Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watmath.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!jagardner From: jagardner@watmath.UUCP (jagardner) Newsgroups: net.games.frp Subject: Re: A good gameboard Message-ID: <11460@watmath.UUCP> Date: Wed, 13-Feb-85 17:30:32 EST Article-I.D.: watmath.11460 Posted: Wed Feb 13 17:30:32 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 14-Feb-85 00:49:36 EST References: <1125@amdahl.UUCP> Reply-To: jagardner@watmath.UUCP () Distribution: net Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 23 [Line eater...] Another thing I've found useful for gaming is transparent or semi-transparent plastic. In our local K-Mart, they sell this stuff for $1.50 (Canadian) a metre (and the roll is about two metres wide). I cut out individual rooms, draw them with grease pencil (or coloured felt markers if I'm feeling creative) and put the rooms together as we play (jig-saw fashion). I use this system for Champions, so I put the plastic over a paper hex grid whenever we have to get down to the nitty-gritty for combat (in Champions, it's very important to know exact distances when you're fighting, unlike in most D&D melees). D&D DMs may be reluctant to give their players such exact maps, but with overlays you can do nice stuff. For example, you can have one map giving the interior of a building and then put in overlays as rooms are explored. It's particularly useful for lulling players into a false sense of security. In Champions, players always know it's battle time when the hex paper comes out. With plastic transparencies, they never know when they're entering one of those "special" rooms... Jim Gardner, University of Waterloo