MeinMMO editor Sophia Weiß loves playing Dungeons & Dragons. However, since I couldn’t find the right dice, I started a completely new hobby three years ago. Now I not only make dice but also give away self-designed loot.
My love for Pen & Paper began in 2016 with Critical Role, a group of voice actors playing Dungeons & Dragons in a stream. Later, I forced my friends into a (private) home-brew campaign. In 2023, I even organized an eight-part D&D stream and podcast called Ready to Roll with the team from GameStar Talk.
What started as a harmless pastime with my friends has turned into a beloved but time-consuming monster. Unfortunately, I suffer from a widespread problem: I never have enough sets of dice, and especially never the ones that match my currently played character.
So I looked for new dice, and lo and behold: you can actually make them with epoxy resin. One YouTube tutorial later, I had a new hobby. And that was just the beginning of an absolute deep dive into resin art, 3D modeling, and printing.
What is epoxy resin?
Epoxy resin is a liquid material that hardens later on, used in construction, woodworking, or hobbies. It is a type of plastic.
In this specific example, it’s about resin used for jewelry making. The resin itself and a hardener are thoroughly mixed in equal parts in liquid form. The mixture is then poured into a mold, where it hardens within a day and generates heat.
Later in the article, UV resin is also mentioned. This is another type of epoxy resin that hardens under UV rays from things like the sun or a UV lamp.
2022: From Dice Goblin to Self-Designed Loot
My original motivation was: I have such a great character, but no matching dice, and buying is so expensive. So I learn to make them myself.
In the end, I certainly put more than just the price of a set of dice on the table regarding tools and materials.
What do you need to make dice for Pen & Paper with epoxy resin?
- Dice masters that can be molded with duplicating silicone.
- Epoxy color pigments like mica powder, glitter, or alcohol ink to make the dice look nice.
- Mixing utensils (cups, mixing sticks, mats, etc.).
- A protective gear
- Compressor
- Pressure pot
- … and of course the resin itself.
The list is not complete.
YouTube has a huge selection of really good tutorials for resin art. I can particularly recommend Rybonator and Dreamy Dice for dice or resin basics.
Equipped with everything, I started making dice for the whole family. By Christmas 2022, there was a set of dice for everyone in my circle. No matter if they play Pen & Paper or even know about it. By now, my entire circle of friends is partially equipped with sharply edged dice.
In 2023, I had the idea: What if I design, print, and then cast my own (dice) masters?
2023: Blender Deep Dives for Beginners
Self-designed dice masters never materialized, however. Instead, my first project turned out to be a pendant for my new hobby of live-action role-playing (LARP) that I started simultaneously with resin.
I have never worked with tools like Blender before. It can do so much, and I was an utterly overwhelmed beginner. But with the right guidance, this overwhelming tool is actually quite simple.
I am currently working with Blender 4.1. The YouTube channel Blender Guru has a wonderful video series where he teaches you how to create a realistic donut in the program. This way, you get to know the most important functions.
With this help, I even managed to design a form that seems incredibly complex to me (see gallery), including a hole for a leather band and with engraved
group sign. Quickly export in the correct file format – done.
One problem still remained: My household has an FDM 3D printer (plastic printer), an Ender 5, but I wished for the nice glass finish that I knew from my dice masters. Unfortunately, that can only be achieved with a resin 3D printer.
How do FDM and resin 3D printers differ?
There are two fundamental differences between FDM and resin 3D printers: the printing material and the way it is processed.
FDM printers melt plastic, known as filament, and lay it down via a nozzle in the desired shape on a build plate. Layer by layer, they build up the shape to be printed. You can imagine it as if you were adding a layer of glue on top of the previous layer with a hot glue gun. FDM prints usually have larger and, above all, visible individual layers.
Resin printers, on the other hand, work with UV resin. So resin that hardens under UV light. The build plate, where printing occurs, hangs in a tray full of resin. To create the print, the bottom of the tray is illuminated with UV light point by point, hardening one layer after another. This allows for very fine layers to be printed, which are usually no longer visible in the final product, enabling the glass finish.
My partner recommended a Chinese service that offers 3D printing of all kinds. Three weeks later, I held my first master in hand – with the desired glass finish.
So, I directly asked my LARP friends about their color wishes and off I went. From that point, the process was the same as with the dice:
- Create a cast mold with the master and duplicating silicone.
- Mix resin, color it with pigments, and pour.
- Wait 24 hours until everything has hardened, then remove from the mold.
- Done.
The pendants were a total hit with my people and in the game. The loot was fantastically received!
So I planned to design even more pendants for the next year. However, a nagging voice inside me could not be silenced: Why send your designs to China for printing and across half the world when you could also make them yourself?
And thus began my 2024 project.
2024: Months of Research and Waiting for the Sale
I actually just wanted to make dice so that I have a set for each of my Pen & Paper characters. And of course, so I could provide my friends with them.
Hardly two years later, I am deep into researching my own 3D printer so that I can print self-designed jewelry, accessories, figures, and more. And to be honest? I was so excited about it.
So I launched a several-month deep dive to find out how to best start with resin 3D printing. However, I discovered that there are a few pitfalls involved:
- Resin 3D printing requires more equipment and correspondingly more space than FDM printers.
- The resin used for printing emits toxic fumes, so a good insulation and exhaust system is useful if the printer is supposed to be in the apartment.
- The printing itself is very error-prone.
Additionally, the equipment is expensive to start with. I calculated the costs with my desired model from Anycubic. Here’s how the costs would look in January 2025:
| Device | Price |
|---|---|
| Anycubic Photon Mono M5s Pro (sold out) | 339.00 € |
| Anycubic Wash & Cure 3 Plus | 169.00 € |
| Anycubic Bio Resin | 29.99 € |
| Grow Expert Premium Grow Tent | 79.00 € |
| Fan, hose, etc. from hardware store | 90.00 € |
| Total | 706.99 € |
A Tough Decision
Because I also started with leather armor building parallel to 3D design and resin casting – I highly recommend the 12-part course from the Black Raven Academy – I asked myself some questions:
- Do I want to start another expensive hobby with the initial tool costs?
- Am I ready to commit fully and ensure that the resin fumes do not affect me, my roommate, a.k.a. my partner, and my dog, or make them sick?
- Do I really need this?
The answer to the first question was Yes.
The others? No.
For the few parts I need that I design and print myself, the investment is not financially worthwhile. As much as I love being a Dungeon Master, I don’t want to take on more effort in preparing sessions. And what if I simply can’t manage to print properly?
The final blow to my plans was the realization that I cannot guarantee that the toxic resin fumes can be completely discharged outside with a self-built ventilation system. I’m not playing with my health or anyone else’s. And certainly not with my dog’s health.
For now, I will still send my 3D designs to professionals for printing. Maybe I can soon find a provider that is located in Europe, not in China.
But I managed to get the self-designed and cast Christmas loot done just in time despite all these considerations. Pouring dice sets continues to be incredibly fun for me, and there are hundreds of pre-made silicone molds for fun things like coasters, containers, or even entire chess boards.
For the upcoming LARP year of 2025, I already have the next designed project in the works and have even had it printed. What it is shall remain a surprise for now.
In general, I have achieved a lot in the last three years. Just in 2024, I traveled around a lot for MeinMMO to bring you the hottest new info on upcoming games. On one trip, I even ended up in Japan, and I took the time to visit the world’s only One Piece gym for you: I was in the world’s only gym for One Piece in Japan and trained like Luffy, Whitebeard, and Shanks
