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Prototype requires hexagonal cards

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Tue, 09/15/2009 - 13:31
Endymian
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G'day everyone.

I am working on a prototype that is going to require hexagon-shaped cards that can be shuffled. I am struggling to come up with a better way of prototyping these than "print them on cardstock and cut them out with scissors" I reckon I'm looking at a size of 2.5 inches from side to side, but I will need to experiment, they might have to be as large as 3 inches depending on my playtest results.

As they say, "There's got to be a better way!"

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you!

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Tue, 09/15/2009 - 14:10
#1
Brykovian
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You could let ArtsCow do the

You could let ArtsCow do the first half for you, with their round customizable playing cards.
(http://www.artscow.com/Create/ShowProduct.aspx?ProductId=363)

But you'd still need to cut them into hexes when they arrive ... not sure if that would be any easier.

-Bryk

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Tue, 09/15/2009 - 14:58
#2
scifiantihero
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um . . .

. . . There's a game, that may be called something like hecatomb? I've heard people mention it in regards to cheap plastic, I think, cards, shaped like hexagons, that might be useful for prototyping.

:)

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Tue, 09/15/2009 - 15:03
#3
MatthewF
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I have a proto with

I have a proto with hex-shaped cards, and did indeed print on cardstock, cold laminate, and cut with a knife. Using the unmatched-hex-sides method, the cards come out pretty sweet, though they're still fairly hard to shuffle, not due to the quality of the prototype but because their shape reduces shuffling ease.

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Tue, 09/15/2009 - 15:09
#4
InvisibleJon
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More suggestions...

Brykovian wrote:
You could let ArtsCow do the first half for you, with their round customizable playing cards.
(http://www.artscow.com/Create/ShowProduct.aspx?ProductId=363)

But you'd still need to cut them into hexes when they arrive ... not sure if that would be any easier.

Topologically, circles function an awful lot like hexagons. You could save yourself a lot of work and not bother with trimming the edges off the circles.

Other options:
* Print your prototype cards on card stock. Get a big circular or hexagonal hole punch. (Check out the scrapbooking supply section of your local hobby store.)
* Print your prototype cards on card stock. Find a teacher supply store with a die cutter. Use their hexagonal die. (I know this sounds unlikely, but it's easier to find than you'd expect.)
* Print your prototype cards on card stock. Cut one hexagonal template out of heavy-duty cardboard, chipboard, or what-have-you. Use that template and an X-Acto knife or box cutter to cut your cards out.

BTW: I've prototyped a hex-based game. I just printed on card stock, then used scissors. I made sure that almost every cut separated one hex from another one.

Best of luck!

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Tue, 09/15/2009 - 15:16
#5
Endymian
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MatthewF wrote:I have a proto

scifiantihero wrote:
. . . There's a game, that may be called something like hecatomb? I've heard people mention it in regards to cheap plastic, I think, cards, shaped like hexagons, that might be useful for prototyping.

:)

Yeah, I've heard of Hecatomb. Unfortunately those cards only have 5 sides, which makes them pentagons, not hexagons like the name might imply. :(

Good thinking though, if there were easily-found cards I could erase with acetone I'd be in business.

MatthewF wrote:
I have a proto with hex-shaped cards, and did indeed print on cardstock, cold laminate, and cut with a knife. Using the unmatched-hex-sides method, the cards come out pretty sweet, though they're still fairly hard to shuffle, not due to the quality of the prototype but because their shape reduces shuffling ease.

Can you please explain this "unmatched-hex-sides method" you mentioned?

Thank you

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Wed, 09/16/2009 - 04:06
#6
MatthewF
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First imagine a standard hex

First imagine a standard hex layout, where all of the edges touch each other as in a hex map or honeycomb. If you print up a page and want to cut out the hexes, you have to make tons of little short cuts, either with scissors or a knife. Lots of irritating cutting and plenty of mistakes.

Here's the method I was talking about:

In this example you've made 6 cuts (2 green, 2 blue, 2 red lines). Having made 6 cuts, instead of having only cut out one hex, with 12 total hex sides cut if your hex was in the middle of a standard pattern, you've cut 54 hex sides and the cuts were long, straight cuts that can be accurate for every hex. Perfect for a razor/knife/box cutter.

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Wed, 09/16/2009 - 08:11
#7
schtoom
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Projects like this make me

Projects like this make me want to invest in a good paper cutter, you know, the ones with the huge arm/blade. Perfect for this kind of stuff.

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Wed, 09/16/2009 - 08:54
#8
InvisibleJon
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I'm totally using this next time....

MatthewF wrote:
Here's the method I was talking about:

(Picture omitted)

...You've cut 54 hex sides and the cuts were long, straight cuts that can be accurate for every hex. Perfect for a razor/knife/box cutter.

Nice tip! Thank you for sharing!

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Wed, 09/16/2009 - 15:58
#9
SiddGames
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As mentioned above about

As mentioned above about using circles, you could also stick with cards and just use offset columns, which produces the same effect as hexes.

Looking for a sample, I guess this is just called a brick pattern, heh.

http://www.bgdf.com/node/2159

Plenty good for prototyping, I think.

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Wed, 09/16/2009 - 17:09
#10
Rick-Holzgrafe
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Unless they have to be rotated

SiddGames wrote:
As mentioned above about using circles, you could also stick with cards and just use offset columns, which produces the same effect as hexes.

That works, as long as the hexes don't have to be rotated: you can't rotate a brick 60° and expect it to still fit. :-)

In the OP's design, do the hexes have to be rotated? If not, the brick pattern is a great solution.

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Thu, 09/17/2009 - 12:05
#11
Endymian
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SiddGames wrote:As mentioned

SiddGames wrote:
As mentioned above about using circles, you could also stick with cards and just use offset columns, which produces the same effect as hexes.

Looking for a sample, I guess this is just called a brick pattern, heh.

http://www.bgdf.com/node/2159

Plenty good for prototyping, I think.

Oh, jeez. Seeing that makes me feel like an idiot for not having come up with it myself. That ought to work just fine for the early tests.

Thanks a million

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Thu, 09/17/2009 - 18:45
#12
metzgerism
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Depends on the hex. I had a

Depends on the hex. I had a game idea that needed complete rotatability.

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