The Plan Brother Pilots drive-in at an abandoned desert air strip. The airstrip and the board box are the first parts of the terrain plan. This will be the general layout of the Machinas™ Wasteland Game Board. It will be between 24” and 27” (61cm and 69cm) wide and 30” to 34” long (76cm to 86cm). This planned size will fit onto the 4”x6” (1.25m x 1.84m) tables at my Hometown Gaming Store. Plenty of room for our Two Hour Wargames ™ rule books and the cards.
I will build the board inside a frame for two reasons. First, I need to keep the game compact for demonstration purposes. Sometimes I have nearly a 36” x 36” (1m x1m) table for demo games. We’ll keep the cars inside the frame. The second consideration is for sturdy storage. I’ll fix a removable hinged lid for the board so all the terrain will fit inside.
To save on weight I might use thin luan / underlayment or corrugated black polycarbonate for the box’s lid. I have some luggage handles from a woodworking supply company so that will trick it out and give me an easy way to carry the game board. It’ll be very light weight but the sturdiness comes from how it’s constructed. It’ll be like a rock band on tour, Machinas™ will be inside a hefty crate. I plan the frame for the Machinas™ board so I can drop in a different board as the players make suggestions about what sort of theme they’d like to see.
Variety, I like it.
Probably paint the exterior of the board black and stencil a hot-rose-pink-red “Machinas” on the outside top and sides.
Two Hour Wargames (THW) has a game set known as Machinas™ for racing in the post-apocalyptic Wasteland (apologies to T.S. Eliot). Using the game components, players move vehicle cards for white-knuckle renditions of battle-racers expelled from the scrap yards of survivor settlements and the detritus of the previous latest-and-greatest civilization’s boneyards. A player may use cards, card-stock cut-outs, or as I intend, model vehicles.
I’m looking forward to turning the colorful cards and tossing dice around the table creating dust and fumes with my friends. Confession: my copy of Machinas™ hasn’t been ordered yet, taking care of that today. Note to self, go see Tim.
What I have seen on the THW site, Youtube, and various blogs THW has a beautifully designed and visually detailed game, yet true to Ed Teixeira’s genius, very easy to learn and to play; compelling, just so cool.
Here’s a Youtube vid of Ed’s demo here, straight from the Man:
In my situation I am fortunate to have a local game store owner who’ll help me order Machinas™ which makes me happy to fuel up my (Hotchkiss) Hot-Kiss Chevy and squeeze into my driving gloves. The Chevy is in the shop being mauled and overhauled.
I will design my own Machinas race game board for grins and rumbles. Probably 90cm x 90cm (sorta 3′ x 3′) I just gotta do it, it’s for the Wasted Lands. Now I have my visual theme.
The before the remake pic. The Chevy is in the middle of the pack. It was red:
Now the Hot-Kiss Chevy beginning conversion:
The old thing will have twin Hotchkiss machineguns, a ram, and all the needful things for survival on the hot treacherous race course as drivers swap paint and a few rounds of high explosive armor piercing.
So my pals and I can have the full juice extreme death race fun I have designed (used loosely) six vehicles because, hey, a game like this has got to be visual and tactile.
So there’s more to come, like the Hot-Kiss ChevyDust Devil and Keggers latest damp nightmare from Evil Labs™.
The Lovely Lady Torch Belvedere with Mopar™ attitude courtesy of Torque Girls.
Somkin’ FireLaneSt. Ford Acolytes be praised!
The nimble Zippo Rat Rod from the fevered minds of Primitive Vermin.
Risin’ to the occasion Tora-Tora Hud-San built and christened in sake by Kamikaze Dukes.
Flamin’ Fatality “to turbo or not turbo that is the question.” This car is the latest design that survived testing from Street Cretins.
I have designs for other cars, for example, one sponsored by Gobbos of Hate, a second, buffed by Dust Bunnies, and number 665 1/2 exorcised by the standup comic Alive 2 Drive. Nine cars, yeah, nine is a good number; that’ll be enough.
Who am I kidding? Gimme ten!
Funny how a game turbo-boosts the imagination. Right now I want to write the back-stories of everyone.
Slow down Gumby…..
Thanks Ed. I mean, Thank You Ed!!!
A VIDEO PLEASE……
A little Post-Script flavor enhancement. Get you in the groove. Dust in your face. High RPM engines roaring in your skull; nerves wired and ready for action, don’t wait for it, oh now, don’t wait or you’ll come in dead last.
PG audiences, NSFW, maybe the boss wouldn’t understand.
Devereux's Volunteer Company of Misfits & Ridiculous Diversions 