Open Board GameGame development company Thinker Thing is in the process of developing a full community of free downloadable plans for 3-D printing your own board game. The open source project, called Open Board Game, is designed to allow both creators and players participate in the process. With the framework, creators will be able to upload the models to the website and players will be able to download them to make physical pieces on a 3-D printer.

According to 3DPrint, the framework is a set of components, like interlocking board tiles, mini figs, cards, dice, and even electronic elements, all of which can be printed at home using a 3-D printer.

Currently, the website features free 3-D printer download models for two games; Miomon, which is a monster-capture card game similar to Pokémon, and Rust to Dust, which is an advance wars type strategy game. Rust to Dust is in its first playable state and Miomon is still in the early concept stage.

The idea, however, is to have the public create their own games and publish the models to the website so that others can print-and-play for free. We aren’t talking about a PDF of a card game, either. These are detailed 3-D game pieces, stuff you’ll have to keep in a box.

If you don’t have your own 3-D printer at home, the Open Board Game website recommends a few websites that will print your products for you, like Maker Space, FabLabs, and 3D Hubs. Or, you can ask your local library if a 3-D printer is available to the public.

If this takes off, 3-D printed board games could be the next big thing in the industry.

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