Back in the ancient tiꦛmes of 2019, people used to play in person. We have since adopted a new way, the way of virtual tabletops and Zoom calls (or Discord for the connoisseur). But many hope to one day return to the old ways, if only to use all their stuff. Shelves of dice collect dust, miniature figurines which once represented mighty heroes are sealed within convenient carrying tombs. A new Kickstarter, however, hopes to usher in the return of minis in style – by having them talk.
The project lacks a cool snappy name, instead going for the descriptive "." The minis will be 3D printed and, assuming the project gets funded, ship in July. Depending on where one lives, that might line up perfectly with the easing of social distancing restrictions and the return of in-person D&D.
Backers of these 3D printed minis will get access to a web📖 editor that lets them customize the color or grey mini of their dreams, much like Hero Forge. The difference here seems to be a few more stylistic choicꦉes. Backers will be able to make a detailed fantasy figure, or a cute chibi one. There will also be the option for a pixelated style.
The main selling point, however, is that these minis will have some kind of digital interface. This will allow them to "talk." Placing the mini on a smartphone will make the phone produce a 𒆙pre-recorded phrase. The screen will also display simple stats like HP and XP. It's sort of like a more specific version of Nintendo's Amiibo, or the way you can add a pre-recorded message to a Build-A-Bear.
There are also plans for other specific varieties, like glow-in-the-dark and copying a person's face onto a figure. Honestly, it kind of sounds like a lot. Too much for a Kickstarter project. But the team behind it, , have experi🥂ence in game development. So the programming and printing of smart tabletop miniatures shouldn't be beyond them, right?
To learn more about the project, check out the Kickstarter page. There's still about 20 days left of the campaign, which is plenty of time to b൲ack it and s💝end a custom mini request. If you've ever wanted to print a version of your kenku rogue complete with catchphrase, now's the time.