Ye Olde Inn

by **GlennM** » Sunday February 7th, 2016 10:17am

So, I'm thinking of trying a new project. I want to do Mousepad game boards. The basic jist of the product would be 24" square game boards, 25mm squares, about $20-$25 not including shipping. The room and halls would be designed in a similar method to Heroquest, as in the walls are solid lines that you place doors and such over to open them. The layout would obviously not be the same, though I could go with roughly the same feel, it would not be the same layout. Another friend proposed I didn't do a set layout, but made a bunch of components that could be cut out of the material so you can assemble it how you want. I think I can basically do both, so that you can simply use the mat as is, or cut them out and use them as modules.
I'm currently looking at the theme and some basics for how I want it to work. I've been working on egyptian themed tiles that I think would look amazing, but obviously it's a bit more limited in scope. Doing a more basic dungeon theme would potentially do better. But a bit more bland. I could also do a cavern theme, I may even be able to mix a little and do one quarter in a cavern theme and the rest dungeon. I don't think I want to go that route though honestly. Hallway width is a bit of a concern, I could go double spaced hallways, which are great for large monsters and such, but it reduces play space a bit.

Eh basically what I'm asking is if you had the option to purchase a mousepad mat that could work for Heroquest, what features would you look for?

Not sure... I'd have to see the art and a confirmed price point. However, I do REALLY like that so many game mats and game-play aids are going to the mouse pad-styled neoprene (or whatever it is), with the high rez graphics. They are non-slip and very durable as long as they are rolled and not folded.

So, I think there is potential yeah.

That said, personally, I'd prefer to have one theme per map. I feel that this approach leads to more versatility than having caverns and dungeons, or swamps, or mountains, or whatever on one map, that may often not get used.

However, alternate maps being available to cater to different environments is another matter--though there are a lot on the market right now as it is.

But yeah, I'd be interested in hearing more and seeing where this goes.

maj!

by **GlennM** » Sunday February 7th, 2016 10:39am

If you glance a few threads down, I've launched kickstarters for print and play tiles, it'd be a similar graphical quality. I understand what you mean by needing to see final art and such before committing to anything, just looking to figure out what I should do to make this work; if anyone has anything in particular to point out that may make or break the project, etc.

by **clmckay** » Sunday February 7th, 2016 11:49am

I not familiar with anything printed on mousepad materiel. So with that said, my concerns would be:

Type of mousepad covering. Is it the hard plastic cover type? Or the fabric cover type.

Plastic would not roll well for me, so storage would be problematic.

The fabric ones I've seen don't havee very high resolution and seem to be a pretty low thread count, so I fear they would get dingy and threadbare easily.

Cleaning. I have kids and adults who eat and drink. Cleaning the mousepad covering could be difficult and damaging if its a fabric cover.

I currently get custom gameboards printed. But I use vinyl instead of thicker neoprene. The vinyl can slide at times, so there's a bonus to the heavier, grippier neoprene. Cleanup on vinyl is super easy. But I'd be worried about durability of the image over the long term. Especially with getting a vinyl print for $10-15USD.

by **GlennM** » Sunday February 7th, 2016 12:32pm

Fabric topped, they do get a bit dark though, so I would have to make sure my prints are pretty bright. The ones I have are of a good resolution and haven't had any damage so far despite a few years of use (From Soda Pop Miniatures games). I will look into whether they are eay to clean or not. I seem to recall that the manufacturer coats them to make them resistant to staining.
They do sometimes lack the pixel clarity, that something like Vinyl may have, I could print on other materials though, this is just a consideration. And while I could do my own and print it for $10, but keep in mind, I am also selling the art essentially. I have to design the product, then sell it, not just download the maps from elsewhere and print them myself (which one can do cheaper, I'm not gonna lie here).
I have heard that the vinyl maps do sometimes fray from the sides though. Every map is going to have potential problems. So deciding on material is also a consideration. I just personally like the neoprene fabric topped.

by **clmckay** » Sunday February 7th, 2016 1:06pm

That brings a good point. You could sell the art and then the end user could print on the materiel of their choice. Heroic maps does this to great effect.

by **GlennM** » Sunday February 7th, 2016 1:14pm

I sell tilesets already, this would be a different style product, while i do understand what heroic maps does, and I love their work. A lot don't want to go about doing it themselves.

by **GlennM** » Sunday February 7th, 2016 4:08pm

I got bored and started working on the preliminary designs, please note, this is a real quick mockup and a rough room layout. Very HQ inspired. I don't know that it's the route I want to take though.

by **GlennM** » Sunday February 7th, 2016 6:24pm

And another concept piece, this time a bit more Egyptian themed. Clearly I need to not have ideas ......

by **Thantos** » Monday February 8th, 2016 6:15am

Looks like it can be used to easily create more variety for the layout of games of HQ - im in.
$20 - 25 sounds about what id be happy to pay for 24" also.
I wouldnt bother with modular cut up sections if i were you, since you already have your printed tiles for those who like cutting and sticking.

A material that doesnt get the pretzel crumbs stuck in it and is easy to clean would be best in my opinion.