Treasure Hunt Board Game

This unique board game merges elements of the classic buzz wire game with the mechanical workings of the Etch A Sketch mechanism.

In this game, the players are tasked with guiding the Jeep cutout along the designated path from start to finish. However, there's a catch: any deviation from the path triggers an alarm, adding an element of suspense and excitement to the adventure. You can also incorporate a die to make it a multi-person game, where the rolling of the die determines the number of points to travel without triggering the alarm. And of course, you can add further modifications to the game or the game play as you like. 

So, what are you waiting for? Let's make this game.

Materials/Tools required for the build :

• Ply wood [ 5mm]
• Wood plank
• 3mm steel rod [ salvaged it from welding rods]
• Screws [ Star Head ]
• 4 Large Flat head Screw
• Super Glue
• White Glue
• 3mm Tube [ Salvaged it from Pen refills]
• ACP Sheet
• Acrylic sheet [Optional- For making the led diffuser ]
• 2 X 70 mm RC tires [ Acting as the controlling knob ]
• White chart paper
• Acrylic paints
• M seal epoxy
• Aluminum foil tape
• 6 X [5x5 mm Neodymium magnets]
• Thread [ 2 - 3mm ]
• Glue gun
• San paper [ 200 grit ]
• Hammer
• Pliers, screw drivers etc.
• For circuit components - step 6

With reference to the CAD attached in the introduction section, the parts required for the build are cutout and glued in place, as shown in the gif. To craft the pulleys, begin by cutting cylindrical sections from a wooden plank using a drilling machine. Then, shape the groove of the pulley using a combination of drilling and sanding techniques, as illustrated in the gif.

We are now commencing the assembly of our project's actuation mechanism. The steel rod used in the construction has been repurposed from a 3mm welding rod. As depicted in the images, the slider component of the mechanism is crafted from tubes salvaged from pen refills. With the aid of m-seal epoxy, the sliding components are securely attached to the guide rods. The only thing left to do is join the threads and pulleys to the part created.

The required length for the axle of the pulley is cut from the 3mm steel rod . And the axles attached to the frame are glued in place, while the axles mounted to the tire or knob are glued to the pulley, as shown in the picture. Now the thread is looped around the pulley, as shown in the gif. Since I used a thin thread, I have looped the thread at least once around the pulley to increase the contact area. The threads are connected with the axes of the mechanism via small nails, as shown in the gif.

To make the trigger mechanism, we need to first make the trail. This involves cutting out a template of the trail from chart paper and transferring the design onto the frame. Subsequently, a 1 cm-wide strip is cut from aluminum foil tape and affixed along the traced outline, as demonstrated in the images. We will be using neodymium magnets to magnetically couple the Jeep cutout to the trigger mechanism.

Now we will be making the contact probe for the triggering mechanism. For this, a 5x5mm neodymium magnet is attached to a washer [ It is fastened using pliers, and the washer hole should be large enough to allow the magnet to fit snugly ], and a plastic washer is used to sandwich a wire in between them, as shown in the gif. For locating the starting position of the board game, I have fastened a makeshift limit switch out of a plastic strip and aluminum foil tape to the board, as shown in the picture. These limit switches are triggered when reaching an extreme end and are indicated by green LEDs. The circuit diagram shown in the below step clearly explains how it works.

The circuit diagram shows how the components are connected. For the front cover, I used acrylic and an ACP sheet. I used acrylic sheets to create an LED diffuser. The front cover plate is attached to the board via screws, as illustrated in the pictures.

For attaching the treasure hunt map to the board using magnets, contact points are required. I've opted for flat head screws for this purpose. They are hammered into place as demonstrated in the gif. However, the screws I utilized had projections, which I had to file down before installation. To secure the magnets, tabs shaped like an X are now fashioned out of cardboard or foam board. Using a marker, a compass symbol is drawn on the board along with some other designs. The compass symbol will be later used to position the treasure hunt map.

To create the map, white chart paper is cut to the desired dimension and secured in place using the tabs prepared in the previous step. Once the chart is properly positioned, the compass symbol is sketched onto the paper as a reference point. Following this, the edges of the paper are carefully burned using a kerosene lamp to achieve a vintage aesthetic. Next, the trail layout established in step 4 is used to trace the trail for the trigger mechanism. With this traced layout, we proceed to finalize the map.

Referring to the attached jeep template, we will cut out and assemble all of the parts as shown in the pictures. A neodymium magnet is also attached to the jeep as shown in the picture. Finally, we will complete our project by applying paint, marking the culmination of our build.

In a conclusion, we've cooked up a board game extravaganza that's part buzz wire, part Etch A Sketch, and all excitement! Guiding our trusty Jeep along the path is no easy feat - one wrong move, and it's alarm bells!

I hope you guys enjoyed my creation.

Thank you for reading, and tag along for more amazing projects.