Techniques for Creating New Furniture and Props

Below is a List of props I've created to enhance my HQ game. The props are grouped under the primary material with which it was created. A brief description of the primary material precedes each section.

BALSA WOOD

Balsa is a very light weight though strong wood used primarily for model planes that fly. It is relatively inexpensive and is easily cut with an x-acto knife.

Coffin

The coffin I created from balsa wood is in the classic shape of a diamond with the top and bottom truncated. I made it deep enough to hold any of the HQ undead figures inside. It has a working lid with hinges purchased at a doll house store.

Chair

The only chair that comes with the basic game is the throne. I wanted a less ostentatious chair which could be used with the two tables that come with the game. I used square toothpicks for the left and right sides of the chair, basically in the shape of an inverted number four, with armrests added. The seat and back of the chair are two small squares of flat balsa wood. When the glue was dry I sanded the bottoms of the legs so that it did not wobble.

Chest

I wanted a pirate-shaped chest, the kind with a bell-shaped top, with a working lid into which I could put real treasure and weapons for the players to discover. I tried many different techniques in an attempt to get the balsa to curve into a bell shape for the lid. I finally went to an antiques store to look at a real chest and see how an actual lid was constructed. The lid was made of many long slats of wood attached across the top of two bell shaped sides. Using this technique, I cut narrow strips of balsa and glued them side-by-side across the top of the bell shaped sides of the lid. This worked like a charm. The bottom was a simple box of balsa which I made to fit inside a single square of the HQ board. Hinges obtained from a doll house store completed my functional chest.

A great little secret I used during my balsa wood constructions was wax paper. I was able to glue things like the sides of my chair together and then just pull them up off the wax paper when they were dry.

Another great trick is the use of corrugated card board and straight pins. Tape wax paper over the card board then use straight pins to hold the balsa pieces in place as you glue them.

PLASTER OF PARIS

Plaster of paris is a white powder, usually gypsum, that when mixed with water hardens into the shape of its container. When dry and hard it is slightly less dense than chalk and is easily carved with an x-acto knife.

Forge

The Kellar's Keep Quest Pack comes with a blacksmith's forge as a cardboard overlay for the HQ board. I carved a plaster base for the overlay so that the overlay is raised up off the board. The base is a simple rectangular block of plaster whose sides are angled out to broaden at the bottom. It was easy to make and I sealed it when I was done. The overlays and quests that come in the HeroQuest expansions are a great source of ideas for new props. Check out The Return of the Witch Lord Quest Pack available on my HeroQuest site for some great ideas of your own.

Anvil

I carved an anvil from a small block of plaster. It fits in one square on the HQ board and is scaled to the right size for the figures. While carving, I followed pictures of anvils that I obtained from library books. When I was done I sealed it with sealing solution from the hobby store and painted it black. It really looks great! I created the anvil and the forge for use in my Moria quest. The Moria quest can be downloaded from my quests page.

MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS

Ancient Parchment Handouts

Using old-looking maps and messages is a great way to add a feel of realism to your HQ game. I used to age pieces of paper in the oven or toaster oven. Unfortunately this technique leaves the paper VERY crumbly and tends to leave "tan" lines on it from the oven rack. One of the better techniques I've found is soaking the paper in tea. Crumbling the paper up either before and after the soaking allows you to tailor the appearance to exactly the way you want it. It is best to put the image or text on the paper before you soak it. For an even more realistic aged look, use vellum paper instead of regular cotton paper. Using stylish old-english-like fonts also adds to the effect. For the ultimate effect, teach yourself calligraphy and write on the parchment yourself!

Coin Pile

I made a great looking pile of coins by cross cutting round stemmed toothpicks with a dremel. To get a clean cut without any rough splinters cut the toothpicks on a block of hardwood. This allows you to cut cleanly and completely through the toothpick while still preserving the cutting wheel. Once you have a small pile of cross sections get out the wax paper and lay it over the HQ game board. Tape the wax paper to the underside of the board so that the play surface will not get damaged. Arrange the pile so that it fits in a single square and has the shape you want. Dillute some Elmer's glue with water and drip the mixture onto the pile with your finger or a toothpick. This weakened glue will hold the pile in place for the next step.

When the glue has dried turn the pile over and place it upside down on some crumpled up wax paper so that it will remain upside down. Now use a toothpick to drip undiluted Elmer's into the pile from the bottom. If you use undiluted Elmer's on top of the pile it tends to add a thick layer over the coins and gives it a sealed-in-plastic appearance. Some people use several applications of the diluted Elmer's on the top, but they have fallen apart on me so I prefer the other technique. When the pile is dry, paint it gold, and you have a great pile of coins.

I have heard of people using small colored plastic beads in their piles as gems, but I have not found any small enough to look convincing.

Bone Pile

There are several ways to make a bone pile. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

The easiest way is to use the numerous skulls that come with the basic game and with the Return of the Witch Lord Quest Pack and glue them into a pile with plastic glue. The disadvantage of this method is that it looks like a pile of skulls and not a bone pile.

The most difficult way is to use an x-acto knife and dremel to whittle the plastic sprues that the undead figures were attached to. (You saved yours, didn't you? Neither did I but I was able to get them from a friend when he bought his copy of the game.) Whittling the sprues down to the right shape and size is difficult and VERY time consuming. However, if you take the time and put in the effort, the result is a custom tailored pile of bones that looks exactly the way you want it to look.

The final method is a compromise between the two prior techniques. Use a dremel with a cutting wheel to dismantle a skeleton figure into its component bones then glue it into a pile. The result looks great, but you sacrifice an undead figure to do it.

Thaumaturgic Pentagram

A five pointed star circumscribed in a circle is known by many names; sorcerer's circle, devil's circle, magic cirle, pentagram of power... I constructed one which exactly circumscribes a 4X4 room on the HQ board. I used heavy grey vellum paper so that it would look like stone. Vellum is available in craft and hobby stores, though I bought mine at the local photocopy center. Yes, you need to break out the drafting tools you haven't touched since high school, so stop whining. Actually, all you need is a compass, a protractor, and a straight edge. Each point of the pentagram is 72 degrees apart from either of its neighbors. Once you have drawn and cut out one you are happy with, coat the back with rubber cement to keep it from sliding around during play. I found that I needed to use two coats.

READY MADE PROPS

Many companies which make fantasy miniatures also make some great props. From Ral Partha I purchased all kinds of 25mm weapons, shields, and armor. They all fit nicely in the working chest I made. I created specific details for each weapon I put in the chest. The players loved this! I also purchased a little rectangle upon which rests inkwells and bottles. It fits in perfectly on the Alchemist's Bench that comes with the main HQ game.

Barrels

In my local craft store they have small wooden widgets. I assume they are for use in doll house construction, or in replacing the lost pieces of your Bandu game. One of the bins contained small wooden barrels. They were the perfect size for HQ! Keep your eyes open in your local hobby and craft stores for ways to adapt widgets for your own HQ game.

This information and much more is available at Mitchel's HeroQuest Resource site: http://www.megsinet.net/~gymnast/games/heroqest/hq_main.htm