"Play aids you use in your gaming?" Topic

Wondering what folks like to use for play aids in theuir wargaming. Please post ideas,pics,and links as am interested in any tyoe of play aid for my gaming.

Examples I use are:
Litko tokens and templates:
litko.net

Trading card maker:
bighugelabs.com/deck.php

The Feldmachink for solo gaming:
link

I am off to work now so will post examples of these later tonite for folks to see.

Looking forward to trading ideas and links and hopefully find something new to use in my gaming.

Thanks,
Mark

I use cards and spell markers in PRIDE OF LIONS magic. The cards I made myself, but am now switching to professionally designed and printed, as time and money permit.

Spell markers are simply minis that show that a given unit is affected by a particular spell. Some are easy; an attack by an elemental, for example, uses a 28mm mini, often from the old D&D sets, or from Heroscape. Others, like Belly Rumble, require a bit more imagination.

So even though our fantasy games are 15mm armies, I'm constantly looking for larger minis to use as markers.

For morale states I just use the different color "pipecleaner" lengths, as John Hill did in JOHNNY REB. Cheap and easy to see.

I use homemade cardboard chits for status markers. 'S' for supressed units. Shaken, Rout markers, etc… I use polyfill to make smoke for burning vehicles, buildings, and artillery smoke. Also to mark artillery impact.
I've also made craters for artillery/bomb impacts. For these I use washers and sculpey.

I've made Long/Medium/Short dowel sections for the Song of Blades and Heroes games.

I've used the Gale Force 9 spray template, base rings, ring templates, and .5/1/2 inch measuring widget for Warmachine.

I've also put aside my glass beads and started using "Crystal Dazzlers" (little spikey plastic translucent gem things) as markers for focus/fury, status effects, etc.

I was forever knocking the flat bottomed glass marble beads and sliding them across the table, losing track of who they were indicating whatever on. These little pointy jobs don't slide so easily.

Back when I was using the glass beads, I took a passel of common Magic cards and a .5 inch round punch, and punched out images of monsters, then used flexible, transparent drying waterproof craft glue (can't summon the brand name to mind presently) to stick a clear glass bead on top for a magnifying effect. It was a good way to make a lot of themed tokens quickly.

I make all manner of markers for games by using a drawing package on my computer, then printing them onto sticky labels. I usally make the markers 1/2" square. Stick the labels to card and cut out. Simple.

I also use air gun pellets as handy hit markers. A friend of mine uses tile spacers as hit markers.

Cards of any description are easily made by printing them off the computer and then encapsulating them.

I use home made status markers, initiative cards, and bits of colored yarn or pipe cleaner. I also rely on 6 sided dice as markers for some games. The ubiquitous cotton "smoke" is also used in great quantities, and in various colors.

Home made status markers, cut into circles, hot glued onto metal washers. The washer gives them some heft, the hot glue peels off when its time for new markers or a different game.

I need to get a copy of this one: a 6x6 inch board with peg holes in it. Used to keep track of turns for Star Fleet Commander. Pegs are placed in the correct slots for each ship, a single peg is moved down the line to keep track of which phase we are in.

Wrote a visual basic program to calculate to-hit scores needed in BattleTech.

Custom cards using Magic Set Editor.