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Instead of dry erase markers?

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mue114
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Joined: 05/25/2019

Dear designers!

I'm working on a game (MadOrMed) which includes a lot of writings.
So I need a solution instead of paper and pencil.
Lot of game uses dry erase markers. But to be honest I don't like them at all, because sooner or later they dry out and it's frustrating, especially if it happens during a game.

Do you have any idea what to use instead of markers?

I'm looking for a material which works with normal pencils. I found that you can write on white glazed tiles. It's not good regarding contrast, but you can wipe it off with your hands, and you can use it for unlimited times (you only need to get new pencils).
The problem with this is low contrast/visibility.

Please share if you have any idea what material would work best (acceptable visibilty and erasability).

Thanks,
Mate Magyar
madormed.com

Jay103
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Joined: 01/23/2018
What's the issue with just

What's the issue with just pencil and paper? I wouldn't think there was a problem with a game that asked me to get a piece of paper.

Tim Edwards
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Joined: 07/30/2015
Definitely recommend

Definitely recommend chinagraph pencils (grease pencils)

wob
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Joined: 06/09/2017
wet erase (permanent) marker.

wet erase (permanent) marker. can be erased, but not as easily as dry erase, and they dont dry out as quickly. but a grease pencil is cheaper and better long term.

let-off studios
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Joined: 02/07/2011
Wet-Erase Markers

wob wrote:
wet erase (permanent) marker. can be erased, but not as easily as dry erase, and they dont dry out as quickly.
I was also going to recommend wet-erase markers (also known as "Vis-a-Vis Pens"), since they can be passed around and their ink won't wear off during play unless you spill something on your writing surface. They also seem to have less residue than grease pencils, in my experience.

Affordable? Not so much. But I'm not certain of your publishing goals. Publishers may have more resources.

mue114
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Joined: 05/25/2019
Thanks for all the

Thanks for all the answers.
These grease pencils looks very good solution.
However it's not very easy to replace them in every country.
How long they last?
What if I leave the written text on the board? Will it leave a stain? Or I can wipe it off the same way even after months?

Anyway I was experimenting with plastic surfaces: I found the white plastic material (used for poker dealer buttons for example) are good to write on with pencil and can be erased (not 100% percfect, but quite good).

Thanks,
Mate

larienna
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Joined: 07/28/2008
When I was a Kid, there was a

When I was a Kid, there was a "technology" consisting of having a film of platic over a pad. You could write with any hard material on the plastic sheet which simply, stick the sheet on the pad, making the area darker, thus readable.

When you wanted to erade the whole page you simply removed the plastic sheet and place it back on the pad.

Unfortunately, as an adult, I have never seen again that "technology" anywhere anymore. I don't even know how it is called.

Tim Edwards
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Joined: 07/30/2015
That's right. They were

That's right. They were usually called "Magic slates". I think you can still get them.

They would be good for games as long as you don't need to selectively erase sections.

larienna
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Joined: 07/28/2008
Exactly

Exactly

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=imgres&cd=&cad=rj...

Surprisingly, I saw something else yesterday at walmart as a girl toy, which worked with a similar technique. It was oddly round shaped and translucent. But I have no clue how the erasing process worked.

That could be even more interesting, because you could place a printed sheet of paper behind the pad. Which mean if you wanted squares to write in them, you just put the square under the pad, and write on the pad. That makes the "layout" changable.

larienna
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I think what I saw is a

I think what I saw is a boogie board:

https://d39rqydp4iuyht.cloudfront.net/store/product/170501/1000x1000/680...

I think we talked here on BGDF about this a long time ago.

There seems to be other more "Serious" model.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81AymuAHjGL._SX466_.jpg

I almost makes me want to get one. Not sure if I can find this model here in canada.

questccg
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Joined: 04/16/2011
Wow that "serious" model looks AMAZING!

Really cool that you can INSERT pages underneath as "templates" or "stencils"... Too bad, like you say, that model does NOT ship to Canada! Very interesting indeed... You can find it on "https://www.amazon.com" using:

Boogie Board Blackboard

AMAZING freaken thing for only $39.99 USD! Can even erase portions of the board too ... Real NEAT!

Thanks for sharing... An impressive find indeed.

@Eric: You can find this product at "https://www.walmart.ca" for $59.95 CAD. I think at that price point, you may even qualify for FREE delivery. Just search for this on their online website:

Boogie Board Black Board

wob
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Joined: 06/09/2017
i remember this type of thing

i remember this type of thing from my youth after a while, because the top sheet gets crinkled, it got less and less effective. but i also remember they cost pennies, and small ones often came in birthday goody bags.

larienna
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Joined: 07/28/2008
" that model does NOT ship to

" that model does NOT ship to Canada! Very interesting indeed"

Apparently, there are some models at Staples (Bureau en gros), but I have not checked in store to see how they look like.

It's a shame that those things are not "Eternal". Maybe there is some ideal conservation conditions. Like, not putting it direcly in sunlight, or in heat.

Effectively, they seem to cost around 40$ CAD, so it's pretty interesting to sometime make some sketches of graphic or compute stuff. It could be usefull when programming.

Still, nothing you write is saved, so you need to make you never need to save the information you write.

let-off studios
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Magic Slates...!

wob wrote:
i remember this type of thing from my youth after a while, because the top sheet gets crinkled, it got less and less effective. but i also remember they cost pennies, and small ones often came in birthday goody bags.
These are called "Magic Slates" and yeah, I remember them from when I was a kid! Really cool idea. You could find them in a dollar store.

I did a little research, and it looks like you can find a bulk order to bring the price down to roughly two for $1US. Here's an example:

https://www.amazon.com/SmileMakers-Pets-Magic-Slates-pack/dp/B00AWBEHEM/...

Personally, I'd find these a bit too small for my tastes, but I'm not certain what level of detail is needed for the offline version of MadOrMed.

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