Edit: Just as an additional disclaimer, only pay for prototypes once you believe that the design portion of development (both game and visual design) is complete. Not doing this would most likely result in a lot of wasted money. Here is an article I wrote on how to save money when manufacturing your games.
Reasons why you should pay for a manufacturer to make your final prototype.
If you want to subscribe to the BGG page for Langskip, click here.
Those are my top five points for paying for a manufacturer. There are a bunch of caveats with this, of course. For example, if you are terrific at making your prototypes and have expensive card printers and even more expensive 3D printers, it might be better for you to make your prototypes. Also, it matters a great deal what components your game has; companies that manufacturer prototypes only have and use a select few components (and are rarely open to making unique ones just for a small print run), though if you build up a good relationship as I did with mine, then they might be more open to this. For example, with my upcoming game Langskip, they invested in oval plastic standee holders that they are now going to stock for other games as well, just because my game precisely needed oval standee holders.
Also, as just for a little top tip for finding a manufacturer, try sticking to your own country. I know it might be easy to head to The Game Crafter and make a game quickly, but shop around and see if you can find one closer to home; it'll about half your costs just from shipping alone. If you need any advice on manufacturers out there, comment below on this post. Also, if you have any experience working with manufacturers to create prototypes, and you want to share your experience, comment below on this post and let's all learn together! |
AuthorHello, my name is Niall Crabtree, and this is my comprehensive blog showcasing all of my game development Archives
June 2022
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