Welcome to Mutation, a series of articles where we want to spotlight the “extras” that you can bring to Dice Masters.  Why Mutation?  Well, it represents a fundamental change in something.  An evolution of sorts.   Also, there is that nice Basic Action Card that shares the name.  It seemed to make sense to connect these together to represent what this series is meant to be about.

We are always working on growing our collection of tutorials to help bring your game to the next level.  Want to learn how to make your own cards?  How about customizing your own play-mat?  Looking for come cool dice tower projects?  This is where you want to be.

If you have something you want to share with the Dice Masters community, drop us an email at mailbag@dm-north.com and let us know.  We look forward to sharing these projects with you.  As always, please feel free to leave your comments below and let us know what you think.

Now, on to today’s project…

Reg (from Dice Masters in the Great White North) is joining us again for today’s arts and crafts.  This is an article to accompany an earlier video on how to make a cheap and easy camera mount for your online games.  Take it away Reg!

Hopefully this will be my first of many craft it yourself videos.  This is a quick and easy tutorial on how you can make a very simple and sturdy camera stand for your Dice Masters online gameplay.  The YouTube video of this project can be found below.

I found a simple project online for a camera mount to stream videos and have adjusted the measurements around a standard 24″ x 14″ Dice Masters Playmat.

The best part of making this camera stand, is you just need to print these directions or take your playmat into any big box hardware store, and not only will they have all the parts you require but they will probably do all the grunt work for you as well.  If not head over to the tools section grab a saw and build it right in the plumbing department yourself. (Plus, you don’t have to drive home with a 10 foot Conduit pipe hanging out one of your windows!)

I purchased my supplies at Lowes, but any Hardware Store will do.  Usually, the Hardware Store will have supplies for cutting onsite, so if you are purchasing online you will need to get a PVC pipe cutter too. (Or just use a saw!)

Supplies Used:

• 1 x 10-foot piece of 1/2″ PVC Pipe
• 2 x 1/2″ PVC Caps
• 3 x 1/2″ PVC Elbows
• 2 x 1/2″ PVC T-Bracket
• 1 x 1/4-20 x 1/2-inch bolt
• PVC Pipe Cutter (optional)
• Hand Held Drill
• Smartphone Mount (optional)

Start by placing your play mat on the counter.  A common Playmat is 24” x 14” if this is the case, you should be able to use the dimensions I list in this article.  Of course, each mat can be different, so double check what will fit your set-up.  The rest of this article will assume you are using a standard sized Dice Masters Playmat.

PART 1:  Base Construction

To make the Base, you will need to cut the PVC Pipe to various lengths.  Four pieces will be required for the Base in the following length:

• 1 x 4″
• 2 x 11″
• 2 x 14″
• 1 x 17″

You will also require the following parts from the Supply List:

• 2 x 11” (This will be the back of Base)
• 2 x 14” (This will be the side of the Base)
• 2 x 1 / 2” PVC Elbows
• 1 x 1 / 2” PVC T-Bracket
• 2 x 1 / 2” PVC Caps

The Base of the stand will require a total of 9 pieces.  Connect the two 11″ pieces with a T-Bracket and place it at the back of the playmat.  Face the opening in the T-Bracket in a vertical position for the next step.  In each of the corners, connect an elbow to the joined back pieces.  From the corners, insert the 14” pieces into the elbow and the pipe should be running down the side of the playmat now.  Place a Cap on the end of each of the pipes.   See the image below for the orientation of the pipes around the mat.The pieces of pipe will surround the back of your playmat in a ‘C pattern’.

PART 2 :  Mount Construction

We are almost there, and two more cuts are required for this section, along with the following pieces:

• 1 x 17”  (This is the Height of your Camera Mount and can vary as per your preference)
• 1 x 4”  This will be the piece that protrudes over top of your playmat and will have the camera mounted to the PVC Tee piece.
• 1 x 1 / 2” PVC Elbow
• 1 x 1 / 2” PVC Tee

Insert the 17” piece into the opening of the Base Construction T-Bracket. The height of this piece will vary based on how much you want to display during your videos.  The more of the actual play area that you want to show on camera will require less height.  My suggestion was to have a few various sizes that you can interchange as you play.  To the end of the pipe, insert an elbow, and direct the opening towards the Playmat.  The 4” piece will be next and should extend over the centre of the Playmat, and finally insert the T-Bracket. 

You can get fancy with the mounting of the camera to the T-Bracket with a bolt (not the energy), or you can make it as simple as using rubber bands and tape.  It is up to you to see what will work best for your situation.  For my example, I used a Smartphone Camera Mount and drilled the mount into the Bracket. I just need to now snap my phone into the mount and voila!  If you don’t, I’m sure you can figure out a way to mount it with other options.

Again, the 4” and 17” pieces can vary as it will depend how far towards the middle of the mat, or how high you want the camera to sit) With all the spare PVC pipe you have, you should be able to make a couple extra sizes.

You can find a link to all of the images for the camera mount built in this article in our Image Gallery here.  If you have a design you would like us to share, get in touch with us at mailbag@dm-north.com so we can add your design to the gallery.