Santa gets Tech Support

My oldest son is still very good friends with a guy he has known since they literally were both in diapers.  They have had many adventures over the years, adventures that have had a certain flair due to their collectively peculiar sense of humor.

Even as grown ups.

They created a silly board game that extols the virtues of unrestrained capitalism.  "The Game of Moral Bankruptcy" as they have dubbed it.  As a game playing experience it is fun, perhaps because it is always played with appropriate beverages in hand.

Their home made game set up was rather crude, so for Christmas this year "Santa" has come up with a more polished version.  It helps that some of The Helpers now have access to design software, 3D printing and a laser engraver.....

My end of this rather fun project was to design game tokens and dice with custom logos.  The dodecahedron die was particularly tricky to do in Solidworks.  Here it is being printed.

And here are some finished products.  I consider this to still be prototype level work, obviously some of the materials I tried work better visually than others.

The 12 sided die.  Notice the smoking cigarette, fighter jet and beaker logos.  Adjacent are a couple of game play markers.  One is from Big Box Stores.  The other is supposed to represent a giant drop of oil from Grand Olde Petroleum.  I may add a dab of black paint to that one.

Another view of two game pieces to show up a third color option.  The capsule is from Bright Side Pharmaceuticals.

A six sided die.  This one came off the printer on a larger scale than I thought I had put into the design specs.  I might redo it or just leave it.  It is a one inch square "Clown Dice".  Note also the Lockhart Defence game piece and an eight sided die.

With the tokens and dice complete the next step was the game board.  I have access to a really swell laser engraver and am got a bit of "Elf" help with the design software.  Time to fire up the laser.

The final result was good, but not perfect.  But it should serve its purpose well enough, and if the lads ever decide to go into commercial production I have learned a few tricks to improve the next version.  The dice for instance might not roll completely "true" due to the differing weights of the various faces, as some logos cut out more material.

But I was told that would be fine.  In a game about corrupt capitalism loaded dice fit in perfectly.