Swords & Wizardry Light - Forum

▼

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Kickstarter - The Encounter Brick Construction System for Tabletop Games (More Gaming "Lego")


You know what I hate? When a Kickstarter omits any pictures at all. See the above? That's a screenshot of the initial video.

I like when Kickstarters have a video included. I do not enjoy it when I'm forced to watch the video to even have a clue.

And yes, The Encounter Brick Construction System for Tabletop Games is more "Gaming Lego." More affordable and slightly more attractive than the last bit we saw. Still pricey.

Surprisingly, this isn't being done by (or used to fund) a 3D printer.
We would do this by milling a set of cold steel dies to be used in a state-of-the-art, hot-runner, injection molding process at Epsilon Industries in Dallas, Texas.
I guess that's why they look better.

I'd still opt for Lego, or even better yet, a cheap Lego knock off. I may not be the Frugal GM, but even I need to pinch corners at some points.
at

7 comments:

  1. Douglas ColeOctober 10, 2015 at 9:52 AM

    These are quite cool, but require set-piece encounters and a LOT of prep time in advance to make it happen. I love the concept in theory, but in practice it's a lot of work for the GM and a feeling of "I better have the fight here, because the GM has a set-piece battle planned."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TheShadowKnowsOctober 10, 2015 at 12:09 PM

      Agreed. That's why I end up never using miniatures at all. It slows things down.

      Delete
    2. Peter DOctober 10, 2015 at 8:29 PM

      Generally I don't put down stuff until there is a fight possible - then I bust out the knock-off Lego blocks and put down some walls. If there is no fight, that's fine . . .

      In any case we only do that when the fight is big enough to need it, or the scene is cool enough to want setting. It does slow stuff down, but you should slow down when you pass the nice scenery. :)

      Delete
  2. Christopher StogdillOctober 10, 2015 at 10:00 AM

    Hey....I don't mind spending money, as long as it is money well spent!

    ReplyDelete
  3. TheShadowKnowsOctober 10, 2015 at 12:08 PM

    Cost aside, those don't look any better than Legos IMO. So why bother with them?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Venger SatanisOctober 10, 2015 at 11:49 PM

    Their goal is $64,000.00? Dollars?!? Yeah, good luck, guys. First created / one backed...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kitchen WolfOctober 11, 2015 at 11:23 PM

    From a technical aspect, 3-d printing would be a total waste of time for these. These are no-undercut high repetition pieces, so a steel mold for plastic injection is appropriate, and that funding goal isn't excessive. Kinda lean if you have expenses beyond the molds themselves. That being said, it doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. If I was going to go the Lego route, I'd go full Minecraft and use Lego minis, Lego items, and I've even seen Lego "character sheets" with space for an inventory and a place to keep track of hit points and such. It's actually got a nice concreteness to it that helps players remember more of their options than a written list might.

    ReplyDelete