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I originally made it normal table height, but found long reaches while sitting were harder and it just felt cramped.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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Tjoek's 1940 Global Map file and setup charts (Updated May 30th 2018)
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@kevArs it’s not about porting, more about deploying it again. But still needs some time.
Thanks for offering to tip. It’s been an intensive effort to get this retouched map. So any sign of appreciation is hearty welcomed. Just opened a ko-fi link you can use: https://ko-fi.com/tjoek
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@kevArs and yes Global 1940 is the most complex. Especially with the different objectives and related bonus incomes. With this implemented the rest should be straightforward. Only the 1914 contested areas is something to tackle if you’re willing to.
Does you app sync across multiple players joining the same game session?
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@Tjoek Hey! Thanks for the link, will do.
No, my app doesn’t do multiplayer. In fact, it’s a static website with no backend right now. I don’t really see the need to make it MP, unless there’s real demand. For now, it will remain a digital tracker for a 1940 Global in-person game.
I found it especially useful with some of my buddies who had never played before and for us, who play 1-2 times a year. The few questions and issues I’m trying to tackle with this app (without referencing the book every 2 minutes) are the following :
When can each country enter the war again?
Which ship is the cruiser and which is the destroyer? (I’m adding HD images/country)
Which territories specifically do I need for that objective, and where are they?
Preparing options for purchases while waiting for one’s turn
Calculating odds for a particular encounter
Reminding us about convoys and troop-related objectives (Egypt, sz125, etc.)
Which factories are different from the Pacific/Europe default games? And when do they change?
Comparing one game’s scores by turn with another (stats and a graphic), etc.I don’t know if there are any other issues or nice-to-haves that the community would want, but those are the ones I could think of during in-person play.
I don’t think I want to recreate Triple-A, though…
Currently it’s not really useful on mobile either, but I plan to make it mobile-friendly. For now, we play with a big screen running the app, next to the table. A couple of people update it as we go and use it to plan their moves. -
can you make a 1942.2 map file, OOB?
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@Imperious-Leader As I work with high quality scan from the original board as the basis, I have to check if I have the 1942.2 game to begin with. I don’t recall as it really has been a while I played A&A.
But still it takes many many hours to clean the maps from all scanning and merging defects as I scan it in multiple pieces of roughly A4/Letter size. Before cleaning up the fold lines etc.
So long story short: no clue if and when. I’m sorry.
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@Tjoek 1942.2 is the current flagship game of AA. its being played alot more than 1940, which is my favorite. but i readily admit whats more played and talked about
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@Imperious-Leader said in Tjoek's 1940 Global Map file and setup charts (Updated May 30th 2018):
@Tjoek 1942.2 is the current flagship game of AA. its being played alot more than 1940, which is my favorite. but i readily admit whats more played and talked about
I’m sure you’re right as it’s a bit more accessible than the bigger Global 1940 I prefer too.
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@Tjoek
Hi, I tried to download and print this map, but he program says that the dimension is approx is slightly bigger that the OOB map.
Did I do something wrong ?
Where I can find, download a map for local printing in high resolution ?
I would pay for the dowload of a good map, that could give +30% of the original size
Any suggestion ?
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@Marco-Luti, once you download the file, you need to tell the printer what dimensions you want to print it in by using “page setup” or some similar feature. Tjoek’s map files are super dense and easily support being blown up to twice the size of the OOB map or more.
At 400DPI, Tjoek’s files should printout at the size of the OOB map.
At 300DPI, you will get a +33.3% dimension boost, close to what you’re looking for.
At 200DPI, you will get a +100% dimension boost.
…and so on. Here’s another thread where I talk about printing (in this case it’s my overlays, but the info still applies)
DM me if you want to share specifics of what you’re looking for.
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@vodot
Thank you very much. Appreciated
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