Blackstone Blocks Deliver New Dimension to Tabletop Gaming

Designing a New Dimension for Tabletop Gaming

In a tiny Columbus house, surrounded by buzzing 3D printers and stacks of miniature stone bricks, two younger designers are reshaping how fantasy video games are performed — and the way design meets goal. 

This is the origin story of Blackstone Blocks, a brand new magnetic terrain system designed to convey a modular, vertical dimension to tabletop video games like Dungeons and Dragons.  

From Cedarville Classrooms to Creative Startup

Their coursework outfitted them as each designers and entrepreneurs. The rigorous innovation and design program held on the International Center for Creativity (ICC) in Dublin, Ohio, is the main industrial and innovation design program amongst personal, Christian universities within the nation.   

With tabletop gaming reaching file recognition — D&D alone has thousands and thousands of gamers and a thriving equipment market — their timing couldn’t be higher. 

Turning Gameplay Frustration Into Innovation

The concept for Blackstone Blocks started with Dibble, Bader and their good friend group at Cedarville. Dibble usually served because the sport grasp throughout their common D&D classes and started 3D-printing terrain to boost the worldbuilding and technique facets of the sport.   

“I printed all this terrain, but it was someone else’s design,” mentioned Dibble. “I wasn’t super happy with it and always wanted to make something better. That desire to improve gameplay and build something of our own was the start of Blackstone Blocks.”  

“The ICC really prepared us well to think about the actual people using our products and to think critically about a design for them,” mentioned Bader. “For these blocks, we’ve done so much user testing with ourselves and our friends by simply playing the game they are designed for.” 

Complementary Skills Power a Shared Vision

As enterprise companions and mates for practically a decade, Dibble and Bader convey complementary strengths to their workforce. Dibble handles mission engineering — designing the block structure, magnet system and add-ons and overseeing all in-house 3D printing. Bader, an completed illustrator, leads the creative path, visible design and advertising technique.  

“In our industrial and innovative design program, we really ran through the gamut of design thinking and design practices,” mentioned Bader. “We were challenged to design something that serves people well and isn’t just another product thrown out into the marketplace.”  

Building With Purpose, Creativity and Faith

They additionally see their work as an expression of religion. 

“If we are believers and creatives and we’re good at what we do, we should be shoulder to shoulder with successful secular artists and designers,” mentioned Dibble. “We should be building relationships within the tabletop gaming community and showing them the hope that we have. And if we’re not, we’re misusing our talent.” 

Blackstone Blocks operates out of Dibble’s house, the place every bit is designed, printed, assembled and packaged by hand. This course of permits them to preserve a excessive degree of high quality and artistry.  

Their imaginative and prescient is already gaining traction. In fall 2025, Dibble and Bader launched a Kickstarter marketing campaign to fund their first manufacturing run. The marketing campaign acquired pledges of greater than $37,000 from over 200 backers — whereas their objective was not met, this was a robust signal that the tabletop gaming neighborhood was prepared for his or her artistic, high-quality method to terrain. They are at present taking pre-orders with anticipated achievement starting in June 2026.  

About Cedarville University

Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian establishment in southwest Ohio, presents undergraduate and graduate residential and on-line applications throughout arts, sciences {and professional} fields. With 7,265 college students, it’s amongst Ohio’s largest personal universities and is ranked among the many nation’s high 5 evangelical universities within the Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges within the U.S. Cedarville can also be recognized for its vibrant Christian neighborhood, difficult lecturers and excessive commencement and retention charges. Learn extra at cedarville.edu.