Tabletop Randomness

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hepcat
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by hepcat »

I've been thinking about a gametopper table topper. I'm going to check them out at Gencon this year with an eye towards buying one maybe. I'd love to have a truly 3x3 foot playing area for miniature gaming.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by RMC »

hepcat wrote: Mon Jul 18, 2022 10:47 am I've been thinking about a gametopper table topper. I'm going to check them out at Gencon this year with an eye towards buying one maybe. I'd love to have a truly 3x3 foot playing area for miniature gaming.
I think we looked at those at Origins a few years ago, they look like the perfect thing for easy use of existing tables.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by Smoove_B »

hepcat wrote: Mon Jul 18, 2022 10:47 am I'd love to have a truly 3x3 foot playing area for miniature gaming.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by hepcat »

that's another thing I want: a 3D printer. But I may just see about renting time on one as I just need some terrain printed out. Nothing to merit purchasing a whole printer though, I believe.

I wonder what Rose's armor class would be?
RMC wrote: Mon Jul 18, 2022 11:14 am
hepcat wrote: Mon Jul 18, 2022 10:47 am I've been thinking about a gametopper table topper. I'm going to check them out at Gencon this year with an eye towards buying one maybe. I'd love to have a truly 3x3 foot playing area for miniature gaming.
I think we looked at those at Origins a few years ago, they look like the perfect thing for easy use of existing tables.
At the time I think I pooh poohed them. But recently we tried to play Star Trek Ascendancy on my 30 inch wide bjursta table and the 3 inches on each side that hung off bothered me. And I can't justify a full gaming table as the cost seems to be much higher than just a topper, while the table itself would be tough for an apartment dweller to move.
Last edited by hepcat on Mon Jul 18, 2022 12:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by RMC »

hepcat wrote: Mon Jul 18, 2022 11:36 am that's another thing I want: a 3D printer. But I may just see about renting time on one as I just need some terrain printed out. Nothing to merit purchasing a whole printer though, I believe.

I wonder what Rose's armor class would be?
RMC wrote: Mon Jul 18, 2022 11:14 am
hepcat wrote: Mon Jul 18, 2022 10:47 am I've been thinking about a gametopper table topper. I'm going to check them out at Gencon this year with an eye towards buying one maybe. I'd love to have a truly 3x3 foot playing area for miniature gaming.
I think we looked at those at Origins a few years ago, they look like the perfect thing for easy use of existing tables.
At the time I think I pooh poohed them. But recently we tried to play Star Trek Ascendancy on my 30 inch wide bjursta table and the 3 inches on each side that hung off but bothered me. And I can't justify a full gaming table as the cost seems to be much higher than just a topper, while the table itself would be tough for an apartment dweller to move.
I bought a 3D printer a few years ago, and I printed some things, and even set it up in my office. But honestly, I just never found the time to dial it in. And I have several friends who have a 3D printer that print things much better than I have been able too. So I will just pay them. Lol. But I bought itto print out boardgame dividers, and such. And I still think if I get time I will do that. But I have not had time.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

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I wasn't aware there was any real skill involved in 3D printing? I always thought you just filled up a reservoir with magic goop, then uploaded a 3D blueprint and hit "print".
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

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hepcat wrote: Mon Jul 18, 2022 1:32 pm I wasn't aware there was any real skill involved in 3D printing? I always thought you just filled up a reservoir with magic goop, then uploaded a 3D blueprint and hit "print".
Yeah.... In an ideal world that would be it. But you have to calibrate the printer, and there are lots of factors that can impact quality prints and not getting anything out of the printer but goop.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by Zarathud »

If you bought a Wyrmwood modular table like hentzau, it would disassemble and be reasonably priced. My boardgametable.com is heavy but the legs disassemble. And I’ll pay movers now that I’m the olds.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by hepcat »

Interesting, I just assumed the wyrmwood tables were all 5 to 6 grand. I didn't realize the modular version is significantly cheaper. I was also looking at a Jasper from bgt. it's near gametoppers pricing too.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by Zarathud »

They’ve become quite reasonable as long as you pick a predefined model and don’t get sucked into addons. Real furniture is nice.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

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Dude, I have real furniture. You make it sound like I’m living in a college dorm. Most people don’t pay 5 grand for a dining room table. Hell, most people don’t pay 2 grand. These are luxury hobby items we’re talking about.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

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People have dining room tables?

Hell, people have rooms just for dining?
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

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On the Beverly Hillbillies it was the billiard room.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by hentzau »

3D printing is a completely separate hobby, Hep. There is a learning curve, they aren’t plug and play, and you have to be willing to tinker.

That said, If you want some stuff, hit me up. I’m at camp this week and I have to finish up a big project next week, and then at camp again…so if you don’t need it right away, I’m your huckleberry.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by Isgrimnur »

Not to mention ventilation. But then, that may be a problem you've already solved through hobbies. I wouldn't know.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by baelthazar »

hepcat wrote: Mon Jul 18, 2022 8:54 pm Dude, I have real furniture. You make it sound like I’m living in a college dorm. Most people don’t pay 5 grand for a dining room table. Hell, most people don’t pay 2 grand. These are luxury hobby items we’re talking about.
We inherited a table from my wife's grandmother. Hell, most of our furniture is inherited. I play games in my office on a beat up 3 ft x 3 ft breakfast nook table from my parents. The good news is that I can often skip large playmats, because they tend to be over 36in long.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by YellowKing »

I really want a "real" gaming table, but it's hard to justify when my cheap thrown together solution works just fine. Large folding table, large neoprene mat. Done.

We have a finished storage room that we're currently using as the kids' arts and crafts room. I had a thought that when they get older I could convert that into a full gaming room and put a nice table in there. Dreams....
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by AWS260 »

Blackhawk wrote: Mon Jul 18, 2022 10:12 pm People have dining room tables?

Hell, people have rooms just for dining?
"Dining rooms" are a common motif in popular science fiction. Like the Jetsons' flying car, I hope to one day have one.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

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Pshaw, we'll all have indoor bathrooms before then.
hentzau wrote: Mon Jul 18, 2022 11:29 pm 3D printing is a completely separate hobby, Hep. There is a learning curve, they aren’t plug and play, and you have to be willing to tinker.

That said, If you want some stuff, hit me up. I’m at camp this week and I have to finish up a big project next week, and then at camp again…so if you don’t need it right away, I’m your huckleberry.
Thanks man, that's very generous of you! I may take you up on that for some terrain at some point. But I promise not to be a bother!
Isgrimnur wrote: Mon Jul 18, 2022 11:31 pm Not to mention ventilation. But then, that may be a problem you've already solved through hobbies. I wouldn't know.
Another upside, you're saying?
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by hentzau »

Isgrimnur wrote:Not to mention ventilation. But then, that may be a problem you've already solved through hobbies. I wouldn't know.
Ventilation for PLA isn’t an issue. ABS and other more exotic filaments that you need higher temps for, then you need ventilation.

Eco-friendly resin isn’t too bad as far as odors, but I don’t take chances and have a fan in a window when I’m printing and it’s getting stirred up.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

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This is a long ways away for me, but how much ventilation and for how long are we talking?
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

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Blackhawk wrote:This is a long ways away for me, but how much ventilation and for how long are we talking?
Well, a typical minis print for me takes about 2 and a half hours on a mono printer. Decreased layers and anti-aliasing will increase that by as much as double. If you’re venting during the pour of resin and then the print and the drain and clean of the resin tank, call it 3-3.5 hours.

What I’ve been doing is just running an air filter right between the printer and the wash station. That takes care of 90% of the odors. That’s using low odor plant based resin.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

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That could be a problem. I have birds, so I have to be especially careful of fumes. I can seal off the bedroom and turn on an exhaust fan (I do this for other fume-heavy projects), but the room isn't exactly comfortable to be in during that time, save for some brief periods in the spring and autumn. If a miniature is 3+ hours, I can only imagine what larger projects must be (terrain, organizers, utility items, etc. - my main interest.) It isn't like I was going to be getting one anytime soon, but that could be enough of an issue to prevent it outright.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by hentzau »

Blackhawk wrote:That could be a problem. I have birds, so I have to be especially careful of fumes. I can seal off the bedroom and turn on an exhaust fan (I do this for other fume-heavy projects), but the room isn't exactly comfortable to be in during that time, save for some brief periods in the spring and autumn. If a miniature is 3+ hours, I can only imagine what larger projects must be (terrain, organizers, utility items, etc. - my main interest.) It isn't like I was going to be getting one anytime soon, but that could be enough of an issue to prevent it outright.
Well, I wouldn’t recommend a SLA/resin printer for terrain anyway, other than for greebles and furniture and the like. Larger pieces the FDM/filament printers are the way to go.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by baelthazar »

I was going to say, I was under the impression that resin was good for minis, but you have to create a lot of struts and supports to prevent collapse during the printing process. Chunkier things, like terrain, it is less useful for.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by hentzau »

You can get great terrain prints from resin. But based on the kind of print you would need to hollow it out and put drainage holes to let the resin in the interior drain out and allow the alcohol to wash and drain. Plus quite a bit more expensive than FDM.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by baelthazar »

hentzau wrote: Wed Jul 20, 2022 4:10 pm You can get great terrain prints from resin. But based on the kind of print you would need to hollow it out and put drainage holes to let the resin in the interior drain out and allow the alcohol to wash and drain. Plus quite a bit more expensive than FDM.
Yeah, I am always reminded of the resin sculpts from Forge World for the large vehicles and such. Basically, there were some you needed chisels and saws to get out from the struts!
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

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I went and dug my copy of Fallout: Wasteland Warfare out of storage. I'd picked it up just before I went on my boardgame hiatus. I went and really looked at the offerings on the official site. They have every terrain offering under the sun - as stl files. :grund: One of these days I'm going to have to get myself a 3d printer!
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by hentzau »

Blackhawk wrote:I went and dug my copy of Fallout: Wasteland Warfare out of storage. I'd picked it up just before I went on my boardgame hiatus. I went and really looked at the offerings on the official site. They have every terrain offering under the sun - as stl files. :grund: One of these days I'm going to have to get myself a 3d printer!
Still a great game. I have tons of terrain and minis. But I’m still deep in Pulp Alley.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by Blackhawk »

Yeah, it's really appealing to me right now. Although Modiphius really likes big price tags, which hurts. I'll have to get by with the starter set I already own for the foreseeable future.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by Isgrimnur »

Heat: Pedal to the Metal
Days of Wonder, the company behind the Ticket to Ride tabletop game franchise, revealed a new tabletop game called Heat: Pedal to the Metal.

Heat: Pedal to the Metal is a Formula One-inspired racing game set in the 1960s. The game will allow 1-6 players to compete in car races on four different tracks. As players compete to win each race, they’ll need to manage their car’s speed to prevent their vehicle from overheating.
...
Heat: Pedal to the Metal will be released first at Spiel Essen (a tabletop gaming convention), which takes place October 6-9, 2022 in Essen, Germany. The game will be released around the world in fall 2022.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by Fardaza »

I have Heat: Pedal to the Metal on my BGG wishlist already! Looking forward to seeing how it plays.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by Isgrimnur »

Rules are up on the DoW site.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by Daveman »

I really like Flamm Rouge and Heat is by the same designer. Heat looks a little more complex but is still built on a straightforward concept of managing your deck/hand of cards... I can't wait to try it out.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by Blackhawk »

Since I'm jumping back into the idea of building terrain and playing terrain-based games, I'm being reminded of just how odd it is looking for supplies (especially if you are trying not to spend money.)

For some things, you just have to browse until you find something that looks right. You're working at scale, so you are mainly interested in the shape and texture - not the function. Example: 1/2 inch PVC pipe plugs:

Enlarge Image

Why?
Spoiler:
55 gallon drums!

Enlarge Image
And then there are readily available, cheap materials. That come by the hundreds of square feet and are impossible to transport by car.

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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by Fardaza »

Just snagged Lost Ruins of Arnak off Amazon. It's on sale for $41! :D

Now if I can just find time to play it this week. :lol:
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by Blackhawk »

My #1 most hated rule in RPGs (which shows up in skirmish games, too) :

If you shoot into a melee, randomly determine who is hit.

The presence of an ally doesn't negate the ability to aim! It's easier to accidentally hit your friend, but equally likely? Pfft.
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by hepcat »

I have no problem with that rule. Sounds realistic to me. How many times do you watch a show where two people are fighting and a third person with a gun is constantly being told to shoot, but refuses/hesitates because they aren't sure they'll hit the right person?

Answer: a lot. :wink:
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by Smoove_B »

Yeah, I like that rule - assuming there's a character skill or trait that can mitigate it ("Eagle Eye"; "Steady Hand"). Make special character traits special again!
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Re: Tabletop Randomness

Post by hepcat »

Someone has been playing Dungeon Universalis. :lol:
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