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One aspect about making multi-board scenarios is that the size of the playing area can significantly increase the time involved to move the units around. If you like games that are longer or slow to develop, you wouldn't consider this a problem. Otherwise, some variant rules might be in order here.
One idea is to use playing cards as command cards. The number on the card being the number of units ordered. The idea being that the deck would be customizable. You could use whatever series of numbers you needed depending on the number of units in the scenario and how fast you wanted the game to progress. Use the 3's thru the 6's, or the 5's thru the 8's, etc. The more higher numbered cards you use, the more units get moved per turn and the faster the game progresses. You could use the card suits to designate battlefield sections (the fourth suit could be for all sections). You could also eliminate the battlefield sections altogether, allowing the players to move the units of their choice from the entire battlefield. You could still use the special order cards along with the playing cards. Use two stacks. Determine the number of each type of card to be held by each player. Draw from the special orders deck when a special orders card was played and draw from the playing card deck when one of those were played (remove all the cards that order units by section from the Battle Cry deck). There are playing cards on-line with historical content. These would be a nice touch if you use this idea and could spawn new ideas to use the cards for too. Be sure to check out the following link. Once you get there, look at the "games" catalog, as well as the "playing cards" catalog.
Another idea to speed things up in a large scenario is simply to allow the units to move a little faster. For example, allowing artillery to move one space AND shoot anyway. Maybe allow the player moving infantry the choice of moving two spaces (but not shoot) or moving one space (and shoot). These rules along with removing the limitations of battlefield sections and moving more units per turn would provide much more maneuverability. It would be more of a think ahead planning and maneuver game.
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Includes standard insert. |
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Includes long insert. |
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Includes all inserts. |
These are easy to make. The ideal insert would have two pieces. The underneath piece would be exactly the right size to fit between the actual game boards' edges and be the same thickness of the game boards. This will make the arrangement more stable by giving something for the upper piece to rest on and the two boards something to butt up against on the table. There is something you can buy at craft stores that is exactly the right thickness for the underneath piece, which is 3/32 of an inch thick. I believe it's called artist board, but don't quote me on the name. This thick stuff would be difficult to cut. Craft stores and framing places can do the cutting for you.
The upper piece is what you see when you play; it has the hexes on it. You could glue the upper piece and the underneath piece together. But the distance between the game boards is subject to variances depending on how much margin they create when they mount the game's paper surface to the board at the factory. They don't always get the maps centered exactly right on the boards. And also, one long side has more margin as part of the printed area than the other long side of the board (by about 1/8 of an inch). So it's probably safer to not glue the two pieces together since you might need to have the flexibility to fudge slightly. I think it's better to just use something tacky to keep the two pieces from sliding around. You could use that tacky putty stuff. But then there is also a Scotch/3M glue stick product called restickable adhesive. It only applies the same amount of tackiness of 3M's Post-It notes.
The dimensions for the underneath
pieces:
(this assumes you won't be gluing the
upper pieces and the underneath pieces together)
14 inches long by 2 and 3/4 inches wide
by 3/32 of an inch thick.
The dimensions for the upper MODULAR
pieces:
The Smaller Square-ish Insert; 6 and
5/8 inches by 6 and 3/8 inches.
The Smaller Round-ish Insert; 6 and 5/8
inches by 6 and 3/8 inches.
Yes, they are supposed to be the same.
For the upper piece, you could use something rigid such as mat board or thick card stock (in which case the tacky putty stuff would be OK to keep the two parts from sliding around). After cutting all the pieces out, place the underneath piece on the table between the two boards and butt the boards up against it. Then lay the upper pieces over the top of all this and line them up on the two boards and start tracing hexes using a hex terrain tile as a guide. However, be careful because the tiles are a little smaller than the hexes on the board. You can then trim around the edges, following the outlines of the hexes if you want.
If you decide to print out the upper pieces (using the files below), have them laminated and use the restickable adhesive glue stick to keep the two parts from sliding around (the point being that the tacky putty stuff is not the best way to go if your upper pieces are basically paper thin).
I like this way of using the longer underneath pieces with the modular upper pieces. I have two underneath pieces. I use both (end-to-end) when playing my double-board-turned-on-end scenario. I will use one when playing a standard double board layout. It's a little short of the length of the board, but plenty long enough to give support to the entire arrangement (or use another piece about 6 inches long). At 14 inches, three will fit end-to-end-to-end for four and six board scenarios. And it all fits in the box! The below picture is another montage just to show how to arrange the underneath pieces in various layouts.
If you don't want to do the MODULAR approach, here are the dimensions you'll need for the WHOLE inserts (but remember, they won't fit in the box):
The upper pieces:
The Standard Double Board Insert; 20
and 1/4 inches long by 6 and 5/8 inches wide.
The Long Insert; 30 and 1/4 inches long
by 6 and 3/8 inches wide.
These are a little long since I measured
to the ends of the board, but this is not a problem.
The Smaller Square-ish Insert (still
needed if you want to use four or six boards in a layout); 6 and
5/8 inches by 6 and 3/8 inches.
The underneath pieces:
The Standard Double Board Insert; 20
and 1/4 inches long by 2 and 3/4 inches wide by 3/32 of an inch
thick.
The Long Insert; 30 and 1/4 inches long
by 2 and 3/4 inches wide by 3/32 of an inch thick.
The Smaller Square-ish Insert; 2 and
3/4 inches by 2 and 3/4 inches and 3/32 of an inch thick.
You could print out the upper pieces on paper, possibly have them laminated, and/or glue them to a stiff backing. It'll look nicer. But my brown mat board with crayon swirl grass looks good enough considering it just sort of fades into the background when you're playing anyway. You could also glue these directly to the underneath pieces, or use that tacky glue stick. Here are the files to print the upper pieces if you want them.
The MODULAR upper pieces:
Click here
to download the modular Square-ish Insert
Click here
to download the modular Round-ish Insert
The WHOLE upper pieces:
Click here
to download the whole Standard Double Board Insert
Click here
to download the whole Long Insert
Click here
to download the Square-ish Insert (which goes with the whole inserts)
If you use my modular approach with the 14 inch underneath pieces, everything for double-board scenarios, including two copies of the game, fits in one box. I took the lower cardboard shelf out of one box. I then put the plastic tray in the bottom. In the plastic tray goes all the components from both copies of the game except the figures. Above the plastic tray goes both game boards. Then I took the cardboard shelf and taped the corners together. Then that goes in the box, open side up. Inside the shelf goes the rules, the inserts and all the figs. It all fits perfectly and has a nice heft to it. How's that for thinking INside the box?
