That's awesome! I'm super stoked you're making games for Christmas too.

alexdamado We haven't done a dice video since people probably don't want to watch me just putting stickers on dice which is the most cost effective way to prototype. My favorite place to go is printplaygames.com and have them print me stickers. I usually get their dice too. I'd show off my Zelda dice I had them print, but I don't want to pay Nintendo for knocking off their game

DiceFest Games Oh yeah, that's good. I also should have mentioned to work on a hard flat surface so we don't induce extra ripples or seams

It's almost more important whether it can be printed with a laser printer. Your colors won't smear or bleed as bad if they have a laser machine. The problem then becomes what your print size is limited to with that machine as usually it's the ink printers that can print on banner sized paper. As far as the paper itself, I try to use something thin and light-weight. Not glossy like the one I have in this video. The bi-fold and tri-fold videos on this channel have better paper stock. I don't have a sealant process as I've only used these for prototypes. The problem with spray sealants is they create a rough finish.

Thanks. My game boards are not going to fold, but will be 4 A3 papers on chipboard. I will have to find some way to make them "stick" together when I play, something like velcro and then they will pack away easy. But before I go design those boards can laser printers print on A3? (I am going to have this done professionally.) Then what kind of paper or material should I ask them to print on. I guess your knowledge on this is much better than mine. then as far at the covering of the board goes maybe if I understand your answer cover it with nothing and rather reprint if the quality goes down?

There are color laser printers for A3 out there. It will really depend on where you go and what's available. I wouldn't print on anything heavier than 20lb stock. I talked to my printer peeps at Office Max and they help me get the right paper for the machines they run. But for a board you're not folding, the stock makes less difference as your not worried about a foldable seam. I tend to go no-gloss

Ok thanks. Will go to one of these professional printer places and see if they can help. We are on the metric system here so i am not sure what the equivalent of 20 pounds are here, i.e what we call it here and what I should ask for. Things like board games and your own unique cards don't really get printed over here at Nerd Hell. I went to a place that prints photos and asked if they can print on photo paper from an word document and they guy took about 5 minutes to figure out I was not talking about trying to print a map. The closed you will ever get to a comic book convention here where I live is a youtube video.

If you're drawing a blank with a theme, try starting with your favorite game mechanism and flesh out a theme from there. This is a very euro-style form of designing. Alternatively you can start with a theme inspired by favorite movies, artwork, etc.

I've started using glue sticks for a lot of projects. As simple as it sounds, they're easy to manage and don't wrinkle the paper. Doesn't work well holding 2 pieces of chipboard together, but it's fantastic for the paper to chipboard contact

I've used a psudo-vinyl material once. Basically walked around a craft/cloth store looking for ideas. I've found the bulletin board paper online too.

That's probably the trickiest part. In the Bi-fold and Tri-fold video, I found it's easier to use a strong glue stick on both the backside of the artwork as well as the surface it's being attached to. That will give you some extra time to work on smoothing things out before the glue dries.

Annabelle Jameson I think you're asking where to get the front graphic printed for a board? I make mine with photoshop but there are a lot of great programs you could use. Then I take it on a flash-drive to Office Max / Depot / Kinkos / etc. and have them print it for me. If it's a large print-out you may want to find out the printers' limits first. I get my board print-outs made on really basic poster paper.

Thank you! Could you recommend any programs for me?

Yes, if you want the photoshop experience for free you can use Queeky Paint in a browser: www.queeky.com/app there is a learning curve to this tool as far as exporting and layer work if you've not done that kind of thing before. Best thing to do is just jump in and start experimenting and look up tutorials when you find you can't do what you want. I've heard SumoPaint is good too but I've never used it (not sure if its free either) www.sumopaint.com/home/

Okay thank you so much!

Annabelle Jameson You can also use Gimp (gimp.org) but it's got a learning curve similar to Photoshop. I've been using Paint.NET (getpaint.net) a lot lately for simple photo editing. It's a huge step up from the classic windows paint and really easy to use while giving you access to features similar to photoshop.

+Justin Pettit, I use Photoshop for most of my projects. You don't need much for prototypes (you can use clip art, free images, create grids, etc.) A great resource for this process is the Forbidden Limb podcast (also here on youtube).

I've done both. I personally like the matte finish but I don't mind the glossy. Either way, if you can get them to print it with a laser printer, the ink isn't as tacky and has less chance of smearing

Which did you use in the video, matte? Because matte is cheaper and looks pretty good if that is what you used in the video. Thanks!

The one I use in this video is not very good. Now I use a gloss for boxes and matte for game boards with a thin paper stock

Thanks, it's gonna look great.

Pub Meeple Actually one more thing, is there a way of protection for the board you recommend. I can't laminate the size I've printed. Thanks again.

Printing costs are often a deal breaker aren't they? To save on cost for a prototype, you might consider breaking up the image so you can have it printed on several smaller sheets instead of one larger one, allowing them to run it on a more cost effective machine. It doesn't look as good, but when you're prototyping it might be the best approach until you lock in your design

Pub Meeple Thanks. we were thinking along the same line. Do you know a good way to minimize the edge showing where two sheets meet?

Not if it's a board without folds. If you made it a bi-fold board, the seam could run along the existing fold

+Nolan Johnson, someone is always selling chipboard on Amazon but it will be difficult to find anything larger than 12" x 12" sheets.

+Pub Meeple should I just glue multiple sheets together? also, thanks for responding so quickly.

+Nolan Johnson, It really depends on how much you need. If you know the dimensions you should be able to determine how much you need. If you have the money, it may be best to get multiples as it will save you on shipping if you end up needing more. Before you buy, make sure you don't need any one piece larger than the size of the pre-cuts. I've used smaller sheets of chipboard many times as sometimes that's all that's available. And don't forget that if you're doubling your thickness, you'll need twice as much as your measured area. Good luck

I believe the chipboard ended up cutting to 15 1/4 inches. It's a 60pt. thick sheet

Not exactly sure what you mean. I suppose you could cut the holes in your graphic and trace them on the chipboard. Cut the chipboard and then apply the graphic?

Pub Meeple sorry I wasn't specific! I must have forgotten to type something. What I meant is how do I do the poster backer for my board? If you want to see my plan, I'll show you later.

It's a roll of colored paper that is often use here in the States in classrooms or work places to cover a cork-and-tack board. Usually found at hobby supply or teacher's resource store.

Pub Meeple ok. thanks

Good call

how thick of fiber board? I don't see why not. Depending on your setup it might take a little more to cut and work with, but if it's thin enough you'd have a pretty sturdy board

Pub Meeple it says it is 0.216 inches thick... is that still okay?

That is very thick. About 5mm. I usually use a material that only brings the board to about 1 to 1.5mm. There are thick, wooden boards for games like Wahoo or Crokinole. I guess it depends on what you want the final product to look and feel like. You'd probably want a fine saw to cut 5mm fiber board and maybe some sandpaper to get a clean edge

+Carolyn Merrival, best alternative might be frame mat material, but that can be expensive. Usually you can find chipboard where you might get custom frames made, if you're in the States, the nearest Hobby Lobby should carry the larger sheets

Hey mate,your videos and ideas are pretty awesome! Keep up the good work,man! :D By the way,because you seem to really enjoy board games,l'd like to share my thoughts with you :) l am sure you are aware of what ''wargaming'' is,as a hobby.lt actually combines some of my favourite activities,board games and the creation of model sceneries and landscapes (the creation of dioramas,in other words).l always loved the idea of making a 3D interactive board game (one with lighting effects and electric motors which will allow the movement of the pieces),.lt could be one which will not necessarily be a strategy/war themed game.But,because l can't find something that combines all these feautures,l decided to make my own 3D board game which will contain all features l mentioned above.l did some research and found out that,although l'm pretty sure many board gamers have already thought something like that would be nice to make,there is actually no such board game,and also nothing similar to what l stated above exists as an idea written in forums in sites like boardgamegeek.com.Don't you think that a diorama-style board game would be great? :D Please let me know what you think,and sorry for the huge comment.Thanks in advance! Liked and subscribed! ^_^

Are you familiar with H.G. Wells, Little Wars? It was written in the early 1900s. He was a man before his time, kind of like what you're describing. It's also the closest thing I've seen to what you are describing as he would have projectiles that shoot, etc. Lot's a famous individuals collected and played his game in yards or on the floor. Here's an online link to his book: archive.org/details/littlewarsgamefo00well

Pub Meeple Sorry dude,my english is pretty bad...could you please sum up what the book is about?

It's basically the earliest version of miniature wargamming, but his soldiers had mechanical parts that shot wooden sticks at the other side. The setup was fairly intricate and often took up a whole room's floorspace. There's not much in the way of mechanical miniature gaming. I'd be interested to see what you come up with