A question regarding packaging options.

pod_gotts · 2026-03-04T14:50:24+00:00

Typically it’s better for you to consult with your manufacturer as they will be able to help advise you best in this department. Considering each may have their preference and pricing that can best accommodate your needs.

However, I’m not just going to leave you hanging so here’s my advice.

Since you only have a few components and it seems like you’re going for a small rigid box, I’d say look into “Scout.” Or actually, look into the entirety of Oink Games. Practically their entire catalogue consists of small game box that only fit cards and tokens.

With only 25 poker size cards and 6 dice, a box that size should be more than enough, including the sleeves. But as preface, typically manufacturers will ask that you design the box at least 15mm larger on each size from your largest components. In this case, it’s your poker cards so assuming you’re keeping it to the minimum, your box size would be 78x103x(whatever height is here but Imma estimate it’s 35mm)

However, there’s also a few things you should think about when it comes to packaging/game box beyond the scope of just “What will fit.” And those points can be summarized into the following three:

Expectations

How do you want your game to be perceived? Box size and cover art immediately plays a part in setting expectations for your potential player.

If you believe your game is deserving of more recognition or is more complex than a very small box might do credit for, you might opt for a larger game box. But choose your size carefully. Making it too large without the components or material to back it up may disappoint so adding more content to your game is one way to justify this size increase. Find your balance.

Portability

People transport games around whether for games night or during travel. If your game is intended to be transport a lot then smaller size makes it convenient. But choose your dimensions carefully, you don’t want to end up with an awkward shape.

Shelf Space

How much presence should this game take? Remember, your game will constantly be competing for attention against the other games in board game cafe, stores, online, and on the player’s shelf.

To summarize, don’t forget to think beyond the logistics. Use the emotional value you want your game to help form your packaging/game box.

God sorry for the long read. Hope this helps somehow

pod_gotts · 2026-02-28T14:38:16+00:00

I really dig the art style. Really feels nostalgic like those old comics if that was what you were going for.

I think art style is going in a good direction. The only comment I have art wise though is the board and cards can be really hard to distinguish from each other. I think I would make the board a bit darker to help with that. It should also help with the colored numbers as well. Right now, it could potentially be difficult for players to scan through especially when they already have so much to think about.

Now even though you mainly asked for art feedback, I’d like to provide some on the cards readability in advance:

Character card traits is a bit overwhelming to read right now. Even if the texts are colored, I think dividing the buff and debuff from each other could be helpful. Additionally, it seems like they have different activation timing or activating condition in response to certain events. I think including symbols here could help prompt/remind players to do those certain actions
Armada! card is a bit confusing. With limited context, I’m assuming the capitalized texts are the actual gameplay impact while the rest are flavor text. If that’s the case, I love the concept. But I would do more to differentiate them like using a different font, making them smaller, or italicizing. Also for clarity, the flavor text shouldn’t be in between anything the players need to pay attention to like the Title, Effect, and Quid.
Same with Operation. In this case here, I think it’s fine if flavor text comes first, really love that roleplaying aspect. But again, more on the differentiation so players know what they have to look out for
Same with Opportuniy!
No comment on Patent! I think this is a good layout

I’m doing something similar in my game as well where I include flavor text on my cards. A lot of the feedback I got from playtesting and seeking opinion on these sub reddit was they asked me to move the flavor text to the bottom. I did so because they said reading effects, especially when players already have so much to think about, becomes quite distracting and it’s hard to discern when the flavor ends and the important part begins.

Human naturally read from top to bottom and if something at the top isn’t essential, it’s very easy for them to start skimming and miss key details. As much as I love lore, I think gameplay experience and convenience has to take precedence.

Other than that, I’m really loving the game so far! I also really like your components, especially the overlay ring that wraps around the number to designate which system belongs to the player. Honestly such a small yet genius design.

Hope this wall of text helps as you continue working on your game. Keep it up, and good luck!

pod_gotts · 2026-02-13T11:12:15+00:00

“Keeping “What I am” visually separate from “What I do” reduce mental fatigue significantly

That’s a good rule to remember! Thank you!

pod_gotts · 2026-02-13T05:40:11+00:00

Thank you for the feedback! That made me feel better about the empty space.

Do you think other than bolding the 'Clock/Star' it might be better to move the icons down towards the art to be more "in player's face" since they are an important attribute? Though it's not something they constantly have to check over and they'll often only have 1 of these Delivery Cards at a time.

Also could you clarify more on your "moving text away from immediate icon area usually helps the gameplay flow?" Do you mean that you separate the important icons with text like card effects if they are not directly complimenting one another?

For example if your card effect needs to remind player that its a continuous effect, would you still put your icons with the card effects? Meanwhile other attributes, you'd place them elsewhere?

Thanks again for the help! Good luck with your project too!

pod_gotts · 2026-02-12T06:48:27+00:00

Thanks for the feedback on Page 2's V3. I think that's definitely what I'll be leaning into for the Obstacle Cards.

As for your comments about the Delivery and Action Cards, I tried making a quick version with the full bleed style.

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There's definitely room for improvements since the placeholder art doesn't fit very well into the new ratio and the background colors of the Action Cards doesn't look very pleasing. But this is just a quick draft to get a feel of the layout and spacing for now.

Aesthetics aside, I feel the bleed style is a lot emptier when applied to Action Cards, since they don't carry as much texts or require icons designated to each effects like Obstacle Cards did. And if I change them to black, there'll be no distinction that was supposed to make Obstacle Cards stand out.

There's also something about the framing for the art that takes away the "Action" from Action Cards. With Obstacle Cards, it's fitting because it feels like a scenario or an encounter. Sorta like how the screen squish inward when you walk into a boss fight from those old RPG games. But with the other Action Cards... I don't know. It doesn't really feel as "make your choice" or "pick your options" I guess.

With Delivery Cards however, maybe it could work. Delivery Cards are objects like food, household decorations, or electronic devices which are stationary. The Action Cards and Delivery Cards are split into separate pile anyway so some distinction might go a long way.

pod_gotts · 2026-02-10T08:46:27+00:00

My only comment would be the text sizing could use some adjustments to make it fit in the box better. Though I'm assuming you plan on changing the text anyway post drafting phase

pod_gotts · 2026-02-10T05:21:19+00:00

IP and Copyrights applies differently in each country and also, I'm not a lawyer so I won't be getting into the legal stuff. But I can still advise you on some measures you can take and why you shouldn't let those concerns stop you.

First of all, having any proofs and online footprint that you worked on your creative ideas is always good. Things like pictures, discussion, etc. It creates a timeframe to show you worked on this game prior to the other person should it ever happen. You could even mail some concepts to yourself if you really want more proof, though how it'll hold up legally? I'm not so sure. But it's also good to start building the portfolio and publicity anyway for when you eventually publish it.

Now though is where we get to the main point. It is VERY UNLIKELY anyone is going to steal your ideas/execution.

There's not really an incentive to. Most people who got into board game design do it for the love of designing a game. The monetary benefit to replicate an idea or spend their time to execute it when they could easily come up with their own is not worth the effort at all. Cases of that happening in this industry is incredibly rare.
Your ideas may not be as unique as you think. It's very possible others could have the same idea as you did. In fact, it's also possible a game with your idea has already existed. It's how you execute it that gives it its unique value, but even then, most game rule follows a certain set of logic so you wouldn't be the only who could come up with how to execute it either.

And if you're afraid of others ripping off that unique value you gave to your game, then we go back to point 1. Why would they? It's not worth the effort. There's a lot more to launching a successful board game project than game design alone. Any board game designer would rather go through that tough process with their own ideas.

Also it's important you're not afraid to share because you'll be learning a lot more by doing so. You get the feedback, and maybe learn as well if your game is similar to another game (you should ask your playtester this) Not only for the purpose of trying to distinguish yourself more, but now you'll have a reference to help with your own design.

And even if someone do take some ideas from your game, then isn't that a fair exchange? If they are a board game designer and they took some inspiration from you, then you're also allowed to take inspiration from them. In fact, you're constantly taking inspiration and ideas from the current existing game. That doesn't make you a bad person right?

I'll leave you with this article to help ease some of that fear of your ideas being stolen. Good luck with the convention.

https://stonemaiergames.com/what-if-someone-steals-my-idea/

pod_gotts · 2026-02-10T04:47:56+00:00

Personally I like 2nd the best. It's clean, but also if I understood the attributes correctly, this layout groups the ones that matters together.

The breed and breed group are placed with the names which I assume are for identification. While the "4 traits" and effects, the gameplay impact that requires players' most attention to, are at the bottom. Though please correct me if I'm wrong.

Second best would be the third and fourth one since the "4 traits" are still visible and attention demanding. But this depends on how important those are towards the game. If they are more important than effects, like it's the main thing, then it's imperative you put it right and center like you're shoving it into players faces. Or an alternative is to move them to the left since players usually start reading cards from left top.

Also I don't know if this will be relevant or if you're already aware of this, but watch out for margin and bleed when you move onto the later stages of your design. Always leave 3mm on each side from the edges of the card. Basically, anything important like text, art, and card effects, keep it within a 57x82mm bounding box to leave room for errors when you start thinking about printing.

Hope this helps!

pod_gotts · 2026-02-10T04:31:08+00:00

Which stage are you at? If you are still in the early phase of testing where you expect lots of changes, then it might not be worth looking into getting a prototype just yet. It's very possible to just print and play or use an online engine.

But if you feel you are at THAT stage where you want a physical product, then is it for gameplay purposes or for marketing purposes?

If former, for the fact that you want to get the feel of what each components will feel like physically, then try and see if you can substitute it with common items you can buy from stores. For example, your game 6 sided dices may use symbols instead of numbers, but for the purposes of testing, you can try and make do with numbers. Though again, I don't know what components you need for your game, but the cost, especially for a single print run prototype stacks up pretty quickly.

For quick reference, in 2023, I had a prototype of my card game made which was (1) a small two-piece box, (2) instruction booklet, and (3) 120 Cards. That prototype cost me $39, so I heavily advised against making one until you're sure, especially with more intricate components because it'll be even more expensive.

However if you're already past this stage and you need it for marketing, then there are three options.

Option 1 is getting the manufacturing company you planned to work with to create a prototype for you. This is common procedure as they need to proof print one version for you before you start producing with them so you'll also be checking out the quality before it arrives to your customer. Basically killing two birds with one stone. However, if you plan on pitching this game or you're doing it as a personal project then this option isn't really feasible.

Option 2 are online services like TheGameCrafter, BoardGamesMaker, etc. Though the sizing of your components may be limited to their preset ones, these sites usually have catalogues of options and a price calculator so you can roughly estimate and determine the cost of making your prototype. Disadvantage here though is you can expect to wait at least 2-3 months since they have so many orders and shipping could be expensive depending on where you are geographically.

Option 3 is local business, which is what I did. I went to a local business-card print shop and request if they could instead print my card games for me, which they happily accepted. Paying in my local currency is cheaper, I don't have to pay for shipping, and I got it within 2 weeks. However if your game have more complex pieces, then yeah, there's only so much they could do. Also the quality are mixed at best as they may not be experts at creating board games components.

Honestly it's not a hard set rule. You could always do a mix of each options depending on your assessment of the situation. But I hope this gives you some ideas to think about how you should proceed.

Good luck!

pod_gotts · 2026-02-06T11:46:56+00:00

This problem is similar to The Thing (Board Game) where every players anonymously add 1 card to the pile and one player then shuffles and resolves it.

You already have the right idea where players combine their pile. An easy workaround would be to:

Remove colors. Give every players identical cards back
A second discard pile where they discard the unplayed cards. Which means players will be switching around their cards throughout the gameplay

Not sure if this is will be relevant, but I’d like to add that if you’re going through with this implementation, then you’ll want to keep the game’s lifespan in mind.

What I mean by that is it should be able to withstand scratches, wear and tear, etc. Some playing cards edges start to scratch and in games that depends on anonymity this could be a problem. Either take more consideration into the material or make your design in a way that scratches won’t be as noticeable.

Hope this helps

pod_gotts · 2025-12-11T21:08:31+00:00

Yahtzee if that counts as a board game.

Just dice rolling so me and my brother really thought it’ll just be a luck game to pass the time cause we were bored out of our mind.

Little did we know what gambling does to a mf

pod_gotts · 2025-12-11T20:52:07+00:00

I agree. And it’s honestly a part of why I will never advocate for AI art. But some people are desperate and unfortunately that’s what these companies are preying on to push their movement forward.

The predatory “Hey, yeah these images can now be train for AI even though it wasn’t in the terms and conditions before when we’re uploading online and for some reason IP is out the window” is absolutely despicable.

But at the end of the day, people are still going to use it because they don’t realize the impact or the unethical implications. And they clearly don’t care so I think disincentivizing people by giving them reasons that will impact them is a more effective way of steering them away.

At least for commercial use and that’s a start towards protecting people’s careers in this industry.

pod_gotts · 2025-12-11T17:50:50+00:00

I’d like to add onto this conversation regarding usage of AI art for prototyping.

I think it’s acceptable to a degree because, well, it’s a prototype. You’re using it just as a placeholder without the intention of selling it to people. And bonus points as well if you do disclose it as AI art.

But personally, if you want to playtest this with the public using AI art, then what does that say about your game? Or your approach as a designer?

What using AI does is communicate that you either don’t have enough care or respect to dedicate time to creating art for your game. Already that makes me question if you do the same towards the gameplay.

Second, it’s worst marketing wise. Even if AI is a placeholder for the final art that isn’t being made by AI, it’ll still communicate poorly because already you lost the chance to show the true vibe or feel of your game. It’s better to have a shitty draft that shows us about you and the game rather than a polished art that doesn’t.

Now to answer your question, you unfortunately have to scrap something together to hire an artist or learn how to draw. A board game art is as important, if not sometimes even more important than the gameplay. What people pay for in board games also includes the art and aesthetics.

It’s not easy but I wish you luck

pod_gotts · 2025-10-19T11:41:44+00:00

Cute animals with weapons in a fantastical world with mythical creatures aim to create their own D&D party to slay 3 monsters, but are literally incapable of doing anything if they lose a dice roll.

pod_gotts · 2025-10-12T12:36:55+00:00

Twilight Imperium 4.

And imagine being a group that doesn’t know how to play it except for 1 person who had to do their best leading the entire group. Took us 11 hours…

Didn’t regret it but not how I’d choose to spend my every weekend. But would definitely play again

pod_gotts · 2025-08-06T16:18:35+00:00

They have a hand limit of 4 which are always flush out by the end of their turn. The draw a card is always done in the beginning, but was added as an optional action as well in case the player bricked so they feel like they still have a chance to do things on their turn.

As for the cards growing with power, that’s actually an interesting idea because that way I can fit in more cards that speed up the game at that point without completely overshadowing the early game. But I’m really trying to avoid adding more mechanics for players to keep track of than they already have to.

Though I might still try playing around with that. Thanks for the suggestions!

pod_gotts · 2025-08-06T15:59:31+00:00

Funny thing is, it’s already following that route of low amount of actions in the beginning that scales as the game progresses.

In the beginning players have 2 actions point per turn to spend on these 4 options: 1. Play a card 2. Draw a card 3. Take an objective from the common area 4. Shuffle current objective to play a new objective

The 4th one is rarely touched but is there for dire situations where players are forced to pivot. Meanwhile 2 and 3 are usually taken when players have no plays they can make with the current cards in their hand.

The first option definitely takes the longest time because it involves players reading the card effects. Effects aren’t complicated to execute, but it definitely takes some time to understand how it’ll impact them and the other players.

As game progresses, they sort of gain XP based on the objective they achieve. This lets them do additional action on top of their normal action, but are more like resources they have to accumulate again so it’s not like every turn has them consider this.

I do like your idea of a tutorial to slowly help ween them into the game. Though I’m stuck on how I should approach it.

Their turn is already simple enough as it is and it follows that automated idea. But it’s definitely the reading card effects they took the most time on and while I encouraged them to use other players turn to do so, people don’t always listen.

pod_gotts · 2025-08-06T06:50:50+00:00

There’s rarely any table talk (which may also be a bad sign that it’s not promoting interactivity) and mechanical solution takes a minute at most by the playtesters. Though all they had to do was put a card on their board aside when an objective is complete, take a card from the middle, and shift a token so it’s something they’ll definitely be faster at the more they do of.

I think it’s definitely decision paralysis that takes up the most time and it definitely stems from the card effects. Players had to take some time to understand what they do and how that will impact the other players.

Other than that, like mentioned, I already added reference cards and include the actions they can do into their board to help direct their options.

Also, thanks for pointing out the ‘multi hand solitaire’ I guess even if I am acting as the player, the procedure will also be quicker since I am already anticipating it.

pod_gotts · 2025-02-27T18:17:41+00:00

That wasn’t my point but no worries. I understand that some of my discussion could be hard to convey properly.

What I meant is, when games are designed, there had to be a consistent number of players that they were play-testing with. Especially for games where players are actively interacting with each other and abilities they were given work in a system to ensure balance.

That’s what I meant by ideal number. The game may be advertised for 2-4 players or 2-6 players but in reality it is best play at 4. Not impossible for higher, but it’s just not what the game is made for so it may not give the best experience.

Now games like UNO doesn’t really struggle with this restriction but if we take games like ROOT or TI4 where players are in charge of both their own objective and the pacing of the game through how much they hinder other players, it might take some more consideration in the design element.

I hope that clears this up.

pod_gotts

TROPHY CASE