Make It
With a PDF Pack downloaded and ready to go, it's time to Make the Game
Heroes of Feonora, the board game, encourages player creativity from the very beginning...in the way unique, individual characters are created, along with the many roleplaying opportunities found throughout the game. Even Character portraits offer a chance for a little artistry. In the same way, putting the game together offers plenty of creative opportunity. The purpose of this page is to serve as a starting point for all the Crafting enthusiasts, innovative Makers, and even just those looking to put a working copy of the game together. Creating your own Heroes of Feonora board game can be a fun project in itself, and hopefully everyone will pitch in. Ready to get started?
Let's start with one of the most important elements of a good game set, choosing the right paper...
Let's start with one of the most important elements of a good game set, choosing the right paper...
Paper Recommendations
Special paper is by no means required for a successful, working copy of the game. But it does go a long way toward enhancing the experience. For those who may be inclined to go out and buy special paper for this project I'd like to share what we ended up using for the card decks. After a good deal of experimentation there were two that came very close to reproducing the weight and feel of real playing cards. Consider both to be equally recommended. In fact, the only real difference is in price and availability. Look (online or in local paper stores) for either:
For those not familiar with paper conventions I must emphasize not to confuse "Index" with "Cover" stock. These are two common, but different "grades" of paper and should not be compared side by side. The pound rating is a helpful indicator (a higher number means thicker paper), but becomes exceedingly confusing once you start comparing different grades. So, make sure you're looking at Cover stock. Then, check that it's 80lb Cover. The Matte Finish will add to the price a bit, but will make for much higher quality cards in the end. The important thing is to be sure you're comfortable producing cards before moving on to the good paper.
Note: By this time everyone should have read the enclosed "READ ME FIRST" text file included in the PDF Pack
If the Matte Finish is unavailable or too pricey, any 80lb Cover should do the trick. Likewise, if you're just planning on a quick jaunt down to the local office supply store (which will have a more limited selection) then slightly lighter weight 67lb Cover will suffice. Another backup option - if you can find it - might be a 110lb Index. In fact, for the Story Maps, we settled on a Legal size 110lb Index, just thick enough to print to both sides. Legal paper is 8½ x 14.
For Character Sheets, a 90lb Index is a good weight, especially since some of these characters may be with us for a long time...Plus, it holds up well to having ink on both sides of the sheet, along with all the pencil marks and erasing.
For those not familiar with paper conventions I must emphasize not to confuse "Index" with "Cover" stock. These are two common, but different "grades" of paper and should not be compared side by side. The pound rating is a helpful indicator (a higher number means thicker paper), but becomes exceedingly confusing once you start comparing different grades. So, make sure you're looking at Cover stock. Then, check that it's 80lb Cover. The Matte Finish will add to the price a bit, but will make for much higher quality cards in the end. The important thing is to be sure you're comfortable producing cards before moving on to the good paper.
Note: By this time everyone should have read the enclosed "READ ME FIRST" text file included in the PDF Pack
If the Matte Finish is unavailable or too pricey, any 80lb Cover should do the trick. Likewise, if you're just planning on a quick jaunt down to the local office supply store (which will have a more limited selection) then slightly lighter weight 67lb Cover will suffice. Another backup option - if you can find it - might be a 110lb Index. In fact, for the Story Maps, we settled on a Legal size 110lb Index, just thick enough to print to both sides. Legal paper is 8½ x 14.
For Character Sheets, a 90lb Index is a good weight, especially since some of these characters may be with us for a long time...Plus, it holds up well to having ink on both sides of the sheet, along with all the pencil marks and erasing.
Assembling the Game Board
The main Game Board (known to Feonorans as the town of Villageton) doesn't require any kind of special paper or printer. In fact, the example below is a photograph of the very game board we play on, and it's been printed on regular 8 1/2 x 11" paper from the very same PDFs included in the downloadable PDF Pack. The markings show the method we've used to assemble the eight sections. Applying them in order from one to eight is a matter of carefully overlaying each page, using the overlap that was built into each section. Once the sheets are pretty well lined up take a small piece of invisible tape and gently tap it down, just to anchor the pages in place. From there we recommend applying multiple small pieces of tape, rather than trying to use a single long piece, which can create more problems than it's worth. To help protect alignment tap the pieces of tape gently into place as opposed to sliding a finger across.
While the tape is visible, it becomes barely noticeable once the board is all set up and a game is in session. The main thing is getting the game to a playable state, and applying the tape to the front side of the paper makes it much easier to bring the pieces together. Tip: When cutting out the sections don't forget to leave the white outer border.
With the Game Board neatly pieced together the next thing we want to do is start collecting components...
With the Game Board neatly pieced together the next thing we want to do is start collecting components...
Town Treasury
The Town Treasury may be one of the simplest components to come up with. All you need is a simple container small enough to fit inside the reserved space, and that's easy to reach into. Here are a few suggestions.
Tip: Click on a thumbnail for a larger image and more information
Tip: Click on a thumbnail for a larger image and more information
Copper and Silver Pieces
Since most of us don't happen to have real Copper and Silver Pieces laying about (or buried in a secret place on a remote desert island) we'll have to come up with something else. Fortunately, there are plenty of things we can use that are probably already close at hand. Click on the first image; use arrow keys to navigate.
Player Dice
For players who are new to RPG style games the most challenging component will likely be the Player Dice. These kinds of dice are known as "Polyhedral Dice," and are typically found at online stores or in local game shops. Polyhedral dice come in many shapes and sizes, ranging from simple four-sided (pyramid shaped) dice to grandiose 100 sided miniature boulders. But for Heroes of Feonora you will only need three types: Six-sided, Eight-sided and Twelve-sided. The proper way to refer to these are "d6" , "d8" and "d12." Here are a few ideas for pulling together a decent set of player dice.
Tip: Be sure to read the captions for detailed information. Click on the first image (use arrow keys for navigation)
Tip: Be sure to read the captions for detailed information. Click on the first image (use arrow keys for navigation)
Player Figurines
With endless possibilities for custom Player Characters that leaves us with a lot of flexibility in choosing figurines.
For those who may already have a collection of fantasy miniatures, you might create a character based on a favorite. Otherwise figurines can be something entirely simple, there to represent a character who comes to life more fully on the Character Sheet. In this case it's just a matter of finding something usable...which can be a wide variety of things.
For those who may already have a collection of fantasy miniatures, you might create a character based on a favorite. Otherwise figurines can be something entirely simple, there to represent a character who comes to life more fully on the Character Sheet. In this case it's just a matter of finding something usable...which can be a wide variety of things.
Victory Badges
During the game Victory Badges are one of the most sought after rewards for a job well done. They can be made easily using a few simple supplies, or turned into a mini craft project. The choice is entirely yours. Here are just a few examples of how to put together a set of Victory Badges (and Hero Award) using household stuff or crafting supplies.
Loot die
During a hostile encounter whoever defeats the foe gets to roll for loot. What will the prize be? A single Copper Piece? A handful of Copper Pieces? An Item? Or, perhaps, nothing at all. Making this determination is the ever present loot die (used also for Treasure Hunting). Here are a few ideas for making a Loot die of your very own.
Initiative Token
During the Combat rotation everyone gets a chance to attack, after which we return to the Card Pulling rotation. The Initiative Token helps us stay on top of this. Here are a few ideas for a simple, homemade Initiative Token.
Card Stands
Card Stands aren't actually required in order to play the game, but they can help make Town Time run more smoothly.
Certain types of cards come out during Town Time, such as Bounties and Troubles, that stay out and 'active' until someone comes along to tackle the task. With a Card Stand the card is easier to see and a little more out of the way.
Certain types of cards come out during Town Time, such as Bounties and Troubles, that stay out and 'active' until someone comes along to tackle the task. With a Card Stand the card is easier to see and a little more out of the way.
Corner Rounders
To give our game sets a more polished look & feel we'll want to round off the corners on all the card decks. This is where Scrapbookers are likely to have an advantage, as they are probably already familiar with 'Corner Rounders.' These helpful little tools were designed to do just that, give cards a nice rounded edge. The two most universally used sizes for corner rounding are 1/2" and 1/4". For the regular card decks you'll want to use a 1/4" corner punch.
Story Maps
The journey for our daring adventurers takes place on Story Maps, along with many encounters, friendly or hostile, Treasure Hunting and (once in a while) a brief Side Quest. This is the "Adventure" part of the adventure. There are fourteen Story Maps and each one has been formatted to print to standard Legal size (8 1/2 x 14) paper. You'll notice inside the PDF Pack that the Story Maps are broken into two groups, Side A and Side B. The purpose behind this is so that if thick enough paper is used they can be printed to front and back, making seven double-sided maps instead of fourteen single-sided ones. See the recommendations at the top of the page for a few ideas on special paper.
Game Manuals
The PDF Pack includes two versions of the 3 Game Manuals, the traditional 'Booklet' versions and the specially modified 'Flat' versions. Notice that the 'Flat' versions have been reformatted to work with a regular stapler. They aren't as glamorous as booklets (with a vellum cover), but they're just as functional; and all the content is the same.
The important thing with Game Manuals is knowing how to print to the front and back of the paper using the old fashioned method of Manual Duplexing. This fairly simple procedure is covered in the READ ME FIRST text file |
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Slug Copyright © Tony Martin
