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[Blog] - Making a High Quality Boardgame Prototype

MIND - The Fall of Paradise

After the initial reveal of the board-game on Reddit people were really impressed by how the game presented itself and that made me really happy. The next step is to offer interested viewers a chance to read the rules and see video tutorials of how the game plays but that is a different test for another time. This first, initial impression, I have passed really well and you can check everything at https://www.facebook.com/WhatWeMakeIs.

So I was extremely pleased to see people message me how they got motivated after seeing how a one man can pull such production and that they went back to working on their own projects after being inspired and being someone's inspiration is a great feeling. I was also asked to give some tips on how to make a good looking prototype and I've decided to make a blog entry for this one.

STEP NUMBER 1: The art.
This can go from expensive to very expensive as talented artists don't work for free nor should they. But do not, under any form, underestimate the value of a good looking art to your game. Not to hint that you can get away with a bad game, but shiny things do sell a lot more. Just look at the video gaming industry where a story or game play is often secondary. Designers may many times overlook the importance of a great art on the card, or on the board as they think if it's fun people will play it. “Hey, it has the text players need to know, why do I need more?”. Well the answer is to get people engaged in the theme. Remember that ideally your game will see a lot of use and people will play it over and over again. If the visuals are boring to watch the mechanics will be able to do only so much till they get bored of looking at it.
Now, it is OK to do the art yourself if you have a good background in this, but if you only try to cheat on it and save some bucks then you are not treating your project seriously enough.

STEP NUMBER 2: The Components.
From tokens to cards these are what make your game and what people will see and handle while playing it. There may be different philosophies on how to approach making components but for me it's to make a game I would play and would like to use quite often. So bad cards and boards I will definitely not want to have so if you respect your customer you should do the best possible to put the best quality inside that box. This may sound preaching but unless you are a big company to have a brand established and know your stuff you should really do your best to impress people with your game, and being cheap and having bad components is not the way. Now, don't go on the extreme and make a box that costs the customer 300 euros.
Now I will tell you the companies I've used to make my prototype and what components they made me. Unfortunately I must admit that the game box and boards were made at a local printing shop here in Bucharest just because I was really pleased with the quality and I did not have to wait for shipping times.

www.thegamecrafter.com - they have lots of stuff board game related but I’ve used them only to order dice, meeples, markers and pawns. They have a pretty good website, some fair prices and the components arrive without a problem. For me it was quite pricey as shipping was high from the U.S.
www.printplaygames.com - this is Andrew Tullsen’s website and he is an awesome guy that I found via BoardGameGeek. For a small company there were just too many people recommending him so I thought I give him a try. Personally I do not like his website but I've contacted him via email or his on-line messaging feature on the website to find things. I've used him to order a game box, circle and square tokens and some boards. The game box had white borders everywhere as he has some limitations on how he can make it and I wasn't satisfied with it. The boards were nice but the ones made here in Bucharest were even better and cheaper so I decide not use them. However, the tokens are very well made and have only a small misalignment between sides so I can recommend him for that part of your game. Note that his website also features lots of other components, but I had already ordered my share from TheGameCrafter.

www.printerstudio.com - boy, this is a great website and I've used it to make cards. It has a great user interface to add art for your cards, you can save albums and they have quite often coupon giveaways. The cards can have different types of thickness and finishers and all come in a special plastic box. Those boxes were so nice that I've ordered some extra just to have them. The customers service is also nice as once the order I've made was a week late and they were nice to resend my whole order once again. I was devastated just to receive the initial order the next day to have on my conscious that the company was nice enough to send me an order twice. But the fact that they did that needs to be shared and I really want you to know that they are great.

www.shapeways.com - if you want to make miniatures this is the place to do it. Initially I wanted to make the 3D printing here in Bucharest and had a great success with the main Leader characters as they did turn out AMAZING from the local company. But once I've found ShapeWays I realized how expensive they really were and to top that they somehow could not make from the same material anymore. Shapeways doesn't have that material either but they do have Ultra Frost Detail that can create prints with really small details. The downside is that the miniatures come transparent and need paint. Now, the website is extremely well made, they have lots of tutorials and options. You can even sell your miniatures through them if you desire. They can also make prints in metal, bronze and many more that may come useful for some designers out there. Finally, their customer support is very nice and very fast to answer.

STEP NUMBER 3: The Game Box.
Now, if there is really one thing you must pay to do it right then the game box is that one. People mostly really do judge a book by its cover so you should present the game on the shelf really well. It needs to pop up and feel like it has a great game inside. I am not saying this to make you cheat, but to make you aware that the downside is really there. You can have the greatest game inside, if it's inside an ugly box there are chances people will pick something flashy from the shelf.

That's all. Even though I made the box and boards here locally there are many websites out there that can help you, even TheGameCrafter. Now I made this recommendations because I know that these companies make great quality components. However it is up to you to decide the materials you want them to use, their thickness and everything but keep in mind that quality is hard to fake and people really appreciate a great design and a great production value.

Comments

Game Box

Do you know of any sites where I can get a quality prototype game box made? I only need a few. Local places want you to buy like 100. Game Crafter has some decent options, but not quite the size I need.

Graphics?

Home-made prototype boxes:
http://www.leagueofgamemakers.com/diy-guide-prototype-box/

I'm not a visually-oriented person myself (may be partly generational). Video games are often "experiences", which board and card games rarely are. Moreover, even in video games, graphics are not as heavily emphasized, and with "8 bit" and 16 bit" games, and cartoonlike games, the Indies are able to avoid having to spend an arm and a leg on graphics.

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blog | by Dr. Radut