Smoke Problem?

[Beowulf03809]

Greetings all.

Although I cracked open my KS box a week or so ago, I actually just got into my "extras" last night. The wood components look good on first look but I was surprised by the smoke markers.

From the images I was expecting a fairly solid foam or hard plastic piece with some lightly molded in 'smoke pattern' impressions that could be colored in if interested. What I have though is not the quality I was expecting considering how great everything else is. They are very thin and feel fragile. In fact one was cracked in half with only the paper outsides holding it together. And the paper...?????? As you can see from this pic they are covered in a medium-brown (sorry...my phone's flash makes them look more yellow) paper with some having the 'smoke pattern' printed. One side of one smoke marker is a clean print but all other markers have one or both sides with red which you can see is basically writing that was on the paper when it was cut and attached.

And I know I mentioned the fragility already but I'm serious about this. It feels like my Frigate masts are 5x more durable than these things are. Even if they looked decent, which they don't, I would be afraid of using them. The one that came cracked in shipping gives a good idea. The others feel like they would snap if someone is fiddling and gives them even a little bend or twist. If you're familiar with sheetrock, with the fragile compound sandwiched between two sheets of paper, that's the impression these give me.

I have not looked into contacting the company yet on this but before I do wanted to see what everyone else go so I know what I should have expected...

Still super thrilled with everything else so far!!! Great quality and worth the wait if it wasn't for this one issue.

[mleaman]

In all fairness they're not terribly expensive ($3.99). I ordered some extras (mostly because I plan to run a large battle at Huzzah) and kept the backing paper on the bottom for extra reinforcement. These are probably the most replaceable part of the Kickstarter package.

http://www.aerodromeaccessories.com/...d-markers.html

[Cool Breeze]

The cutouts on the paper are so you can take a Sharpie or paint and color in the cuts. Then peel off the paper, and voilà, easy smoke pattern. Also, mine seem quite sturdy and are rather comparable to any token you'd get from say, Litko or Gale-Force 9. You could always put felt-style backing on the underside like GF9 does for many of theirs.

I'm actually quite surprised you had a broken one. I imagine Ares will happily replace it.

Put me in the rather pleased with them camp.

[Beowulf03809]

Oh! I'm supposed to take the paper off?

I completely agree that they are very reasonably priced and if I just have a single damaged one but all the rest of the quality is there then I'll probably get a few more sets. I was just totally thrown off by the paper. I actually thought that was how it was made.

I'll take off the paper when I get home and no one will be the wiser.

[Maine]

Oh! I'm supposed to take the paper off?

I had some custom counters for a different game that used a thin blue film on clear plastic base. I couldn't even tell the film was supposed to come off, since it wasn't peeling on it's own. I just thought the bases were some weird softer blue plastic...

Turns out that acrylic sheets always have protective paper or clear film, which is generally not removed until after the cutting process (even with laser cut). Many places just leave it on to protect the items in transit, as well.

[Naharaht]

Maybe the Anchorage Store will produce some better smoke markers eventually.

[Andy Blozinski]

Maybe the Anchorage Store will produce some better smoke markers eventually.

I think they're pretty cool the way they are. The 2-D nature of them means you can use opposite sides colored differently as gun loading trackers. They seem pretty darned sturdy to me.

[Avi]

Maybe the Anchorage Store will produce some better smoke markers eventually.

I think the current smoke markers ARE from the Anchorage store...

[Пилот]

I plan to make my own smoke markers (together with fire markers), because I want them to look more realistic.

For the starters, I'll use cotton as smoke.

[Comte de Brueys]

Oh! I'm supposed to take the paper off?

...

Seems we need a new medal category, Lawrence.

[jasperrdm]

Hey I asked the same question over at bbg.

[Beowulf03809]

Seems we need a new medal category, Lawrence.

And I would wear it with pride.

I never shy away from admitting an embarrassing goof nor take offense to tasteful jabs as a result. It happens to everyone and doing so is sometimes one of the best ways to know where people stand with you.



BTW, they do look much better without the paper and I even found the cracked one is nice because sometimes you can't fit a whole marker in but a half is fine. Not to mention the smaller marker is good for front/aft broadside visibility compared to the full length for full broadside. I do think I'll use cotton eventually for a more 3d effect but these (and a few more) are great for travel games.

[7eat51]

I was a bit surprised at how much I liked these markers. When running demo games, flipping them were a great visual aid. I do like the 3-D visual of cotton, but I think I will stick with these when running games due to the aid they offer. As of yet, I have found no problems regarding durability.

[Gunner]

Thanks Lawrence, those fore and aft markers are a good idea. Looks like I'll be busy for a few minutes later, cutting and filing down some smoke markers.

[Nightmoss]

Nice photos and a great idea for fore and aft marking.

Let me ask a stupid question though (keeping in mind I've still not played a game, etc.)? If you use the 'continuous fire' rule the markers will indicate guns fired, but will not need to be flipped to indicate reloading, correct?

[Beowulf03809]

Just as a quick clarification...the smaller markers used for fore/aft are because one of my four markers was damaged in the box during shipping. No big deal considering the relative replacement value and that these are KS gimmies anyway. I just couldn't see gluing them back together with any long term success so I looked for an alternate use. I plan to file down the rough break and may even order a couple more to do the same on purpose!

[Пилот]

So, technically, you received 5 markers, and not 4

[Andy Blozinski]

So, technically, you received 5 markers, and not 4

Not only did he get an extra marker, but he got sooper dooper secret limited edition exclusive fore and aft markers. Some people have all the luck.

[The Royal Hajj]

Yep, the brown paper is both a protective and painting mask and should be removed before playing a game. As to the durably, they are cut from standard 1/8 extruded acrylic... same as 99% of all other acrylic game markers. The shape does make them a little more breakable if you are trying to bend them and such. But used as intended and they should last you years.

Lawrence, shoot me a PM with your details and I'll drop a replacement in the mail to you. Of if you really wanted to order more, I can include it with those.

[The Royal Hajj]

Oh, and for those of you that like the 3D look and feel of cotton, these actually make great bases to attach that cotton too ;)