I have been playing around with different configurations for a custom table and wanted to note some things I’ve landed on that I really like. A main one thing is having the map mounted so that it can slide around as needed on top of a bigger playing area. My table is 65” x 95” in total with a 5.5” arm rest around the outside and the middle is a recessed neoprene surface. I have the OOB Global map mounted on 1/2” rigid foam with a 1/2” aluminum frame around it. This allows the map to slide up close to whoever’s turn it is, but then be in the middle so both players can roll dice In front of them without disturbing the map and in easy view of the other player. (Plus we like lots of room to roll the bones). This ability to adjust the surface along with a standing height, makes it comfortable for long uses because you can move around more and don’t feel as tied down.
Things I’ve learned and changed from original design - I originally used too big of a frame for the map and mounted it on too high of a foam block (you can see these pictures at the bottom) - it made it hard to see the other player’s dice and the big frame took up too much real estate. My global map is mounted on much thinner foam (the framing is bad, you can see if you look closely) but I also used much thinner aluminum angle for the frame. This gives just enough grip when needing to move the map around (I use furniture slides on the bottom, which glide very nicely on the neoprene) but doesn’t make the whole thing too bulky. Having it an inch or so off the surface keeps the dice off, but isn’t so heigh that you can’t see the other player’s dice rolls. When playing other versions (such as Zombies) the board is much smaller, but it can easily swap in and out on the same table since it can move around where ever it is needed or be pushed aside.
I originally made it normal table height, but found long reaches while sitting were harder and it just felt cramped. Standing height with a bar stool is a great way to have the best of both worlds.
The 5.5” rim around the table itself gives you a nice arm rest that doesn’t interfere with the gaming surface. I’m playing with how to best add some cushion to this part - open to suggestions. Sometimes I just lay a piece of leftover neoprene on it.
Dice bounce nice on the neoprene and stay off the floor. It also feels nice and has enough give to allow things to slide but be picked up easily. Wouldn’t definitely go with neoprene again as a surface covering.
I made the drawers open to the inside of the table so you can stay hunched over the action while accessing and stowing stuff away. 50/50 on whether I would keep this if I were to do it again. If I were doing it again, I might try to build customer drawers form scratch using actual drawer glides, but that was beyond my ability when I first did this, so I just used clear plexiglass boxes with aluminum pulls mounted on them. It’s nice having them clear, and I was happy with how the pulls came out, but without glides they can be a little fussy sliding in and out of their slots.
I originally designed the table so that I could put a cover surface back on top when not in use, but find I don’t really ever do that, so if I were to do it again, I might not mess with that part (I never even finished staining those as you can see in the pictures).
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Xtreme Giant Magnetic Wall Map 1940 Global
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It all started with a man and a dream…But the much shorter version is I didn’t love that the map was never big enough in Germany, and I felt bad leaving tables up in the living room for days while playing around peoples schedules, then it hit me -I should make a giant map that fits on the wall!!!
I had a friend order a large print of a map I found online.
My first construction step was connecting 8 foot 2x4 to wall studs with 4" screws.
It started as a simple wood frame.
Then I put on the pressboard.
(Annie the cat did not approve of much of this process)Then I added the 3’x4’ steel sheets from Home Depot (often found near the water heaters, it was hard finding them without large bends.)
I secured them with Loctite Power Grab Ultimate.Getting it attached to the wall with the kitchen drawer rollers was tough. I’m glad I had a friend to help me lift, I bent some of the metal picking it up myself. It was awkward.
The plan with the drawer rollers was to lift it up and down easily, but it became so heavy that I but in a base at the middle for a car jack to lift it into place and then it sits on the 4"x4" pieces of wood each side in either the low playing position, or the high display (I get to put my couch against the wall) position.
It’s only 6" deep, but still.!It’s a big map. 10’ wide by 4’ 7".
It’s so big I set the board up without chips. Every individual piece is represented as it’s own figure.
Then I just rolled out my vinyl map and used magnets to secure it in place.
So, yeah, that’s my map.
Some extra thoughts…
In complete transparency, the wall is not magnet, but ferrous, specifically steel. Not knowing how things would turn out I bought rare earth magnets N50 & N52 staying away from the less expensive N35s, but if you get a map printed thin even most ceramic magnets would work well.
If I had to do it again, I’d go 2 feet longer. 12’ x apx 6’ would mean using 6 whole sheets of 3’x4’ steel and not having to cut any of them.
Loctite makes a great tube of Power Grab Ultimate (their highest strength) I used about a tube every 18 square feet. That is probably way too much, but I didn’t want my expensive and time consuming project falling apart over a $10 tube. Nor did I want a sheet of steel falling sharp end down on my foot.
Ryobi tools makes a power caulking gun that made gluing the metal to the wood a breeze.
Since we plan on playing just a round at a time, I bought magnetic arrows from the dollar tree to optionally mark any plans so we don’t forget in between days.
I found a map I liked on the internet, it wasn’t vector, but it blew up nice on my computer screen, so I figured (and it did) blow up very nice. This could easily be done with the bloodbath custom map (with permission of course) or another map.
And having this in the living room means we can put other vinyl game boards right on top of it if we so choose.
I used 4 inch screws whenever possible to make it as secure as possible. A licensed contractor may know better though.
For legal reasons, I’m not suggesting anyone do this, just letting you know my experience.
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I forgot this one, a comparison of the sizes.
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@radar Wow! Now that would be a conversation starter. Or ender. More impressive than the map is the mustache - Huzzah indeed!
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@Radar this is quite something, I came across your project while researching doing the same.
I have limited space, basically leaving a board out for weeks, with pieces that are easily disturbed by cats and children makes it impossible to complete a game. So currently the game is gathering dust.
So I want to do the same. I have a board and prefer to use it vs a print, but it is thicker. I rested a random magnet in my house through the board and it does attract. I’d welcome any tips for the build.
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Sure, just on a very practical level, getting a piece of vinyl and your magnet, take them to home depot and thest them on the metal you’re considering.
I didn’t much like the standard magnets and went with the rare earth type. Strength 35 is good, but 55 us great. I really like strong magnets for every thing but the chips, it’s nice to have a weaker magnet on those. I really like on ebay the 12mm x 0.5mm N52 Strong Round Disc Rare Earth Neodymium Very Thin Magnet.
It became a more expensive project than I anticipated, but still happy I did it. I ended up getting multiple copies of the game, then lots of loose used pieces and ordering bulk from websites, then magnitizing all those pieces…it was a lot, but a fun process. Because it’s in my living room, I tend to get decals and paint…it’s a fun hobby.
I spent a lot of effort cutting down my metal sheets to the size of the game, but I was thankful I had some leftover metal surface, it’s nice being able to put spare pieces, chips, and markers underneath the map.
A small glue gun is an important purchase. You’ll want to be able to control a small amount of hot glue while magnitizing the pieces.
One thing I’ve always wondered is if the Axis and Allies community has a standard for magnet orientation. It won’t matter until you try to put a plane on an aircraft carrier, or on a chip. Mine are standardized to my house, but what if I ever wanted to buy a customized magnetized piece…?
For magnets, I talked about the chips earlier.
I really appreciated having a craft/sewing ruler ($1 at walmart), it helped me plan ahead for magnet purchases, but these are what I liked…
12mm x 0.5mm disc for chips
3mm x 1mm Disc for fighters and tac bombers.
10mm x 1mm Disc for infantry originally
8mm x 1mm Disc for tanks, infantry, AA guns, and are just a bit wider than a cruiser
3-4mm wide x 2mm tall disc for hollow aircraft carriers.
4mmx 4mm Disc (set for each) for aircraft carrier that need drilling.
12mm x 1 mm Disc for flight stands and are just a bit wide for battleships.3mm x 2mm x 1mm rectangle for strategic bombers.
10mm x 5mm x 1 mm rectangle I used on transports, many artillery, and mech infantry.
10 x 5 x 3 rectangle I have on destroyers.
10mm x 10mm x 1mm rectangle fit nicely inside or under factories, as well as custom air and naval yards.
20mm x 2mm x 2mm for submarines.
20mm x 10mm x 1mm are good for kamikaze markers.Standard ceramic for nation markers, I like they are thick and easy to grab. Be aware, some are weaker than others.
This is just what I did, figuring all this out.
In retrospect, I do like that all the ships have different magnets, it helped me and friends identify which is what kind.
If I was doing this again, financially I’d probably put the 8mmx 1mm disc’s on most everything (except carriers and planes, and maybe chips). Just one big bulk rate purchase.
But again, get a mm ruler and see what’s good for you.
Enjoy!
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@Radar thanks for the detailed reply, apologies I only just saw this.
So far I got the sheet, bearing in mind I’m doing only Europe 1940 edition for now. I trialed some ferite magnets with a 0.6kg pull, but they were not enough to reliably attract through the board, then I bought a sample of these and they are pretty strong. That’s about as cheap as I can find for that strength.
I should probably try to find a print out of the game because with 400 pieces these magnets will cost around £200!
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I like the ferrite/ceramic magnets got the national markers, they are thicker and make grabing that little piece of cardboard (national marker) easier.
I like your magnets, but they are a little on the larger size. Your infantry pieces have a groove of about 8mm or 9mm underneath them. It’s a great spot for a magnet.
And a magnet that size, about 8mm x 1mm could be used for any and all of the plastic pieces. It will show a little on the thinner naval ships and aircraft, but it would work.
And if you commit to one size magnet, it would be a lot less expensive. I tried to be fancy and use different sizes, but it was unnecessarily expensive.
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It’s expensive, but doing it all at once would save a lot more money than piecing it together.
But again, your most valuable investment is a $2 ruler with millimeters on it to be sure about what you’re ordering.
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And you might consider N35s.
I liked the snap that the N52 provides, but you might consider buying a cheap n35 to test on your board to see if you like it.
Given similar shapes and dimensions, n52 magnets are over 50% more powerful than n35 in terms of lifting force, torque rating, and magnetic field density.
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@Radar thanks for the advice once again. After some experimentation I decided against sticking the game board to the metal sheet. The magnets needed were too expensive, so I’ve gone for a print out of the global map and will cut it in half as I simply don’t have room for a 2m sheet to go anywhere! If I find myself playing alot I will buy a second metal sheet and maybe hinge them together so it can be folded away.
The weaker ferite magnets are way cheaper and probably the right level of force retention for easy movement of pieces.
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@EnglishImperialist I’m glad to hear you’re making progress.
I’d love to see some pictures as it develops.
Please keep in mind that even normal ceramic magnets will vary in strength.
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Phase 1 near completion, magnets on order
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@EnglishImperialist That looks really sharp!
Well done! -
Setup complete. Plating against chatgpt now and it made some horrific mistakes. My Italian navy destroyed the British Mediterranean fleet in turn 1 😂
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