Archive through July 17, 2017
Star Fleet Universe Discussion Board: Shapeways Project: Other Things for Shapeways:
General Discussion: RPG Figures:
Archive through July 17, 2017
I like the idea of RPG miniatures, and I would buy them. I feel like this might be a good time for them as well. A new Star Trek RPG is coming out and it has some hype behind it. Having Star Fleet Universe miniatures, especially Gorn and original series style Klingons could have cross over appeal to people wanting to use the new system but play an original series campaign.
The possibility of having the two scales of 15mm and 28mm SFU figures thru Shapeways is an interesting one if they can be rescaled easily.
As was said above, if you do two scales to fit commercially available deck plans, including ADBs' own, you give yourselves a potential larger market, even if players don't play the SFU starship games.
And as Sean says, you could have figures in addition to what has been available or is currently available. If you do Andorians or Tellarites for example, which haven't really been prevalent in previous ranges, you may find that is a draw to RPG players.
Another idea, would it be possible to have figures that could have accessories to add to them. Say a figure with outstretched hand that could have a phaser, tricorder or engineering doohickey as needed? Just thinking out loud to see what people think of a possible future figure range.
I for one would look forward to see what ADB might produce. (TOS Klingons and Orions for the win!) 
To clarify, would there be two separate scales in play for ground units - one for use with Star Fleet Marines, and a second for Prime Directive/Tribbles/KRAG use (as being discussed in another thread)?
In the case of the former, I was under the impression that the scale used for SFM would be closer to other game systems in which a squad of human-sized figures would be based on the same stand, such as Flames of War, BattleTech, or Epic: Armageddon. If so, is there a certain scale at which a sprue of Marines would be obliged to be set, in order to survive the Shapeways printing process?
The biggest problem with figures between RPG and SFM is that in RPG, 28mm is pretty much expected, but for SFM, most of the people I know want to be able to use them on the existing maps, which means 15mm at the largest, 10mm or even 6mm would be preferred.
I don't see any reason we could not do two or three scales.
Empty hands to old separate weapons is possible only in larger sizes, obviously.
Scales perhaps, 15mm (1/107), and 28mm (1/58), you could go large for painted display figures at 1/16 (100.6mm) or 1/9 (1/178.9mm).
Many scales have been mentioned.
Big problem here is that it is easy to take a 3788 ship, expand it 21%, and you have a 3125 for the effort of resizing the stand hole. Doing a 15mm and expanding it 90% for 28mm is going to require more detail work. Going down that much won't pass the checks without a lot of extra work. Going to 6mm or 100mm might mean starting over. We don't know yet.
Can somebody tell me....
Is 28mm measured from boot soles to eyes or to top of head?
Quote:By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, July 15, 2017 - 10:26 am: Edit
Can somebody tell me....
Is 28mm measured from boot soles to eyes or to top of head?
Yes. No, really. The answer depends on whose figures are we talking about. Best answer is pick one and stick with it. Just my observation, but UK figurine makers seem to measure from soles to eyes, most everyone else to the top of the head.
Thanks, I think.
GARY CARNEY: To clarify, would there be two separate scales in play for ground units - one for use with Star Fleet Marines, and a second for Prime Directive/Tribbles/KRAG use (as being discussed in another thread)?
STEVE COLE: Way too soon to tell and we don't have to nail down every question in the first five seconds of a new project nobody has even studied. I suspect that we would follow the market. That might mean 28mm for RPGs, 15mm for KRAG/Tribbles, and maybe even some kind of squad-bases for 6mm. I have no idea. I haven't studied the market or the technology.
GARY CARNEY: In the case of the former, I was under the impression that the scale used for SFM would be closer to other game systems in which a squad of human-sized figures would be based on the same stand, such as Flames of War, BattleTech, or Epic: Armageddon.
STEVE COLE: I am not sure where you got this impression. You seem to frequently infer things I never implied. I have never heard of any of those games. As I said, as I said years ago, and every few months since, if we ever do this (and through Shapeways it could happen!) we'll study the market and the technology.
GARY CARNEY: If so, is there a certain scale at which a sprue of Marines would be obliged to be set, in order to survive the Shapeways printing process?
STEVE COLE: I suspect there may be, but I have no idea what it is. That's part of studying the technology. I do know that size-vs-survival has to do with small details. We have a lot of trouble with pointy corners and phaser bumps on some materials. Putting things on a sprue is mostly a matter of smaller units being easier to deal with this way. This would be a matter of studying the technology, which has not been done yet. (You really expect me to define everything now when nobody has spent 2 seconds figuring this out?) It might be that we'd have to use some of the more expensive materials which handle sharper corners and smaller details, but that means running into a price situation. No studies of cost, materials, detail survive, scale, size, or anything else has been done.
Boot soles to eyes.
Part of the problem with scale is that sometimes when they refer to size in mm they are talking about the dimensions of the base. Generally 15mm figures could fit in a 1/2" square quite nicely. some of them had a base that was 15mm x 15mm square or a circle that was 15mm in diameter. Thee were used for GDW or Classic Traveller. Some had a rectangular base that was 15mm long x 7.5mm wide (1/2" x 1/4") These were the same as the people counters for Car Wars. FASA ST:RPG minis were 25mm but had a 15mm square base. They are also pretty thin when compared to more modern figures so they look anorexic. The Heritage Star Trek minis were 25mm and the bases are vaguely square but by no means 25mm x 25mm. They are thicker so they look more proportionate and not anorexic but are small compared to modern minis. They would kind look okay on 15mm deck plans, but small on 25mm deckplans, putting them on a bigger base would help. The Heritage Gorn would make great Skoleans but are small for Gorn compared to the humans. The Kzinti are also small. The TFG Federation Marines were on 25mm round bases and are 25mm Heroic or 28mm scale. They all look like bodybuilders which is what most of the modern minis look like. They look fine on 1" deckplans. The SJG cardboard minis and Traveller deckplans are 28mm scale. The New Era Traveller minis were 25mm and had 25mm bases they look a little small compared to the more modern 28mm figures. The LUG STRPG minis were 28mm and the new Modiphus STRPG figure are going to be 32mm.
The Miniatures Page: Hobby Scale Reference- http://theminiaturespage.com/ref/scales.html
The Miniatures Page: Measures of Scale- http://theminiaturespage.com/lib/def.mv?id=scale
Larger scales compared- http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tjkQUZ9f9gk/TAaq9sUsymI/AAAAAAAACxs/lxJ1a3KGbb8/s1600/Scales.jpg
15mm Traveller figures with 15mm round bases on 15mm Deck Plans- http://www.piratebrethren.com/traveller/Haunting%20Thunder,%20Deck%2069.jpg
25mm Traveller minis on 25mm Deckplans- http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/83662ebf0aa2b67e796a392bf04ef2d76g.jpg
25mm Heritage Star Trek crew with @15mm Square Bases- http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tpope/sol/heritage/images/1604.jpg
FASA ST:TRPG Enterprise crew 25mm minis with 15mm round bases- https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tpope/sol/fasa/3001.jpg
LUG Federation Away Team, @25mm (closer to 30mm) with @25 mm bases sorta- http://www.agisn.de/assets/images/Worf_AwayT2_sm.jpg
28mm TFG Star Fleet Marines on 25mm bases- https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2gtiOa2p1c4/Tm1mLwX5urI/AAAAAAAAFRE/p46ktWllDNU/s720/P1060724.JPG
I would buy 6mm SFU figures and vehicles as they would match my OGRE, Car Wars, and Micro Armor miniatures and terrain.
I would buy 15mm SFU figures as they match my classic GDW Traveller minis, terrain, and Deck Plans. They would also match my FASA ST:RPG Deck Plans.
I would buy 28mm SFU figures as they would match my SJG Traveller Cardboard Heroes, Traveller Deck Plans and Klingon G1 Deck Plans.
I would also buy any SFU deckplans in 15mm and 25mm (even a pdf I could out print myself) as Deck Plans are awesome and 15mm doesn't hog up a table as bad, but 25mm just looks cool.
Classic Traveller was one square equals 1.5 meters weather the square was drawn at 1/2" or 1". SJG deckplans match GURPS, so one square is 1 yard and the squares are 50mm.
If anybody reading this thinks he can make RPG figures for us to sell on Shapeways, drop me an email. (Do not assume a post somewhere else will be seen by me.)
Anybody, find me some retail prices on 28mm and 15mm figures, per one or per set of how many. Email me.
We looked at the 6mm stuff and infantry is going to be 1/4 inch tall and little more than a funky blob. I have no problem with 6mm (1/285) tanks and vehicles. Not sure what to do about infantry but no decisions are made and research/testing will take place.
I will specifically note that NO SCHEDULE HAS BEEN GIVEN for RPG characters or ground combat miniatures. They will NOT be done on the 1 August release. Nothing else is implied nor should anything else be inferred. Literally no one knows anything else about what will happen or when, but we are pursuing the questions. They are not the only questions we have to consider.
First look at Kzintis
Cool.
Nice kitty!
Steve Cole,
Perhaps have a kickstarter for the RPG, and Ground combat miniatures.
Why would we need one? There is no up front cost.
Ok do not need kickstarter.
I've seen 6mm Napoleonic figures. My wife even pained a whole army or two for somebody. They're more than "little blobs". Personally, though, I preferred the 15mm figures used in WRG-7 Ancient Miniatures. An entire Viking or Roman army could fit in a small toolbox, whereas the 25mm version of the same army would take two or three such toolboxes.
Garth L. Getgen
You can do more than "little blobs" for 6mm when you have a decent mold and can do injection or spin casting, yes. I have some battle-armor and infantry figs from Battletech for examples.
You can just barely do it in FUD with Shapeways. WSF is right out.