Filippo Franco
I state that I received Thre3Dee Tabletop material for free from the creators for evaluation purposes. The miniatures, in resin, arrived already printed with a Phrozen and they had to endure a long journey, which caused some details to be lost. But thanks to the quality of the packaging, most of the miniatures have arrived unscathed. I was unable to pass them one by one to remove dust or small residues given the very short time between the arrival of the package and the publication of the review.
Unchained Games has demonstrated an excellent organization by managing the printing and sending of the material in minimum times and managing to get everything before the end of the Kickstarter campaign. My review starts from the assumption that, with the project files, it is possible to calmly print each of the over 55 miniatures of this very interesting project.
You can read our announcement article on the project and also an interview with the creators.
Humanoid figures
I begin to talk about what in the presentation of the project had convinced me the least: the miniatures of the humanoid figures. In fact they are the least interesting part, because if floors, walls and objects can be used in any circumstance, certain figures are situational. As we have explained several times, Unchained Games has launched Thre3Dee Tabletop as a preparatory campaign for their main project, Hidden Galaxy, a game that will be launched on Kickstarter in the near future. Therefore the miniatures refer to that setting and it is right that they are particular.
From a construction point of view they are well done, in classic but well balanced poses. From a very material point of view, those who have not chosen the pledge with these figures have no problems, those who have chosen the pledge with everything, however, find themselves with many files at a low price. Aren’t you interested in humanoid figures? Do not print them! Problem solved.
Thre3Dee Tabletop objects
The objects are already more important and present in the game maps of the RPG therefore my expectations were higher. I must say that I am very satisfied with almost all the material I have received. Honestly, I have seen much better chests, but everything else has struck me very positively. As you can see from the photos, the lectern, the altar and the barrels are realistic, cared for and well made. The proportions are not perfect, but, as I have already said, by paying for the project files, everyone then prints the size they prefer.
A special mention goes to the library, with the imp holding the books on the lower level and the blade of a hatchet planted on the side. Nice details that give a touch of experience and empathize with the viewer. It doesn’t look like a wizard’s bookshop bought at IKEA and seen again and again in millions of wizard’s towers. Finally, a praise to the mimic because I assure you that it is really beautiful and in the editorial office there will be a struggle to be the one who can take it home.
Floors and walls
Let’s start with a very important premise. In the time that elapsed between the printing of the elements and their sending to our editorial staff, Unchained Games has thought about an improvement of the floor and wall fixing system for Thre3Dee Tabletop. Therefore I will talk about what I received, going to explain after the changes to the system that have been invented in the meantime.
Overall, the evaluation is very positive. These are robust, well-designed and varied scenic elements, which are easy to assemble and which take up little space once stored. But above all they hook well. Any other quality would be irrelevant if the walls then fell with every sneeze, every roll of dice, every punch on the table for a critical failure. Instead the system works. The old one had hooks on the lower face of the elements to hold them together, together with load-bearing columns with grooves that allow the vertical elements to be hooked together.
In the photo they are highlighted with red and blue circles respectively. The new system instead provides the use of the grooves also horizontally. You can view it at this link. Although I have not tried it, based on the strength and ease of use of the grooves of the vertical elements, I can only be in favor of change. Personally I found it efficent and I had a lot of fun creating small rooms. Walls with spikes, shutters that really open, wooden walls, ruined stone walls, balustrades and windows… a lot of variety and a lot of choice, despite having only a part of everything you can receive!
General considerations on Thre3Dee Tabletop
Overall Thre3Dee Tabletop is really an excellent product offered at an advantageous price. The miniatures of the humanoid figures are excellent pieces, not particularly detailed, but in any case enrich an already very wide offer. The objects demonstrate attention to detail and versatility, considering that among them there are also a dice and a dice tower.
Floors and especially walls make the difference and raise the product to a higher level of value for money. The coupling system is practical, fast and intuitive. The yield is very stable but also fluid in disassembly. Finally, the variety of the elements proposed really impressed me. Floors with hatches that open, wooden doors that can be bolted, portals, cells, uneven floors. Everything can also be assembled on several floors.
3D printers are not yet widespread in our homes and this slows down a little the desire to purchase the .stl files. No printer, no miniatures. However, with the passage of time and lower prices, having projects in your hands that allow you to quickly build a multi-room, multi-story scenario is an added value. Not to mention that it will be possible to have the exact number of copies needed for each element based on taste and needs. Once you have a model, nothing prevents you from printing several copies! In short, in the future 3D printers will cost less, but it is not sure that you will find a quality offer around like this. And in the meantime, you just need to be enterprising: there are many shops that, by supplying the files, will print your miniatures; in short, a solution can always be found!
