Gosh why does this video not have 3M upvotes? You are so hilarious I could not stop laughing. Thanks for this! I'm helping my daughter to make her "little Santa" (multiplication) game. Oh yes, we love maths too in this family. =)
Here’s a cutting tip... even better then paper slicers. Use quilting self healing mat, rulers, and rotary cutter. Cuts through paper like a champ and you can even use the markings on the rulers to get your perfect angle cuts.
Hi, on what kind of paper do you print the board game design? I am from Nerd Hell in South Africa where they don't even know what card sleeves are and where yes only 4 seasons of Star Trek The Next Generation was shown over a period of about 10 years, so I doubt the printers will know on what kind of paper to print the board game design. Also do you need to protect the board game design with some sort of lamination or will it stay good as new without and protection?
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.
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.
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/
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.
Just finished creating a board game just in time to give the kids as a christmas present. Followed all your board game tutorials to the letter and it's turned out absolutely awesome.Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for taking the time to make this series; simply couldn't have done it without you!
Question: Is there a way to repurpose old game boards? My plan is to hand draw/paint my game onto the board. Is there a material that I can use to cover up the old game art to create a blank surface that is both durable and paintable? Thank you ahead for any feedback anyone has to offer.
Okay Buckaroo...I keep watching videos on game board making and everyone says the same thing. Oh hop on down to your local printing place and print up your design. Not so fast!!! to get a good quality print in 1 sheet that is 18x18 you are looking at 20 dollars a sheet (or more), or you can print it up in 2 sheets 9x18 which is still 15 bucks, unless you make a big run which the best price I found was 74 cents a sheet @ 200 sheets.
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.
Hi, this is really helpful. My experience with spray glue has been that it makes surfaces tacky at best. Perhaps it's the type of glue? I just picked up an Elmer's can at Michael's.
Hi pub meeple! I'm going a graphic design GCSE and my final project is designing and creating a board game. I've been watching your videos on how to make all the components which are very good but I can't think of a theme or name for my game any tips on this?
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.
A few other suggestions would include using a brayer (a hard plastic roller) or a hard plastic squeegee (not a rubber one) to help smooth down the paper backing/print after applying the adhesive.
+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 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
Thanks guys. Loved the humor and the excellent tips. It looks way more professional than the usual tip one can find over the internet. Would love to see some custom dice prototyping ideas : )
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
1:10 What is this "bulletin poster paper"? I'm not from an english speaking country, so Iøm nor really sure how to describe it a office supply retailer. I can't seem to find it online either.
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.
I've seen a few DIY boardgame makers who all just pull out a print of the boardgraphics from their local printing shop. Well this is not just an other item on the list. Such a large print easily cost 20$ making the protoype. At least that's the price I tend to land on after asking around. It makes it almost cheaper to upload to a prototypemaker (i.e. TheGameCrafter), which defeats the purpose of making it your self. Is this just something I have to except or is there an easier way?
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
I can't find any large chipboard sheets online. Where do you get your large sheets of chipboard and is it possible to get it online? (I don't live near any craft stores)
+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'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
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.
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
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
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
Nice to know there are people in Abilene with a sense of humor.
Gosh why does this video not have 3M upvotes? You are so hilarious I could not stop laughing. Thanks for this! I'm helping my daughter to make her "little Santa" (multiplication)
game. Oh yes, we love maths too in this family. =)
Here’s a cutting tip... even better then paper slicers.
Use quilting self healing mat, rulers, and rotary cutter. Cuts through paper like a champ and you can even use the markings on the rulers to get your perfect angle cuts.
Thanks for the great tips, will be trying these out soon enough.
Me watching this video to make a homemade survive board game. The game reck behind you in the video: Survive board game.
Hi, on what kind of paper do you print the board game design? I am from Nerd Hell in South Africa where they don't even know what card sleeves are and where yes only 4 seasons of Star Trek The Next Generation was shown over a period of about 10 years, so I doubt the printers will know on what kind of paper to print the board game design. Also do you need to protect the board game design with some sort of lamination or will it stay good as new without and protection?
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.
Do you know where to get a game print label or how to make it?
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.
Just finished creating a board game just in time to give the kids as a christmas present. Followed all your board game tutorials to the letter and it's turned out absolutely awesome.Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for taking the time to make this series; simply couldn't have done it without you!
That's awesome! I'm super stoked you're making games for Christmas too.
If you go to a professional printer/ print shop, they should be able to "slice" your picture to size.
Good call
Question: Is there a way to repurpose old game boards? My plan is to hand draw/paint my game onto the board. Is there a material that I can use to cover up the old game art to create a blank surface that is both durable and paintable? Thank you ahead for any feedback anyone has to offer.
Okay Buckaroo...I keep watching videos on game board making and everyone says the same thing. Oh hop on down to your local printing place and print up your design. Not so fast!!! to get a good quality print in 1 sheet that is 18x18 you are looking at 20 dollars a sheet (or more), or you can print it up in 2 sheets 9x18 which is still 15 bucks, unless you make a big run which the best price I found was 74 cents a sheet @ 200 sheets.
How do you keep the art from wrinkling on the final step?
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.
Hi, this is really helpful. My experience with spray glue has been that it makes surfaces tacky at best. Perhaps it's the type of glue? I just picked up an Elmer's can at Michael's.
Hi pub meeple! I'm going a graphic design GCSE and my final project is designing and creating a board game. I've been watching your videos on how to make all the components which are very good but I can't think of a theme or name for my game any tips on this?
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.
A few other suggestions would include using a brayer (a hard plastic roller) or a hard plastic squeegee (not a rubber one) to help smooth down the paper backing/print after applying the adhesive.
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
I'm trying to make a board for school and places around here are out of backing paper.. is there anything else I can use instead?
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.
How do you create artwork for your board? I can't find anything online that can tell me or show me.
+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).
Is there anything you recommend as an alternative to spray glue? It's pretty wet outside and I don't have a well ventilated area :/
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
Thanks guys. Loved the humor and the excellent tips. It looks way more professional than the usual tip one can find over the internet.
Would love to see some custom dice prototyping ideas : )
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
1:10 What is this "bulletin poster paper"? I'm not from an english speaking country, so Iøm nor really sure how to describe it a office supply retailer. I can't seem to find it online either.
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
I've seen a few DIY boardgame makers who all just pull out a print of the boardgraphics from their local printing shop. Well this is not just an other item on the list. Such a large print easily cost 20$ making the protoype. At least that's the price I tend to land on after asking around. It makes it almost cheaper to upload to a prototypemaker (i.e. TheGameCrafter), which defeats the purpose of making it your self. Is this just something I have to except or is there an easier way?
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
I can't find any large chipboard sheets online. Where do you get your large sheets of chipboard and is it possible to get it online? (I don't live near any craft stores)
+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
What dimensions of the chip board did you use?
I believe the chipboard ended up cutting to 15 1/4 inches. It's a 60pt. thick sheet
How to design a game board?
Thanks for this, I'm printing from Fed-Ex, do you recommend the glossy or matte finish? Obviously one is more expensive than the other.
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.
How do I make this work for a hexagonal board with holes?
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.
Can I use fiberboard?
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
you talk a lot still gave you a thumbs up tho
ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
are their alternatives to chip board? I need the whole board to be 28x28 and i cant find any chip board big enough
+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