With our move to CDC‘s new premises at Laupenstrasse 18, our entire budget is no longer used for rent. Instead, we can finally take care of things like sound, lighting and, of course, decoration.

The main aim of the new loudspeakers was to achieve a better surround solution. Effects and ambient music in particular, such as in Syrinscape, simply sound more convincing when they come from all around instead of just from behind. And of course we also wanted to improve the overall quality. We therefore opted for two pairs of Magnat Monitor S10 D in walnut.

• As dipole speakers, they develop a very large stage (i.e. they sound more omnipresent)
• Size and appearance fit well in the room
• Quite affordable (CHF 128.- per pair)

Of course, these speakers have to be connected somewhere. The Onkyo TXSR393DAB receiver is used for this purpose. A device like this is simply necessary to operate passive speakers (without their own power connection). However, it offers everything we need:

• Connections for the speakers with a possible extension for a subwoofer
• Bluetooth, jack and HDMI (possibly for projector)
• Reasonable price on offer (CHF 269.-)

We also made a few small purchases, such as speaker cables and brackets (Vogels VLB 500). Unfortunately, the latter were only half compatible with the speakers, but we eventually found a solution.

All in all, this brings us to a total cost of CHF 582.80. Would you like to join this working group in the future? Then click here for the Discord

Until now, the room was lit by neon tubes. Practical? Yes. Beautiful? No. So a new solution was needed that would fit better into the room visually and could also be adjusted in terms of color.

We opted for Livarno, the smart home system from Lidl. As a Zigbee system, it is compatible with most other systems such as Philips Hue etc. – but is much cheaper. Everything is controlled via a Philips Hue Bridge or a Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 as a tablet (the sound can also be streamed via the tablet). We made specific purchases:

• 4x light strip (but received 7 pieces!) for the living wall and the steel beam
• 4x light bulb for the lanterns above the table and the floor lamp
• 3x mood lights for the areas behind the armor, battle station and refrigerator

This means that various lighting scenes can now be set and saved on the tablet. We will prepare some, but of course all GMs are free to create their own! The only problem: animations don’t really want to work. We are still working on this and are optimistic that we will be able to make this possible via apps from other manufacturers.

The costs for the lighting concept amount to CHF 406.45, which of course also includes the tablet. Would you like to join this working group in the future? Then click here for the Discord

Last but not least, the furnishings in the room will also receive some improvements. Since we had to leave our beautiful archway behind due to its size, we needed a new centerpiece. An electric fireplace is to take over this important position. We opted for the Voltomat HEATING – almost exclusively because of its looks =)

But we also needed curtains so that people couldn’t look directly into our room, a wardrobe as there was nothing in the corridor in the new room, a coffee machine, which was no longer needed due to the lack of a kitchen, and all sorts of bits and bobs such as cutlery, extension leads, foam seals for the door… To make sure that everything had enough space, we installed a DIY wall shelf above the battlestation. Last but not least, there was also a set of new stackable chairs to better match the furnishings.

There are still a few things planned: lead glass film for the windows, a screen for the projector, a stone wall around the fireplace, a hanger to display the flyers, possibly acoustic panels for the door and, of course, the self-made table! However, all expenses must now be recouped and no major purchases will be made for the next 6-9 months. If this is too long for you, you can make a donation at any time 😉 Want to join this working group in the future? Then here to the Discord

Conclusion

We are very happy with the development of the room and hope that you feel the same way. If you would like to rent the room now, you can do so here. We are very happy to receive feedback!

We would like to thank our helpers in setting up the room: Sybille, Tim, Patricia, Chrigi, Alvin and Mario.

It’s been quite a while since we reported what’s going on in the room. Of course, we always tell it at the KuL Höck, but not all of them are there – and not every change deserves its own post, like the fantastic archway! So here is a non-exhaustive list:

• Permanently installed laptop with general account, which you can use when leading! Is automatically connected to both screens and the sound system.
• More power strips for free use
• More terrain parts
• New minis (various monsters and heroes)
• Fan for the hot days
• New books and games
• New lamps are installed
• The snacks drawer is always well stocked (almost too well!)
• New manuals are distributed in the room

… and much more!

Want to support projects like these and more? Then donate now for the room or a specific project. Of course you can also become a member and benefit from some advantages 😉

The catacomb part in “Catacombs & Lindworms” is (almost) finished! In the last few days a huge decorative element for the KuL room has been created from styrofoam, plaster, paint and a lot of patience, with the goal in mind to provide more fantasy ambience.

On Saturday, Tim, Mario and Patricia finally attached the archway to the wall. It is not quite finished yet, as there are still a few small corrections and finishing touches to be made, but we wanted to show you how it looks in the room!

The archway is meant as a frame for a kind of interactive art gallery:

Here, all your beautifully crafted characters, monsters, maps, etc. can be presented in style, instead of living a shadowy existence in a dark closet!

Patricia shows you in a short step-by-step how the fake stone archway has been created:

Materials for fake stone archway

• 11 insulation boards made of styrofoam (FPS 15, 100cm x 50cm x 2cm)
• felt-tip pen
• cutter / carpet knife
• 2kg plaster
• white glue
• toothpick
• acrylic paints (black, white, terracotta, green)
• brush
• water
• tarpaulin or newspapers
• adhesive tape
• string
• dried moss

Day 1: Basic structure

Day 2: Plaster

Day 3: Color

Day 4: Finish

To finish the archway, the next step will be to add moss and some artificial staining to make the whole thing a bit more realistic…

I hope you like the fake stone archway! The construction was a lot of fun, even though it took much longer than expected….

Aka. we have a fridge… -cabinet full of delicious cold drinks! Thanks to the contributor of our first crowdfunding project, we now have the following bubbly options:

• four varieties of ChariTea sodas
• Lola Bier – non-alcoholic IPA
• five types of sparkling Gazosa
• Pluto Solibier – amber ale
• coming soon: Hügubier from the Emmental

A comment on the product range:

We have started with a beverage selection for now. This selection is flexible, and you are welcome to make suggestions. However, we cannot include too many different drinks because we lack the space to store them all.

We are still deciding which type of mate we should offer and need to try out a few options! If you have any further suggestions, please let us know in the comments!