Entrapment

A little bit of a lighter post than 1948 as I get back in the saddle and put my game face on, for here is Entrapment, a marvelous maneuvering game for all ages.

There are at least two things I look for when making a wooden game for my collection. It must promise engrossing play (and here I rely upon the evaluation of others initially) and it must be an opportunity to kick up the build quality from the original to make it a visual and tactile treat. Entrapment satisfies beautifully on both counts though somehow the build was a real bear and was riddled with mistakes and elaborate tryouts. Some scrap wood became scrap wood yet again.

The basic construction of the board is a figured hard maple egg-crate with end grain mahogany squares pushed through and a thin (3mm) BB bottom glued on.

The playing pieces and fences are again in maple and mahogany with an oil finish and a waxing session on the buffing wheel.

Mid century Soviet apartment blocks? Perhaps. Mine just might last longer. The 25 fences per side were grooved all round with a 1/32” wing cutter.

The original game as model was fairly simple as befits a fairly low cost production item.

This game is easy but thoughtful. Your goal is not to arrive anywhere but to defeat your opponent by boxing in their pieces as the name would suggest. Game play begins by each person randomly placing their roamers, or pawns, and then moving them to escape capture or else placing fences to trap your opponents pieces.. An unusual twist is that you may hop over your own fences just once as you make your escape, but then they are rotated vertically and become impenetrable. The game may also be played with a barrier stick inserted to reduce the board to 6×7 squares. This makes for a faster more aggressive play once the basic game is learned.

I made two serious blunders on this project. First, for a few extra minutes work I could have had an 8×8 board, just right for chess, checkers or anything else. Real dumb.
Secondly, I wasted my time building the exacting half lap maple base. I could have simply glued flat squares onto plywood for the same effect. The only consolation and giveaway now is that it weighs in at about 5 lb and has the look and feel of solid.

The handles are project heritage wood and my revenge on the mistake. With a couple of trial strips left over from the grid I put a gentle curve on the length, a quite a bit tighter one on the width, a finger scoop in the centre and then designed the storage box around them. Loose dividers with the barrier strip down the side.

I do love a fitted single purpose box.

5mm mini wonder hinges were used, with a shellac finish rubbed out then lacquered and waxed. The game board is done with sanding sealer, lacquer and Goddard’s wax.
This can be a real fun build if you like games. The sky’s the limit on board style, pieces and storage with an absorbing play promised for you in the end.

Board 15” x 15” x 1 1/2”
Box 6 1/8” x 14 3/4” x 2 5/8”
About 32 hrs.
Build on LJ’s.
gene

Video tutorial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uy2U8PrSRtU

Online play
http://www.boardspace.net/english/about_entrapment.html

A very nice review
http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/721688/block-corral-capture-and-kill

-- gene@toronto.ontario.canada : dovetail free since '53, critiques always welcome.