Boda Games

April 6, 2023 In Boda Games, Pre Production

Board Game Prototypes

Board game prototypes for marketing and promotion can be a powerful tool for generating buzz. And building interest in your board game. By creating demo versions of your game, you can give potential customers a taste of what your game has to offer. And create excitement around your product. It also allows you to draw attention with the artwork of the game and generate interest. How to best use board game prototype There are a few key strategies for using prototypes in marketing and promotion: Create demo versions of your game: A demo version of your game is a simplified, shortened version that can be played in a shorter amount of time. This allows potential customers to try out your game and get a feel for how it plays without committing to a full game. You can use these demos at events and conventions to introduce your game to a wider audience. Use prototypes in your marketing materials: A prototype can be a powerful visual aid in your marketing materials. By showing potential customers what your game will look like and how it will play. You can generate excitement and anticipation for the final product. You can use prototypes to gather feedback. Then, you can...

January 5, 2023 In Boda Games, Conventions

Boda Games @ Nuremberg Spielwarenmesse 2023

Spielwarenmesse 2023 is almost here! We are pleased to announce that Boda Games Manufacturing will be exhibiting at the Nuremberg Spielwarenmesse 2023. The Spielwarenmesse is considered world's largest trade fair for toys and games. Held annually in Nuremberg, Germany, the Spielwarenmesse is a premier event for the global toy industry. It attracts over 2,800 exhibitors and more than 70,000 visitors from over 100 countries. The event will take place from January 26th to January 30th. Boda Games will be located in Hall 10.0, booth C-13. We invite you to come and visit us at the show to see our latest products and innovations. We are also eager to hear about your new projects and ideas, and our team will be available to discuss potential partnerships and collaborations. What will you find at the Boda Games booth this Spielwarenmesse? We are bringing our newest sample boxes which include the new cardstock sampler box. In it you will find examples of all our cardstock materials and different types of punchboard. And to finish it off, it is complete with a wide array of finishes. Furthermore, We've also got a brand new brochure launching this Spielwarenmesse, packed with more games and information than ever! And as...

January 5, 2023 In Boda Games

FSC certificate for Boda Games Manufacturing

Sustainable manufacturing is important because it helps to protect the environment. As well as ensure that the planet's natural resources are used in a sustainable manner. At Boda Games, we are always looking for new ways to increase the sustainability of the games that come out of our factory. And we gladly work with customers to find alternatives to certain components. FSC Certification Boda Games Manufacturing is an FSC certified factory. FSC certification stands for Forest Stewardship Council certification. It is a global organization that promotes responsible management of the world's forests. FSC certification is a way to show that the products are made from materials sourced from well-managed forests. This means that the forests are harvested in a way that ensures they will continue to thrive and support biodiversity. Then, When it comes to board games, FSC certification can be important. The certificate is to show that the paper and other materials used in the game are sustainably sourced. This means that the game has been produced in a way. That takes into account the long-term health of the planet and its forests. Choosing FSC-certified paper for board games can help support sustainable forestry practices. And reduce the demand for materials from...

May 27, 2022 In Boda Games, Design

Inside of the game box

What's in the box?! While this reference to a movie from the '90s might not ring a bell with everyone. The inside of a board game box should be very familiar for all of us! In this article, we want to take a closer look at an aspect of board games. That can sometimes be overlooked in the grand scheme of things. Until the very end when everything needs to be finalised and submitted. We are talking about the inside of the game box. First, let's start at the beginning. It is safe to say that the vast majority of game boxes for board game are made from grey board carton. This sturdy material, as you may expect from the name, has a grey color / look to it. That's no problem, because we will wrap the outside of the box with printed paper. That has beautiful and colourful illustrations on it. However, the wrapping around the game box only extends several centimeters over the edge and into the inside of the box. Thus, this means that the inside of the box will still show the bare grey board material. After this, it becomes a matter of personal preference. Some people don't...

January 28, 2022 In Boda Games, Tutorial

Boda Games Tutorials: Player Mats

Player mats: how to prepare the artwork for them? A player mat is a great component for a medium to heavy board game. Normally, each player gets their own player mat, which can be used for a number of different things. Some board games use them to keep track of player statistics or their resources. Then, other board games use them as a reference sheet for the players, showing them different moves and options they have. And other board games have a different function for it altogether. Thus, it is safe to say it is a very versatile component. That can add a lot of depth to any game. They can be made from either cardboard or from punchboard, depending on what you plan to use them for. Sounds great! But how do I make them? No worries! We've gotten plenty of questions from our customers on how to best prepare the artwork. So we have prepare this guide to explain it. This tutorial shows you how to prepare the artwork for your player mats. We will use the Boda Games Template Generator to generate a custom sized player mat template and then paste your artwork into the file to get a...

June 28, 2021 In Boda Games, Tutorial

Create cut lines – Boda Games Tutorials

Cut lines: what do they do and how do you create them? Cut lines are one of these things that seem very simple at first, but they can cause a lot of delay when not done right. In order to make sure you don't lose a lot of time. Emailing back and forth with the graphics department, trying to understand what is wrong. This tutorial will explain to you how to prepare your cut lines the right way. First of all, what are cut lines? When a cardboard component of a board game gets made. It will need to be cut to size. This applies to both complete game board, as well as tokens. Whether they are already punched out or not. In order for us, the manufacturer, to know what part is the artwork. And what part is where it needs to be cut. For that, we need the cutting lines. These cutting lines should adhere to the minimum distances required for bleed and margin. Also check our Punchboards article for more information on bleed and margin. Common problems A problem that the Boda Games graphics & artwork department encounters a lot. Is that we will be sent a .PDF that includes...

May 30, 2021 In Boda Games, Design, Tutorial

How to curve text – Boda Games Tutorials

Curve text: what does it mean and why is it important? One of the great things about a board game, is that it is literally a blank slate. Game designers and artists take this blank slate and fill it with artwork, bringing the paper components to life. When you have a great theme and beautiful artwork, the next step is to use a font for all the text that matches with it perfectly. A lot of game designers and artists look beyond the standard font types available in programs like Adobe Illustrator to find the perfect fit for their game. Custom fonts Custom fonts can be found and purchased online, or even created by the artist himself. Using custom fonts can, however, lead to complications when preparing the files for printing. Boda Games has prepared a video tutorial showing the problem that can occur when using custom fonts. After that, we show you the solution to this problem. By curving the text before exporting the file as a .PDF file, you can avoid this problem. And ensure that your files appear the same way at our graphics department as you originally made them. Problem: font not available A common problem with preparing artwork files....

May 13, 2021 In Boda Games

Interview with Solarflare Games’ Dave Killingsworth

Solarflare Games is launching their latest project at the end of this month, QUESTS: Heroes of Sorcado. Dave Killingsworth, the creator and designer of the game, took some time out of his busy schedule to sit down with us. With over 10 successful projects under his belt, Dave shared with us his experiences developing games, running crowdfunding campaigns and of course some more details on Solarflare Games' exciting new project! Hi Dave, thank you for taking the time for us! Solarflare Games has a new project coming up called QUESTS: Heroes of Sorcado. Could you briefly introduce the game and the gameplay mechanics to us? Quests is designed to incorporate the elements of a campaign story (written by a best selling fantasy and sci-fi author) combined with light Fantasy RPG, choice driven adventure elements, d20 combat, cards, and dice. The game is designed to have to read the story campaign part and every so often the story will have to encounter an adventure zone. The adventure zones are random card draws that the heroes face and resolve. These can be monsters, traps, events, side quests, and more. When you encounter a monster it indicates how many heroes can work to defeat it....

March 2, 2021 In Boda Games

Preparing for a quotation

It’s taken a great deal of effort and energy. But after many months of writing ideas in a notebook. Printing out pages and pages to make sample versions of your board game idea. Asking all your family and friends to playtest your game. Adjusting game mechanisms, adding new elements. Getting artwork done for all the different components. The time has finally come: your game is ready. All the effort, all the nights have paid off and you have a great looking, fun game. After the design and develop stage of your board game is over, what's next? The production stage The next logical step is that you want your game to be printed. No more print and play versions, you want the real deal. Generally, there are two ways to proceed from here on out. You can start pitching your game to publishers. If you are successful and they like your game, they will take on the responsibility of getting it manufactured and published. But the other way is to publish it yourself, therefore becoming a publisher yourself! If you decide to go down the self-publishing path, what is the next logical step? To get a quotation for the manufacturing costs. So...

November 30, 2020 In Boda Games, Design

Color mode: CMYK or Pantone?

If you’re a board game designer or publisher, you will definitely have heard one or more of these terms thrown around as you prepare all your artwork files for printing. You might even have a vague idea of what the terms stand for. But what is a color mode exactly? What is the difference between CMYK and Pantone? And when should you use which one. These are all questions we commonly get from customers. In this article, we will explain what the differences are between these color modes. When you should use which one. And what to watch out for when working with a specific color. Different board game components have different requirements for the color mode, so make sure you always check before you get started. We specify the color mode for each component in our Artwork Guidelines. So we always recommend starting from there when you start working on your files. CMYK (4C): The term CMYK is an abbreviation of the words Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key. In case these colors don’t ring a bell, you can think of them as blue, red, yellow and black respectively. CMYK is also referred to as four color printing (4C) sometimes. With CMYK...