I completed my super simple tabula board this weekend. It’s tooled leather, which I know isn’t right, it should be wood. But I will explain this to the public, and it’s portable, and uses authentic material and techniques, and I was able to actually make it in the time available! It is wonky as anything, which is deliberate in that I think a ruled look is not right. It’s a thickish bit of leather which I soaked in cold water, then I used a large flat-bladed screwdriver and a mallet to hammer in the lines, going over them with the edge of my weaving sword to smooth them out. I’ll wax the leather once it’s dry.
The dice are bone and I bought them at the re-enactors’ market; the counters are wood from Hoyles’ games in Oxford. One day, I mean to plane down my yew wood planks, assemble them with a carved border, and make a posh proper wooden board. But today is not that day. And I can now play all the mediaeval tabula games which I researched on something more suitable.
