u/lets-make-tabletop

I honestly can't believe I'm writing this.

After months of designing, prototyping, printing, testing, repainting, redesigning, and constantly improving the project with your feedback...

Legatum Noctis is officially LIVE on Kickstarter.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/337889120/legatum-noctis-the-ultimate-modular-tabletop-terrain

This project has grown so much since I first started sharing it online, and that's largely because of this amazing community.

Thank you for every comment, every suggestion, every question, every word of encouragement, and also every piece of constructive criticism. Some of the best improvements came from people pointing out flaws or challenging my ideas. More than once, your feedback helped me realize I was heading in the wrong direction and encouraged me to rethink parts of the project. Legatum Noctis is a much better project because of it.

I also want to give a very special thank you to everyone who donated in the early days of this project. These donations meant so much to me. They gave me the motivation and confidence to keep going at a time when this was still just an idea with a lot of uncertainty.

To everyone who donated back then: I'll be reaching out to you over the next few days with a special offer as a small token of my appreciation.

If you've enjoyed following the development and would like to help bring Legatum Noctis to even more gaming tables, I'd be incredibly grateful for your support on Kickstarter.

Whether you decide to back the project, share it with a friend, or simply keep following the journey, it all means the world to me.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being part of this journey. Let's build something amazing together. ❤️

A quick disclaimer before you watch: I accidentally say "Legatum Noc Tris" in the video. 😅 The correct name is Legatum Noctis.

With that out of the way…

In this video, I want to give you an overview of how Legatum Noctis works.

Rather than showing every single piece included in the set, I want to focus on the system itself, how the different parts fit together, how the modular design works, and how you can use it to build unique terrain for your gaming tables.

Think of this as an introduction to the ideas behind the project, and an update on what the system is all about.

I hope you enjoy it, and as always, I want to thank you for your feedback. It is highly appreciated.

And one last thing… the Kickstarter campaign for Legatum Noctis is getting very, very close now. 👀

Last week I finally got to put the terrain through its biggest test yet.

Before visiting rosenheimertabletopclub, I went into full hobby mode and spent an entire week painting as much terrain as I possibly could. It definitely wasn't all display quality, but I wanted enough painted pieces to build a complete table, and it was absolutely worth the effort.

For the first time, I assembled a full board using the system, and I'm happy to say it worked exactly as I'd envisioned. Seeing everything come together was an incredibly rewarding moment after months of designing, printing, and testing.

I also want to say a huge thank you to rosenheimertabletopclub for not only letting me use their gaming space but also giving me free access to their incredible miniature collection for the photos.

Honestly, I felt like a kid in a candy store. Being able to pick from so many beautifully painted armies, create little scenes, and bring the terrain to life was an absolute blast.

Some of my favorite photos from that day are featured in this video, and I couldn't be happier with how they turned out.

Consider this your friendly warning.

If you're printing terrain in PLA, don't make the same mistake I did and leave it in a car on a hot day.

I knew cars get hot in the sun, but apparently not hot enough in my mind.

A few hours later, I came back to find that an entire terrain set had warped beyond saving. Walls were bent, pieces no longer fit properly, and the whole set was basically ruined.

Straight into the trash.

It's frustrating, but I figured it was worth sharing because someone else might avoid the same mistake.

So if you've got printed terrain, miniatures, or any other PLA prints, keep them out of hot cars whenever possible.

Sometimes the most valuable test print is the one that teaches you what not to do.

One question I've been getting quite a bit is why I haven't released the terrain set yet.

The answer is pretty simple: I want to make sure the quality is where it needs to be.

That means doing multiple test prints, checking how everything fits together, and even painting the pieces to make sure they look and function the way I intended.

Could I release it sooner? Probably.

But I'd rather spend more time refining things now than rush something out that I'm not completely happy with.

The goal has always been to create modular tabletop terrain with a strong focus on aesthetics and details, and I want the final product to live up to that vision.

So for now, it's back to test prints, paint, and making small improvements.

Hopefully, the extra effort will be worth it in the end.

Footprints have been one of the most debated topics I've discussed with the community so far.

After revisiting some older ideas, I ended up combining them into two different approaches:

🔹 A connector footprint that allows terrain pieces to be placed quickly, securely, and consistently.

🔹 A plain footprint that's much more universal, but naturally loses some of the convenience of the connector system.

Both options have their strengths, and I'm honestly still undecided.

Which approach would you prefer? And do you have any other ideas I should explore?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

One aspect of modular terrain that I think often gets overlooked is storage.

As the number of pieces grows, keeping everything organized and protected becomes just as important as designing the terrain itself.

For my system, I wanted something that makes storing and transporting the terrain as easy as possible. The storage racks allow the individual components to be stored efficiently and compactly, while also protecting painted parts from rubbing against each other.

But organization is just as important. By keeping everything neatly sorted, it's much easier to find the pieces you need and get the terrain set up quickly instead of digging through a box full of parts.

Another feature I wanted was modularity. The individual racks can be connected together, making them easier to transport and keeping the whole collection organized.

The goal from the beginning has been to build a complete system, not just terrain pieces, but something that is practical to use both on and off the tabletop.

I'm really happy with how these storage solutions are coming together, but I'd love to hear your thoughts.

What do you think? Is dedicated storage something you'd find useful for a modular terrain system?

One thing I'm still trying to figure out is storage for the floor elements. I haven't come up with a solution that I'm really happy with yet.

So if anyone has ideas or has solved a similar problem in their own terrain collections, I'd love to hear them. Community feedback has shaped many parts of this project already, and I'd be happy to incorporate more good ideas.

If you want to try the system yourself, I put some sample files up for free:
https://letsmaketabletop.com/

It's a complete standalone set for building single-story structures that works fully on its own and gives a good impression of the overall design approach and level of detail.

I'm aware that there's currently an issue with the SSL certificate. I'll take care of it as soon as I can. There are only so many hours in the day, and right now I'm juggling quite a few things. 😄

Social media has been quiet lately, but development certainly hasn't.

Lots of experimenting, lots of new ideas, and finally getting closer to release.

Here's a small sneak peek of what I've been working on.

More to come soon 👀

This is pretty much the kind of terrain system I wanted to build from the very beginning.

The goal was a modular system that allows for both: freely building detailed terrain layouts and quickly assembling competitive WTC-style setups when needed.

The system uses a modular slide mechanism, so the pieces can be assembled quickly, reconfigured easily, and stored compactly afterwards.

I’m especially happy with how the competitive-style layouts are starting to come together visually. Earlier versions worked functionally, but I feel like the current direction finally balances gameplay, usability, and aesthetics much better.

There’s still a lot to do before release and 11th edition will have an impact as well. But I’m really happy with the current state of the project and the direction it’s heading in.

Would love to hear what you think so far.

If you want to try the system yourself, I put some sample files up for free: https://letsmaketabletop.com/

It’s a complete standalone set for single-story buildings that works fully on its own and gives a good impression of the overall design approach and level of detail.

Things have been a bit quiet lately, but I promise I haven’t been slacking.

I’m currently deep in the final stretch for release:
painting a full terrain set in high quality, preparing all the 3D files, and working on renders to showcase each piece properly.

I also want to use those renders to create video tutorials on how to build different terrain setups, so there’s a lot going on behind the scenes right now.

It takes a lot of time, but it’s also a lot of fun.

This here is one of my first render tests. Camera movement and background still need work, but I think it’s heading in a pretty cool direction.

Hope you like it, and I’ll share more soon!

As always, I really appreciate the feedback, it directly influences how I continue refining the system.

If you want to try it yourself, I put some sample files up for free: https://letsmaketabletop.com/

It’s a complete, standalone set for building single-story structures that works fully on its own and gives you a good impression of the overall system and level of detail.