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Spiff's Tactics accessories <Best Player Aid Idea 2014 Award Winner>

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Spiff
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Spiff's Tactics accessories <Best Player Aid Idea 2014 Award Winner>

<Best Player Aid Idea 2014 Award Winner>

(sorry, there's no non-rules place for me to put this, so I put it in the Tactics rules area)

I got a head-start making accessories for Tactics during playtesting, and it's time to start posting them up so others can use them if they'd like.  I've updated my Tactics site with three files:

1) Standups

If you don't have the minis but would like to have something 3D to push around the table while playing, maybe give my 3D standups a try.  You cut them out and glue them into a pyramid shape.  The file includes all the characters from the base game and Uprising, as well as companions and other things like Ra's tornado.  Also includes a 3-hex oversized Omnitron-V.

2) Power card tuckpacks

These are just like the tuckpacks I made for GSF - they're slim envelopes you can use to keep each character's power cards separate and organized.  Makes it really easy to grab a character's cards from the box at the beginning of a game.  The back of each tuckpack has the info from the quick-reference cards - game phases and common actions.

3) 3D Ambuscade traps

During playtesting it drove me nuts to deal with flat tokens all the time, especially for things like Ambuscade's traps which you had to flip over (not always easy to do with a small, flat scrap of paper).  These, you print out, cut out, then fold the "arm" back over to form a kind of a handle (which sort of makes the trap look like a land mind).  When the trap is triggered, you can easily lift the trap by the handle to see if it's a decoy or the real thing underneath.  Now that we've got punchboard traps in the official version of the game, my 3D traps are less necessary, but I'm posting them up anyway in case someone's interested.


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

chainsawrabbit
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First, I want to say thank you, Spiff, for all the hard work you do in making these awesome accesories for >G's games.

Second, I have to ask the obvious question: Will the envelopes hold sleeved cards?  I plan on sleeving mine at some point soon.

Thanks again!

Spiff
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Sorry, I have no idea if they hold sleeved cards.  I think they will, but I'll have to confirm it.  I'll let you know.


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

Spiff
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Good news, the tuckpacks do fit cards in penny sleeves quite nicely.  I'll update my site to make that clear.


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

stevelabny
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Mr. Spiff , are we supposed to glue the two open sides of the tuckpacks?  For some reason that feels less safe than gluing the folded flaps on the card game tuckboxes.

 

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No glue needed as they're currently designed. You just cut them out, cut a slit along the white line so the flap has a place to be tucked, fold them in half along the long axis, then slap some tape along the side and bottom to seal it up. 


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

Craig
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stevelabny wrote:

Mr. Spiff , are we supposed to glue the two open sides of the tuckpacks?  For some reason that feels less safe than gluing the folded flaps on the card game tuckboxes. 

Mr. Spiff is his father.


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Spiff
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I've updated the tuckpacks file in the following ways:

1) I've updated the instructions for constructing the tuckpacks (so my dad doesn't need to explain it over and over ;)

2) I've now included tuckpacks for the Uprising characters as well as the base characters.  Note, if you're sleeving your cards, you're going to want to print two copies of Operative's tuckpack, one for her power cards and one for her poison cards.  All of her cards will fit into a single tuckpack if they're unsleeved, but not if they're sleeved.

3) I've included a separate tuckpack for Scenario Powers.

4) I've included a regular old card box just like my SotM card boxes for all the units in the game - all the Citizens, dinosaurs, all the various turrets, etc.  There are a lot of them so a box seemed the best option.  There are two box files included, one that fits unsleeved cards and one that fits sleeved ones.


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

Spiff
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Who wants 3D terrain for Sentinel Tactics?  Well, you're getting it anyway, sort of.  I only have buildings completed for tile #5 of the Megalopolis map so far (the one with the cathedral), but I plan on completing the full set eventually as time allows.  I figure it's more valuable to have a complete set for one map than to have bits and pieces from both Megalopolis and Insula Primalis, so I'll be focusing on completing the Megalopolis set first.  If this assumption is incorrect, let me know.

As I complete pieces for more tiles, I'll add them to the .zip file available on my Tactics site.

Please note that playing Tactics with 3D terrain will likely be a complete pain in the keister if you're using Omnitron-V.  And no, I still haven't figured out how I'm going to handle the Freedom Tower.

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Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

cleave29
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I love it.

I have an idea for Omnitron V.  How about just make three Omnitron pillars?  The player would have to remember to keep them together, but otherwise, it could work...

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Yeah, that's probably the only way to go, three independent markers.


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

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I decided to tackle one of the more difficult tiles today, so I went for Megalopolis tile #6, the one with the star-shaped building in the center.  Nailed it!  Tile #6 is now included in the 3D terrain file.

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Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

peterrecore
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Spiff wrote:

Please note that playing Tactics with 3D terrain will likely be a complete pain in the keister if you're using Omnitron-V.  

....

::Priority Interrupt of subroutine KILL_ALL_HUMANS
Nonuniform surface elevation detected...
Calculating gravitational vectors...Done!
Imminent vertical displacement 99.4% probable.
Significant damge is 95.3% probable unless corrective action taken.
Engaging auto stabilizers.
Spawning balance.exe
::End Interrupt
Restarting subroutine KILL_ALL_HUMANS
Target Acquired.
spawning pew_pew_pew.exe
....   It turns out Omnitron can balance on one hex, as long as the support stick is a few mm from the edge of the building!  Also, Spiff's awesome buildings are sturdy enough to hold it up, even with my crappy prototype printed on cheap paper with no penny taped to the bottom yet.
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Problem solved!  Omni-awesome.

(plus, I love to get proof that someone besides me actually ever prints this stuff out, so thanks for that).


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

kitmehsu
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Do you think you could make generic BW templates for the elevations 2-4?  I'd like to have a single set for both sides of the tiles, so I don't really need the indivual details or conjoined tiles as much.

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Let me make sure I understand the request.  "BW" probably means "black and white"?  You're asking for a set of elevations with no art whatsoever (besides the dots indicating elevation, I assume), one-hex each (no conjoined multiples), for each of the elevations 2, 3, and 4, yes?

If the answer is yes, I can pretty easily put that together.  The downsides to those would be (a) ugly plain white columns all over your maps, and (b) I've found that stacking multiple one-hex terrains next to each other will work, but they're more susceptible to disruption than the larger conjoined terrains are.  By that I mean that if you bump the table, each of the individual terrains bumps against each other and in an instant, your map is a mess.  Larger conjoined terrains are heavier and there's typically nothing adjacent to each one to bump against, so they're more stable.

If I understand your request correctly and you're not deterred by those downsides, I can put this together for you.  Just let me know.


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

kitmehsu
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I assumed as much in regards to the flaws, but with most of my gaming meet ups involve myself biking along, space and flexibility are my primary conser. And yes, I ment black and white, as I just have a black and white laser printer for this. Once you finish you megaopolis set, I may make a secondary set for at home games, as they do look cool. 

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You got it.  Next time I sit down to work on the terrain, I'll toss together a blank set like I described.


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

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Blanks for each of the elevation have been posted in their own folder inside that same terrain file on my site.  Enjoy.


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

AvalonXQ
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Thanks very much for your game-enhancing stuff, Spiff.  I'm really looking forward to printing out the 3D terrain once you get all the Megalopolis tiles finished.

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Last night, as I was happily assembling a combo 3/4 skyscraper 4-hex building (it looks great), I decided that I should probably put together a second set of basic elevations as well, similar to the blank ones I made for kitmehsu but with actual art, for people who don't want to deal with the more complex assemblies but who would like the terrain to still look like little buildings.

I find the multi-hex buildings to be very satisfying to design, build, and use on the maps - they're not as easy to bump around, they look great because there's no gaps between individual hex sections, and because they're multi-hex, there's more room inside them for your fingers which makes assembling them paradoxically easier (I find) than the single-hex terrain.  But there's no denying that they are more complicated papercraft projects than single-hex terrain, and because each one is designed for a specific spot on a specific map tile, you have find the right ones and lay them out in the right places on your map, which could slow down your game setup (?).

In any case, I figure some people will just want to print out a page of single-hex elevations and scatter them around the map, which is perfectly acceptable, but they may not want to use the blank white ones I posted the other day.  So the next time I make an update to the terrain file, I'll include a set of one-hex elevations with various building art on them so people can have a simple-to-assemble yet pretty-to-look-at set of Megalopolis terrain to use.

When I get to the Insula Primalis terrain, I'll do the same thing -- a set of multi-hex location-specific elevations, plus a set of more generic one-hex elevations.  (the volcano is going to be great...)


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

lutherbellhendricksv
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Just a thought -- you could put map tile reference numbers on the inside of the buildings, to make matching them to their appropriate tiles easier?

mlangsdorf
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I've been hand lettering the map tile number on my foam core buildings, so I can at least sort them quickly. Applying them to the correct hexes on a tile still takes thought, but I don't see a good way around that.

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I have printed out and assembled all of Spiff's buildings for tiles 5 and 6, and plan on doing the rest when Spiff finishes.  This was my first real papercraft project, and I didn't have much trouble with the complex shapes.  I did a few prototypes with black and white printing on cheapo paper to practice - first a one hex building, then the 2 hex multiheight cathedral, and finally the crazy purple building on tile 5.  Then I printed all 4 pages in color on 72 lb coverstock at Staples.

I also put the tile number on the inside with a sharpie.

My theory is that since the complex buildings are one piece, they will be just as easy to set up as a pile of single hex pieces.  Especially on tiles like #1, where you'd have a choice between 12 individual hexes or 3 buildings :)

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lutherbellhendricksv wrote:

Just a thought -- you could put map tile reference numbers on the inside of the buildings, to make matching them to their appropriate tiles easier?

Doing that would require printing on both sides of the paper, which would be a pain.  I suppose I could put a small tile number somewhere on the outside of the building, if that would be helpful.

peterrecore wrote:

I also put the tile number on the inside with a sharpie.

That's a great idea.

peterrecore wrote:

My theory is that since the complex buildings are one piece, they will be just as easy to set up as a pile of single hex pieces.

You're probably right.  If no one cares about generic one-hex terrains, I won't bother, at least not until I've finished everything else.


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

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It's starting to look more like a real city now, huh?  I've started to refer to the various tiles by neighborhood names as I keep the files organized on my computer - Old Town has the cemetary, Star Plaza has the star-shaped building, and The Peaks has lots of sky-scrapers:

Tile #1 (The Peaks) is now included in the .zip file on my site.

I also went ahead and posted the set of basic terrain with colored skins like I mentioned previously, in case anyone wants to make one-hex buildings.


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

arenson9
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Looks beautiful. Is it difficult to get pieces onto the streets between the buildings?


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peterrecore
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Is it difficult to get pieces onto the streets between the buildings?

It can be a little tight between the tall buildings, especially with minis that extend over the edge of their base, like Tachyon.  It's not too big a deal to just slide the building back in place if you nudge it though.

peterrecore
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Spiff, how do you create your templates?  Is there a papercrafting specific app out there, or do you use a generic graphics program?

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I use Photoshop for just about all of it.


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

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Tile #4 (Civic Center) has been included in the terrain file on my site.  We're halfway to a full set of 8!


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

Barryzimm
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Cool! I'll get them done tonight. Can't wait to get the whole city. (I have no art ability at all so I have to wait for someone else to do it :(  )

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Just out of curiosity, what kind of weighted paper are most printing this out on and has anyone tried wraping the paper around foamcore to make it more sturdy?


Go forth noble heroes!

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I print mine on 110 lb. card stock paper, easy to get at an office supply store. I can't imagine they'd need to be made any sturdier than they are unless you're worried about damage during transport (i.e. getting squished). The hexagonal columns are more than sturdy enough to hold up the minis. 


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

peterrecore
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I used 72lb paper, Elmer's white glue, and haven't yet bothered to tape any of the flaps.  The tip about the pennies is dead on though - just that tiny amount of extra weight keeps them from sliding around as much.  I've done tiles 1, 5 and 6, which include some of the 4 height buildings, and they all hold up Omnitron without a hint of buckling, though getting Omni to balance on these is a bit trickier than on top of an elevation 2 building :)

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Tile #7 (Heroes Square) has been included in the terrain file.  It has the hospital, police, and fire stations.


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

Barryzimm
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Made and played. Really adds a lot. City looks cool in 3d, you can see how well designed it is. 

Spiff
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I've added a link to the Tactics FAQ on my site.


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

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You should put a little Spiff waving in one of the windows of the buildings.


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Heh, I should.

I've included tile #3 (Liberty Blvd) in the terrain file on my site.  We're down to just tile #2 and #8 (Freedom Tower) left to complete the Megalopolis set.

Also, I ran across a new tip for using the terrain - where two structures touch each other, which usually only happens at the edges of the Megalopolis tiles but will happen much more often in Insula Primalis tiles, you can connect them with a paper clip.  This makes them really hug each other tightly so there's no space between things which shouldn't have space between them, and it makes the entire connected assembly that much sturdier.


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

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I'm not sure how many people are using these, but I've updated the "standups" file on my site so that Unity's bot and Visionary's decoy projection use the new Tactics art rather than old SotM art.  While I was at it, I decided to get a little crafty and figured out a way to make a Blazing Tornado standup that is actually tornado shaped (you can see it in the pic below).  I would have liked to make the tornado taper even more than it does, but if it tapers too much, you can't get your finger inside it anymore which makes gluing things down difficult, so I left it as is.  I think it still looks pretty cool.  The file still contains the original simple version if you don't want to hassle with constructing a tornado.

I also made alternate versions of the Impaling Structure standups which are star shaped and so look more ice-spikey while still being something you can set a unit on top of.  They look really great next to the 3D buildings; it really looks like ice is errupting from the streets. They're simple to make, but I included the old version which are basically triangular boxes (like Omnitron-V in the pic) in case that's more your bag.

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Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

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I've added buildings for tile #2 (Riverside) to the terrain file on my site.  No more avoiding it... now I need to figure out how to build the Freedom Tower (gulp).


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

Rabit
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I liked the design you started during playtesting. Will that not work?


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Nope, mine stands straight up and takes up only a single hex.  The Tower on tile #8 lays over in a way that makes sense in 2D but is all kinds of crazy in 3D.

I'm planning on including my single-hex Freedom Tower with the batch one I get it finished.  It's still a cool little Freedom Tower people can make and put on their desk or something if they wanted.


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

eggroll20xd6
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Spiff, you are amazing and your hard work is appreciated!  Can't wait to print it all out and have some fun!


Go forth noble heroes!

phantaskippy
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Making Freedom tower fit the hexes, elevation and look even remotely like a building shaped like an "F" is not going to be possible.

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phantaskippy wrote:

Making Freedom tower fit the hexes, elevation and look even remotely like a building shaped like an "F" is not going to be possible.

Bet me?


Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

phantaskippy
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Well, Maybe not impossible for someone with a transmogrifier.

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It fits the hexes, elevation, and looks remotely like a building shaped like an "F" (barely).  It's definitely an awkward building, but I think it's acceptable.

You can see in the pic there's a square of window panels missing along the vertical trunk of the "F".  I discovered that when I was nearly finished putting together the structure, but I'll update the file so that the template is correct.   I'll do that after work tonight and then upload the finished file, and then Megalopolis will be complete!

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Spiff's SotM site: www.spiffworld.com/sotm

Pydro
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What's the next project?


Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
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phantaskippy
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I assume it looks good fromt he opposite side.

That's actually a pretty good job.

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