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I originally made it normal table height, but found long reaches while sitting were harder and it just felt cramped.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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Sired's Map project - Updated- 4/16 - files available see first post
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My card deck accessory will be available soon, it will have blow up box cards and mobilization zone cards for each nation. This deck will also have reference card information like order of play, starting income, cost of units, R&D charts as well as turn sequence steps… these cards will reference info for both the 1940 and 1942 scenarios.
That’ll be great, YG. Should take care of all the different needs previolusly handled by the game aids on the map itself. Can’t wait to see the deck!
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I would also prefer not to have blowup boxes on the map. A small (movable) thing is way more flexibel. You put your units on the card / wooden panel or something and put a marker on the map.
On the other hand, it would certainly be nicer to have blowup boxes with the actual territory on it. A more detailed version of gibraltar / hawaii would be a really nice touch for a box.
Certainly better than a generic “army #1” box. But I guess you can’t have everything :-) Or maybe we could ask sired to do some blowout boxes of often used territories and release it as a seperate file to the map -
On the other hand, it would certainly be nicer to have blowup boxes with the actual territory on it.
This could be done with the right amount of cards… what would be considered necessary territories for blow up boxes?
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I kinda like the idea of some island cards, something to think about for your deck YG (I know your done, but are we ever done? :P )
Sorry for the delay, but here are some Kamikaze wips, added the wheels back to the val, in addition tried out another silhouette. Then tried the sun.
Im kinda partial to the original one (1) … with the added wheels it cover the Kaze a tad, (3) is the same, but raised to not cover the Kaze. The more I look at (1), the more the wheels don’t bother me like it originally did.
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I agree, I like the original one with wheels, the rising sun is cool, but it’s not conducive to the convoy symbol and I think they should both be cut from the same cloth (so to speak).
…and yes, it’s seems that I am not done, but I don’t want to revisit the card deck project and must spend the time to get it right, I believe this now includes setup charts and blowup boxes.
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I like all of those in different ways, so any one you choose sounds great. Have you tried the lettering in front of the Val? It would obscure the wheel a bit, but not entirely. Just wondering which layer in front is best.
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I like all of those in different ways, so any one you choose sounds great. Have you tried the lettering in front of the Val? It would obscure the wheel a bit, but not entirely. Just wondering which layer in front is best.
This sounds like a good idea.
I like the first one the most.
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combination of 1 and 4 is my choice
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@Imperious:
combination of 1 and 4 is my choice
Sooo… Number 2 with a Val?
Sired is there any reason you prefer to use a Val over a Zero (I assume that’s a Zero in No. 2)?
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Can we perhaps abandon the Japanese characters and have it just say KAMIKAZE like the CONVOY symbol
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Thanks for all the feedback!
Why I prefer the Val over the zero is, it has a bigger cockpit glass section, which I think will look better in the print.
It looks like im not alone with 1, so ill do a few more edits/options for 1. Wheels in front/back of the Kami, and with Kamikaze label. Ill have that up later today, now im off to make my first vid, so lets hope I don’t goof it up lol.
Thanks again for all the help.
Oh, as for painting the terrain goes, all ive gotten done if references kinda lined up. What ive been messing with is mountains, ive never had to paint mountains from a top down before, usually I made them in 3d, then textured them with color/normal/spec maps and the engine takes care of the rest haha.
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I added in the pic the convoy, and the convoy from YG’s map, just to show I stayed in the same size range.
I personally still like the val with the wheels in front, with the symbols. You cant even really tell with Kamikaze, wheels in front/back due to the placemant of the silhouette, kinda worked out.
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Personally I actually like the lettered, with wheels behind. but I’m odd!
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I’m probably gonna be in the minority on this, but I like the KAMIKAZE word in the same font as CONVOY like you’ve done above… but I would go with a Zero silhouette without the wheels encroaching on the KAMIKAZE characters the way the ship silhouette does not encroach on the CONVOY characters. That’s just me.
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Honestly doesn’t matter to me. Anything you pick is an improvement over what is normally there.
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I like upper left the most.
But as LHoffman said everything would be an improvement.
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Thanks again everyone, im on it! Well get some land pics up this week!
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Oh another quick question(s).
Also, as far as the silhouettes go, I have the final ones we all like, what ill do is set up areas with both types… kinda see them in action, then we can see what we all like. As I mentioned, this map is for everyone, without your input, your ideas wont be heard and observed, also, help in fixing crap I mess up on!.. So far been saved a few times, and thanks for that! Last thing we need is to print a map, and find out… oops… :oops:
As I mentioned, top down painting is new to me (im a 3d artist/UI artist for the most part, so I started in Australia, but my questions pertain to all territories.
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Rivers - Now personally I think that they will add a lot of character to the map, but naturally, at the maps view point, you wouldn’t actually see them, so the scale would be off, little lines of rivers, would actually be 10s of miles wide lol… but like I said, I think it would be nice.
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Capitals - Im thinking of maybe a Flag to represent the capitols, rather then just the basic roundel that’s on everything. If not a flag, maybe a larger roundel? Something to show its different. (even though we all know already, but still)
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Terrain land marks (with or without labels) such as the Ardennes. (there wont be many) Again, like the rivers, they wouldn’t be seen at the maps view point, but might make a more cool map… and maybe not.
Thanks all it got for now, thanks.
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It might be kind of cool to draw mountains on the map instead of just having a shaded area that says Impassable.
This is an example of what I mean on this game although I think you could do a better job;
http://gamersalliance.com/risk-the-lord-of-the-rings/ -
- Rivers - Now personally I think that they will add a lot of character to the map, but naturally, at the maps view point, you wouldn’t actually see them, so the scale would be off, little lines of rivers, would actually be 10s of miles wide lol… but like I said, I think it would be nice.
Rivers do not matter all that much to me. They may add cool landmark recognition, but I am not sure what else. Do you plan on showing major rivers where victory cities are located? Or if a river was a focal point of an important battle? Or will you use rivers as partial borders of territories? There are a lot of potential rivers to include, even in neutral countries, if any of those reasons are used. How large does the river have to be for inclusion?
- Capitals - Im thinking of maybe a Flag to represent the capitols, rather then just the basic roundel that’s on everything. If not a flag, maybe a larger roundel? Something to show its different. (even though we all know already, but still)
Something to make them stand out more would be nice. I always like the original Europe and Pacific that had larger roundels for the capitals (however those were also the only roundels on the board). I am not entirely sure if it would go with your theme for the board, but I have always thought it would be cool to do a riff on the larger roundel idea which would involve making it sort of fade out at the extents. I am not sure how to describe this accurately, though it would definitely look best with Japan’s rising sun emblem.
- Terrain land marks (with or without labels) such as the Ardennes. (there wont be many) Again, like the rivers, they wouldn’t be seen at the maps view point, but might make a more cool map…. and maybe not.
My stance here is similar to rivers above, but a little more skeptical. What would qualify? Can you give any examples beyond the Ardennes? I just see landmarks, particularly if they are unlabeled and/or have no significance attached to them to be clutter on the map and potentially confusing for some people. Again, that’s my opinion, but I would reconsider if there was a little more definition on what may be involved.
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