Tips for working with manufacturers for your board game

3 min readJun 6, 2022

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So you have a nice prototype. You’ve playtested the crap out of your game and you are ready to move forward with getting your game mass-produced. Then this is the article for you.

Here are some tips and tricks on how to navigate the process of getting your board game mass-produced.

Mention “board games” on your LinkedIn profile

Seriously, this takes like less than 5 minutes and it’ll continuously pay dividends in that you’ll periodically get messages from manufacturers about making your next game.

A message I got from a Chinese manufacturer.

Join all the board game Facebook groups

After you join a bunch of groups, make it a habit to check your groups feed every so often. You’ll see a ton of relevant content and tips from other designers. Sometimes manufacturers also post in these groups to promote their services.

A small non-exhaustive list of the groups that I am in.

An example post by someone promoting their services.

A short list of reputable manufacturers

This is not exhaustive, there are tons more. Frank West (creator of the Isle of Cats) has more details in his blog post.

Create a sample components list

Once you have the finalized components list for your board game, you should create a Google Sheet or Excel document that details everything.

Here’s an example spreadsheet for my game, Welcome to Sysifus Corp.

If you don’t know the names for the materials, that’s okay. Just make it as detailed as possible and then send it off to one of the above manufacturers. Work with them to understand what materials you would need for your games.

For example, I didn’t know what a “black core card” was, but the representative at Gameland was more than willing to help me understand and walk me through each component and material. (A black core card prevents people from seeing through the card, useful for secret cards)

Ask for free samples

Ask every manufacturer to send you some samples. Some may charge you, but most probably have some sort of system where they can send you stuff for free. If you have any specific requests, make sure to let them know.

A nice free sample box that Gameland sent me.

Ask about any promos or deals that they offer

Sometimes manufacturers may offer coupons or deals if you just ask. For example, I think Gameland offers a 3% discount if you include their logo on your game box. You never know what they might do for you! Just try asking 😁

Thanks for reading! Want more tips?

This article is part of a series of tips for board game designers that I wrote. If it helped you in any way, please let me know in the comments or by email at 1min@unicornwithwings.com! So many people have helped me on my journey and I’d love to pay it forward. No strings attached at all.