Hey, I have a few game designs that I would need Hex-shaped hardwood or plastic pieces for. Does anyone know how to create simple hexdesigns that would last serious playtesting and usage or a company that would sell ready blank hex-pieces?
I have printing equipment to make the pictures needed, but I haven't been able to found good place to get just blank 2-4mm thick hexbases.
Thanks in advance
Timppis
Gold Rush 2090 & Pantheon
I tend to make as much of the pieces myself as possible, before prototyping. Only working on my second boardgame now, so not that experienced. Plus, as a graduated architect and allround DIY-fanatic I am used to fix things my way anyway.
The positive side is, you're not relying on any fixed sizes / thickness / materials. The down side is, if you never held a ruler in combination with a utility knife, it will be a mess.
My advice: get 2.5 to 3 mm grey cardboard (solid), print on A4 (150 grams if you wish), glue it on the cardboard, and (important to make your tiles last longer!) finish the tiles with some transparent adhesive sheet (available at your local hobby- or office supply-store). Only then cut it to pieces. The tiles might look basic, but if you make sure you work accurately, the tiles last forever. Mine survived about 50+ games so far; still looking sharp!
See the very bottom item of this page for wooden hexes:
http://www.woodnshop.com/CRAFT_SQUARES_RECTANGLES_OVALS_CIRCLES.htm
I have ordered the wood hex and square tiles from Wood & Shop and was VERY dissapointed. The tiles are NOT uniform in shape/dimension and the tiles DO NOT fit together well at all.
I do not recommend them.
.
If I were you, I'd Google this:
"Delrin Hexagonal Rods"
There are a bunch of companies that sell hexagonal rods made of Delrin. This is a really interesting plastic that's quite tough and has a really neat "feel" to it. It might take some digging around, but see if they'll sell you a small quantity or send samples so you can test it out. Once you get the rod, just cut it to whatever thickness you want! I believe it comes in several colors, but "natural" or white is the most common. Also, I think the colors can be pricey, but there's no reason you can't try painting it or stain it with RIT dye.
I'm going to give this a try when I get to a more promising prototyping stage in my game's development.
You could also try getting just the bases that gamers use for their ships in epic space battles. Check this out: http://www.brigademodels.co.uk/Frames/ACC/Items/ACC-009.html
-CB-
I bought a piecepack from Blue Panther LLC and they specialize in laser-cut wood stuff.
They do admit some of their wood's not always uniform, but other than that, I've been very happy. Bonus: you hands smell like a fireplace after gaming.
You could also see how much Steve from Blue Panther could do for custom pieces with laser burned designs.
Thank you for the supportive note.
We can laser cut hexes (or any geometric shape). We did have a line of products like that last year at Origins, and still have a few bags around.
SJ
This is most likely too late for your project, but in case others end up here ...
I can recommend the Econo hexes from Gale Force 9, http://www.gf9.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=370.
They're made by laser cutting high-density fiberboard (a.k.a. Masonite) to any size you specify. They are about 3mm thick (probably 1/8" stock) and very uniform and tile very well with no gaps. Out of the box, the hexes are a bit dirty and dusty from the cutting process, but easy to clean with a damp cloth. The edges do have a burnt look and smell. Some edges also have some slight flaking or chipping, so not all the edges are crisp (but most are). I spray painted mine and after several coats those minor imperfections are completely gone.
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Thanks for all the answers. I did get myself some 3mm ad-cardboard for some other projects and probably will try to do something of that too.
Bluepanther did give me a great offer though so I bought a sack of hex pieces from them.
I'll post comments when they arrive :)