R/Hexels: Post artwork made with Hexels, a new grid-based art program.
Well, it took almost a year, but I finally received my hexels in the mail last week!
What are hexels, you ask? Do you play Settlers of Catan? If so, you know that the hexagonal-shaped board pieces don’t really stay together that well. The game comes with a cardboard frame, which kind of keeps the pieces together, but my frame has warped over time.
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I like my tabletop play sessions neat and orderly: cards stacked, my little pieces arranged in rows, all the number tokens oriented in the same direction. No matter how much I fuss about keeping the hexagons fit together perfectly, inevitably fissures appear in the island.
Somebody rolls the dice across the board.
Somebody bumps the table.
Somebody slams a new settlement down too hard.
Somebody drops their beer bottle on the board (empty, fortunately!).
Hexels solve that problem!
Hexels are black plastic frames with magnets in the sides. The board pieces fit inside perfectly, and the hexels attach themselves via the magnets. The seal is not strong, but strong enough to keep the board together. If your table is smooth, you can even slide the “board” around if needed!
The board pieces sit casually inside. You don’t have to force them in, and they pop right out.
Hexels started as a Kickstarter project in early 2013. I was one of the backers, and for $50 I received 30 hexels: enough for the 5-6 player extension of the original Catan.
The project ran into a lot of problems on the manufacturing end. They were manufactured in China, and it took the organizers a long time to find the right kind of plastic. Late 2013, the pieces finally shipped to America. The creator, Tim Walsh, had to forgo assembly costs to keep the project on budget. That meant that backers had to insert the magnets and glue the covers in place themselves. It wasn’t too much of a bother, though: after about an hour and a half of work, my pieces were ready to go.
The back of a hexel. A little magnet sits in each of those six wells. The magnet is about the size of those little ball sprinkles you put on ice cream. The covers are held in place with super glue.
How well do they work?
Nearly perfect, I’d say. The game pieces sit on top: no need to have the game pieces touching the board pieces anymore!
Any flaws with the hexels?
Only a few. First, the project didn’t raise enough money to create hexels for the harbor pieces. Thankfully your Catan game comes with harbor pieces separate from the main board frame, so these can be set every few spaces around the board. It doesn’t look as nice; maybe someday he’ll create frames for the harbor pieces.
Second, the magnets hold the pieces together very well. But sometimes, the pieces get just slightly off. If you fuss with it, you can get the sides to match together perfectly. But even if you are off slightly, the board will still hold together properly.
Hexel Art
Notice how these edges don’t line up perfectly.
Do the hexels fit in the box?
Yes! Even with the 5-6 player extension (11 extra hexels) everything fits in my original Catan box. I had to remove the black plastic tray that comes with the box, but a minor inconvenience. The original board pieces fit in with the hexels, should I ever want to use those again. I even have extra room!
Now, if you are OCD about keeping things organized, I must mention that it can be difficult to get the hexels to stack perfectly on each other. This is based on the magnets wanting to attach to the hexels nearest them. You can get the stacks completely straight, but even if they are off slightly, they’ll still fit in the box (and once you transport the game, the stacks will probably get a little disordered anyway).
A full set for the 5-6 player extension contains 30 hexels. Three stacks of 10 will just fit in the box.
Okay, where do I get these?
Good question. The official website doesn’t have a lot of information, and no detail about ordering more. This is an officially licensed product of Catan and Mayfair Games, so I’m guessing they will be available commercially in the next few months once Tim fulfills all of the Kickstarter rewards.
If you want a different solution for your Catan game, there are Catan boards available from a different company (also officially licensed). You can buy plastic boards for $30 and bamboo boards for $120 (the wooden ones do look nice). These boards offer a similar solution to keeping your pieces together. They aren’t as portable as the hexels. Plus, the wooden boards are quite pricey: the board for 5-6 players is $180!
Settle on,
~Dennis
'Hexels 2.0 Delivers The Modular Catan Game Board Everyone’s Been Waiting For https://hdtk.co/x5WkR'
Hexels 3 Tutorial
— Crowd_Fund_Pro and other supporters
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The Hexels are back and better than ever! Creator Tim Walsh launched a campaign seeking community support for Hexels 2.0. The completely modular Catan game board is now equipped with stronger magnets, which makes it sturdier than ever. Game night will never be the same again! The goal is to raise $100,000 by August 26, 2016. Funds received will be used to manufacture the product.
The Settlers of Catan is a multiplayer board game where players assume the roles of settlers establishing colonies on the island of Catan. Each player builds and develops settlements, cities, and roads to connect them as they colonize the island through trading and acquiring resources. As settlements grow, points are rewarded to players. The game board is composed of hexagonal tiles that represent different land types of the island which are randomized in the start of each game. This challenging, yet simple to learn the game, is perfect for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in strategy.
As one of the world’s most beloved board games, Catan has suffered from a fatal flaw since its inception. Every single person that played the game has had an interruption of fun by the random happenstance of moving tiles. Walsh set out to resolve this universal occurrence, and by doing so solved a problem players knew they had while eradicating others they didn’t even know existed. A completely modular board frame with self-orienting magnets was created, the Hexels, for the in-game tiles in The Settlers of Catan.
Hexels 2.0 is designed as an improvement that solves the following issues:
·Hold the game board together with incredibly strong magnets.
·Allow players to create any layout they can wish with ease.
·Able to fit into the original box.
Hexels Full Version Free
·Provide an easy “snap” connection.
·Infinitely expandable.
·Easily switch or flip tiles for exploration games.
·And much more.
This product encapsulates the values of the game, which inspired its creation, while giving its users the ability to fully explore their creativity instantaneously. Enjoy an interruption-free game with friends and family without the hassle of a board that falls apart.
To learn more, visit the Kickstarter campaign. Click here to make a contribution. Backers can choose from a number of attractive rewards. Perks will be delivered by July 2017.
Please keep in mind this is an 'all-or-nothing' deal. If the campaign does not reach the funding goal, then the project cannot move forward. So know that any amount given can make a difference. This is also an incredible opportunity to be a part of a special project! Help the campaign reach its goal by sharing this on Facebook,Twitter, and other social networks. The more people know about this, the more support the campaign will receive.