What is a 3D medallion on a deck box?

It is a sculpted relief that attaches to the front face of a Proteus, held by the neodymium N52 magnets built into the structure. Pirate ship, knight, dragon: it gives the box its character and swaps out without tools.

Can I change a medallion without tools?

Yes, on the Proteus. Medallions and panels go on and come off by hand thanks to the built in magnets. The box itself still closes mechanically by interlocking, with no magnet on the closure.

Which finish shows a relief off best?

Both do, differently. With Inksmith, the relief is hand painted and revealed by drybrushing, which gives it a weathered, vintage look. With Ironsmith, full colour 3D printing puts the colour into the material itself, for sharp contrasts and artwork no brush could reach.

Can the classic box have relief too?

Yes. On the custom deck box, reliefs and metallic highlights are configured in the Forge, and lid engraving is available as an option. The removable medallion, however, belongs to the Proteus.

3D Medallions: Sculpted Relief on a Deck Box

There is a very precise moment when a deck box stops being a container. It is the moment someone across the table picks it up without asking. What triggers that gesture, almost every time, is a relief: a surface that catches the light, a shape that rises off the plane and invites a thumb. At DeckSmith, that relief has a name when it sits on a Proteus: the medallion.

A relief, not a picture

A flat printed image tells you something. A sculpted relief tells it differently, because it changes with the light in the room. On a playmat under a game store's strip lighting, the hollows fill with shadow and the edges underline themselves. Out on a sunny terrace, the same medallion reads softer. That is why a handcrafted object never photographs the same way twice.

In practice, a DeckSmith medallion is a sculpted piece that sits on the front face of a Proteus. Pirate ship, knight, dragon: every motif is designed to stay readable at deck box scale, which is far from trivial. An over detailed dragon turns into a mush of folds at a few centimetres. A well judged dragon keeps three or four strong lines that read from a metre away, with the fine detail saved as a reward for whoever holds it.

From sculpt to material

Designing the motif for light

The work starts long before printing. A relief meant to be hand painted is not drawn like a relief meant for colour printing. In the first case you need cavities deep enough for the paint to settle in and create the shadow. In the second, the motif can afford softer transitions, because colour does part of the job the modelling would otherwise carry.

Printing in 0.2 mm layers

The pieces then come off our 3D printers, in premium PLA, in 0.2 mm layers, the optimal height for this kind of part. That is the balance point: fine enough that the curve of a helmet or a scale stays a curve, solid enough for a piece that will live in a bag. If the full process interests you, our article on how our 3D printed deck boxes are made walks through every stage, from file to parcel.

Inksmith or Ironsmith: two ways to reveal a relief

The finish is where a medallion truly comes alive, and the two routes produce very different objects.

With Inksmith, the piece is painted entirely by hand. The relief is revealed by drybrushing: colour is laid on the surface, catches the raised edges and leaves the hollows in shadow. The result has that vintage, weathered character we associate with painted miniatures, and no two pieces are ever strictly identical. This is the finish for players who want an object that looks like it has a history.

With Ironsmith, colour is printed into the material through full colour 3D printing. Contrasts are sharp, tones are deep, and some artwork becomes possible that would be out of a brush's reach. This is the route for bold visuals, and it guarantees perfect consistency from one piece to the next. Our comparison of the two finishes covers what each one feels like in hand.

Where the relief lives

On the Proteus, the medallion is removable. Neodymium N52 magnets built into the structure hold it in place, just as they hold the interchangeable side panels. Change deck, change medallion, no tools and no delicate handling. One clarification that comes up often: those magnets serve the panels and medallions, never the closure. The box closes mechanically by interlocking, which rules out accidental openings in a tournament bag. The whole principle is laid out in our article on the modular deck box.

On the classic custom deck box, the relief is not an add on piece: it is part of the box. Reliefs and metallic highlights are configured directly in the Forge, using the same colour palette as the box colours, Starlight effects included. Optional lid engraving adds a second, quieter layer that only appears when you turn the box towards the light.

Choosing your motif

The right method is not to hunt for the most spectacular medallion, but for the one that says something about your deck. A knight for a list that wins by hitting honestly. A pirate ship for the one that steals, copies and redirects. A dragon for the table that already knows exactly what happens on turn seven. Our articles on the dragon theme and the pirate theme offer full composition ideas, colours included.

And because the library of panels and medallions keeps growing, a Proteus never settles. It is a base, and a collection you build over time.

Forge your relief

Build your box and cycle through medallions in the Forge, with a live preview of the result. Our deck boxes are made to order in our workshop in France, in 5 to 10 working days, a few days more for the premium finishes, from 27 euros. Every piece is photographed before shipping, and over 1,500 boxes sold carry a 4.9/5 rating across 319 verified Etsy reviews.

Going further:

Discover the Proteus and its interchangeable panels.
Explore the custom deck box with its relief and engraving options.
Read player reviews from those who built their own.