Formatting the Game Board

Adding Pictures and Text to Game Board Templates

If you choose to download one of the Game Board Templates to modify in Word you will need to do a bit of formatting or tweaking to make it fit together with your images or text.  A level of frustration can be avoided if you use the undo arrow (see below) in Word when your game board no longer looks the way you desire.  Word will undo actions until the file is saved.

Pictures

Your own pictures or clipart can be added to the game board templates, but they will need to be formatted and possibly resized. 

To add a picture click Insert from the top menu line...Picture...From File...and locate where your image is stored (for example:  3 1/2 Floppy A: or a folder on C:)

Choose the picture file name and click the Insert button.

Use the resize tool to make the image smaller or larger.  Move the mouse to a corner of the  picture.  When it becomes a line with arrows at both ends, click and drag inward to make the image smaller.  When it becomes a line with arrows at both ends, click and drag outward to make the image larger. Note: this could distort the image.

Formatting

Before you can move an image you must format it first.  Click the image one time until you see a box with small black boxes appear around it.  Click Format from the top menu line and choose Picture (this will be the last choice in the Format dropdown).  If you are formatting a shape the last choice that needs to be selected will be Auto Shape.

Click the Layout tab (in Word 97 the term used will be wrapping) and pick tight.

Click OK.  The image will can now be moved anywhere on the game board using the onscreen move tool or arrow keys on the keyboard.

Move the mouse over the image until it changes into 2 crossed arrows.  This is the move tool (see below).  When the mouse changes into this shape, click and drag it to the desired location.  The image will appear as a dashed box. 

Game Squares

To change the color of a game square, double click the square and select the desired fill color.  Click OK.

Text Boxes

If text is to be added to the game board layout it is best accomplished through the use of the text box feature.  The text box tool can be found in the Drawing toolbar at the bottom of your screen.  (Note:  If a toolbar has been removed it can be replaced by clicking View from the top menu line...Toolbars...check the desired toolbar.) 

Click and drag the mouse in the desired location on the game board to draw the textbox.

To format the textbox, click it one time.  Click Format from the top menu line...textbox (this will be the last option in the dropdown menu).  To remove the line that will appear around the box click the Colors and Line Tab and choose the No Fill option under Lines.

Format Layout for the textbox in the same manner as clipart (see directions above).  Click OK.  The textbox can be moved in the same way as pictures.  To view the move tool you must place the mouse over the border lines on the text box.

Order

If an object appears behind on top of another object it can be moved.  To do so, right click the object that needs to be moved and click Order.

Choose to move image to Front, Forward, or in Front of Text. 
(NOTE:  This last option is not available in older versions of Word.)

Grouping

After the game board layout has been created it may be helpful to group the layout as one object.  This will prevent movement of the layout as clipart or text boxes are added.  To do so follow these steps:
  • Use the Zoom feature on the standard toolbar to zoom to 25%.  This will give you a bird's eye view of the layout.
  • Holding the shift key, click each object in the layout until you get to the last object.  Holding the mouse very still right-click the last object and choose Grouping...Group.  This will merge all objects into one creating one layout of the game board and will save hours of shifting the layout pieces when clipart or text boxes are added. 
  • If you need to ungroup the layout at anytime right click the layout and choose Grouping...Ungroup.


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