I realised the detail was the same.

[@ovarb12]

Wow dude another mech game. $50 for a physical copy and $15 for 1 stl file. WTF. games workshop I think is actually cheaper. Huge pass dude.

[@oldoneswithdice]

@@ovarb12 yeah I'm not gonna lie. I had sticker shock when I saw the price on the physical minis. I only bought the one model. Though I did buy the stls for the 3 models I didn't get on the original preorder. Technically the game is mini agnostic. I think Tau Crisis suits would fit perfectly.