Digital miniatures to be converted to plastic miniatures?

[Gundark]

Bet they go for $10 a figure, not including shipping. Neat but not entirely needed from my point of view. More and more, the game seems to be getting away from the imagination and more into the physical realm. Terrain, dungeon tiles, custom miniatures, gold coins... next thing you know we will all be wearing costumes around the table.

While I see your point I would argue that such things help the imagination flow. If I have a mini that looks like how I pictured my character to look I think that it would help my imagination.

 

[Blair Goatsblood]

3-D printers are becoming cheaper every year, I think this will be feasible soon.

Heck, if you could rip the wireframe of your character, there's probably already companies that would render a miniature for you.

 

[Glyfair]

It'd be interesting, but I think the technical challenges... would be challenging. Especially in plastic.

It can be done. I know the Mechwarrior figures from WizKids have been designed on a computer and printed out on a 3D printer. Of course, you have to know the limitations of the software and the printer.

I know there is a company out there who will give you a custom run of your own metal miniature. It requires a sizable outlay (several hundred dollars, as I recall), but you get a bunch of them. I can't find the company right now.

Edit: Here it is, Eureka Miniatures. Not quite custom since it requires 10 people to express interest. Get friends together and it can be done. It's interesting browsing through the ones that have been requested and are waiting for enough people to express interest.

 

[pawsplay]

You know what, Wizards? To heck with collectible, randomized miniatures. I want minis I can use. Collectable does me no good when a beholder costs $30 on Ebay.

 

[Darkwolf71]

... next thing you know we will all be wearing costumes around the table.

Wait... what?

You mean you don't do this...

 

[Darkwolf71]

You know what, Wizards? To heck with collectible, randomized miniatures. I want minis I can use. Collectable does me no good when a beholder costs $30 on Ebay.

Funny thing is, that's exactly what would keep this from happening. Not the technology, the fact that it might cut into thier CCG modeled miniature market. If you listened to the interview there were several points where it was mentioned that you will have to buy the 3D minis and terrain for the Online Gaming Table. (After the initial freebie everyone will/may get.) Very much like the digital MTG game. :\

 

[WayneLigon]

They would need for the digital mini to have a huge degree of customization for that to be appealing to me. The character designer in City of Heroes can't even come close to my visions of most of my characters; the little thing we saw in the demo would need 100x or more the depth of customization to approach the CoH designer. I just can't see them doing this and not have them all turn out pretty much identical to each other.

Now, doing your PC for the minis game, yeah, since the really pertinent stats are on the mini's card.

 

[smetzger]

IIRC, Ryan Dancey once mused about this sort of thing... though using metals.

It'd be interesting, but I think the technical challenges... would be challenging. Especially in plastic.

Cheers!

Well, 3D printers have come a long way. For example I have seen the following made:
Screw and nut that work
chain (all the links were together) - very cool

 

[Festivus]

I guess you guys can tell that I started playing D&D with a crayon filled d20, a blue covered basic D&D book, a pad of graph paper, a pencil and my imagination.

I know that the game started with minis, I guess I was just making the point that you really don't need all this stuff to play. It's neat and everything but not essential. I admit I would likely buy one for my favorite player character.

 

[catsclaw227]

If you listened to the interview there were several points where it was mentioned that you will have to buy the 3D minis and terrain for the Online Gaming Table. (After the initial freebie everyone will/may get.) Very much like the digital MTG game. :\

I thought this was a myth that was debunked. That we would NOT have to pay for digital miniatures for the online gaming table.

What is the story here. Do we have to pay or not? If so, it would be the first MAJOR negative for me in this run to 4e.