This forge is both hot and cool…

There’s a lot to complain about in our modern age, but damn if there isn’t some frickin’ awesome features as well. Anyone recall when I was talking excitedly about the potentials of on-demand 3D printing in terms of custom models? No? Well it might have been awhile ago and I can’t really say the revolution has arrived yet.

Except it has.

Okay, okay, this is a niche market, but… that was the whole point of on-demand, right? Satisfy the niche market. In this case, tabletop RPGers who want custom miniature figures of their characters.

The above link leads to a site called Heroforge.com, and I caution you: if you even think you might fit the profile above, DO NOT go there unless you have a few hours free. Holy crap is it cool. Like, really good computer game chargen levels of cool, except you’re mixing and matching parts on a 3d figure that you can then order to be manufactured and shipped to you. Or if you’re lucky enough to have a 3d printer or a friend with access to one, they’ll put a file download together and you can print it yourself.

Now I’ll admit that neither Dawn nor I have actually ordered and received one of these yet, but man is it tempting. If you watch the Critical Role livestream at all, their current figures seem to all be Heroforge products, so at least some level of order fulfillment must be going on.

In the meantime, you create an account and then you can play with and save different designs and share the pictures and/or configurations. Are the options perfect? Nah. But I guarantee you they’re far better than you expect, and certainly a godsend to any gamer who has ever been frustrated rooting through a game store selection trying to find a figure for their half-orc bard. Heroforge lets you customize the height and build and even the expression on your character’s face in addition to all the props and hair and poses and etc. But whatever, I mean, half-orc bards are one thing but alternate-future Mexican mechanic ladies are going to be…

…huh. Entirely possible. Shit-eating grin and all.

Oh and then just a couple more clicks gives her a motorbike option.

I mean again, not 100% perfect (no jumpsuit/flight suit options… at least not yet), but hell I’m almost just blown away by the fact they had something close to Rosa’s haircut.

And you know, a few years from now maybe this will all just seem very primitive and quaint, but for the moment me and all my nerd friends are too busy bringing our imaginations to life to care.