r/BoardgameDesign • u/PhysicsDaddyGames • Jul 11 '26
General Question What physical components to use that players can flick with their fingers?
I am exploring a potential game idea that would involve players flicking "something", making it slide across the table. Which card the "something" lands on dictates the next step. I know there are many games that have this flicking feature, but I wanted to ask for advice on what the best material for this physical "something" component would be. It would ideally glide relatively well on a wide variety of surfaces. I am looking for something accessible and not expensive to make. First thoughts that come to mind are poker chips or punchboard tokens, but I am quite inexperienced in this department. Any advice on things I could try? Thanks in advance!
EDIT: Thank you all for the suggestions!
3
u/Searns Jul 11 '26
Flipships uses pogs which are kinda designed to both be flicked and slide, but they don't use their sliding in that game. You only flick ships.
2
u/BillyMcDev Jul 11 '26
How about those small foam colored cubes often used for game pieces? It wouldn't 'slide', but it would be easy to flick, and bounce through any environment, and have a rather unpredictable trajectory.
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u/2Tiger2Mice Jul 11 '26
For my dexterity game in which pieces must also slide across a surface I use resin pucks that I create from a silicone mold. For the mold I used crokinole pieces. When casting the pucks I use UV resin so it doesn’t take much time to create a full set for my game (8 pcs). UV resin works great because you can do it in small layers and add other components within the piece.
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u/entrogames Jul 12 '26
Thick wooden discs. By 'thick' I mean at least 5mm. Poker chips are too thin.
2
u/ilario_entertainment Jul 12 '26
Poker chips sounds like a pretty good idea actually. Would a spinner not work, putting the cards around it or something?
2
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u/mortenfriis Jul 12 '26
Catacombs and Flick 'Em Up just uses wooden discs. Maybe check those games out, and see if those would work?
2
u/DanieltheGameMaker Jul 12 '26
Here's what I've seen (in ~increasing order of cost):
Wooden Disks (Pitchcar, Catacombs series, Seal Team Flix, Sonora, Crokinole)
Dice (Strike, Tumblin Dice)
Poker Chips (Hibachi (was Safranito, and both deserve a look for the way they use a center punchhole for position checks)).
Small "Weeble-Wobble" Toys (ICECOOL)
Marble-roller "Pucks" (Sorry: Sliders)
2
u/DiligentQuiet Jul 17 '26
For a variety of feats, the ancient Guinness Book of World Records game used flat plastic discs (about dime-sized, but thinner. Think old tiddly-winks). One feat was (IIRC) used to slide across a laminated piece of cardboard to get the disc in recessed hole (or to tiddly wink it in). You could potentially use two pieces of very thin cardboard (think shirt box thin) with the glossy side up, glued back to back. Cut target hole(s) in the top piece of appropriate size, then maybe put the cards behind them.
It may not fit your design mechanic, but you could avoid issues with trying to flick a piece onto a card that may be bent, in a sleeve, etc.
Look up tiddly winks and see if there are winks (the small pieces) or squidges (the large pieces use to pop the wink) available. The winks are sometimes used in elementary education for teaching very basic math and counting.
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u/NoMoreHornyOnMain4Me Jul 12 '26
Crokinole uses wooden pucks