Boda Games

July 23, 2020 In Boda Games, Design

History of 3 Boda Games Meeples – Part III

The final member to be introduced in our history of the 3 Boda Games meeples is Shenlong the dragon meeple. Unlike the other 2 meeples we’ve discussed, Shenlong is not in our newest version of the sample box. But he was in the previous one, so a lot of you have already seen him! Shenlong was a favorite around the office when we first made him, and has some really cool details. The inspiration came from traditional Chinese paintings, where dragons are often depicted. Then we started brainstorming, how can we do something cool and different with the design of this meeple? In the first part of the history of the 3 Boda Games meeples, we introduced you to our artist meeple. There, we also explained the wood cutting process of meeples. A long piece of wood is cut into a shape, and then the meeples are “sliced” off from the wooden stick. This is a common method for manufacturing wooden meeples and it gives great results, particularly for smaller and more traditional shaped meeples. But, actually there is another way to make wooden meeples. This time, each individual piece of wood is cut out from a flat plank of wood, one at...

July 16, 2020 In Boda Games, Design

History of 3 Boda Games Meeples – Part II

We started our ancient China illustration themes with the large walled city illustration that you have seen at a convention, on our website on the home page or on Instagram. One of the many things that made it so much fun to work on was that we did our very best to hide small details and easter eggs in there wherever possible. We particularly liked the small yet cute meeple dog we hid in there, that we have since named Xiaogou. After getting great feedback from our own staff as well as our customers, we decided to turn Xiaogou into one of the meeples for our latest sample box. A silk screen meeple to be precise. For this meeple, we decided to make it using a silk-screening process. With silk-screening, you can print multiple colors and shapes on top of the meeple, allowing for a very detailed design. In the case of Xiaogou, we wanted to capture the playful nature of the dog with the tongue hanging out and the happy eyes as well as show off the different colors of fur he has. The first thing you need to do is create the overall shape of the wooden piece that will...

June 23, 2020 In Boda Games, Pre Production

History of 3 Boda Games Meeples – Part I

Meeples: as part of our artwork guidelines, this time we will explain the process behind making wooden meeples. Without a doubt the most iconic piece for board games, meeples are a staple of the board game industry. So how to best explain making wooden meeples? This time we are changing it up a bit. Instead of just describing every step in a boring way, we will show it! For our latest version of the sample box, we also had a number of meeples made just for us. So we will take 3 of the meeples that we created for our sample box, and explain the entire process we went through when designing these meeples. The things to pay attention to design wise, the different ways we can produce meeples and how it changes the way they look when finished: we’ll tell you everything. The Painter meeple - a laser engraved meeple. The first meeple we will introduce is our Painter meeple. Keeping with our ancient China theme, we planned for this meeple to look like a traditional Chinese Painter. We took the classic meeple shape that everyone knows and loves, and started to modify it to make it look more traditional Chinese...

June 1, 2020 In Boda Games, Kickstarter

Interview with Mothership designer Peter Sanderson

Peter Sanderson, the designer of the hit game Mothership that combines miniatures, strategy and dice games into one, took some time out of his busy schedule to talk with us. Well into the final stretch of the campaign for the 2nd edition of Mothership 2nd Edition Kickstarter, Peter shared with us some of his experiences, learning moments and other things to pay attention to when running a Kickstarter. - This is the 3rd Kickstarter campaign you’re running for Mothership, first of all congratulations! What would be the biggest lesson you’ve learned over the course of these campaigns? Peter: Thank you! I've learnt so many lessons over the course of these 3 campaigns (plus one failed!). But to narrow it down, these come to mind: 1. Have a good, well playtested game 2. Present the Kickstarter well 3. Love your backers That last one is really important. Kickstarter is a community, not a store. The backers on kickstarter are giving you their hard earned money because they believe in your game. You need to show them love and appreciation back. - A lot of publishers that run Kickstarter campaigns name the backers as one of the most fulfilling albeit it challenging parts of the process. Any fun...

May 25, 2020 In Boda Games, Kickstarter

Kickstarter Do’s and Don’ts #1

So you’re running a Kickstarter campaign for your next board game! Those are some exciting times. You’ve probably been scouring the internet. Trying to get any and all advice you can get on how to run a successful campaign. The good news is, Kickstarter is huge. HUGE. So there is plenty of advice to go around. A lot of veterans are sharing their experiences online. The downside? Most of it is from the same perspective. At Boda Games, we’ve been through our fair share of Kickstarters. We remember when our very first customer told us “I’m trying this thing called Kickstarter.” However, we are not game designers. Nor are we publishers. We are a board game manufacturing company. We make board games. And together with all of you, and with a little bit of help from Kickstarter, that is what we are here to do. So allow us to tap into some of our experiences and share a few do’s and don’ts with all of you. Here are some do’s and don’ts for Kickstarters that we have gathered over the past few year. But from a manufacturing point of view. DO: When you run a Kickstarter, you will set up stretch goals. Heck,...

April 26, 2020 In Boda Games

Boda Games hosts online seminar Tuesday 28th 19:00 EST

Boda Games hosts an online seminar this Tuesday the 28th, starting at 19:00 EST. At boda games we are always excited to partake in events related to the board game industry. Usually these events will be at conventions. Panels, presentations, contests and other events. So when we were asked if we wanted to talk about board game manufacturing, we said yes without second thought. Because we love talking about board game manufacturing! It’s our bread and butter, it’s what we do every day from early morning until late at night. Unless we are at a convention, talking to publishers about it. Unfortunately right now, it is difficult for anyone to attend conventions. The whole world is restraining themselves from going outside and gathering in groups. So we have to get creative and find different ways to connect with each other. And one way to do that, is by organizing an online version of a convention! When the people from EESPEAKS explained the concept, we were intrigued. Although it is our first time, we are excited to be part of an online presentation. What will the seminar cover? Our director and one of the most knowledgeable people about board game manufacturing, Jeff Zhou, will do...

Boda Games Manufacturing Chinese New Year 2020

January 23, 2020 In Boda Games

Boda Games Chinese New Year break 2020

Boda Games Chinese New Year break 2020. Even meeples need a break every now and then! So last week all our factory meeples took a well deserved break. They put the figurative and literal dice down, halted the production machine. And travelled home to spend some time with their family and loved ones. Far away from the hustle and bustle of games manufacturing. Until next month, when everyone comes back recharged and ready to go! And at the end of this week, our office meeples are also finally getting the rest they need! Except for a few of us, who are flying out to Nuremberg early next week for the Spielwarenmesse 2020. So when you see us in Nuremberg, come say hi and we will gladly wish you and everyone else a happy Chinese New Year! Xīn Nián Kuài Lè! To summarize: • Our factory will halt production from January 15 until February 10. • Our sales office will be out of office from January 24 until January 30. But of course we will always be available for urgent matters! But please give us a bit more time than usual to get back to you. ...

December 22, 2019 In Boda Games

Boda Games looks back on 2019 – part 2

Last week we looked at Boda Games on 2019 - Part 1 for Boda Games in the year 2019. We talked about the artwork guidelines project, the new website and more. But we left out one crucial part - the games! As anyone who works in the industry can confirm, the games are what makes all of our jobs fun. For us at Boda Games we manufacture all types of games. The variety in games that passes through our hands in a year is huge. And every now and then when we get a chance, we sit down and play them! So let us introduce some of our favourite games from 2019. Reavers of Midgard BGG says: Reavers of Midgard is a single worker placement game with elements of set collection, dice combat and engine building set in the Champions of Midgard universe. In Reavers of Midgard, you'll be looking to gain glory by raiding nearby villages for their riches, sacking well-fortified castles and battling both man and monster on the open seas. You'll not only need to take your rowdy crew of vikings and the food needed to keep them happy along for the ride but you'll also have to recruit a crew of elite...

December 14, 2019 In Boda Games

Boda Games looks back on 2019 – Part 1

2019: Time once again seems to have flown by in 2019 for all of us at Boda Games Manufacturing. Just last week we were in Philadelphia at the PAX Unplugged 2019 convention having a blast with all our fellow gamers. And with that, convention season for 2019 is officially a wrap! Saying we had a great year would be an understatement, so let's take a moment and look back at some of the highlights for us this year. First things first, before we talk about all the games we had the pleasure of being the manufacturer of. On January 7th Boda Games launched it's completely renewed website. Yes, it was long due but we'd say it was worth the wait? With the new website, it is easier than ever to learn about Boda Games. And our board and card game manufacturing solutions. We think that as a manufacturer, it is important to communicate with our customers as much as possible. After all, Boda Games is in China but the vast majority of our customers are somewhere else in the world. As such, one of our goals with the new website was to get more information to our customers. How do you ask?...

December 1, 2019 In Boda Games, Pre Production

Dice design guidelines

Dice are one of the most ubiquitous items in the board game industry. You can use them for almost anything, design them in every shape, colour and size you like. Because a dice is not just limited to numbers, you can put (almost) any image on there. And on top of that, it’s just fun to roll dice. When you’re designing dice for your game, it is important to keep a few things in mind. First of all, check what type of dice (material) you will be using. There are some minor yet not insignificant differences between the different types of dice. The different types will be explained in detail below, as well as in this article. The vast majority of dice are made from resin, acrylic or wood. The differences between resin and acrylic dice mostly stem from different production methods, as they are similar in appearance for the most part. The choice between resin and acrylic dice depends on the quantity needed. Besides the choice for dice material, there are different methods to put the design on the dice. Laser engraved A laser engraved dice has layers of the surface burned off with a laser. The laser is extremely precise...