A game board for every game

A game board for every game

When you think about board games, you think about game boards. Even more than cards, you think of the foldable, big game board that greets you when you open the box. When opening a game for the first time, what is the first thing you check? Not the rules or the meeples, no you go for the thing sitting on top of everything. The game board that gives you a sneak preview of what you can expect from the game. You fold it out, put it down flat on the table and the gaming session is underway! 

However, this article is not about the fun you can have with a game board, but about the way to prepare the necessary files to make one in the first place. Even though it seems like one of the more straightforward and easy items to design and prepare, there are a few things to pay attention to in order to ensure a smooth and trouble free manufacturing process. As always, this may be the first time for you to handle these type of things but it definitely isn’t for us! So make sure to get in contact with your account manager if you run into issues, if you would like us to prepare specific templates for you, or anything else. 

 

Margins and Bleed

 

 

Just like with punchboards and cards, always keep in mind the appropriate bleed and margins for the layout. A game board wraps around the edges to protect the cut edges of the board and to cover up the raw cardboard. In order to allow it to wrap around it properly, it needs a minimum of 18mm of total bleed. This is for single sided game board.

 

 

However, adding a second side to a game board is a very cost effective way to give more depth and experience to your game, and therefore something commonly found a lot of games. For a double sided board, we put the second side  on top of the overwrap from the 1st side. As such, it needs to be 3mm shorter on all sides from the top side. This is in addition to the standard 3mm bleed.

If you need a custom template for your game board, please get in touch with your account manager. We will see to it that you get one as soon as possible.

 

Cutting and Folding

 

 

When you cut the game board, you also decide the folding direction when closing it. If the board only has print on one side, you can cut it so that it closes with the artwork facing inwards or outwards. This will leave some part of the raw material exposed. The paper connects the two cardboard pieces on the top or bottom side of the game board. But, if you don’t want to expose the cut area that is possible. Then the paper will connect on both sides of the board. 

 

 

There are a lot of ways to fold a game board. Normally our customers trust in our expertise and experience and let Boda Games find the best solution. But sometimes a customer has a personal preference and asks us for a specific type of fold that they feel best fits with their game. Below are the most common ways to fold a game board.

 

Smaller Game Boards

 

But game boards are not limited to the large table filling ones. You can also make smaller ones, for example individual player ones. Or a smaller additional one to keep track of resources or scores. We can make these in any size you like. But keep in mind that odd sizes do require creating another diecut mold. Of course we have a number of existing sizes that don’t require making a new mold. So please contact your account manager to confirm what sizes are available.

 

 

For the smaller boards, you can choose  one of both options. To have the wrapped edges similar to the bigger boards, or to just cut them directly. When cutting directly, the required bleed and margin is 3mm of bleed and 3mm of margin. For the wrapped option, the same conditions apply as described above. Of course, these smaller boards can still have one or two folds. This can be convenient for getting a board into a small size box. or if you plan to position the game board standing straight on the table rather than flat.