The samples arrived last week.
Let's just say they were far from perfect :(. There were numerous defects - scratches, wrong assembly etc. I filled at least two pages writing back to the manufacturer.
It's a good thing we ordered samples. It would be a disaster if the final product was of this quality. This way, we have at least some sense of control.
However, upon some consideration we decided not to go with the second round of samples but proceeded directly to manufacturing. One of the reasons is that while samples give you some information, they are made with a completely different kind of equipment (not the mass production machines) and by different people. So they are not fully representative.
When mass prodution is under way, we'll get another set of boxes, this time the mass produced ones. I hope for the best. :)
Originally we planned to send the samples out to some reviewers and the like. Now I feel it's better to wait for another week or so and send out the final ones instead. So here's an interesting question: what to do with the ones we currently have? The best idea I came up with was to auction them out on BGG... ;)
Comments
You should send one to
You should send one to meeeee!
I can promise an honest bgg review based on gameplay.
(and i liked CotFL, if that helps)
(here are my two most recent reviews there, for reference:
http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/359858
http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/326559)
Caution...
If the samples are of inferior quality, be very careful with giving them to people you don't know on BGG. Were it my game, I wouldn't want a reviewer saying anything at all about, "poor quality parts," or what-have-you – even if they noted that they'd been told it was a messed up sample. Why? Because many readers forget the qualifiers after a period of time and what they'll remember when they're in the store is, "Oh yeah... That review said the parts were messed up." On top of that, BGG is a very influential community in the board game world.
That said: I think the BGG auction is an interesting idea - as long as the bidders know exactly what we learned from your post: "It would be a disaster if the final product was of this quality." They know exactly what they're getting.
Even then, you may want to ask any reviews to only talk about game play and not mention component quality at all.
Heck, maybe you should keep the copy to yourself. I dunno...
What did you do with the parts?
Did you give them away? Did you keep them? Can I buy them? ;)
sushi wrote:Did you give them
We listed all defects we found in the first batch of samples, and requested the second one, this time directly from the production line.
To our relief, the quality of the second batch was, indeed, greatly improved, and all or almost all of our concerns were addressed. We used the second round of samples as review copies.
Fast forward a couple of months, and the games are already on their way. In fact, some of them have just cleared customs and tomorrow we will have enough games on hand to send the preorders out!
Yes, we gave them all away. But, the preorders will be shipping in just a couple of days!