What is Of Oil and Iron?
Of Oil and Iron is a 3D-printable dieselpunk-themed tabletop wargame set in the Smoglands, a world where towering war machines called Rigs clash for dominance. Players build squadrons of customizable Rigs and battle across cinematic battlefields on the tabletop.
How does the game play?
At its heart, Of Oil and Iron is about commanding a squadron of hulking dieselpunk war machines - and making every choice count. Here’s how it works:
Build Your Rigs – Start by constructing your squadron. Choose from a wide variety of Rig chassis (Light, Medium, Heavy, Colossal), then customize them with weapons and equipment. Every loadout feels different, from close-quarters brawlers to long-range artillery platforms.
Choose Your Allegiance – Side with one of the great corporate factions for unique flavour and tactics, or create your own ragtag crew of mercenaries and Nomads. The system is freeform, so you can build the force that matches your playstyle.
Manage Your Engine Heat – Every Rig runs on roaring diesel engines (some may have Arc engines!). Push them too hard and they’ll overheat, risking malfunctions, explosions, or even catastrophic shutdowns. Balancing power and caution is key, will you throttle forward at full risk, or play it safe?
React and Counter – The game isn’t just “I go, you go.” With alternating activations and the Preparation mechanic, you can set your Rigs to lie in wait, unleashing reactive actions on your opponent’s turn. Ambushes, counter-fire, and clever feints keep the game tense and cinematic.
Choose Your Scale of Battle – Of Oil and Iron is flexible. Play a quick skirmish with as little as 2 Rigs per side, or escalate to a full-scale warfront with 8 or more Rigs clashing across the battlefield.
Dice with Impact – The game combines the reliability of D6s with the cinematic swing of D12s, creating tense moments where a single roll can mean a glancing blow… or a devastating strike.
The result is an exciting tactical skirmish system that rewards creative loadouts, bold manoeuvres, and calculated risk-taking. Every clash feels like a diesel-fuelled war story in the making.
Will this be a physical product?
For now, Of Oil and Iron is strictly a digital release, including everything you need to print the wargame at home. The Kickstarter will include 3D model STLs, pre-supported for use on a resin 3D printer. Cards, tokens and other elements are also provided digitally, and made for convenient printing. I am strongly considering a physical print run in the future.
What scale is Of Oil and Iron?
All Rigs and miniatures are available in 32mm and 15mm scale, letting you play full-scale skirmishes or larger battles on smaller tables. Terrain kits are only pre-supported for 15mm printing due to their size. I wanted Of Oil and Iron to be accessible, and also give players the choice of how they want to hobby.
Do I need a 3D printer to play?
Not necessarily. All the game rules, cards, and tokens can be printed on paper, and there are plans for paper-printable Rig tokens. However, owning a 3D printer (or access to one through a friend or print service) will let you use the official Rigs and terrain.
Is the rulebook finished?
The rulebook is in its late development stage and already play tested with a functioning prototype. The Kickstarter funds will help finalize editing, polish the lore and artwork, and bring the book to a fully illustrated, professional release.
Can I play it early?
There is an Alpha V0.2 currently available to Patreon and MyMiniFactory Tribes supporters, as a working prototype. However for the best experience, I recommend to wait until the full release.
What factions are included?
The initial release includes six factions:
Nox Industries - ruthless industrial titans
The Krim Corporation - aristocratic war profiteers
Arcus Technologies - high-tech innovators
Triton Engineering - oceanic oil barons
Freegear Coalition - scavengers and rebels
Nomads (Mercenaries) - independent pilots for hire
Will there be expansions?
Yes. Of Oil and Iron is designed as an expanding universe. New Rigs, equipment, weapons, campaigns, and lore are already in development for post-Kickstarter releases.
How do you get those crisp prints?
All Rigs come pre-supported in both 15mm and 32mm scale options. Because everyone’s 3D printing set-up is different, I tried to support the models in a way that they work for everyone. I recommend:
Use warm water or hairdryer to remove supports to prevent scarring
Layer thickness: 0.03mm
Normal exposure time: 2.5s
Bottom exposure time: 70s
Lift speed: 2mm/s
What’s your favourite Rig?
It’s probably not nice to choose a favourite child… But I’d say the Hijack light Rig, it’s the embodiment of dieselpunk mecha! And that’s why I chose it as a free sample model that you can download – just sign up to the newsletter and I’ll send it to you!