This is the dice tray portion of the tower. I just put down felt because I thought it was cool. Nothing more special than measuring it out and using a thin layer of white glue.
Ya chuck the dice in from the top. I've taken to throwing the dice at the inch or so of back wall and gravity takes over from there. Note the uneveness of the ramps. I say it adds that nice random touch.
No front panel required so it became the bottom. Note the overlap of the front of the tower; this lets the tower perch on the tray felt.
This is a view from the bottom. For those of you who like those things...
This is the transformed version. Essentially the tower is two pieces for easy travel! I should have taken a pic with a ruler so you can see the size. The other pics with dice are good reference. The dice are the standard BIG ones that came with Axis and Allies, not the small ones from the SKs. Also, check out the keyboard in the background. It's not small, but it's not big.
Nothing says geek cred better than a self-made dice tower. Next? Pimpin' it out. (I'll take suggestions.)
I've been going on about a dice tower (dice cups - BOOOOORING!!!) and I've been sorely tempted by some of the stuff on eBay and VixenTor. Mrs. scrub even gave me the OK but I said, heck... $60 is a bit much.
And in with the new homemade dice tower:
So I'm still doing my part to jumpstart the economy thanks to my ASL/wargame-habit. Went out and bought a 2x3' clear acrylic board for gaming with. It was only $24.
One of the great learning tips I tell my students is to rewrite and recompile their notes, especially on regular basis, to learn and really retain something. In a way it's very "old-school" -- learning by rote.
I keep all of this stuff organized by SK level with the most recent stuff I use repeatedly on top and stored in the SK1 box (the other boxes fit maps and other ASL stuff) so if I need to play I'll just grab the one box, counters and my map condom and go!
Map Protection/Storage
Everyone has their own preference in this regard, almost to the degree of fanaticism that counter storage ellicits. Some people prefer getting a piece of plexiglass or Lexan and getting it chamfered and cut to the size of their regular gaming table or space. I've been told that heading down to your local Home Depot or the like should be the most economical option -- just get them to cut you a piece to size.
The map condom is basically a poster/art display sleeve that is of archival quality. I purchased it in an art supply store where they had differing sizes. Notice that I've put two geomorphic maps side by side here (the most common configuration) with dice for scale comparison. I also bought a larger one for my other wargame maps and when you need to place ASL maps lengthwise. I really prefer this method as the sleeve itself is very portable, relatively inexpensive and was made primarily to show off and protect art and maps. Some ASLers and wargamers use poster frames and these I found are cheap but best only for games where you won't be switching out the maps often.What Else?
There are a couple of things I didn't talk about like dice rolling mechanisms, clipping and maintaining counters. These things become a concern when you get a little more "into" the hobby. You'll eventually find that rolling dice into your little cardboard piles gets a little tedious and the boxtop of your SK a little cumbersome -- check out dice towers or use a fancypants dice cup (it's a cup...). Later you might find your counters themselves are getting a bit ragged or catching each other on the corners as you push them around. Perhaps it's time for a "counter-clipper"?
Where do you find this stuff if you can't make it yourself? Check out Cabela's or Walmart for the tackle boxes. Home Depot or Lowe's for the plexiglass/Lexan. An art supply store for your map condoms and eBay for your dice towers. And finally, Staples/Business Depot for your umpteen page protectors and binders. Look at it this way, you're doing your part to stimulate our flagging global economy.
