A FANTASY games company has secured almost £10,000 of crowdfunding for its use of blueprints that allow tabletop gamers to 3D print their own characters.

Hobgoblin 3D, which creates blueprints of characters and assets for Dungeons and Dragons-style games, put its project on Kickstarter, an online community where investors can back artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers, and other creative sectors inspiring ideas.

The company, founded just 14 months ago by three computer games animation graduates from Teesside University, has already received pledges of almost £7,500, with the figure set to grow over the next month.

Hobgoblin 3D managing director Kevin Miree, who founded the company alongside Jordan Knights and Lawrence Williams, said: “We’ve had a great response from the Kickstarter backers and we’re seeing huge interest in home-use 3D printing for people wanting to print items for tabletop games.

“It’s a good indication for what it means for the use of 3D printing technology in homes over the next few years.

“It’s early days for our company, we’ve had a fantastic first year, we’re seeing some really positive indicators, and we’re hoping to be a business that can provide some benefit to the region as we grow.

“We’ve been fortunate to receive the support we’ve had from Teesside University, and I’d strongly recommend any graduate to consider Teesside Launchpad, and Digital City as a successful way to set out on the road to starting a business venture.”

The Middlesbrough-based company, whose blueprints can be downloaded and printed on 3D printers in enthusiasts’ own homes, is also inspiring a new generation with its involvement in Foundation for Jobs projects aimed at demonstrating the importance of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects to future careers.

Working with Foundation for Jobs, the Hobgoblin 3D team challenged pupils at Darlington schools to design a fantasy character with a full backstory, which they then created a blueprint for.

The winning design was produced by Wyvern School pupil Isabel Appleby, 14, who will see her character Manny turned into a fully painted figurine.

She said: “I love painting, drawing and art and it is great to know I can take that as an option and it also links into science.

Her classmates Chloe Bushby and Cameron Cadman were named runners-up.

The national award-winning Foundation for Jobs is funded by The Careers and Enterprise Company and led by Darlington Borough Council and the Darlington Partnership of private firms and public sector organisations.

It has worked with around 8,000 young people since it was launched in 2012.