Board Update...

Between thought and expression, there lies a lifetime.

I'd pictured myself, lovingly burnishing a deep grained piece of wood, hand carved from a Balinese cypress, which had itself been watered by the tears of unicorns who then brought it to me, on a platinum mithril platter, (with a side order of onion rings)

How I would labour! How I would pay attention to every detail to create, nay gestate, a thing of surpassing loveliness.

But Bren is an asker of awkward questions.

To my, "I can make a groove in the surround and slide the board surface into it", she responds with "What will you make the groove with?"

This is a fair question. We live in a caravan. I don't have a little shed down the bottom of the garden with a workbench and a set of basic woodworking tools.

So my grand design quickly became something much more pragmatically utilitarian.

Two cork noticeboards from Staples.

Some Pro's...

• Already have their surrounds. 
• Total price, about £18. 
• Can be fastened together by a strip of fabric, glued to the back with PVA. 
• Design can be laid directly onto surface
• Being cork, will absorb energy of thrown dice - quieter and with less dice overboard.
• It will be far far easier to construct.

Some Con's...

• It will be a lot less sturdy than  what I originally planned.
• It does not have built in storage for pieces and dice.
• The low surround is not high enough to prevent dice leaving the playing area.
• The overall quality is poor. The wooden surround is rough and needs finishing with a coat of varnish.

It's also a lot more spacious than I planned for, but tolerably so.

Biggest pro of all... It's a lot more achievable, with a lot less farting around.

The board design can be painted or dyed, then covered with a layer of varnish or diluted wood glue. Or just left as it is.

A hole in each corner, and a measured strip of fabric, and 4 simple posts will be just as effective as a proper wooden surround.

A couple of years ago, I bought a cheap fake leather set. It's adequate, but no more than adequate for club play. For the same price, and a bit of work, I get a much more pleasingly tactile set, that I have had the pleasure of building for myself.


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