Invisible Island

Invisible Island is a strategic board game for 2-4 players, where the objective is to acquire totems and open the gate to Atlantis, all while blindly navigating a maze full of hidden corners. The game was created by Karolina Glanowska, a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice. Invisible Island was her diploma project, inspired by the idea of integrating blind and sighted people, as it can be enjoyed by everyone. At the same time, she has crafted an original strategic game, with relatively simple rules that can provide entertainment for hours on end. Similar games accessible to the blind were practically non-existent before. It's also worth noting the meticulous care with which it was created. We, too, strive to ensure the aesthetic quality of our models, although this is not always the norm for products designed for the blind. Our first reaction to Invisible Island, even at the first touch (and viewing by sighted individuals), was an appreciative gasp: “how beautiful it is.”
It wasn't just us who recognised the craftsmanship and gameplay. The project has been well-received by the blind who tested it, and there are still ongoing enquiries about its future. It has also garnered numerous nominations and accolades on both national and international levels. To summarise, it would be a shame to waste the tremendous effort and such an excellent result, which many blind individuals have been eagerly awaiting.

Collaboration Pays Off

Unfortunately, Karolina was unable to print and distribute the game on her own, without 3d printers, possibilities nor experience.
She met with us. And it turned out to be a perfect match. Firstly, we also create games accessible to the blind, which can be successfully played by sighted individuals as well. We share a common goal of integration and inclusivity. Secondly, our products are also 3D printed. Therefore, we didn’t have to learn a new technology or adapt the game to make it printable. Our goal was merely to introduce improvements that would streamline the mass printing process and enhance the product's usability, such as eliminating most sharp edges.

How Did It Go?

First and foremost, the game was originally prepared in a graphical CAD. This meant that as blind designer, I couldn't make changes to the files. Moreover, editing such advanced graphic projects wouldn’t be convenient for anyone, so the design had to be scripted in OpenScad, essentially rewriting it from scratch. This required a lot of work, but as a result, instead of manually adjusting each of the 108 fields when changing their size, this could be done automatically by entering the appropriate number in just one line of code. We better matched the sizes of the pawns to the fields and, as mentioned earlier, eliminated most of the sharp, uncomfortable edges. We also made sure, of which we are immensely proud, to redesign all the shapes so that they could be printed without supports. Printing with supports would have complicated the already challenging process and increased the cost. In changing the shapes, we tried, where possible, to adhere as closely as possible to the original concept.
Invisible Island is an assembly-based game. The board consists of up to 12 segments that can be combined in any arrangement, making the terrain different for each play. In the original version, this was achieved with magnets on the sides of each segment. While this connection was relatively effective, the individual board parts did not fit tightly together, and placing magnets in the artefacts caused them to pop out unexpectedly. In mass production, they would also require additional processing (such as gluing magnets to the board or manually inserting them during printing). Therefore, we decided to use a system of foldable clips, eliminating most of the above-mentioned difficulties.
With such a large project, we too felt the spark of creativity, and since Karolina said that "the more fantastical the walls, the better," I added three designs of my own to the original three. I also developed three completely new totem shapes and a system where artefacts connect with the pawns through appropriate cut-outs – this way, the artefact can be removed from the board by placing a pawn on it.
Finally, I mathematically standardised the game, deciding on consistent wall thicknesses, fixed or proportional heights, and diameters of elements. This allows new objects to be added and changes made based on a set of predefined variables and functions.

A Brief Overview of the Rules

We are currently working on the official manual, in the meantime, here's a brief summary of the rules.
The board consists of 108 fields between which are walls forming a maze. It is made up of twelve segments that can be connected in any arrangement, making the layout different for each play.
The objective of the game is to collect all six totems. To achieve this, players take turns moving one field in a chosen direction.
Players cannot move over walls or totems.
There are artefacts on 24 fields. When landing on an artefact, it must be revealed. The marking on its underside indicates whether the player loses one of their lives or gains an extra one. Once revealed, the artefact is removed.
Losing all lives means defeat.
Additionally, players receive special tokens allowing them to jump over a wall (ladder) or move two fields at once (bridge).
Initial set: 4 hearts, 1 ladder, 2 bridges.
Sighted players should wear blindfolds.

How to Print

Invisible Island is printed on a Prusa I3 MK3S+ with MMU2S, using five colours.
The game has been designed to be printed without any supports. However, due to the moving mechanisms and clips between the pawns and artefacts, it requires very good calibration and a clean print bed. Additionally, some overhangs are quite sharp, and our printer was slightly modified for cooling, so achieving the right overhangs may require some tests.
If the tolerances are too tight, they can be adjusted in the code.
Some elements may be too delicate when printed with a 0.4 mm nozzle; depending on the material, a 0.25 mm nozzle allows for more perimeters. This particularly applies to the pawns, which have very thin walls.

List of filaments used:

• For segments,: Fiberlogy FiberSilk, respectively: Pearl, Anthracite, Brass, Copper, Gold
• For pawns: Rosa3d PLA Silk, respectively: Blue, Green, Yellow, Red
• For artefacts: Fiberlogy FiberSilk, respectively: Silver, Anthracite
• For totems: Rosa3d PLA Magic Silk Treasure
• For tokens: Fiberlogy FiberSilk Silver
• For gate: Rosa3d PLA Magic Silk Frozen

A Final Word

If you decide to print this game, we would be very grateful for any support you could offer, whether financially, through sharing your experiences, a photo, or feedback. Thank you! :)