Nov 23, 2015 | By Alec

We here at 3ders.org love board games, and especially those fan-made creations that feature an ingenious concept, excellent game play and fantastic 3D printed figures. That’s why we were very impressed by Leonardo | The Game of Art and Death | Plague Edition, an incredible game that easily ticks all those boxes. Featuring 3D printed pieces, gorgeous artwork and a gameplay that could almost be seen as an improved, more dynamic and challenging version of Monopoly, it is understandably a huge hit on Kickstarter: having only just launched, they have already gathered nearly half of their $48,000 goal.

In essence, the game takes you through the life of one of history’s most famous and remarkable characters, Renaissance artist, inventor, and homo universalis Leonardo da Vinci in an Italy wrecked by intrigue, war and the plague. ‘Choose your figure, and with money in hand, enter the game at Vinci, the birthplace of Leonardo. As you travel through 15th century Renaissance Italy, you are faced with strategic decisions: Do you buy the Mona Lisa or invest in one of Leonardo's brilliant inventions? Do you acquire a Palazzo in Firenze, or aspire to be the Pope in Roma?’ the maker’s say. ‘Suddenly, the tension mounts as Death appears! It’s the Black Plague, a fact of life in these dangerous times. Continue your journey, collecting Art and Property, amassing a fortune to ruin your opponents! You must have both luck and skill to succeed, for your position in the game can switch in an instant!’ Sounds great, right?

The game itself is developed by a father and daughter team of Swiss creators Dent-de-Lion du Midi and Soleil Zumbrunn du Midi from Meisterwerke Altstadt. Father Dent-de-Lion himself is quite famous in the boardgaming world, being an artist and inventor with a long history at LEGO. ‘I was Director of Research for the LEGO Corporation, and founded Project Darwin, the 100+ person team whose work paved the way to Mindstorms, The LEGO Movie, and VR game environments,’ he says.

As you can see from the artwork, this is an absolutely gorgeous game that pays tribute to one of the most remarkable artists who ever lived. ‘We designed Leonardo with two specific goals in mind : One, to have a fantastic and fun-filled gameplay experience, one that grows in enjoyment with each encounter, a balanced blend of luck and skill. Two, to be an absolute delight to the hand and eye, and true to the Mind and Spirit of Leonardo,’ the father/daughter team says. Suitable for two to six players from ages twelve and up, it lasts up to two hours.

Featuring made-up Florentine bank notes as currency, players move around the board with a beautiful 12-sided die and purchase a variety of cards. As you journey through Leonardo, there are four types of properties you can own : Palaces, Churches, Universities, and Services. The management of your valuable hard won property will figure greatly in your success, and a cleverly timed trade or astute purchase could prove the difference between glorious victory or disastrous defeat,’ they explain. Art can then be purchased to add value to the locations, and as is the case with houses and hotels in Monopoly, you can charge other players for landing on your square.

While there are a variety of other differences in regards to that iconic game, perhaps the most fun one is Death, which is home to its own tile. ‘If a player lands on the Death corner they become Death. switch figures! When Death lands on any Property except a Church, the tables are turned and you pay him! When Death lands on a Church- he has to pay double the fee,’ the explain. It’s also possible for others to become Death after you, while even Death himself can go bankrupt.

That promises much, but the whole game is finished off with some of the most stylish board game pieces you’ll have ever seen – all based, of course, on Leonardo’s own iconic works. ‘Each figure begins life in research, where we find out everything we can about its provenance. After choosing a Leonardo original design we then get it properly modeled in 3D at a very high quality. We then send the tested and checked 3D model to one of two high-end 3D print companies, and they return the finished prototype, first in an ultra-high resolution plastic, and later, when everything checks out, in a special metal alloy,’ the Swiss artists explained.

These gorgeous pieces made through 3D printing are: Death, based on Leonardo’s rendering of a skull, busts of Leonardo and Mona Lisa, The Horse statue made for the Duke of Milan in 1482, The Tank and The Mortar, based on war machine drawings created for patrons from the Medici and the Sforza families, and the geometrical jewel The Rhombus (the Rhombicuboctahedron, from an illustration from Leonardo’s The Divine Proportion book from 1509).

All of these pieces come with the board game that can be ordered through Kickstarter. And by the looks of things, this is one campaign that is destined for greatness. Having gathered more than $22,000 of a $48,000 campaign in a matter of hours, the game is already a Staff Pick and the featured campaign in the Games section. And all that for a game that costs $149 to order, but it definitely looks like a worthwhile investment.

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Application

 

 

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Boris wrote at 11/24/2015 1:24:32 AM:

Not exactly, I saw a great comment about that on the site : Leonardo | The Game of Art and Death | Plague Edition is a unique game that has it’s roots in all the games I enjoyed with my family growing up… all the usual suspects of course. All of these wonderful memories inspired the design, adding an intuitive aspect, that is very important in a board game. Additionally, there are many custom gameplay aspects that we have developed. An example is the role of Death in the game, an idea that make the game feel new, interesting and exciting! Lovers of traditional board games, like yourself, will love the blend of the old and the new! Soleil

ambassadora tsong wrote at 11/24/2015 12:18:03 AM:

WOW! Beautiful figurines!

ambassadora tsong wrote at 11/24/2015 12:17:29 AM:

WOW! Beautiful figures!

Buster Knut wrote at 11/23/2015 12:52:57 PM:

Ahhhh, so it's just like Monopoly



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