My project was fairly simple: create a playing field and pieces for a board game called “Betrayal at House on the Hill.” The game takes place in a 3 level house in which explorers constantly find new rooms, expanding the board as the game progresses. Because of this unique feature, playing this game on a single, flat table takes up a surprisingly large amount of space and isn’t normally feasible. This is where the press-fit project comes in:
The board consists of three 20″ x 20″ floors connected to six supporting 12″ planks. The planks are connected to the top and bottom floors with T joints while the middle floor slides into a groove in the planks. Each floor has a raised edge to seal off the playing area into a 16″ x 16″ square. All connected parallel pieces are held together by small studs inserted into T-joints. After vinyl cutting, each of these will be covered by a vinyl patch to hold the stud in place. In addition, 3 of the open faces of the board will closed off with acrylic, further supporting the structure and limiting access to one player.
In addition, I created a stat tracker with removable pegs to keep character information neater and more compact. The tracker has 8 positions for each character’s 4 stats in addition to an “Omen” counter for use in the game.
The game pieces have also been recut, though not all of the original information has remained on them. Despite the loss of decoration, these smaller pieces are still used for the game board because they are significantly smaller than the orignal pieces (2″ x 2″ rather than 3″ x 3″).
The primary goal for this design was to create a compact playing field that retained or improved the original game’s functionality. If possible, I also wanted the design to be portable, easy to assemble, and adhere to the decor and ambiance of the game as well. The primary goal was realized: the game can now be played in a 20″ x 20″ field and is functional (with some added features). The secondary goals were not fully realized. The board is fairly easy to carry as a whole, but has a time consuming assembly and dis-assembly. Most parts have been standardized (the pegs and most field edges are uniform), but a few unique parts are included and it is wise to demonstrate assembly at least once to other users. Finally, the field is entirely plain and devoid of decoration, but the laser burns and the warped wood (which creaks and occasionally shifts) return some of the game’s horror flair (eventually, oil stains will also add color to the bland board).
Although the project concept was simple, execution proved more difficult. Aside from the many measurements involved, deciding how detailed the game components should be was difficult. Adding more information to the room tiles and stat tracker would have exponentially increased cutting time but decreased the reliance on the original set. In many cases, there simply wasn’t a way to express game information with cuts alone; only etching would communicate rules or events to players. The most challenging part of this project was definitely cutting. Using the new laser cutter wasn’t confusing, but it did hold some surprises. For example, when the original .ai files were imported, I was unaware that each letter was converted to an individual area. Oops. Etching the game tiles alone took upwards of 2 hours. In addition, I had planned on etching lines into both the board (as a grid) and the tiles (for decoration); however, I was unable to create that using the laser cutter.
Despite the hardships, I’m proud of this board and already find it useful. Friends have not only expressed the novelty of playing in the 3 dimensional house, but have also told me that it’s more useful and much neater than the original set. I plan to finish the vinyl and laser cutting for this on Monday and hopefully add interesting new features and components to the game throughout the semester.
Original Files:
