The Colony 2174 - A Board Game

edited in Projects
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The Colony - Mine Resources, Survive the Planet, Build your Colony

The year is 2174. Novinium, the rarest of minerals, drives every economy in the Union of Federated Planets. A rich vein of it has just been discovered on the infamous Fury 1228 – a barren and inhospitable planet with the most unforgiving of environments.

Even under these conditions, hundreds of colonists are flooding to the place, so your work is cut out for you. Now I know you are new to this Director stuff, so remember to use your Novinium wisely. Keep a steady supply flowing or you'll soon find yourself unable to build or even re-supply.

Are you ready to build... The Colony?


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The Colony is a deck building and dice rolling game where you have to settle a new planet by building your four primary colony structures using the rare resource Novinium. The game is intended to be played by 2 to 4 players and a game normally takes between 45 and 60 minutes to complete.

The game is won by the first player who builds their 4 primary Colony structures. These colony structures are: Reactor, Biodome, Portal, and Orbital Station. You can loose the game by not building your colony structures or ending up with no more structures of your own due to events that are triggered during the game.

Use your Novinium wisely but always remember to keep your eye on the ultimate goal, building your 4 primary colony structures, many Directors before you have failed by chasing the Novinium instead.

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* Find out more at the Official Website
* Get more information at the Press page
* Join us on our Facebook page
* Follow us on our Twitter page
* Buy the game at our Game Crafter page

Thanks to everyone who contributed and provided feedback, with the help of everyone on these forums at Board Game Geek and The Game Crafter we were able to achieve a 93.5% result on the art test.


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Edit: Post updated and cleaned based on comments received and feedback from these forums as well as from Board Game Geek and The Game Crafter.
Thanked by 3Tuism garethf critic

Comments

  • Looks fancy :) how much playtest have you done? The usual caveat applies to boardgames more than video games, since it's so hard to "emulate" another human being in your own head. Have you posted this to BGG yet? (I've not seen it)
  • edited
    @Tuism: I have done extensive play testing using mock-up cards with a group of select people that I always board games with. I am happy that the rules are solid and that the core concepts work. I have done as much tweaking as possible with the dice probabilities and the game feels balanced enough to allow me to move on to the next stage of testing.

    My next stage is to get two of the local shops in the area to play the game ... I will be on the premise to answer questions ... but I will not participate in any of the games. Basically I will print them color mock-ups of the game and rules and let them run with it.

    If the results are favorable, the next step would be BGG and starting to prepare the game on "The Game Crafter". I am at the stage where the game is ready for a Public Beta ... so to speak ... and I will print the cards off a normal high-quality color ink jet printer here at my office. I will print it on card and will put the cards in sleeves so that the ink doesn't wear off.

    Basically it is a color mock-up so that the testers can get a feel for the finished product.

    My biggest challenge in the game was getting the structures to be balanced according to the normal dice probabilities for 1d8 and 2d8 ... during our last 5 test sessions (one of which was last night) ... I think I have managed to nail it. But as you said ... the caveat is now letting other players play it, specifically ones who have not been involved in the development.

    It is nerve wracking ... but if you don't release you will never know if it works. 8-}

    Here are all the cards ... the Colony cards (orange ones) have a grey "under construction" side ... the others all have a logo side. I still need to finish the event cards ... but they are a similar design ... will post them up when they are done.
    Thanked by 1Tuism
  • edited
    Released the game on Game Crafters ... although it is not published yet as I have ordered my own personal copy first. To see how the artwork prints and how good the quality is.

    https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/the-colony1

    Games Rules can be downloaded here: https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/the-colony1/download/09C9803A-B7A6-11E5-B055-F791A22D79F0

    I have fired off an email to the organisers of Icon By The Sea ... hopefully I can get 10 limited edition copies imported in time for the event.
  • edited
    I have a Self Print version of the game that is ready for use. If you want to get access to the Self Print version, please send an email to quintond[at]gobbogames[dot]co[dot]za and I will give you access to the Dropbox folder.

    I have attached some proofs that were printed on a color printer for me.

    The self print version is designed to be printed on A4 in landscape mode and is set up for 300dpi.
    IMG-20160111-WA0001.jpg
    1200 x 1600 - 497K
    IMG-20160111-WA0000.jpg
    1200 x 1600 - 453K
  • Really curious about Game Crafters site. Haven't heard much about it but it looks like it could work pretty well. Has anyone had much experience with it?

    (Sorry to derail a little here).
  • edited
    @dammit: I will let you know in 9 days what the quality is like.

    Basically when you release a game, you have to order one copy yourself (at cost) ... once you have done this and you have received the product, you can then release your game for sale.

    You can also not release the game and keep it private.

    So my game is due for print on the 25th January and will be shipped out the same day ... I am sending it through Aramex Global Shopper and once I receive it I will post pictures of the final product here as well as any comments I may have.
    Thanked by 2dammit mikethetike
  • Looking great! I am also preparing my game for game crafter. Which components are you using and what was the cost of the prototype + shipping? (If you don't mind me asking)
  • edited
    @mikethe tike: My game is heavily card based, so the cost was a bit more than I expected.

    MSRP Each $48.99
    Actual Price Each $48.99
    Cost Each $43.39
    Bulk Cost Each $28.36
    Profit Each $3.92

    My components are as follows:
    2x D8 Blue
    1x Large Booklet (20 Pages)
    1x Large Retail Box
    54x Small Circle Chits
    3x Poker decks containing 16, 44, and 114 cards.

    My biggest cost seems to be the large retail box and I want to see how it all fits together and maybe change the box if I can.

    The Colony $43.39
    Subtotal $43.39
    Shipping Method: USPS Priority $11.23
    Shipping Insurance $1.23
    Total $55.85
    Grand Total $55.85

    I had it shipped to my Aramex Global Shopper address as the cost to ship it here was almost the cost of the game. Aramex then takes care of the customs duties for me and I will end up paying less in shipping. All in all it was a pricey exercise, but I am hoping the end result will work out.

    Bulk pricing is much more favorable:
    MSRP $48.99
    1 @ $43.39 each
    10 @ $40.53 each
    20 @ $39.10 each
    30 @ $37.67 each
    40 @ $36.25 each
    50 @ $34.82 each
    60 @ $33.39 each
    70 @ $31.96 each
    80 @ $30.53 each
    90 @ $29.10 each
    100+ @ $28.36 each

    So I am hoping after the shops here locally see the game in action, they might want to place a bulk order ... I know ... I live in a dream world ... but sometimes you just have to dream. 8-}
  • Cool man, good luck. Yeah, my game came from the 18 card micro challenge, but I found out about it too late to enter. It's still too early to put up here, but i was going to do a single 18 card poker deck and wrap. Similar to your box, the wrap is the most expensive, i think it was like $2 for the 18 cards and $2 for the wrap.
  • edited
    @mikethetike: Thanks and good luck with yours. Send me the link to yours when you are ready, I will gladly support local game developers with a purchase ... but you have to promise to sign my copy if we ever meet. 8-}

    Here are the completed Event Cards ... just for kicks.
  • edited
    I have cleaned up the rules a little and made a few tweaks to spelling and grammar ... the new rules can be downloaded here:

    The Game Crafter Link:
    https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/the-colony-deluxe/download/09C9803A-B7A6-11E5-B055-F791A22D79F0
  • So Icon by the Sea is a go ... the organisers are going to include me in their Demo Area ... woohooo. 8-}
    Thanked by 2mikethetike dammit
  • That's great news. The game looks great.

    Some feedback if you are still looking for it:

    Firstly, I think the grey side of the colony buildings should perhaps be titled "Reactor (Unbuilt)" for extra clarity, and perhaps replace the game text ("During your turn........") with something like "To win, you need to build the Reactor, Biodome, Portal and Orbital Station".

    I must say that the rules are pretty long and could definitely be shortened. I think stuff like the setup should be as short as possible, possibly deferring the major reading into the later game play sections. Maybe it's just me, but we often read the rules as we play the first time. So guys are just sitting around while I fumble through the sections. I hardly read the set up - basically I'm looking for numbers - starting cash, how many cards to draw. I'm not expecting to see rules here, especially if we know how to play and are just digging the game up again.

    I have tried to rewrite these a bit shorter and ordered for clarity. Please don't take any offence and I really don't mean to over step the line, so feel free to tell me "Go to Fury 1228!"

    Setup

    1. Each player takes 1 Novinium Mine card, 1 Habitation card and 1
    Factory card and places them face up in front of them.
    2. Each player also takes a Reactor, Biodome, Portal and Orbital Station
    [Colony] cards and places it in front of them with the grey (Unbuilt) side face up.
    Put any remaining Colony cards in the box.
    <-- left out the win condition here, it is repeated in the objective section-->
    3. Each player gets 3 Novinium
    4 .Shuffle the Event Deck (Yellow) and place it in reach of all players.
    5. Shuffle all remaining cards and place them facedown within reach of all players,
    next to the Event Deck. This is the Structures Deck.
    6. Put all the Novinium tokens in another pile within reach of all players. This is
    the Resource Pile (see Resource Pile)
    7. Restock the Structure Pool (See structures pool) > note: this is repeated later
    on, so rather have one section.

    Ok and then I really did cross the line and shortened up the Introduction, using some poetic licence. Again, use what you like, chuck what you don't:

    The year is 2174. Novinium, the rarest of minerals, drives every economy in the
    Union of Federated Planets. A rich vein of the stuff has just been discovered on
    the infamous Fury 1228 - a beast of a planet with the most unforgiving of environments.

    Even under these conditions, hundreds of colonists are flooding to the place, so your
    work is cut out for you. Now I know you are new to this Director stuff, so remember to
    use your Novinium wisely. Keep a steady supply flowing or you'll soon find
    yourself unable to build or even re-supply.

    Are you ready to build... The Colony?
    Thanked by 1quintond
  • edited
    @mikethetike: Thank you very much for your feedback and you have not crossed the line at all. This is the first proper rules that I have ever written and while writing it I think I got too verbose with trying to explain everything.

    Let me say that this is exactly the type of feedback I was looking for and I really appreciate all your effort.

    If it is okay with you, I would like to implement all your suggestions and update the rules accordingly ... please can you email me your full name so that I can add you to the credits (quintond[at]gobbogames[dot]co[dot]za) or PM it to me if you prefer.

    Thank you once again for your time and feedback, it is greatly appreciated and I am definitely going to use your suggestions. 8-}

    Edit: I have updated the cards as indicated, here they are:

    Edit: Here are the updated rules:
    The Game Crafter: https://s3.amazonaws.com/download.thegamecrafter.com/1452660565/Rules.pdf

    Once again @mikethetike, thank you for your feedback. 8-}
  • So we had a nice round of 4 player tests this weekend and I have made the final changes to a few of the event cards and a structure or two.

    I am happy to announce that as of this morning, this is the final version that has been released to The Game Crafter's production system.

    I am also releasing a two-player only version that will come in cheaper than the four-player version. The rules and game play is identical, there are just less structure cards and chits.

    Now it is a waiting game to get my first prints of these puppies ... roll on February. 8-}
  • Looking forward to seeing your success here :)
    Thanked by 1quintond
  • edited
    So last night DrDeth and I wanted to play The Colony, but he is in JHB and I am in DBN ... luckily Table Top Simulator came to our rescue.

    Uploading the cards and items in to Table Top Simulator was pretty easy and hopefully tonight we will be able to play a game or two. I might even release this as a mod instead of bothering with Self Print versions ... dunno yet.
    Thanked by 1mikethetike
  • What!?! I didn't know this was possible! I've heard of Table Top Simulator but never knew you could do this in it! well done! I'm struggling to get around to having the Self print version printed, as I don't have a printer at home. But I am seriously considering getting Table top sim now! :)
    Well done man!

    Karl
  • Thanks Karl. Currently you have two choices for Tabletop Simulator:

    Humble Bundle = $9.99 but expires 12 hours from now (07:45).

    Steam = R219.00

    I have bought it for all my Steam Accounts as with this method it is easier to test my games without having to bother with Self print files and such stuff. Obviously the final game should still be played with physical cards, nothing better than that, but for early on testing with a bunch of friends in separate locations ... this will be the route I take.
    Thanked by 2dammit Tuism
  • Thanks for the headsup on the sale :) It's about time I got tabletop sim to make playtesting just one step easier than before :)

    The game looks cool, would love to see how the TGC cards come out :) (also reception! Why isn't it on BGG yet???)
  • edited
    @Tuism: I am planning on putting it on to BGG as soon as I got the physical copy of it and was able to have a way for people on BGG to actually get the game. So prepare to see it on BGG soon after I get my copy ... I promise. 8-}

    Thanks for the comments and I am very keen to see how the cards come out myself ... good news is the ship date has moved closer now ...

    ...as soon as I get the printed version, I will post images of it. The nice thing is that The Game Crafter has now added UV coating to all items and their tokens (chits) are now laser cut instead of pressed ... so there are more options for shapes now.
    Thanked by 1dammit
  • edited
    Had a awesome play test with DrDeth.

    We would like to run a 4 player game Tuesday or Wednesday next week at 19:30. The game should only take about an hour ... maybe an hour and a half to get all the players familiar with the rules.

    We will run the game on Tabletop Simulator, so you will need a copy. I will run multiple sessions if there is sufficient interest, so please let me know if you are keen.

    The game is getting some nice reviews from people that I have exposed to the game and I am keen to get some feedback from the community here.

    https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/the-colony-deluxe
  • dammit said:
    Really curious about Game Crafters site. Haven't heard much about it but it looks like it could work pretty well. Has anyone had much experience with it?

    (Sorry to derail a little here).
    I made a boardgame for my girlfriend as a birthday gift on the game crafter. The quality was very good and I was very happy with how it turned out. The game itself isn't the most fun thing every, because I had to develop it in secrecy with minimal play testing :) But you know, it's about the sentiment!

    It was quite expensive though. But you can save on bulk orders. But half the cost was shipping!

    Thanked by 2dammit francoisvn
  • Denzil said:
    It was quite expensive though. But you can save on bulk orders. But half the cost was shipping
    Yeah ... that is why I am hoping that shipping to my Aramex local address in the U.S. and then shipping here will be cheaper. UPS is frightfully expensive for international shipping.
  • edited
    Added some renders of the various components for the game.

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  • Well it is now officially out there -- https://thegamecrafter.com/games/the-colony-deluxe -- I am now ready to collapse in a heap ... nerves are shot.
  • I'm really keen to try this. Is there anyone in Cape Town with a physical copy?
  • edited
    @Riocide: Not sure anyone has an official copy just yet ... mine was only shipped out to me last night. However I do have two options for you:

    1). I can schedule a play through using Tabletop Simulator for you.
    2). I can provide you a link to the Self Print version.
  • edited
    So the website is up now: http://www.thecolony2174.com/

    I have submitted it to Boardgame Geek and I am waiting for approval.

    On other news, I received an email from "Spiral Galaxy Games" ...
    Hi

    I have just come across you game on The Game Crafter. I am wondering if you would be able to allow me access to a Print and Play version. The theme looks good and I would like to evaluate it as a possible future collaboration/ publication. If that is of interest to you.

    We are a small UK publisher and are always looking for new products and new designers to work with. Our current published products are - Braggart, Omega Centauri. Co - Published - Canal Mania, A Brief History of the World, Praetor and currently going through Kick Starter - Mythos Tales.

    This may not lead to anything but I would like to have a look at your game if you are willing.

    We also undertake EU friendly Kick starter fulfilment for The Game Crafter and others , which may be of interest to you one day if you ever intend to Kickstart the game.

    Regards
    Dave Gilham
    Spiral Galaxy Games Ltd
    +44 (0)1952 540823
    www.spiralgalaxygames.co.uk
    So we will wait and see ... regardless of the outcome ... I am satisfied so far. We are currently toying with the idea of making an online version ... but we'll see what happens.
  • edited
    Congrats! :) Good to see a game go from zero to publisher invite! The presentation is top notch, so well done on that :) (by zero I mean as in haven't been posted on BGG and so no previous exposure, from what I know anyway! Don't usually see boardgames go from zero exposure to published like that! So congrats!)

    I also had a publisher show interest in Dubai, and it feels super awesome :D No expectations though, and I'd suggest shopping around to see which publisher is a good fit, which is what I'm going to be doing too.
    Thanked by 1quintond
  • Wow, that is seriously impressive! Pretty good renders as well and professionally done. Hope it goes well.
    Thanked by 1quintond
  • edited
    Tuism said:
    Congrats! :) Good to see a game go from zero to publisher invite! The presentation is top notch, so well done on that :) (by zero I mean as in haven't been posted on BGG and so no previous exposure, from what I know anyway! Don't usually see boardgames go from zero exposure to published like that! So congrats!)
    Thanks ... 8-}

    Tuism said:
    I also had a publisher show interest in Dubai, and it feels super awesome :D No expectations though, and I'd suggest shopping around to see which publisher is a good fit, which is what I'm going to be doing too.
    That is awesome news too, congrats on yours. Yeah, I am not going to jump on the first "potential" publisher ... it is just cool to know that it was noticed without much exposure. I have learnt however that I need to get my next project on BGG sooner rather than later ... so we all learn.

    shauntir said:
    Wow, that is seriously impressive! Pretty good renders as well and professionally done. Hope it goes well.
    Thanks ... I hope it goes well too. The momentum has now started and I am already working on my next project. I guess it is that age old adage ... "Once you complete your first one". 8-}
  • So I submitted my art for an Art Test and I am very happy with the outcome.

    image

    They highlighted a few things that I will address and then will re-submit the art test ... hopefully I can score a 95% this time. The final step for me is a Sanity Test on the rules ... my poor proof reader can now recite the rules by heart ... so it is time for external people to check the rules as well. *hold thumbs*

    p.s. Still waiting for the BGG entries to be approved, been in contact with the admins throughout the weekend ... so hopefully it will be soon.
    Thanked by 3Riocide karl182 Tuism
  • Congrats on the publisher contact (both you and @Tuism) - This is super exciting and great to see your games getting recognised!
    Thanked by 1quintond
  • quintond said:
    So I submitted my art for an Art Test and I am very happy with the outcome.

    image

    They highlighted a few things that I will address and then will re-submit the art test ... hopefully I can score a 95% this time. The final step for me is a Sanity Test on the rules ... my poor proof reader can now recite the rules by heart ... so it is time for external people to check the rules as well. *hold thumbs*

    p.s. Still waiting for the BGG entries to be approved, been in contact with the admins throughout the weekend ... so hopefully it will be soon.
    What's this Art Test thing?

    And as for putting your bg on bgg, while creating an entry is a thing, it's not really the most useful thing until much later. Yes you want one for if your game is semi-final-ish, but where you'll get the most value out of BGG is actually posting threads and getting conversations going around it. Creating a boardgame on bgg does... mostly nothing, most of the time.

    But good luck on that, it shouldn't be hard at all.
    Thanked by 1quintond
  • edited
    Tuism said:
    What's this Art Test thing?
    Basically the Grame Crafter offers you two types of tests (both are paid for either in Crafter Points or hard cash).

    The art test:
    Performing an art test on your game is a good way to guage whether the general public finds your art appealing. It costs only 15,000 crafter points and you'll have feedback in just a few days.
    The sanity test:
    Performing a sanity test on your game is a good way to ensure that your rules are comprehensible and your shop page is functional. It costs only $30 to perform the test and you'll have feedback in just a few days.
    During my art test the main issue was with the infinity symbol that I used on a couple of event cards ... I basically have an "Ee" and "Oo" to indicate an Even or Odd event. I used the infinity symbol to indicate always. I have since changed this to use "Aa" instead.

    The other issue raised was the logo ... some found it a bit difficult to read, so I have made some tweaks to it.

    Tuism said:
    And as for putting your bg on bgg, while creating an entry is a thing, it's not really the most useful thing until much later. Yes you want one for if your game is semi-final-ish, but where you'll get the most value out of BGG is actually posting threads and getting conversations going around it. Creating a boardgame on bgg does... mostly nothing, most of the time.
    Ah ... I get you now. Well I will definitely go that route for the next one, it was one hell of a learning experience and I am going to carry that on to the next project. Thanks again for the advice.
    Thanked by 1Tuism
  • Hey @quintond, I just wanted to say that the game looks awesome and of very high professional standard. Wonderful to see stuff like this coming from the local devs. Just wish my kid was older, then I could moan that the game is not available in local shops. :)
    Thanked by 1quintond
  • Tuism said:


    And as for putting your bg on bgg, while creating an entry is a thing, it's not really the most useful thing until much later. Yes you want one for if your game is semi-final-ish, but where you'll get the most value out of BGG is actually posting threads and getting conversations going around it. Creating a boardgame on bgg does... mostly nothing, most of the time.

    But good luck on that, it shouldn't be hard at all.
    Sorry to derail, but what do you mean? I think I'm confused as to the difference between posting a thread about your game being valuable and posting your game not valuable.

  • On BGG, you can create an "entry" for a boardgame. It's like a database representation of a boardgame. A thread is one you make in the boardgames/WIP forum, where you present your game and ask people to comment.

    This is Dubai's entry
    This is Dubai's Thread
    Thanked by 1dammit
  • image

    So a little bit of a postmortem here ... not going to go too in depth ... but hopefully it will help others.


    So what happened?
    As @Tuism stated and successfully showed examples of ... this is something I missed doing right from the start. It was not necessarily the entry that I missed but rather the forum thread ... I should have done this right in the beginning and not left it to the end.

    I don't want to make excuses but basically I was afraid of releasing this to everyone ... which in hindsight was stupid. If you don't let people play it, how will you know if you have a good/bad game or whether people will actually want to play it.

    There are other thing I missed early on was doing an Art Test before publishing and ordering my own copy. The art tests gave me valuable input in to the separate components of the game looked at individually and not by anyone who knows the game.

    Basically they select your three shop items (logo, ad, backdrop) and then 7 other random (printed) components from your game and people get to vote and leave comments about these components.

    I ran two art tests and both pointed out things ... like the logo being too difficult to read or the solar flare on the shop background being too bright. They also identified things like the infinity symbol looking like a sideways 8 and the structures not being centered in the card.

    The infinity symbol was subsequently changed to an Aa ... for Always and now ties in to Ee for Even and Oo for Odd. The structures not being centered were designed that way but now that I have reworked most of them, I can see how they made the card look unbalanced.

    I spent so much time focusing on publishing the game through The Game Crafter and doing play tests with local groups that I missed including people from all over the world in the project. If I had included these people from the start through forums like this and BGG ... I think I would have gotten more valuable feedback earlier on.


    Was it a total failure?
    No ... it was a learning experience that has given me valuable insight in to the process. I plan on taking all the things I learnt in to my next project and making sure I do it better from the start.

    Having never done anything like this before, I just went for it and I came out in the end with a board game that I can be proud of and that people want to play ... whether they buy it or not is actually besides the point.

    I never approached this as a way to make money but more of a way to see if I could do it ... take a board game from concept to fruition and finally a physical board game in my hand. If it makes money along the way, then that is all the better.


    Where to now?
    Well I am going to finish the final few art tweaks that were identified and re-publish the game. I will then order myself a second copy of the proper final version.

    I have a few expansions planned as well as the two player only release that will be finished when the art tweaks are completed. I might attempt an expansion every now and again if the inspiration hits me, but the game as it stands is complete and playable.

    I have been in touch with Beserk Games (the creators of Tabletop Simulator) and we are busy seeing whether we can release The Colony as a paid for DLC through Steam. It is still early days and they have said yes ... but they also haven't said no. Should nothing come of the Beserk Games option, I have been toying with the idea of making an online version of the game using Unreal Engine and inspired by Tabletop Simulator. It will be specifically tailored for The Colony and will not have any of the customisation features that Tabletop Simulator has.

    Spiral Galaxy Games is currently looking at the game and we are in early days of discussing possible future contributions or even them publishing The Colony. Once again, it is still early days and there is no guarantee that anything will come of it ... but it is good to know that the game and I have grabbed the attention of a UK Publisher ... even if they are not the biggest.

    Finally, the next project is currently a whole series of index cards with notes and hand drawn images all over the place. Once I have gotten the base mechanics down and identified all the components that will be required to make the game work, I will start posting on these forums and BGG ... but for now I am keeping it under wraps.


    Thanks to everyone who gave me their time and shared their knowledge and provided me with comments for this project. I have realised that enjoy making board games more than I enjoy making computer games and I might just rather focus my time and effort on those avenues instead ... 8-}
    Thanked by 2roguecode karl182
  • Spiral Galaxy is pretty big. The BG publishing game isn't like Microsoft or Sony size stuff, it's like FFG is a big boutique and Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro are monsters. Spiral Galaxy has some real big names (in games) on their page (One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Castle of King Ludwig, Xia, etc) so that's good.

    But I'm not exactly sure what they publish and what they distribute - searching some of those games on BGG show that they aren't the publishers of ONUW and Xia, and their page is a bit sparse (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamepublisher/9495/spiral-galaxy-games), so it'll be interesting to see what the conversation is about, whether they just want to print and distribute, or whether they want to publish (including marketing and possibly development/art - most publishers add their own art. But of course you've already made art, but that could change if it's better for the game, according to publishers).

    Anyway, keep us updated, it'll be interesting :) Though don't drop too much details in public, I doubt publishers want their trade discussions in the open. Or just ask them what they're comfortable with you sharing in public regarding your relationship with them.

    ------------------------

    It wasn't a failure at all :) You should just open it up earlier, it enables feedback AND marketing :) Congrats :)
  • Congrats man. Sounds like you are going to do well.
    Thanked by 1quintond
  • So I have edited the first page with all the updated information and I would just like to thank everyone from these forums who assisted me and gave me feedback.

    I am now going to hand the project over to my marketing guy in the U.S. and let him run with it from there. In the meantime I will wait for feedback from Spiral Galaxy Games and Beserk Games and see if there are any avenues that we can pursue down those roads.

    My last task now is to finalise some of the Social Media aspects of the project and release the Print and Play version (in Black and White).

    Thank you again to everyone, this was an awesome experience and the lessons I learnt here will be applied to my next project ... you guys are all awesome. 8-}
  • Who are "your marketing guys in the U.S."?
  • Tuism said:
    Who are "your marketing guys in the U.S."?
    Oh ... my business partner Barry Engle. He is one of the co-founders of Gobbo Games and will handle all the marketing for us. Well that is the plan ... will let you know how it works out. 8-}
    Thanked by 1Tuism
  • edited
    I received my printed copy today and I am really happy with the quality. It is quite a surreal feeling to hold the actual printed game in your hand ... I will post some screenshots pictures when I get a chance to take some decent pictures of it.

    The one thing I am going to change is to use a smaller box ... the current box is extremely fancy and twice the size it needs to be ... but this was one thing I needed to check for myself first hand.

    Anyway ... I will post proper screenshots when I get home tonight. 8-}

    Edit: lmao @Tuism ... always thinking I am demoing a computer game ... *shakes head*
  • "Screenshots" :p
  • edited
    I will get the Fiance to take some better pictures.

    I did notice that the logo on the box is not centered, this is actually my fault and the box here is one of the earlier designs ... I have since tweaked it.
  • Looks rad :)

    I noticed that the cards layout are a bit different from the cards you rendered, did this have to do with their production/template or did you change it?

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  • edited
    @Tuism: Thanks.

    TL;DR; -- Dimension Differences in the Smart Objects used on the Renders and the Final Print Versions.

    Basically the rendered ones are a slightly different size and don't have the border that you can see in the actual cards. This was done so I didn't have to fiddle with the smart objects that I used to do the final renders. The smart objects are not the same dimensions as the final printed version.

    I basically take the final version source file, remove the border and render that out as an image. I then crop that rendered out version to the correct size for the smart objects and place that in the smart object ... so there will be a slight discrepancy.

    I did this to save me time and having to fiddle with smart objects ... my idea is that the rendered versions are merely an indication of what the final version will look like and I use these same cropped source images for the Tabletop Simulator version where the border is not really visible.

    I might also completely forgo the border ... as even on the final product it is very faint and doesn't actually bring anything to the design of the card. Some of the really early renders had the borders as well ... hence the discrepancies in the final product and renders ... I was still trying to find the best pipeline.

    This print was also ordered before my last Art Test ... so there are a few minor differences there as well. Wow ... this answer is longer than I wanted to give. 8-{

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