About The Game Crafter
The Game Crafter offers game designers an easy-to-use system to make a board game, card game, or custom playing cards. Free templates, instructions, videos, and proofing tools are available to help people create quality products. The service is print on demand and this means that designers can purchase 1 copy or as many as they need.
Our community of gamers and game designers has grown to over 24,000 users in just a few years. Designers have created over 20,000 different game titles and many have moved on to successful deals with traditional publishers. Our service has matured over the years with a wide range of new products and higher quality game components.
Taking It To The Next Level
We have continued to improve our service over the years and it's an exciting time because designers are now able to make games that look good enough to be sold on the shelves of retailers. The only thing preventing this is the game boxes we produce are not shrink wrapped when they leave our production facility. It's time to change that.
We've always been open to the idea of shrink wrapping the games we make, but it hasn't been a priority because it's not something that we'll make a profit doing. Once you have the machine, the material/labor costs are minimal and those we could easily include in the price of manufacturing the game. However, there is a large upfront cost to buying a high-end shrink wrapping machine and that's what has prevented us from doing it.
However, at this point we've heard from enough people in the community to confirm that there's a real demand for shrink wrapping. Many of you have said that you'd be happy to support a crowdfunded campaign to pay for a shrink wrap solution. We have heard you loud and clear and created this opportunity for you to contribute.
The Shrink Wrap Machines
We have researched and found the best shrink wrapping solutions for an on-demand production system like ours. We are presenting 3 different options below and your financial support will determine which machine will be integrated into The Game Crafter's production process.
![3 Shrink Wrapping Solutions for The Game Crafter Community]( "3 Shrink Wrapping Solutions for The Game Crafter Community")
Solution 1: Basic Machine ($3,000) - FUNDED!
The basic machine will give us the capability to shrink wrap games after they're manufactured. However, this machine is the slowest of the 3 options and only provides basic functionality with no automation. Therefore, we would not automatically shrink wrap every game that comes off the production line. Instead, it would be a selectable option and it would cost $.75/game. While this machine is the cheapest option when it comes to purchase price, the ongoing costs to use it are higher since it's slower and requires more labor.
Solution 2: Advanced Machine ($7,000) - FUNDED!
The advanced machine costs more than double the Basic Machine. However, the cost is justified because this machine is much faster and allows for limited programming and automation. Faster shrink wrapping and less labor means that it would only cost $.20/game. This is a huge improvement in ongoing costs versus the Basic Machine and the automation means that every game will be shrink wrapped through this process.
Solution 3: Self-Aware Shrink Wrap Robot ($10,000) - FUNDED!
Finally, we have the most efficient (and possibly the scariest) option! The Self-Aware Shrink Wrap Robot! This is truly the best solution because it is the fastest, most capable machine and it streamlines the shrink wrapping process. The automation decreases labor costs and the cost savings allows us to provide an amazing benefit. Choosing this machine means that shrink wrapping for every game is free, for everyone, forever.
Note: We expect delivery and setup of the machine to be completed within 56 days (8 weeks) after the campaign is funded. If possible, we will bring the machine online sooner and begin shrink wrapping all orders.
Vote on New Custom Printable Products!
MANY of you have told us that you want to donate towards specific, new custom printable products in this campaign and you don't want to wait until you can support them as stretch goals. So we have come up with a solution to allow you to vote for the custom printable product you want us to release next! (in April)
We now have 3 new voting perks that you can buy and these give you votes to tell us what product(s) you want us to release next. For every $500 we receive from vote perks, we will release 1 new printable product. The product with the most votes will be released first and additional products will be released each time we raise another $500 in voting perks. This means that the most popular products will be funded and released in this campaign! (The initial development of these products costs more than $500/each, but we decided to cover the additional expense beyond that so that products are more cost efficient for the community during this campaign.) We have raised $1100 in Voting Perks so 2 products are guaranteed to be released in late April or early May!
Custom Printable Products You Can Vote On:
- Bridge Tuck Box (72, 90, or 108-card)
- Square Tuck Box (72, 84, 96, or 108-card)
- Jumbo Tuck Box (78, 84, 90, 96, 102, or 108-card)
- 8" x 10" Game Board
- 10 x 10" Game Board [28 Votes - There is a tie!]
- 4" x 10" Game Board
- 4" x 4" Game Board [11 Votes]
- 18-card Booster Packaging [28 Votes - There is a tie!]
*There is one unused vote at this time. We are trying to reach the voter.
Once you get the voting perk, post your vote on the comments tab!
Because of these changes, we've adjusted our "Additional Stretch Goals" and removed several of the products that were previously listed. Since they can be voted on now, there's no reason to include them as a stretch goal.
Additional Stretch Goals
We receive requests for new features and products almost every single day. It's difficult for us to measure demand for new products & features so we thought it would be a great to add them as stretch goals and let the community decide if they want to support them. If all of the goals below are funded then we'll create new goals with even more features & products!
![Additional Stretch Goals Available]( "Additional Stretch Goals Available")
$11,000 - The Medium Pro Game Box is Released - FUNDED!
The Small Pro Game Box has been a HUGE hit with designers and customers. At this stretch goal, we could design and release a telescoping, full-color, custom printable, Medium Pro Game Box. Delivery within 31-days of campaign and goal being funded.
$14,000 Goal - Bi-Fold Chipboard Game Board Released - $2143 TO GO!
This stretch goal would allow us to design and release a new custom printable bi-fold game board. The game board would be 9" x 18" and be made of the same chipboard material as the quad-fold game boards we currently offer. Delivery within 45 days of campaign and goal being funded.
Note: Fund the stretch goals above and we'll release new ones!
Perks (Frequently Asked Questions)
"What are crafter points and what can you do with them?"
They are like frequent flier miles from an airline. You can cash them in for special perks on our site. Full details are available here.
"Is it possible to upgrade my perk to a higher one?"
Yes, follow the instructions provided by Indiegogo.
"Is it possible to purchase 2 or more perks?"
Yes, Indiegogo processes every contribution individually. Just make another contribution and you are all set. Read full answer
"My perk is no longer showing up in the list. What happened?"
Indiegogo only allows 12 active perks to be displayed on a campaign. Therefore, when perks sell out, they will disappear from the list and new perks will be added in their place. You're still getting that perk and there is no reason to worry. In fact, you should be happy you got the perk before it sold out! Congrats!
The Game Crafter Team
JT Smith originally founded The Game Crafter in 2001. He self-published his own game titles under the brand and learned how difficult it was to self-publish a tabletop game. In 2009 he put his experience to use and teamed up with co-founders, Tavis Parker and Jamie Vrbsky, to relaunch The Game Crafter as a print on demand game publisher. The rest is history!
![The Founders of The Game Crafter from left to right: JT Smith, Tavis Parker, and Jamie Vrbsky. The giant 8-foot tall robot behind them is Cog, the TGC community mascot.]( "The Founders of The Game Crafter from left to right: JT Smith, Tavis Parker, and Jamie Vrbsky. The giant 8-foot tall robot behind them is Cog, the TGC community mascot.")
All three co-founders LOVE gaming but they are also serial entrepreneurs and enjoy starting new projects and businesses. Each partner has unique skills that help guarantee success:
- JT Smith is an accomplished technical visionary who develops the software behind The Game Crafter website and builds the automation used in the production processes.
- Tavis Parker is a passionate marketeer who loves meeting new people and enhancing The Game Crafter brand. He stays busy with promotions, SEO, social media, and copywriting.
- Jamie Vrbsky is an experienced operations manager who oversees finances, logistics, and personnel. He's the one who makes sure all of our 700+ game parts are in stock!
