3D printers are sometimes called Santa Claus machines because, like Santa, they can create anything imaginable. When used to make actual toys and games, this is especially fitting. The team at Ill Gotten Games is doing just that by creating Pocket Tactics, the first open source miniatures game designed to be manufactured on a 3D printer.

In Pocket Tactics, witches and warriors fight to control a diminutive, hexagonal world. Designer Arian Croft says "it's so small you could literally play the game on an airplane seat tray." Consisting of character figurines, tiles, and dice, the pieces can be downloaded from Thingiverse and printed on a MakerBot. A complete set of parts takes several hours to extrude, but games can be played in just over 20 minutes.

The tiny project started out on a much more ambitious scale. The three-person Ill Gotten team has spent seven years prototyping a multi-genre role playing game system – think epic battles with wizards fighting vampires while dodging aliens. Then Croft discovered the world of 3D printing, combined it with a portion of his game system, and found near-overnight inspiration. "Pocket Tactics was conceived on Tuesday night and by Friday I had a playable prototype."

Before Pocket Tactics, Croft had been sculpting traditionally for years, and while he was excited about the prospect of 3D printing he wasn't comfortable with his skill level. "I didn't foresee being able to deal with the 3D programs and we were looking for someone to make 3D pieces for us, but then I found TinkerCad." he says. Croft says. He has since quit his job in the medical field to focus on designing games, and has already enjoyed early success by winning a competition held by MakerBot.

TinkerCad has limitations, but with patience and practice, impressive warriors can be designed.

The use of Tinkercad, a web based CAD program that works like a set of digital Legos, lets fans expand and modify the game easily. Because everything is designed and hosted in the cloud you can almost magically transform the Dwarven Forge Master (pictured above) into a 1970s cop without extensive software training.

Croft encourages everyone to try modifying his models and says "I don't see myself as a person with a lot of technical mastery or schooling, but if I can do this it's open to anyone." He goes on to add that the response to the game itself has been good, and says "We even had a guy on the Thingiverse translate our rules into French, which is beyond awesome."

But how will established game companies take to the make-at-home open source movement creeping into their domain? Although Pocket Tactics' minis lack the exquisite sculpting of traditional war games like those made by Games Workshop, a starter kit of those models can cost $99 or more, while these pieces can be printed for pennies. We've already seen Games Workshop issue 3D model repository Thingiverse a takedown notice under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act due to their hosting of Warhammer-style models. Pocket Tactics' similarly-sized 28mm game pieces could become an upcoming target.

Despite these uncertainties, Ill Gotten Games is blazing new trails into game creation and access that established game makers will have to acknowledge. And in the meantime, good reader, help the plastic people of Hexlvania who are under siege! Head to TinkerCad forthwith and create a new type of hero to free them from exorbitant game costs and hackneyed designs!