Congratulations on your successful crowdfunding campaign!
If you are like most creators, you are at least slightly panicking about how you get from prototype, to manufacturing, to having your game on someone's table being played. You may have done some research before you went to Kickstarter, but you are still trying to decide which manufacturing company to go with. This is all normal. Sometimes it takes months after your first quote before you are ready to start production, so it is always good to check what your best manufacturing deal will be.
What Do I Need Now?
Some of what you need depends on the type of tabletop game you crowdfunded. Did you Kickstart a tabletop roleplaying game, a board game or a card game? For a tabletop roleplaying game, you need to make sure your print files are prepared correctly. For a board game, you need your prototype files to be ready to go, or enough creative material for your manufacturer to help you finalize the designs. If you are making a card game, you need to know what size and weight of cards you want. We will talk about more design decisions below.
You will notice that so far I have not mentioned Nice Funny Games much. Our goal is to give you advice that helps you no matter which board game manufacturer you choose, but we want you to know that we can support you through the whole process if you are ready to pick us as your printing partner.
Tabletop Roleplaying Games
Do you know the difference between CMYK and RGB? Do you know what bleed lines are? Do you know what weight of paper to use for your cover and for your inside pages? Are you familiar with spot colors, Pantone, or... we could go on.
If you are at this point, you have probably got your digital files designed. You know what you want your book to look like. You probably have a PDF that is complete and ready to go. So all you need to do is hit print, right?
Sadly, no. If you have crowdfunded and are ready to publish a tabletop roleplaying game, you need to make sure your files are ready to go to a printer. When you pick a manufacturing partner, make sure they can help you check that your print files are correct and print ready. You may need to make some corrections and adjustments to your files. That is normal! (Nice Funny Games can help with this.)
Board Games
Do you know the difference between injection molding and 3D printing? Are you familiar with PET, PP and PVC, and how those plastics affect your production and player experience? Or do you already have STL or similar files ready to manufacture?
Deciding between cardboard weights, card sizes and the various plastics you could use for your game pieces can be hard. You want a manufacturer who can explain your options and walk you through design, production and shipping. You also need to decide whether you want to assemble the games yourself, or have every game assembled at the factory and ready for your customers when it reaches your warehouse (or garage, or living room... no shade on wherever you organize and ship your games from).
Of course, Nice Funny Games can do all of this for you. You can book a free consultation with a project manager who will walk you through the whole production plan and support you through manufacturing your game.
Card Games
Card games sit between board games and tabletop roleplaying games when it comes to production. You need the same kind of print layout files, but you also need to know how your cards should feel. Will players shuffle them a lot? Then they need a heavier card stock, and either rounded corners or some protection on the edges so they keep shuffling well instead of falling apart after ten games. You need to understand bleed lines, cut lines and card sizes so you make the best financial decision about how many sheets you print per game. Nice Funny Games can support you through all of this, and we encourage you to book a free consultation to talk about producing your game!
Timing
You also need to think about your production timeline. How many games does this manufacturer produce? More is not necessarily bad: if they produce a lot, they probably have the capacity to produce games quickly and efficiently. That is what you are looking for: quality, and the right speed to get your games into backers' hands when you promised.
It is also good to understand the shipping methods available to you. Some cost more, some are cheaper but take longer. This is a balancing decision you will need to make when choosing who produces your game. Assume that a print run will take at least a few weeks, and that shipping by sea in containers will also take a few weeks. Understanding this will help you explain the process to your backers and make them feel included in the production. You can see typical times on our process page.
Within the timeline, you also need to allow for the proof copies you review along the way. They give you a chance to make adjustments, and they make sure the play experience is exactly what you are promising your backers.
This is just the start of the decisions you will need to make. Honestly, it would take a book to explain every part of the process in depth. We recommend you reach out to a manufacturer and ask questions, and that you look for a company that offers a free first consultation, like Nice Funny Games. From there, you can get a quote and make a decision that helps you produce your game at the highest quality.
Congratulations again, and feel free to reach out today. We look forward to talking with you about your game!