M1 · Idea to Product
From one idea
to one great box.
The Risk
You have the idea. You have the gameplay. But you don't know how to turn it into something people will actually pay for — and the wrong decisions early on quietly lock in cost, format, and audience you can't undo later.
What We Do
In 4–8 weeks, we help you go from concept to a production-ready prototype — with the BOM, costing, and physical sample to back it up.
This solution is for you if:
You are an indie board game designer. Your gameplay has been playtested more than 5 times, but you don't know how to commercialize it.
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>
You are a startup team with a board game idea but lack production experience.
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>
You already have simple art prototypes and want to evaluate whether this game is worth mass producing.
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03 · Our Process
Four phases. Front-loaded so you can stop early — and we'll tell you when to.
You can end the engagement at any phase. Everything delivered up to that point belongs to you — no clawback, no NDA-locked artifacts. If we think your project isn't ready for production, we'll say so before you spend on tooling.
01
Week 1
Component structure planning
You Receive
Draft Component BOM (Bill of Materials) — every piece in your game, spec'd
02
Week 2
Material & packaging direction
You Receive
Material Comparison Sheet + Packaging Direction Brief — with cost & shelf-impact trade-offs
03
Week 3
Cost structure & pricing guidance
You Receive
Cost Structure Sheet — per-unit landed cost at 500 / 2k / 5k volumes + retail price recommendation
04
Week 7–8
Hand-crafted production sample
You Receive
1 full physical sample — to playtest, pitch, photograph, or take to Kickstarter
04 · Deliverables
What lands in your inbox.
Excel Sheet
Component BOM Draft — every piece, every spec, ready to send to any manufacturer
PDF Report
Material Comparison Sheet — paper weights, finishes, miniature options with trade-offs
PDF Brief
Packaging Direction — box structure, insert design, shelf footprint
Excel Sheet
Cost Structure Sheet — landed cost across volume tiers + retail price guidance
Physical Sample
1 hand-made production sample — components + box, ready for playtest or Kickstarter video
Dedicated Support
Project manager · WeChat / email / Zoom — no ticket queues
Legal
Signed mutual NDA before any file is exchanged
Ownership
Every artifact above belongs to you — even if you take it to another factory
05 · Timeline & Investment
Honest signals, not "contact us for a quote."
Typical Timeline
4–8 weeks
concept to sample
concept to sample
Weeks 1–3 are strategy-heavy. Week 4–6 is when we source materials and refine specs. Weeks 7–8 are physical sample-making and final review.
What you keep: every deliverable — BOM, material sheets, costing, physical sample — is yours, even if you take it to another manufacturer afterward.
Investment
Strategy fee:
starts at USD 200
starts at USD 200
Scaled to complexity. Most engagements fall in the USD 200–4,500 range. If you move to mass production with us, the full strategy fee is credited back against your production cost.
Why this matters: the strategy fee isn't how we make money — production is. The fee exists to filter for serious projects, and to make sure you only pay for advice that's actually independent.
06 · FAQ
The questions everyone asks before they sign.
I've already signed with another factory. Can you still do pre-press for me?
Yes. We offer a standalone Pre-Press Audit service that does not bundle production. You get the report and decide independently — fix at your current factory, or move production to us. Most clients end up moving over, but that's never a condition of the audit.
Can you guarantee zero defects?
No. Any industrial product has a defect rate. What we contractually commit to: defect rate <0.3%. Anything above that ceiling, we reprint or refund — written into the master contract, not goodwill.
My design files are confidential. How do you prevent leaks?
Single project manager assigned. Files live in an encrypted project workspace, accessible only to authorized engineers. We sign an NDA before any file transfer, and breach penalties are written into the master contract.
I'm already mid-production and just hit a problem. Can you firefight?
Yes — we run an Emergency Audit service with on-site or remote response inside 48 hours. Honest caveat: this only works if your current factory cooperates. The cleaner path is always to audit before the press starts.
Will your unit cost beat my current factory?
We don't compete on raw unit price. But our material-substitution phase typically saves 8%–15% on component cost with no perceived quality loss. Combine that with the reprint losses you avoid, and the total cost-of-ownership usually beats a pure price-shopping bid.
Can I specify finishes like foil, embossing, spot UV?
Yes. We run the full boardgame post-process line: foil stamping (gold/silver), embossing, spot UV, soft-touch laminate, custom die-cuts. The Component Engineering Sheet shows cost impact and fit recommendation for each technique.
Ready to start
Before you spend on art, on print, on shipping — let's see if it's worth it.
Book a free 30-minute consultation. We'll review your concept live and tell you honestly whether it's ready for production — even if you never become a client.
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