GWG's Mission and POD Update

Hello all,

Just a quick update from Goblin Central.  We've officially ordered our cutting equipment so we'll have all of the cutting formats previously mentioned, with two exceptions:

• In order to get 9 cards per page, we had to shrink the 2.5" x 3.5" cards by 5%.  We are still going to take 2.75"x3.75" images, but the final cards will be a bit smaller than expected.  Unless your game uses precise measurements, however, the adjustment will not be very noticeable.  Once we upgrade equipment later, we'll print normal-sized 2.5" x 3.5" cards using your same artwork.
  
• The 4"x4" and 4"x10" tiles had to be reduced by 3%.  All other components match the previously listed sizes.

If it helps at all, however, we have some interesting and awesome shapes on the way.  Check it out:

Once they arrive I'll do some measuring and provide the final templates!

GWG's Mission

I've been spending some time away from development to really lock down what GWG will do and what our mission is.  While on-demand print is a part of what we do, it is not our core mission.  GWG aims to be the premier site for designing board game prototypes.  Think of it as the DeviantArt.com of board game design.  We're going to have online game design tools, support for collaborative feedback and collaborate design, knowledge bank resources, online playtesting tools, marketing tools, and other mechanisms to help support a game designer of any skill level through the process.  

Once a designer's game is done, the designer will be able to run through a peer-review certification process and then submit it directly to publishers that will be pre-registered with the site.  Publishers can review your game and also use our print on-demand services to have a physical copy shipped to them for evaluation.  Likewise, customers interested in trying a prototype can download your files and print them as a Print-and-Play game, or order a copy through our POD services.  We also intend to have a kickstarter.com-style fundraising engine built-in to the platform so that certified concepts can raise funds with the backing of a publisher.  Financially backed games are far more likely to get published, and if the designer can be sponsored by a publisher in advance, the public will be far more likely to back the game.  It works out great for everyone. 

So to recap, we are not just another online POD storefront like other services out there.  We are a game design community focused on turning raw concepts into polished, credible, published games.  POD is just a little something we do to support that goal, and until POD quality can rival manufactured games, there is no substitute for the quality of a full-run game publisher-backed distribution.

In the next blog post, I'll break down what is on the roadmap for Phase 1 of the GWG website.  Until then, happy designing!

- Anthony