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Dice set

Dice set for tabletop role-playing games from the Sandbox Machine.

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Functional dice and cup in the Lounge. They are also available from the Sandbox Machine.

Similar to other tabletop games (in particular card games and dice games), many board games can be played in Rec Room. However, all board games within Rec Room are created by players; thus, Rec Room cannot check any rules nor winning conditions of any board game. Nor can it match players who want to play board games.

You can find other Rec Room players who are interested in playing board games on the official Rec Room discord (channel #meetup) or on the Rec Room Clubs discord (channels #roleplaying and #tabletop).

GermanKnightChessM

Room ^GermanKnightChessM

Playing Board Games in Published Custom Rooms

Board games in Rec Room are played in Custom Rooms. Some players have already created and published custom rooms for several board games. For example, the room ^BoardGaming has doors to rooms with various board games by user alifeee and other players. You can enter these rooms (via the Custom Rooms menu of your Watch Menu) and start playing right away.

These rooms usually include everything you need for playing the specific game, e.g., a board, game pieces, dice, markers and note pads or sticky notes, etc. However, there are a few useful tips to consider:

  • Before pulling the trigger to pick up a game piece, make sure that the correct piece is highlighted with a green silhouette.
  • Instead of dropping game pieces onto the board, push them slightly into the board, i.e., move them a bit into the board and only then release the trigger. This lets them stick to the board such that no one can accidentally push them over.
  • When rolling dice, make sure that they bounce at least twice for reasonably random results. Or use cups (or buckets) for rolling dice, which also stops them from rolling off the table.
  • As with playing board games in real life: play fair, agree on rules, and try to help everyone to enjoy the game.

Creating New Custom Rooms for Board Games

Creating (and publishing) Custom Rooms for board games usually requires you to become familiar with the Custom Rooms Menu and the This Room Menu of your Watch Menu, the Sandbox Machine and the Maker Pen (in particular, the "Edit" button). This can be a bit overwhelming; in particular, if it is your first time using the maker pen. Thus, take your time and don't expect that everything will work as you expect it to work. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask other players in Rec Room, on reddit or discord.

Chess in park

Chess in the Park with chessmen and staircase (in the background) created with a Maker Pen.

Josef Hartwig Bauhaus chess set

The Bauhaus design of chess pieces by Josef Hartwig is well suited for chess in Rec Room.

Playing on the Checkered Playfield in the Park

Many games can be played on checkerboards, e.g., chess, draughts, etc. (see the list on boardgamegeek.com). In Rec Room, most of these games can be played on the checkered playfield in the Park by creating a Custom Room and creating the required game pieces with a Maker Pen from the Sandbox Machine. See the room ^BauhausChessLarge for an example.

Some tips:

  • Since the checkered pattern is quite large, the pieces should be about human size.
  • The cloning function of the Maker Pen can be used to create many identical pieces. (But note that the maker pen has limited ink, thus, you cannot make more than a few dozen pieces, depending on the complexity of the pieces.)
  • To avoid that pieces are pushed over by accident, all pieces should be pushed slightly into the ground when placing them such they cannot move without being picked up.
  • The Maker Pen can also be used to build staircases, ramps, or large boulders for players to overview the game.

Creating a Game Board

You can also create a game board with the Maker Pen. This allows you to create many different game boards in many sizes and locations. See the room ^BoardGaming for examples.

Some tips:

  • Use the snapping, group, and clone functions of the Maker Pen to create and position the tiles of the game board. To save ink, create the whole game board without ever going to "Play" mode.
  • Once the game board is ready, activate "Play" mode and use the edit function to freeze it such that players don't accidentally pick it up. Also freeze any other objects from the Sandbox Machine (e.g., tables) that players might accidentally pick up.
  • The cloning function can be used to create many identical pieces.
  • To avoid that pieces are pushed over by accident, all pieces should be pushed slightly into the game board when placing them such they cannot move without being picked up.

Games Without Moving Your Opponent's Pieces

Connectfour

Connect four; image by Red Drummer

Some games don't require any player to move (nor remove) any of their opponents' pieces. For example, Connect Four, Battleship, Mastermind, Halma, many races like Snakes and Ladders, etc. In those cases, each player can use one Maker Pen and keep their pieces in "Edit" mode (the default mode in "Advanced" mode) such that the other player(s) cannot accidentally push them around nor pick them up.

Some tips:

  • Use the clone function of the Maker Pen to create many identical pieces.
  • In "Edit" mode, objects don't fall down but just float in space, thus, you don't need to worry about any supporting structures, etc.
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