Skip to Content
 

How do you guys go about producing a prototype?

4 replies [Last post]
Sun, 04/30/2017 - 15:15
Jazylax
Jazylax's picture
Offline
Joined: 05/07/2016

Hey guys, Jazylax here. I have reached the final point in designing my game (I will post about it later) and it all seems to be ready to be printed for a neater prototype. One of the problems is that the game has many custom pieces I created and I cant find them as a perfect fit but I have compromised some aspects of the game in order to have a printed version. Is there any site that can make a cardboard cutouts in the shape of an object or monster? (Like standees)

The only really big conflict we seem to have now is that we cant find ALL the components in one single website. For example, GameCrafter has a good value on printing cards, but PrintPLayGames has the custom board sizes Im looking for and BoardGamesMaker has the right size of tokens and other doodads I need. Would you guys recommend ordering components from different websites and then merging them into one box? Or should I try to find everything I can in one single site? Im new to board game publishing and production as its my first time doing it and it can be a bit intimidating to figure this out on our own. How have you guys handled your prototype? Thanks in advance!

Top
Sun, 04/30/2017 - 15:56
#1
Rick L
Rick L's picture
Offline
Joined: 08/22/2016
The Game Crafter does custom

The Game Crafter does custom cutouts, but I haven't tried using that feature yet.

There's nothing wrong with using pieces from different places to create a prototype. It can start getting a little expensive, so make sure you've done at least a bit of testing your game first.

I used custom 3d printed metal dice from Shapeways for my first and second prototypes! My first prototype has pieces I got from Etsy and Hobby Lobby. Like metal gear pieces for upgrades - 12 packs for $5 at Hobby Lobby - they look cooler for my game, but I also had Game Crafter print a bunch of round chipboard cutouts for gears, since it gave me an idea of how the game would look with more affordable production costs.

Top
Sun, 04/30/2017 - 18:31
#2
I Will Never Gr...
I Will Never Grow Up Gaming's picture
Offline
Joined: 04/23/2015
For a prototype you're better

For a prototype you're better to adjust your sizes to what is available at an all-in-one stop. If you shop it around to several POD places you're going to triple your shipping charges and so increase the cost of your prototype exponentially!

When it comes to actual manufacturing, any board games manufacturer (not Print on Demand Service, but manufacturer) will be able to do any shape/size/material you want. If they don't have it they will work with you to make it happen. There's the benefit of it ending up significantly cheaper per unit in the end as well, but you're looking at 500+ units.

Top
Sun, 04/30/2017 - 21:17
#3
Gabe
Gabe's picture
Offline
Joined: 09/11/2014
Jazylax wrote: Is there any

Jazylax wrote:
Is there any site that can make a cardboard cutouts in the shape of an object or monster? (Like standees)

You can make these at the Game Crafter, but it's not particularly cost effective. It's much easier and cheaper to print onto cards and put the cards in the stands.

And they also offer this option: https://www.thegamecrafter.com/publish/product/SmallStandee

There's nothing wrong with mixing and matching from different companies, but just remember that doing so will cost a lot more in shipping, be more of a hassle, and most importantly, it'll take longer to get the game to the table for more testing.

Top
Sun, 04/30/2017 - 21:54
#4
The Professor
The Professor's picture
Offline
Joined: 10/25/2014
TGC

At the risk of this sounding like a TGC commercial, two designers for whom I've served as the developer used TGC. They're fast, efficient, and the price point is perfect for designers.

Top
Syndicate content


forum | by Dr. Radut