Board game prototype: HexaGolf

HexaGolf is a board game that lets you play a round of golf using dice, custom clubs, and a course laid out over a hexagonal grid. It's still in development but nearly ready for public testing. Watch this space for news about playtesting via Tabletop Simulator and (eventually) print and play.

The gameplay is centered around your golf shots. The challenge is to use your skills to balance your luck and guide the ball from tee to green to cup. You’ll also need to navigate around the bunker, water, and other hazard hexes.

For each shot you’ll choose a club and lay it on the course to see the possible landing spots for your ball. Then you’ll roll dice to simulate swinging the club. You might also use Skill Cards to adjust your dice roll or the flight of the ball.

You’ll collect Focus as you play. This represents your mental energy and clarity of mind. You’ll use your Focus to “pay” for the Skills that you use. Resources are tight and you’ll need to scramble to score low.

The graphic design and art for the game is also in the prototype stage. I’m using my own designs along with AI generated art to explore ideas.

There may be AI images in the final product, especially if I self-publish or make a free print and play. If AI art is not acceptable to you then you might want to wait and see how the full project shakes out. I’d love to use fully hand drawn art in the final version if possible.

My custom insert for The Loop board game

I love The Loop. It's colorful and funny and easy to play. I have all of the expansions and I wanted an insert to bring it all together.

I tried something a little bit different. Instead of using smaller designs for each box, I made one large image that spans the entire insert. The box lids are tiles that combine to make the image. I wanted something featuring a version of Dr Faux swirling out of a time vortex. I used Bing Image Creator to create the pics. It's powered by the Dall-E text-to-image engine. I found some fun images and went down a rabbit hole generating hundreds more.

I also made a fancy tray to hold those colorful meeples. There's a sharp contrast when you open that stark black and white lid to reveal all of those bright shapes.

This was a fun project and came together with no major problems. The intense engraving caused some warping on the lids. I should be able to get rid of most of that by getting them damp and crushing them overnight with something heavy - like the Castles of Burgundy Special Edition. The edges of the lids also got pretty crispy in some of the darker engraved areas. I could fix that by using a lighter engrave, I think.

Custom insert for Fallout board game

I wandered into the wasteland and came back with this nifty insert for Fallout.

A fun game with lots of different cards that needed taming. I splurged a lot of the available space on two mini-card trays that go straight from box to table. These are like the ones I made for my Woodcraft insert, but they hold more cards in a smaller space. Everything from both expansions is there except for the minis. I'm painting those so they'll be on display.

There were only a few small problems during the project. Those long s.p.e.c.i.a.l. boards caused some headaches. I ended up sacrificing 8mm of precious vertical space to store them on top of everything. The dice were meant to go in the tiny box with the vault-tech logo, but there just wasn't enough room. I could maybe tighten things up on that side to free up a few mm, but It doesn't bother me enough to redo 6 boxes. 🙂

This gave me some good practice with laser engraving. It's a mystical art to get the dynamic range of the image to work within the limited range of the burnt plywood. I want to spend some time working on actual hardwood and see if that gives me more consistent results.

Overall I'm happy with the results - and the fact that it only took a few days. I'm getting a better workflow for these things.

Hunger counters for This War of Mine

If you’re going to be Hungry and Miserable, you might as well do it in style. :)

This War of Mine is one of my favorite board games. It’s not like I;m playing it every week trying to improve my strategy. What really shines for me is the story, the feel of the game, and the way that it presents an incredibly personal narrative. I’ve never really experienced anything quite like it.

There are a lot of cards and tokens and resources. These four-sided markers make it easier to keep track of all your various ailments. No need to search through and swap out all of the original, double-sided tiles.

The laser-cut burn marks seem like a good fit for the theme so I left them as-is and then them with some diluted acrylic inks. If I make another set I will dilute them even more.

I’m tempted to make a custom organizer for this game, too. It already has a decent insert but I could dream up something that would go from box to table quickly.

You can grab the SVGs at BoardGame Geek and laser-cut your own.

Transparent status markers for Hoplomachus: Victorum

I've been playing Hoplomachus: Victorum. There are a lot of different chips flying around and I sometimes lose track of the special chips in the stack. I wanted to try something transparent that sits on top of the stack so it would be more noticeable.

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This is my third iteration of the idea. It turns out that transparent chips with transparent engravings are very hard to see on a busy background. They looked really slick though. This is my first project cutting acrylic and I was surprised out how cleanly it engraves.

I've settled on some text on the edges instead of icons. The game chips are already loaded with info and visually busy. The text was hard to read by itself so I put a black background on the back to increase the contrast. I used acrylic paint to fill in the engraving. They are definitely readable on the table now.

I engraved both sides of the chip; one side for the black background and one for the white text. I needed to make sure that the engravings lined up when I flipped the circles over. It's difficult to line up a plain circle properly so I made a slightly larger outer cut with a couple of symmetrical "ears". Then I leave the material in place and flip the piece over. The ears make sure it stays aligned properly. Then I can engrave side 2 and cut the actual chip circle.

I like to put my 2-sided projects in one file, then swap out the proper groups as needed. The glowforge software is not great for fine manipulation so I find it best to get keep things all lined up in one file. If you are careful with the prep of the file then it's easy to turn pieces on and off when burning.

I kind of like cutting the acrylic. I had avoided it for months. I was worried about the smell when cutting. The smell is not bad and it sure makes a clean cut. I do like the feel of the wood better, though.

You can grab the SVGs at BoardGameGeek and cut your own.

Crafted

I'm done with my deluxe, wood-crafted organizer for the Woodcraft boardgame. I posted last month about my progress. Since then I've finished the remaining box designs, made several revisions, and spent quite a bit of time fixing dumb mistakes. I learned a lot during the project and I'm stoked with the results. I feel like I levelled up my laser cutter skills with this one.

The whole thing is built from about 200 laser-cut pieces with 90 tiny magnets to secure all of the lids. There are 9 boxes, 12 drawers, 20 cute little cubbies for tiles, and 4 trays for resources. The cards and tool tokens are sorted and secure in the box at any angle. Here's a 3 minute box-to-table video.

I spent a ridiculous amount of time on this and it was totally worth it. I learned so much and it's so satisfying to bust out a game. I still can't get a good score but at least I'm losing in style. 😉

Progress on my organizer for Woodcraft

I’ve finished the player box. It’s freakin’ sweet. :) I’m still surprised when I look at it sometimes - I’m not used to making things so precise and clean.

Here’s a little video I made to show it off:

I have several other bits finished, including a spiffy card holder. Today I’m working on the resource tokens. I’m nearly out of room after splurging on those player boxes, but I think it’s all going to fit. I can’t wait to see it all together and complete.

Prototype boxes for Woodcraft board game

I recently got ahold of the Woodcraft board game. The game is all about slicing and gluing wood to create all sorts of rustic goods. I couldn’t help but make my own laser-cut organizer for it.

I decided to make this one a little bit “extra”. I’ve added magnetic closures and a lid that converts into shelf space for your tokens and cards. I have plans to pack in a couple of shelves and a drawer, too. It’ll be like a little portable workshop for your game pieces.

They’ll be four of these eventually, one for each possible player. I’m riffing on the themes of hazelnuts and blueberries that runs through the game. They’ll be different graphics on each box, too.

I’m having a blast with this project. This laser-cutter is amazing and it lets me make things so precisely. I am sloppy and a littly clumsy so straight lines fascinate me. :)

Big, pointy teeth

I’m pretty stoked with these Warg minis from the LotR: Journeys in Middle Earth game. I’ve been working on these over the last few weeks and tonight I was brave enough to attempt the teeth. I only cursed a couple times and they came out better than I’d hoped. I’m called these puppies done.

I’m feel like I’m making good progress with these smaller minis. I’ve spent many years painting larger things - my fractals and other scaled-up models. The more games I play with these models, the more I see the wisdom in the smaller scales. I have several more of the LotR mins that are nearly done.

Minis on the table with Forbidden Psalm

I’ve tried several different tabletop skirmish games lately. I’m looking for some smaller-scale battles that are light on rules and let me use my own minis. Bonus points for a solo mode. Stuff like One Page Rules, Frostgrave, or Space Station Zero.

This week I tried Forbidden Psalm - a dark, apocalyptic/medieval skirmish game. It’s a brutal setting with a hint of humor. “A game of blood, metal and death” where you can help the Mad Wizard locate his misplaced socks.

The game system is stripped=to=the-bones simple. The settings and lore are minimal but evocative. The battle scenarios are quick and exciting. It fits on my table with room to spare. It also goes well with my fractal terrain pieces and plants. I love to get them on the table and use them as intended. :)

Diorama test

I’ve been printing a bunch of medieval buildings with plans on making some dioramas. I finally have some paint on one of the small buildings and I wanted to see how it would look with some (unfinished) minis. Looks awesome!

I don’t have any firm plans yet, but I’m excited to paint the rest of the buildings that I’ve printed.

On My Workbench : Pig pens, wargs, and trolls

I’ve been painting up a storm lately and my workbench is covered with minis. It’s glorious. :) I have several projects going, of course.

I’ve been printing a bunch of realistic, medieval style buildings. Part of an awesome collection by Printable Scenery called King and Country. I started painting the first batch this week. Even with just primer and a dark wash they are looking fantastic. I was surprised how real this quick snapshot felt.

That ruff lookin fellow is from the Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle Earth game. I’ve been working on all of those minis, getting some practice with the small, 28mm models. I feel like I’m getting a little closer to what I’m after. I’m having fun splashing color around on those Warg wolves, I must have 5 or 6 different washes and glazes on there by now.

Free 3D printable terrain, scatter, and plants

tl;dr: I’ve made all of my 3D printables available for free download.

I’ve made a lot of 3D printable designs. I’m surprised as I look back at all the crazy stuff I’ve made over the last 6 years. Over 100 different designs and many of those had multiple variations.

I’ve had some moderate success selling the terrain and plant models. As usual, my stuff appeals to a niche market within a niche market. I wasn’t expecting to go full time with it but it has paid for lots of resin, filament, and a few new printers over the years.

I feel like I’ve made a fair return on my efforts. I’d like more people to print the weird and wonderful things that I’ve made - so I’ve made all of my existing models free to download and print. Print something weird for your next tabletop campaign!

Includes all of the models from my successful Fractal Forest Kickstarter campaign.

I’d love to see any prints that you make, especially painted versions. It’s very satisfying to see what people have done with my creations. I may charge for future designs. We’ll see where my creative whims take me.

Scythe box organizer is done

I’ve finished the insert/organizer for my copy of Scythe. Everything fits and it makes setup and teardown much easier and quicker. There are a few things I’d change if I did it again, but overall I’m happy with the results. I’m working on painting the minis, now.

I’ve uploaded the files to Printables.com so you can print your own.

Creating custom board game storage for Scythe

This week I’m working on some 3D printed storage boxes for the Scythe board game. It has a lot of tokens and bits. With the expansion I’m using there are seven factions that each have 5 miniatures, 8 meeple workers, a big ‘ol airship, and at least a dozen other markers.

I decided that I want to get everything inside the original Scythe box and I want to keep each faction separate for easy setup. It would’ve been a much simple project without those danged airships. They are chonky. o.O

I think I’ve managed to iterate a design that works, though. It even has a spiffy little drawer for all the markers.

It’s meant to have washers glued to the bottom of the minis, and magnets inside the box. Keeps the minis from banging around. I plan on painting these minis so I don’t want to just toss them in a box. I’m still working on a simple latch for the drawer, something just snug enough to keep it from sliding out when tipped.

It’s a very tight fit in the main box. If I have a few millimeters to spare I will decorate the final versions: maybe a simple wooden crate. I’m still not sure there will be enough room for the cards and other bits. It’s a fun puzzle.

Custom boxes for the Arkham Horror card game

Arkham Horror is one of my current favorite games - and incredibly atmospheric game that’s fuill of fun choices and great artwork. There are a lot of cards and those cards are organized into sets of decks. Seems like perfect opportunity to use my laser cutter for some fancy boxes.

They look so good! The burnt wood is a prefect fit for the noir theme. I even added extra junk into my laser’s cutting tray so that there would be extra smoke and flare-ups to mar the wood. :) It’s very satisfying to slot one of the decks into its home.

I’m nearly done with the second set, the Dunwich Legacy. There are eight sets total, though I only own three. If I get them all I’ll definitely need some sort of custom rack to hold them all. They look awesome but they are bulky.

Boards and Bits and Boxes

All of a sudden I am obsessed with board games. I’ve always liked ‘em, but a few months ago something just clicked and I’ve been playing them almost daily. I’m having so much fun discovering new games and mechanics and themes.

Many of the games I’m playing have lots of bits - cards, tokens, tiles, miniatures - all manner of miscellany. Some of the games come with decent storage solutions, but many do not. I’ve been busy designing custom storage boxes using my 3D printer and laser cutter. It’s nice to make useful objects for a change. It’s also very satisfying to tuck away all those bits into their new homes.

So far I’ve made inserts for Wrath of Ashardalon and Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle Earth. Both games have lots of tiles and miniatures. LotR also has several decks of cards to keep organized. I made some custom deck holders that slip right in to the box. Pull em out and they are ready for play.

My next project is for Arkham Horror: LCG. The burnt-wood boxes are a perfect fit for the noir/cthulhu theme.

I’ve also been experimenting with various token holders and other accessories. My plan is to open a new on-line store with board game accessories and my printed minis. Watch for that in the coming months.

Hey, remember Blogs?

Blogging was a big part of the good internet. Before we were overrun with “alternative facts”, outrage, and politically motivated hatred. I gave up on Facebook long ago, and recently gave up on Twitter, too.

I still need somewhere to let people know what I’m making, to share interesting discoveriess, to try and connect with like-minded people. So…here it is. I can’t call it a “Blog”, because - yuck.. So Studio Journal until I think of something less pretentious. :P

I may also start up my Workbench video series again. These were quick tours of current projects in my real life workshop. I always have somethin’ cooking out there, usually four of five somethins. It’s fun to poke around and maybe share a few new techniques I’ve tried or challenges I’ve been facing..

Workbench video from Spring of 2021
I never did paint that mushroom.