Plastichunter - Adventures in the 3D Printing Zone

Every GM should have one.  They are cheap to buy and run, they are readily available, don't take up a lot of space but can literally add an extra dimension to your games.

What am I talking about?  3D Printers of course.  I've owned one for a couple of years and found a limitless amount of things to print and here are just a few ways they can help to bring that extra something to your games.

From large to small there are plenty of great models which can be downloaded for free from 3D warehouses such as Thingiverse, Pinshape, MyMiniFactory etc.

Scenery Items

For those of us who still like to meet in meatspace every week, dressing your dungeon with scenic accessories is a great way to enhance your game and helps the players immerse themselves in your story.  It's much more satisfying for a player when they hide their mini behind a plastic pillar rather than a circle drawn on some lino.  Some items are functional in combat, other are just there for dramatic effect but they all make a huge difference to your game.

D&D Demon Idol - Download

Destroyed Colums - Download

Monster Minis

We all have a bunch of the common or garden minion miniatures (I'm looking at you orcs, goblins and skeletons) but who wants to spend a ton of cash collecting those speciality foes.  A quick search online and you are printing off your mid level minions in minutes at a fraction of the price you would normally pay.  Only need it once? No problem you've not invested that much and you can always give it to someone as a Christmas or birthday gift if you don't have the storage space.

Umber Hulk - Download

Beholder - Download

Unobtanium

If you are playing a long dead unsupported game and you need minis, you can always make your own.  I touched on this in a previous article, when I ran a Judge Dredd game a few years ago.  I was using the 15mm scale because the Laserburn Lawmen from Alternative Armies are just about the best simulcrum out there.  Modeling and printing vehicles and scenery items for your game is easy using free software such as sketchup and tinkercad.  You are only limited by your imagination.

H-Wagon	Homemade Judge Dredd Spinner

Gadgets and Accessories

Probably one of the most useful objects whilst being entirely frivolous at the same time are the game accessories.  Who doesn't want a cool looking Castle Grayskull Dice Tower, a dice box or even some spell templates to enhance your enjoyment.

Castle Grayskull Dice Tower - Download	D&D Spell Templates - Download