After many conventions, play testing sessions, and iterations of design (and many late nights) Collectors and Capers is ready for the final stages of development, a Kickstarter and Production. Before this first post I (Trevor Harron) have been researching many different manufacturers and have been getting familiar with Excel/Google Sheets to determine the manufacturer I will use and will post about that process later. First though let me give you a small introduction into Collectors and Capers.
Collectors and Capers is a 3-6 player bluffing game I starting working on for over a year now. Since I wanted there to be a few components as possible and to make it simple for those who don't play games on a consistent basis. The final spec then looks like 120 cards with a box and rule sheet.
In trying to get ready for a Kickstarter there were a few things that I realized a few things needed to happen:
The game design needed to be complete
The art should be complete
I need a manufacturer lined up
So the first thing that needed to be tackled was design and that process is game play iteration and revision. This is a VERY simplified description of the design process and I will have a post about my process at a different post. The second thing I could tackle by involving the artist early on especially since I had a vision of the artwork. The third item however is the most difficult.
There are a lot a manufacturers out there in places ranging from Poland to the U.S. and to Hong Kong. In trying to pick a manufacturer I looked for a few things. One was obviously quality for a good price that could allow me to at least recoup my costs. The second was a good level of communication in terms of response time and English skills. Third I wanted the manufacturer to help with fulfillment as well to minimize the number of moving pieces. With the recommendation of Billy from Liminal Games who have a great game and successful Kickstarter I have decided to go with WinGo Industries Ltd. With working through them I have for the most experienced great service and am happy with their pricing. This process started 2 months ago in preparation to for the campaign. With this final pieces almost in place I can focus on building press!