Has anyone explored the possibility of using cloth fabric for game components? I am working on a game design that uses a board for each player. The boards we are testing are cloth with the design drawn on with fabric markers.
Fabric Game Components
Mon, 06/09/2014 - 22:24
Mon, 06/09/2014 - 22:28
#1
I think it'd work great for a
I think it'd work great for a board; like, say if you were making a medieval map for a board would be cool. cloth bags to hold tokens that you randomly draw from works great too.
as far as it being for other components, i'm not sure of the viability of it.
Tue, 06/10/2014 - 11:45
#2
The people who designed and
The people who designed and originally published History of the World (in the UK) and other games used cloth boards at one time. I've not heard of it being done otherwise.
Tue, 06/10/2014 - 12:00
#3
I did silk screened fabric
I did silk screened fabric boards for the first edition of Cannon. Its just a simple grid board.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/53422/cannon
Some people thought it looked cheap.
Wed, 06/11/2014 - 09:21
#4
The advantage of fabric cloth
The advantage of fabric cloth board is basically transportability.
Unfortunately, it could complexify production since you need to print on fabric which I don't know if it's more complicated or if it cost more.
Wed, 06/11/2014 - 09:45
#5
Using it for bags for most
Using it for bags for most games these days. However...
Or using it for enlarged game pieces/dices for the really small children.
I still remember playing game of goose when I was a 2 year old (well, I remember remembering it).
It had a board to walk on, which was a big blanket. And the die was also made of clothing fabric. It was soft and cuddly. Which is needed for the really small children.
I do not see another use for it.
Wed, 06/11/2014 - 11:31
#6
Quite a few places do custom
Quite a few places do custom printed fabric. This article gives a bit of information about it and the main places, Spoonflower and Fabric on Demand. A google search will reveal others.
http://www.sewcando.com/2010/11/lowdown-on-custom-printed-fabric.html
The main thing to consider is the fraying of the edges, washability and durability. Ideally you want a fabric that won't fray (or a fabric that can be easily sutured), that won't fade when washed and has a decent cotton weight to provide durability.
The basic tone of the cloth is also a factor when you want bright fresh prints and the fabrics resistance to creasing is another important consideration, along with water resistance.
Wed, 06/11/2014 - 15:05
#7
Thanks for the link. I
Thanks for the link. I particularly like this thing:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iiQJW3kBp3k/S9c6FY_iCiI/AAAAAAAABXQ/ZW29c-4iaq...
Not only it's small, but you could like iron patches where you want on a cloth rather than printing the whole cloth.So you only print the most important areas and assemble the cloth this way.
Else besides using ink, you could do letters with thread, but it is very long to do, so not good for making multiple copies.
Another use of fabric could be to have an unfoldable board as the game passes a bit like a scroll. Unroll on one side and roll on the other side.
Wed, 06/11/2014 - 15:07
#8
Something similar with the
Something similar with the picture below could be done with fabric:
http://geek-craft.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/SotM-Playmat.jpg
Thu, 06/12/2014 - 11:51
#9
check out
check out my youtube video on my "Laker" board game. The "board" is cloth. It is a printed photo blanket.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx6PGFoMU1Y
You can print anything on these just have a good resolution
Fri, 09/12/2014 - 03:06
#10
My experience with printing
My experience with printing on fabric (I use Spoonflower to print maps) has been good. The cost is about $2 a square foot and huge sizes are possible - up to 56" wide and a couple yards of length. Ship time is about 2 weeks.
Though the image is crisp, psychologically, the fact it's fabric gives the image a softer feel, whatever the image might be - could be very useful for certain themes.
The fabric does fade after repeated washing, but why would anyone be washing a game?
