Two awesome games I am planning to cut when I get a chance to buy some nice hardwood, and may slap out in plywood if I get a few spare moments before making such an order.
Tak: For this one, it would be nice to have the board demonstrated so you have the 5x5 or 6x6 options available. But in reality you can just grab a chessboard and get to playing.
So the important bits to make are just the small squares, or really any shape stable enough to stand on one end. I am pretty sure you need 20 of those in each color. And then borrow a bishop from the chess set you pillaged for the board, and you are all set.
This one SHOULD be on the boards somewhere… one of the top comment threads includes somebody asking if the video/game author wants to collaborate on a Glowforge based project for crying out loud! But, since the game has no name yet, I am failing to locate it on the board.
This one is a little more complicated since you won’t likely have a hexagonal board laying around, and the borders are fairly valuable to gameplay clarity. But, yet again it is all quite easily done on a laser (with plans already available on Thingiverse)
Each game is quite unique to any I have played so far, and seem likely to have fair depth. I just wish my wife liked playing chess, because I imagine anyone who does like chess would love each of these. Since I don’t know my wife’s precise distaste for chess, there is still hope she will enjoy these. But not enough hope for me to be rushing out to make them instantly
Path seems like an interesting game. Personally I think I’d put some fairly weak magnets in the center of the hexes so they would always stack nicely when you move a piece and won’t get knocked around. Tak is for sure on my list. Great finds!
For Tak I generally suggest starting with the 4x4 game. You only need 15 pieces per side and there are no capstones, so you can just focus on learning to play flat stones and standing stones.
Then once you feel like you understand the basics of the game, move up to the 5x5 game, which introduces capstones. (You’ll need 21 pieces per side, plus a capstone for each player.)
I’ve yet to play a game of 6x6 Tak (let alone 8x8, although I do have enough pieces for it).
If they get the licensing for Settlers for the pre-order, then the magnets sounds like they would be a perfect add to the board for keeping discs and robber in place, as well as easy storage.
I see you too have suffered from someone getting just a little too animated within ten paces of a settlers board great game but it just never sits as tightly and snuggly as I want. I think you’re right a few little strategically placed magnets would make a world of difference
I have a big list of favorite games that I want to render in wood form via the Glowforge. My only issue will be that I’ll want to have them out all the time. Who has that much table space??
Thanks for the post.
Custom storage cases for each game, and a set of custom slots bolted to the ceiling so that you just look up, choose a game, slide it out, and play
(I have to propose the ceiling, because our game room is already out of wall space, and even if we make a wood version we are NOT getting rid of any games! MINE! MIIIIIIINE! We have 4 copies of freaking monopoly for crying out loud. Not themed. Just basic Monopoly. Of course nothing else is getting tossed out)
this is something i’ve been giving tons of thought to lately. i especially want to recreate travel versions of a few games (with magnets) that i can build silly boxes for and slip a bunch into my bag.
And you can buy the little magnets for stuff like that in bulk for dirt cheap on Amazon, travel games are a great idea. Chess and checkers would be easy. You could do a checker set with little tubes to slide the stacks of disks into. What else?
If you are going magnets, be careful with selection of magnet shape/size/strength.
If you are doing a 3 layer item, you can leave a void in the middle layer to place a loose magnet. For this, radial polarity cylindrical magnets are awesome, since they can roll to orient and snap together.
If you are doing single layer, then you will quite likely be doing a press-fit. So you need to be sure that the pressfit/glue is stronger than the magnet to magnet/steel, or they will just come right out.
If you are doing double layer, you can place the magnet on the top instead of the bottom. The aesthetic may fit nicely in the piece, and it avoids the issue of needing a stronger pressfit than magnet.
good points. ideally, i’d like to make the board magnetic, as then you can have a bag of free flowing pieces with some hidden or overt piece of metal (which should otherwise follow your suggestions above).
great game but it just never sits as tightly and snuggly as I want. I think you’re right a few little strategically placed magnets would make a world of difference