Painting Boardgame Miniatures

As game pieces come out of the box, sometimes they don't fit the story in your head. They're too boring or too badly painted. Sometimes you get confused because the red guy and the orange gal look too similar and the wrong piece gets moved for a few turns. For whatever reason, sometimes your board game bits need some classing up.

We're here to fix that.

You'll need:

• Acrylic paint. I use the craft acrylic tubes from various sources (Delta, Ceramcoat, FolkArt... Whatever's on special, essentially)
• Small brushes. Like, impractically small. My largest common brush is an acrylic size 0. It goes down from there. I suggest a 0 for blocking out colors and a 10/0 or 20/0 for details.
• Future Floor "Wax", now called Pledge Premium Finish with Future Shine. Clear acrylic for use on floors, thin like water, mildly fragranced. Does not taste good.
• Paper towels.
• Clean water.
• OPTIONAL: Xacto knife for cleaning mold lines/details.
• OPTIONAL: Palette for mixing. If you want to make your own, buy a picture frame at a dollar store and some duct tape. Instructions below.

Making a Board Game, Part II

In our previous installment, I discussed material choices and card printing. I discussed some assembly of parts as well. This time, we're going to discuss a subject a little closer to restoration than original production. Today, we're replacing pieces.

You'll Need:

• A game in need of new parts
• A graphic manipulation program. (I use GIMP)
• Source images
• Printer, cardstock, spray adhesive, cutters, etc.

NOTE: With Our Powers Combined does not condone using the following methods to re-produce someone else's material for the purposes of getting things "for free." Creators deserve to be paid for their work. The techniques are offered to create new components or replace existing ones of a game you already own.