The Depot: "Home-brew" Game Assembly
I have assembled several of these games, using the following process:
I) Photocopying. Photocopy the map, trains, and share price index, and anything else possible (with every game, something was not easily photocopied. Color photocopies are still not readily affordable, so I had to make do with what I could get copied.) The copying makes mistakes in assembly less expensive, and allows for adding extra trains or other game variations.
II) Preparing the map. Color the map, using the information supplied (1850/Sicily, 1839/Northern Italy) and/or assemble the various pieces of the of the map (1837/Austria-Hungary, 1869/Western United States, 1899/Korea-China) using Post-Ittm; glue. (Note that the map of 1837/Austria presented some problems with alignment. I quote Stuart Dagger here: "Check the eastern section of the map. If it is like both my copy and the one that another Sumo reader has, it needs a bit of attention. It consists of two A4 sheets that have been copied together on to one A3 sheet. Unfortunately, Leonhard did not have the alignment of the two sheets quite correct. If you put a ruler along the N-S hex sides at the western edge of the sheet, you will see the problem. The result is that when you try to put all the sheets together, you can't quite align them properly. The solution is to cut the A3 sheet into its two components and then realign them so that they abut at the eastern edge and overlap by 2mm in the west.") Then have the map professionally laminated.
III) Assembling the share price index. In most of these games, the SPI is in multiple pieces. Again, the pieces need to be assembled.
IV) Laminating everything. Using clear contact paper, laminate the share price index, track tiles, shares, private corporations, and trains. Use clear contact paper to laminate the front side only of the tokens.
V) Cutting out the parts. Cut everything out. Glue the tokens to round counters from another game (I managed to find a copy of Luftwaffe for $2.00, which has enough round counters to equip several 18xx games.
Others have suggested using fiber or Bristol board to mount the board and tokens. They then used die cutters to cut the tokens out.
More recent experience (primarily in assembling Chris Lawson's kits of 1899, 1841, and 1825 pieces) has led me to modify how I go about things:
I now will laminate the front side of stocks, charters, and tiles, and then glue the backs to a light cardboard (I use cereal boxes (I am not sure if cereal packaging is quite as sturdy in other countries, so you may want to make a test version before mounting everything), then cut the resulting sandwich out. The resulting pieces have a much more substantial feel, and are every bit as durable (actually, even more) as the professional work. I use ordinary stick glue, but I have seen similar results achieved with spray adhesives and even with careful use of Elmer's glue (I imagine rubber cement would also be satisfactory).
For maps and share price indexes that are not not already mounted, I have found that craft stores have a mounting board that has a contact adhesive already applied. It allows adjustments for about half an hour before the application is permanent. I then cover the mounted map or index with a thin sheet of hard plastic to protect the board from spills. A background paper can be laid beneath the map prior to mounting if it is not able to fill the full surface of the board it is being mounted upon. Other people have had quite good luck with Bristol or Foam board and spray adhesives or dry-mounting.
Chris Lawson uses ordinary square cardboard counters for the tokens, by lopping off the corners after assembly - the results look good, so who am I to argue?
Go back to the waiting room.
Go back to the platform.
