It's fair to say that it's everyone's dream to have their passion make them some profit, even better if you can live off it. Some people make music, some people sell their art, and some people found a way to make a living off a game they fell in love with as a kid. Introducing: Tabletop games. In school, did you ever see the kids at recess who were really into certain games like Dungeons & Dragons or Warhammer? Well, if you were not involved or did not understand that scene, trust me it's bigger than you could imagine. For Warhammer alone, there is as many as five million players who play this game, and GameWorks (the creators of the game) managed to create 596 million USD in sales alone in 2023. However, if you're a cynical person, you must be wondering how a player base of only 5 million can generate nearly 600 million in sales of a board game, The answer? Expensive mini figurines. The price varies between figurine but Gameworks charges anywhere from 50$ to 2000$ per figurine! and players are expected to have a minimum of 1000 figurines to have a basic army. As you can tell, this setup can get costly, which is why many players tend to get look -alike replicas from third parties that will charge 1/3 or 1/2 the price of the original. These third parties are making high four - five figures a month (like a person named Ghasemy) who ran a Patreon service, manufacturing Warhammer figurines, and how are they doing this? Through 3D printing baby.
Legality of it
Now I won't lie to you, the legality of this is very grey. At the end of the day, it comes down to what extent are you copying the manufacturing companies intellectual property. In other words, if you are copying their designs head to toe and selling it for profit, you are technically stealing their property, which could land you in big trouble. However, if you create your own design that has some noticeable differences to their figurines, that is legally okay, as A) You own the design B) You are not ripping off their design. Some companies are a bit more lenient towards 3D printing figurines as it would be hard to distinguish between ripping off vs art expression, especially in a game like Dungeons and Dragons, where imagination is the driving factor for the game. However, companies like Gameworks have gone after certain third party services to protect their intellectual property and bottom line. At the end of the day, it's all about how you advertise it: If you advertise yourself as a Warhammer replication company, best believe you're putting a target on your back whereas if you advertise yourself as a tabletop figurine service.
Numbers and How It's Done
Despite the legal issues behind this business, it can be a very profitable one. There are two materials third party services print their figurines in: Plastic and Resin.
Plastic is used because most hobbyist FDM 3D printers use this filament, which will run you maybe 50 cents a figurine. The problem with using a FDM printer are: They're slow, they're not the most reliable and they don't produce the highest quality product.
Resin is what I would recommend personally as they give the nicest finishing and can print multiple pieces without increasing the print time. Depending on the type of resin you get, it could run you anywhere from 0.70 to 1.50$ a figurine.
The actual manufacturing process is quite simple as the printer will do most of the work. The trickier part will be the designing part if you are not a great designer. However, there are files out there of replicas you could download and print for yourself, you will just need to contact the artist before anything. Depending on which material you use, the post processing will be different. Plastic is as simple as just snipping off the supports and sanding surfaces down, whereas resin would need to go through a washing and curing process to remove it's toxicity.
Regardless of which material you choose to use, the manufacturing cost is insanely low, which is why third party services exist and is why people get outraged when tabletop companies charge extortionate amounts for their figurines.
Conclusion
In summary, turning a passion for tabletop games like Warhammer into a profitable 3D printing business is achievable, especially with a creative approach to design and a solid grasp of production techniques. While navigating the legal landscape is essential, especially regarding intellectual property, the demand for affordable, high-quality figurines makes this a lucrative opportunity for those willing to dive in.
Whether you’re looking to start your own venture or want to print mini figurines for personal use, feel free to reach out to us for any further questions that we may help you with!
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