As I've been sorting through my gaming stuff recently I've realised that I have a lot of old board games.
Some of these are broken or incomplete, so I've scavenged any useful bits and thrown the remains away.
Others are complete, but I've no interest in playing them, such as the official Pirates of the Caribbean board game which I had high hopes for. It has some nice components but the rules don't promise much.
These were donated to charity shops in the run up to Christmas.
There are others that I'd like to keep, at least until I've played them enough to decide if they are worth holding on to. However, as is typical with a lot of my stuff, condition isn't always great. In my defence, these were in poor condition when I got them, usually bought at charity shops or at car boot sales (I even trained a work colleague who collected antiques to look for gaming stuff - thanks Alec).
Warlock of Firetop Mountain is one of these. Released in 1986 by Games Workshop and loosely based on the Fighting Fantasy gamebook of the same name. I'm unsure how good the game is, but as Monday night is currently board game night, I'd like to give it a go. But before I do that, it needs some attention.
Internet image of contents
Box Repairs
Fortunately the components are complete, though the character sheets have all been used. The box itself is torn and bent, and isn't really fit for purpose as it is. Recent viewing of YouTube videos* suggested that this was repairable, and I have an ulterior motive, it's practice for another restoration project I've got planned for 2023.
The card is bent in many places
and the joints are torn
I started by giving the box a good clean using window cleaner spray and a microfibre cloth. This got a lot more muck off than I expected!
Then I straightened out those bends and creases in the card. I misted the inside of the box with water then placed a glass mat on the top and bottom of the section I was straightening, with baking paper to protect the surface of the card and stop it sticking.
I then piled books on top to flatten the card and left it to dry. It's surprising how effective this technique is. The box isn't like new, but the sides and lid are more or less straight.
Any tears or rips were held together and Mod Podge carefully pushed into the join. The Mod Podge essentially joins the pieces with a plastic. I used formers; either a couple of smaller glass mats for straight pieces or a couple of metal angle brackets (designed for holding wood together, find them in your DIY shop) for corners. Again using baking paper to protect the card. The mats or brackets were held in place with books or clothes pegs.
Once the box is whole, any remaining tears or rips can be fixed with Mod Podge, and areas of bare card were also given a cost Mod Podge to seal and protect them. If the resultant card/Mod Podge sandwich was too thick, I clamped it with the glass mats and pegs again.
Some internet restorers (yes, board game restorers are a thing) touch up the black with paint or a sharpie, others keep the box as is to show it's history. I'm not sure, if I keep it I may touch up those white bits.
The repairs are a lot stronger than I expected. I'm happy they will hold up to normal wear and tear. With the box fixed I can replace the contents without worrying that the pieces will get lost. If it proves popular with the group I may make trays for the cards and minis, but they are currently bagged up. I will, of course, paint the minis.
* in particular, Always Board, Never Boring. His restoration of a complete Heroquest set is an inspiration (and *Spoilers* may be what I intend to do next year).
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