1940 Global custom map files

I’m about to start work on a digital assistant for Axis & Allies 1940 Global 2nd Edition as part of a school project to automate tasks such as calculating income and simulating combat. I was wondering if it would be OK for me to use your basic map image as part of a territory selector to track who owns what territory.

So I went down to the Print Shop yesterday to look at the different materials available for printing. I had asked for something portable so he first suggested outside banner vinyl which could be rolled up like a giant treasure map. But after reading YG thoughts and his criteria for choosing materials I decided that flatness trumped portability and went with a sturdy material called acrylo-something. It was a bit ticky getting it into the car in one piece, but I just fit it in. Set up the pieces when I got home and am quite happy with the result. The friction on the board seems to be a little less than OOB surface so we need to be careful when moving pieces so they don’t go flying all across the board but the esthetics were good and it’s absolutely flat with no creasing. I won’t however take it with me for away games so if we don’t play at my house we’ll just have to “slum it” ;)

@Bass:

So I went down to the Print Shop yesterday to look at the different materials available for printing. I had asked for something portable so he first suggested outside banner vinyl which could be rolled up like a giant treasure map. But after reading YG thoughts and his criteria for choosing materials I decided that flatness trumped portability and went with a sturdy material called acrylo-something. It was a bit ticky getting it into the car in one piece, but I just fit it in. Set up the pieces when I got home and am quite happy with the result. The friction on the board seems to be a little less than OOB surface so we need to be careful when moving pieces so they don’t go flying all across the board but the esthetics were good and it’s absolutely flat with no creasing. I won’t however take it with me for away games so if we don’t play at my house we’ll just have to “slum it” ;)

Awww… i’m using outdoor banner vinyl, its’ portable, easily storable, and I haven’t had any issues with it not lying flat… I just roll it map-side-out and have zero issues… this is how a freshly unrolled map looks on my counter… note the edges of the map east and west… this map was just unrolled and units deployed… before a single turn is played it’s completely flat.

@YG

PVC or Polyvinyl Chloride I believe is different from Acrylic material (which the print guy called it) but they may be quite similar still. My map is 3 mm thick and consists of two wafer thin plastic sheets with a supporting meshwork in between making it rigid but lightweight.

@Wolfshanze

Hehe. To each his own, I guess. ;) If I feel like spending another 1100 NOK on a portable map-version I may yet get one like yours. :) I see however that your map is not the G40 but a smaller version? I’m not sure it would work as well with a bigger map. If you get G40 as well please let us know how that is in comparison to your current version. :)

@Bass:

Hehe. To each his own, I guess. ;) If I feel like spending another 1100 NOK on a portable map-version I may yet get one like yours. :) I see however that your map is not the G40 but a smaller version? I’m not sure it would work as well with a bigger map. If you get G40 as well please let us know how that is in comparison to your current version. :)

It’s still a decently large map… what’s printed on the map matters not.  My maps (I have two) are roughly 57"x30" in size (far bigger than the 41 or 42 maps)… and banner vinyl is banner vinyl.  If it were three times the size, I don’t really see why it would curl any more than it already does (or doesn’t).  Making it wider or longer isn’t going to change the molecular structure of the banner vinyl.  I know Private Panic has also printed on Banner Vinyl and has no problems… I think he has one for Global.  Do to space issues, I have to reuse the counter I put the maps on daily, so being easily removable, storable and able to quickly set back up is important to me, and the maps I have printed on Banner Vinyl look good, play good, and lay nice and flat… I can’t imagine how they would suddenly not sit flat just because it’s bigger.

@Young:

@Young:

Just paid $140 Canadian including tax for a G40 custom map print 72"X33" on adhesive vinyl… and it turned out amazing. I’m gonna definitely need help when I stick it to my table top surface because there’s not much room for error with the adhesive side.

DO NOT PRINT ON ADHESIVE VINYL!

No mater how much help I had and how careful I was, I could not prevent creases and air bubbles as I was sticking it down until it ultimately was ruined. Printer guy has agreed to help me out with a different material… I will update you all later.

My background is 18 years experience installing vinyl flooring. I state this so you know that I have a little clue as to what you were dealing with. With that being said I realize the difference between flooring and an adhesive backed map is huge, but I have some suggestions that may help someone else going this direction.

1. Make sure the map fits the area. I know, but lets start there anyway. If you are building a table like Young Grass Hopper’s there is a definite area that the map has to fit into.

2. Make sure you have all of the tools and help needed for the job. I’d have a roller on hand as well as a knife and pair of scissors. Lets not forget a tape measure, straight edge and pencil as these can be very important for set up. Also a couple thumb tacks as I will explain later. Dry Run! Dry run? Yes without peeling the backing go through a dry run so everyone knows what to do.

3. Don’t worry so much about small air bubbles. Creases and god forbid it being allowed to stick to itself are your biggest worries. A word of caution about rollers. Rollers stretch vinyl, period! Be careful not to use to much pressure if using a roller.

Okay I am going to try to explain the process I’d use to do this. Hopefully it isn’t an epic fail. Here we go…

First I’d use my tape measure and pencil along with straight edge to lay out the area I want to cover on a sheet of plywood. I’d draw a rectangular box the size of the map where I want it on the plywood taking into consideration the planned placement of any storage containers for pieces, dice trays etc.  Lay the map in place to make sure everything looks right. Now if all looks how I want it I’d take those two thumb tacks and put one in each corner of one end of the map. For me that would be upper and lower right corners, but do what is comfortable for you. The reason for the tacks is so the “Dry End” can’t shift.

Okay so now our game map is loose-laying where we want it and one end is tacked down. We all together on this? Good! Next step is measure 36" from the end that has the tacks and put a mark with your pencil starting on the map and following through to the plywood on the top and bottom. These marks will be your key for when you peel the backing so You KNOW that you are starting right.

Okay time for the dry run. Fold back the loose end toward the tacked end this will simulate having peeled back half of the backing. Now have your helpers take a corner each and lift them slowly vertical while you make sure you pencil line are lined now have them slowly start letting the map lay back out Having them dog - ear the corners a bit will help. That means hold the corners closer together like you are making a canoe. This will allow you to run the palm of your hand down the center lengthwise to set the adhesive in the center while the edges are still more or less free. Remember this was a dry run to get this technique down before doing it for real. I know it sounds corny, but just like with vinyl floors you’ve one shot to get it right or you’re buying another one.

Okay so you’ve dry run it 17 times and think you can do it right. The best way to stick this down is one half at a time and I’m going to assume that the backing is one piece just like the top so you need to peel half at a time. Okay so with one end tacked down we pull back the other end just past half way. Now peel the backing (exposing the adhesive) about half an inch past the pencil marks we made on the map and the plywood. (These mark designate true center which acts as our control line so we know that we are where we need to be when the sticky hits the plywood.) Now with our scissors cut off the loose backing leaving just a little so you can fold a flap under as this will make life easier when doing the second half.

Now we have bare adhesive so lets be careful!  Roll just a bit of the map back into place. Just enough so yo can tell that your control lines are lined up. Now gently with a soft pressure working from the middle out and with the middle always ahead of the edges push the map into place. Your helpers should be holding the free corners dog eared and this will naturally let the middle touch the plywood before the edges. If you have a roller or even a short rolling pin without handles roll it down the center before the edges are set. Don’t push hard because the vinyl will stretch. Not go ahead and carefully work the edges and corners in. Like I stated before don’t be to concerned about air bubbles. Avoid them if you can but don’t freak if you get a few we can fix them. Also another thought about rollers as in if you don’t have one. Take a hand towel folded up about to about 6"x6" to 8"x8" and use that with your palm when pushing the map to the plywood. Bubbles are caused by air getting trapped behind enemy lines so to speak. Your hands not being perfectly flat and smooth can’t put even pressure on the surface thus letting air get trapped. So by using a many-times folded hand towel you will be making more even contact and not trap so much air.

For those bubbles that were unavoidable use a needle to put a hole in the middle then gently work with roller, folded towel, or fingers from the edges toward the center to help the air escape and the adhesive make contact. Now pull your tacks and repeat on the other end.

I hope this lengthy theoretic tutorial is helpful. I spent a lot of years laying sheet vinyl onto floors and these are a lot of the same tricks we used on a much larger scale.    - Robar

@Young:

Thanks for that Robar, really appreciate the time and effort you put into that post. However, it just confirmed to me that it’s way too much work to go in that direction. Cheers.

Y G  That is a fact! If I really wanted to have a vinyl map that was adhered to a sheet of plywood I’d go with dry backed vinyl and thin spread an approved adhesive to lay it in. Then roll or use the towel method to get solid adhesion and work out bubbles. However I think the best bet is to loose lay it into place then staple all around the edge then when you build the framework for you piece containers make sure they overlap the edges so the staples don’t show.

Beyond all that I’d like to thank you again for the videos you do. After over fifteen years I’m coming back to a game I barely recognize anymore and your G40 videos have been a big help. Also your tables have provoke my inner carpenter into thinking about a gaming table of my own. Cheers!

My practical experience: Ask and pay a pro to do the job. It may be expensive, but most times the outcome is worth every penny and you save time and temper… Aren’t there any detailing guys or car painter shops who are used to put those foils on cars perfectly? That’s a 10 min job for them, I reckon.

But anyway, that 113 MB Map is really awesome. Pity my table’s too small…

Thanks for the file, makes redesigning a map way easier, especially for the sea zones.

guys you need to print from now on not on vinyl but 
Harlequin Showfloor. Its by far the most superior product for printing. why?

It stays flat and never creases, you can wriggle it up and it will reform flat
It can be walked on by foot, dogs, cows, all animals can run on it and it wont damage
Its lighter than vinyl
The only problem is if you torch it it will melt