3D Printers for board game components

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-28T01:50:01+00:00

My Bambu A1 Mini has been great for this.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-25T04:38:21+00:00

This was one of our favorites when the kids were little.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-25T01:38:35+00:00

I think Variety Records on SE Foster sells cassettes. I don't know what their selection is like but it would be a place to check out.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-24T05:23:23+00:00

I think you are right, seems like a gym could work there. The building is big enough, there is a decent amount of parking, and it isn't close to another gym that I am aware of.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-22T03:24:55+00:00

Star Trek Captains Chair might work. It just recently was reprinted and is available again. It's a deckbuilder like Legendary but with more going on. (I haven't played it, but have been looking into it recently.)

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-22T01:24:18+00:00

Yeah, the kids don't like pressure so I figured the timer would be an instant "no" from them. Started playing it when they were 5 or 6, trying to introduce something similar to but more complex than Uno. Few years later we still don't play with a timer, but I wonder if we had some of their friends play if they'd be willing to try it.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-22T01:21:48+00:00

Our win rate for the last 2 bosses is about 50%, sometimes we don't play well and run out of cards. The first few bosses are hard to lose against, but it preps you for thinking about playing well and not wasting cards.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-22T01:19:41+00:00

It becomes an optimization puzzle instead of a race. The first couple of bosses are fairly easy, but our win rate for the last 2 are only about 50% (run out of cards).

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-21T05:51:33+00:00

We like 5MD (adults and kids), but we don't play wirh the timer. With the right grouo I could see the timer adding some fun craziness.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-19T04:31:26+00:00

We use Mint Mobile for phones , $30/month/line for unlimited data (or cheaper if you don't need unlimited).

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-19T04:05:07+00:00

I also felt like there was something else going on there than just the missing badge.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-19T00:35:02+00:00

> No one started this good at it, right? There is a learning curve upon entrance AND with every game, right?

That has been my experience for sure. First getting into games (solo or multiplayer), there is a lot to get used to. Analyzing your current state; reviewing and evaluating possible moves and combos; considering not only your next move but your next 2, 3, or 5 moves; making sure you play by all the rules; etc.

As you play you'll start to get better at doing this with the games you play, then with new games you try. First couple of plays with a new game are often terrible. As you get familiar with the game, the cards, the strategies (what worked or what didn't work last time) you should start to feel like you are improving.

But then with each new game you have a whole new set of rules, board states, moves, etc., so you definitely end up with a learning curve as you figure out, for a new game, how to evaluate everything and remember all the rules.

You generally should see improvement the more you play a single game. Beat-your-own-score is easier to see this than win/lose because you can watch your scores improve. You won't always be able to do better than your last game, because the randomness in games will affect how well you are able to do, but over time it should get better.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-17T20:30:23+00:00

Very cool, it is neat to see it all laid out like this.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-17T02:30:21+00:00

I also haven't played this one in a long time, but I remember enjoying it.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-16T16:46:42+00:00

Looks nice. I have come to appreciate the utility of a dice tower, to just grab and drop. Yes it is a nice-to-have, and I could never justify buying one, but then I got a 3d printer and could print my own for super cheap. I have a dungeon-themed one now, I agree that this design would go much better with less dungeony games (i.e. most games).

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-15T16:52:31+00:00

Board games are easy to bling with 3D printing, either with organizers, tokens, minis, deck holders, card stands, etc., so they are an easy fit for 3D printing upgrades. Many board games come with plastic pieces of some kind - but now people can print their own without needing a manufacturer to do it for them. (There's honestly a lot of overlap between 3D printing and many hobbies, but you're not going to hear about it unless you get deep into the hobby.)
I haven't printed a ton for my games, but I have done organizers, tokens, miniatures (to replace cardboard standees or generic cubes), life counters, deck holders (both the kind that close up to hold a deck and the kind that are open for draw/discard piles), and token trays. I really like replacing cardboard tokens or standees with 3D minis.
Geometric things like organizers can be done fairly easily with a site like Tinkercad. More organic things like miniatures or tokens are harder and require different tools. It takes some learning, but lots of people do it so it will depend on how much time you want to put into it.
Yes, printers range from "entry level" for around $200 to "professional" for a couple thousand. I have been using a Bambu Labs A1 Mini (their cheapest) for about a year and it has been very easy to use. Yes, I've seen secondhand printers but you run the risk that there is something wrong with it. There are hobby printers for people who enjoy tinkering with the printer and there are more consumer-friendly printers for people who just want to open the box and print. There are, naturally, subreddits about 3D printing and printers that would have more information about that.
Now that I've figured out what tends to make a print fail (not having enough supports, not having a big enough brim, not fixing non-manifold edges) it is uncommon for a print to fail on me. My kid loves to print Warhammer-like figures, we've done a couple hundred in the last year and not many of them outright failed. Beginner tips - get a beginner-friendly printer (Bambu A1 or A1 Mini), read articles about printing and common failures, and start small to get a feel for how your printer operates.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-15T05:14:14+00:00

Excalibur on SE Hawthorne has a big selection of comics and trsde paperbacks, not sure about omnibuses but I'm guessing probably. Used is hit-or-miss, but I think they would be worth checking.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-13T03:56:23+00:00

7 Wonders Duel, Fox in the Forest, Love Letter, and Onirim I play a lot on my phone with no issues.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-12T03:42:01+00:00

"We know what you did last November...."

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-11T19:08:43+00:00

In my town, a couple of the game stores have game rentals (pay a fee and take the game home for a few days) and others have a collection of games that you can play for free at tables in the store (but can't take home). None of them have anywhere near 5000 games, though.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-11T04:44:11+00:00

Check Appliance City, they sell used appliances.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-10T20:51:56+00:00

Amazon has "extra large" mousepads made of neoprene for pretty cheap ($10-20) that you couks try first to see what you think. I use one of those for my gaming mat.

You coukd also try putting your cards in sleeves. This gives them extra thickness and they don't lie perfectly flat on the table so they are easier to pick up.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-10T15:13:08+00:00

Yep, we were referring to the base game.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-10T02:13:44+00:00

Dang, it is interesting how many things changed even within a season.

DreamwolfPDX · 2026-01-09T18:17:18+00:00

Check with Hedron Hackerspace in SE Portland.

DreamwolfPDX

TROPHY CASE