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Poker Envelopes, New Board Game Pieces, What In The Wild

Hello Community!

We thought January might slow down after a busy holiday season, but that didn't happen. We had a ton of orders come in andcode text here we're working hard to get caught up on our production queue. If you have any hard deadlines coming up, like conventions, be sure to get your orders in early so there's plenty of time for us to print and ship them to you. January also had some fun new product releases and you can read about them below. Happy designing!

Poker Envelopes

We keep adding new boxes and packaging options because we want the board game designers in our community to have a wide range of options for their creations. This time we are pleased to announce our new custom printed Poker Envelopes!

These envelopes are great if you need a small, inexpensive way to hold some cards. Your custom artwork is printed on the front of the envelope and it holds 18 poker cards. They measure 2.95 x 4.75 x .165 in (75 x 121 x 4 mm) and they are reusable. Note: At this time we do not print on the backs of the envelope.

New Board Game Pieces

Browse our full collection of 1,984 board game pieces, game accessories, and game upgrades.

We’ll have do something fun to celebrate when we hit 2,000! :) A scavenger hunt with clues could be fun…. Stay tuned!

What In The Wild

This article talks about a new board game called What In The Wild that was developed by Karen Cleveland, a wildlife biologist at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Here are 3 reasons why we are sharing this with you:

Reason 1: We love seeing a state government agency developing board games and using them to educate and engage with students! We want to see more agencies using games like this.

Reason 2: Michigan DNR has published the game on The Game Crafter shop and it’s available now for anyone to purchase.

Reason 3: Any royalties that Michigan DNR receives from sales will go toward providing more teachers with copies of the game. So in addition to getting a fun game, (where players learn about science and wildlife), you are also allowing more classrooms to get the game. How awesome is that?!

2019 Holiday Staff Party

We had our annual Holiday Staff Party on Wednesday, January 16th. This was a paid day off for our hard working team. We all got together at a local pub in Madison, WI and played lots of games, did our Secret Santa exchange, and enjoyed tasty food & drinks. We do this in January every year because we’re too busy in December to stop and celebrate together. Our group photo includes everyone except for Andy & Colin, who couldn't make it.

We are so proud of our team & what we've accomplished in the last 9.5 years. A simple idea has become a dream come true business that brings joy to people around the world every single day. Keep up the good work, team! On behalf of our staff, we wanted to say thank you for choosing us as your production partner and for being an amazing community that rallies around us. You make all the difference in the world and we enjoy and appreciate you.

The Board Game Blueprint

Our Youtube series, The Board Game Blueprint will show you behind the scenes of various industry events, take you to conventions, and chat with designers in the community about why they make the choices they make when designing their games. Here are the latest episodes:

Episode 22 - Component Close Ups: Meeples
Episode 23 - Design Discussion: Rules

If you haven't watched the first 21 episodes yet, visit the Board Game Blueprint Playlist to get caught up!

Community Updates

Sporktopia Legacy Contest (Deadline: February 4th, 2019) In this contest, you must design a game that uses the legacy mechanism. The contest will be judged by Chris Romansky of Sporktopia Games.

DunDraCon Protospiel (Feb 15-18) If you are a game designer you should always try and attend Protospiel events. It's the best place to playtest your games and get honest feedback about your game from other game designers. DunDraCon Protospiel is in San Ramon, California.

TotalCon (Feb 21-24) The gang from Geek Fever Games is hosting a TGC Designer Table and showing off their games. Stop by the booth, say hello, introduce yourself, check out their games and pick up a TGC promo card.

Gamicon (Feb 22-24) Sean D Howard from Knight's Crest Games is hosting a TGC Designer Table and showing off the games he has designed. Stop by the booth, say hello, introduce yourself, check out his games and pick up a TGC promo card.

Protospiel Cleveland (Mar 8-10) Another great Protospiel event that you should attend. This one is located in Cleveland, Ohio. Event powered by Tabletop.Events.

GAMA Trade Show (Mar 11-15) This is an industry event for manufacturers, publishers, and retailers. JT and Tavis will be attending the various seminars as well as hosting a booth in the exhibitor hall. If you are in the game industry and would like to schedule a meeting, please contact us on Twitter or via TGC support. This event is in Reno, Nevada.

Holiday Game Contest (Deadline: March 18, 2019) In this contest you design a game with a holiday theme. All types of holidays are celebrated near and far. Lesser known holidays are just as encouraged as a theme as more known holidays.

Protospiel Milwaukee (Apr 5-7) Another great Protospiel event that you should attend. This one is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Event powered by Tabletop.Events.

Cassie Elle from The Indie Game Report released her fourth walkthrough video for TGC Staff Picks. Her video covered Plague by Jason Glover at Grey Gnome Games.

Protospiel Atlanta (May 3-5) Another great Protospiel event that you should attend. This one is located in Atlanta, Georgia. Event powered by Tabletop.Events.

Unpub 9 (May 3-5) Unpub is a certified non-profit organization dedicated to helping game designers, get their next project(s) reviewed by playtesters to prepare for publication. We love these events the same way we love Protospiel. Event will take place in Hunt Valley, Maryland and is powered by Tabletop.Events.