WHY ARE WE MAKING THIS?

We designed the MagBoard because we love travel and playing board games with friends. Chess, Backgammon and Checkers are three of the most popular games on the planet. We hope the MagBoard can act as a tool to meet and interact with others anywhere in the world, even if you don’t speak the same language! All those downtimes at the airport, on the train, at the park and the campsite are better when playing together and not mindlessly looking at our phones!

Unfortunately, most of the travel and magnetic games on the market didn’t perform well for us in these places. Pieces that were way too small, low-quality materials that ripped and broke, and games not functionally designed well for travel led us to create the MagBoard.

Size

One great thing about the MagBoard is the size and packability. It’s small enough to roll up and fit in the water bottle pocket on your backpack or seatback of your car, yet large enough for comfortable play. Convenience during play and on the go was a key factor in the overall design.

Design/Prototypes

Initially, we thought the board itself would be the magnet and the playing pieces would have metal in them. After a couple crude prototypes using magnetic sheeting (think refrigerator magnets or the signs landscapers slap on the door of their truck) and washers from the hardware store, it became obvious that was not the solution. It was impossible to get the board to lay flat and ultimately wasn’t strong enough to keep the pieces from moving if conditions got bumpy or were uneven.

We then decided using magnets in the playing pieces and somehow getting those magnets to stick to a rollable board was the way. More testing with chicken wire, pulled apart copper Brillo pads between fabric, ceramic magnets, nothing yielded the results we envisioned. Ultimately, we thought, “ok, what is the strongest ferromagnetic metal and what are the strongest magnets we can realistically get our hands on?” This led us to iron and neodymium magnets. Testing progressed with iron filings of various coarseness levels and spray adhesive on canvas.

This design provided a very strong magnetic connection, and we knew we were heading in the right direction. However, as we tested these prototypes it became clear this method also had drawbacks. These included adhesive delamination with use and heat. The biggest hurdle was that multiple factories told us a production process like this would damage their machines. Ultimately, we were able to find a partner that specializes in creating rubberized fabrics. They were able to blend iron powder into a roll of rubber sheeting which is then sewn into the center of the MagBoard.

GLAMOUR SHOTS!

REWARD

MagBoard Reward Includes:

• 1 MagBoard Playing Surface with Detachable Playing Piece Pouch
• 32 Neodymium Chess Pieces
• 30 Neodymium Checkers
• 4 Dice
• 1 Doubling Cube
• Game Instructions

ADD-ONS:

Our add-ons include an extra set of pieces which will surely come in handy if you have kids or pets. We are also excited to offer you a couple options from our RFID wallet line. 

Extra Neodymium Playing Pieces

• 32 Neodymium Checkers (Full Set)
• 8 Checkers (4 White & 4 Black)
• 1 Drawstring Pouch