Back Into 3D Design Through Tabletop Gaming

For over a decade, I barely touched 3D design. I had dabbled years ago back at uni, back when the tools were clunky and 3D printing wasn't really a thing. Life moved on, and I left it behind.

Then one evening at my local gaming club, someone asked a simple question.

"Could we run a King of the Colosseum event sometime?"

That question pulled me right back in.

King of the Colosseum is a ruleset for the popular tabletop wargame, Warhammer 40k. Where players take smaller armies with restrictions (usually 4-5 units at most) and play very quick games in close confines of an arena-like setting.The ruleset was created by the guys at the popular YouTube channel Play on Tabletop and has proved popular but there isn't many options for terrain outside of an MDF set from a US based seller.

Returning to Design

Having been 3D printing for over 5 years so far, I had started dipping my toe back into 3D design again. Nothing too drastic, mainly just fixing other people's models or splicing parts together, though I was itching for a creative project. The idea of building an arena-style battlefield sounded like the perfect challenge. I opened up Blender, dusted off my printer, and started designing modular terrain that would work for colosseum-style show downs.

I focused on curved wall sections, corner pieces, and scatter that would work with games like Warhammer 40K, Kill Team, and Warcry. I printed off some initial designs and we played our first game on it at the local club and had a blast, it also attracted a lot of attention.

By the time our pencilled in event night arrived, I had printed nearly 20 sets of the terrain and the club committee had all banded together to get them all painted up.

The terrain played well. The table looked great. And the response from players was better than I expected. We had just under 40 people taking part and everyone loved the rule set designed by the guys at Play on Tabletop and the nice, custom terrain to play on.

Sharing the Project

After I posted a few photos online, people started messaging me.

"Where can I get the files?"

"Is this terrain available to download?"

"Can I print this for my own table?"

At that point, I hadn’t planned to release anything publicly. But the feedback was encouraging, so I decided to clean up the files, optimize them for support-free FDM printing, and launch a small Kickstarter to gauge interest.

It funded successfully. That support was enough to motivate me to do more, and it led to the creation of Wargame Geeks, where I now release STLs, 3D printed terrain, and accessories for tabletop gamers.

Colosseum Terrain and Beyond

Should anyone fancy picking up a set, the colosseum terrain files from that event is now available on MyMiniFactory, including:

• Gothic Colosseum STL Set
• Prefab Colosseum STL Set

Both sets are modular and easy to print, with options for different print bed sizes. To help players plan their builds, I also wrote a Colosseum 3D Print Guide that walks through suggested prints based on what fits on your printer.

Looking Ahead

Since that first Kickstarter, I’ve been designing more printable terrain, including container buildings, industrial scatter, and thematic sets for skirmish games. Everything is designed to be easy to print, beginner-friendly, and fun to play with on the tabletop.

The same club that helped spark this project still meets weekly. Now, other players around the world are printing and using the terrain that started at that table.

If you're thinking about getting back into design, launching your first Kickstarter, or just making something fun for your group, I can only recommend it. Start small, test it at your table, and see where it goes.

If you're looking to recreate a similar event, you can grab some of your own King of the Colosseum terrain directly from my website.