Craig
03-07-2014, 03:27
Annoyed at the tendency for the ship mats to slip around and worried about damaging the manoeuvre cards picking them up off the table, I headed to the hardware store.
I used pieces of 5mm plywood, 30cm wide, 25cm high. A dark wood stain for naval timber ambience (different tones on each to make it easier to remember which mat goes with which ship), glued the frames to them with PVA, then a satin spray varnish over the top and a very light sand with fine grit paper on the non-cardboard bits to smooth out the varnish. There's a 1cm wooden margin on the top and 1.5cm at the sides of the frames, and enough space below to place the manoeuvre cards (both the current cards and the deck) and action chits.
9242
It makes the whole thing more sturdy and stable, stops the ship inserts from sliding under the frames, and means that you no longer have to get a fingernail under the manoeuvre cards to lift them off the table; just slide them to the edge of the plywood and lift them easily. With a little care, you can even lift the whole thing and move it during play. I'm pleased with both the appearance and practicality of the result.
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Craig
I used pieces of 5mm plywood, 30cm wide, 25cm high. A dark wood stain for naval timber ambience (different tones on each to make it easier to remember which mat goes with which ship), glued the frames to them with PVA, then a satin spray varnish over the top and a very light sand with fine grit paper on the non-cardboard bits to smooth out the varnish. There's a 1cm wooden margin on the top and 1.5cm at the sides of the frames, and enough space below to place the manoeuvre cards (both the current cards and the deck) and action chits.
9242
It makes the whole thing more sturdy and stable, stops the ship inserts from sliding under the frames, and means that you no longer have to get a fingernail under the manoeuvre cards to lift them off the table; just slide them to the edge of the plywood and lift them easily. With a little care, you can even lift the whole thing and move it during play. I'm pleased with both the appearance and practicality of the result.
--
Craig