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Dented Replacements - the Issue with Replacement Parts for Board Games
- oliverkinne
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- All things tabletop.
Inspired by a Twitter post from Matt at Lost My Meeples, I wanted to talk about what I think a publisher's responsibilities are when it comes to replacing board game components. I think there are some things we will all agree on that a publisher should replace and others where we probably all agree that a publisher doesn't have to send replacements. There will also be plenty of things somewhere in between, that sit in a grey area somewhere and aren't so clear-cut.
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- southernman
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And low/limited print runs on kickstarters, P500s, or just 'anniversary' editions where there will not be a manufacturer with spares in five years times means getting replacements quickly and/or protecting the components now is a new part of this niche hobby.
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I totally get the expense for shipping replacement boxes from the publishers standpoint - an empty one takes just as much labor and costs only slightly less than a full game. I think I am more lenient than some customers from what I've seen online - some def think that games should be pristine when they are unpacked. Some companies do a better job than others at packing - I've seen everything from custom foam packing inserts to boxes shipped "naked" inside a USPS priority mail box.
Finally for years the gold standard in replacement parts was of course FFG pre Asmodee acquisistion. The customer rep who ran it ( Thaad IIRC ? ) was legendary for being responsive . To FFG's credit, they seemingly maintained a decent supply of parts which while garner considerable customer goodwill probably looked poor on a P&L statement.
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- Jackwraith
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I haven't had any real issues with any company that I've talked to. I've had two really great experiences: The first was with Leder when a friend spilled beer on one of the cards for Oath. I wrote them and told them I'd be willing to pay for it and got an email notice the next day that I had a shipment on the way. They sent the whole sealed pack that contained the specific card. Another real highlight was with Gamelyn, as I had traded for a complete set of Heroes of Land, Air and Sea that came with multiple copies of a spell card ("Sleep") that was OP and had been replaced by a different one ("Petrify.") I explained that I'd traded for it, so I would've been glad to pay for the new cards, but they sent them right away. The "worst" may have been Grey Fox. One of the point markers arrived broken and the round counter went missing, so I wrote and offered to pay for them, even though I wasn't responsible for the point marker. Their S&R person took some time to get to it (he wrote an email apologizing because he was so overwhelmed) but did eventually send the point marker, but I never got the round marker. I wrote back to him a couple more times and never got a response. I managed to trade it without that part, anyway (it's just a cardboard rune token that can be replaced by anything.)
But usually my experiences are pretty routine. My most recent was with Restoration, as I had an extra of one copy of a card for Sherlock Holmes in Cobble and Fog and was missing a copy of another. I wrote to them and they sent it out, along with the base card for the character, both of them with gold highlights on the faces, which was kinda cool of them.
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- southernman
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- Sagrilarus
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And games wear out. That’s ok. Virtually every part can be proxied, or can be used damaged or worn. Stop looking at games as museum pieces. Look at them as things that tell stories in their use, that grow over time, that have more narrative in their lifetime than they do in a single play. Write high scores in the box lid and note the person who got it. Name the meeple with the missing leg. Drop a scrap of paper in the box describing a world event that occurred on the day that you played. The next owner will get more out of that than having a pristine box.
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- Virabhadra
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I barely have room to store my collection, much less "display" it, so I need game boxes to do two things: facilitate easy identification and protect the game components. Case in point, my copy of Shadows over Hammerhal looks like they drop-kicked it into the truck from the loading dock:
Miraculously, nary a spike nor spear tip were harmed. But it never even occurred to me to ask about a replacement for the box. Between the natural wear of shelving and unshelving and the fact that games of a certain vintage simply can't be found in pristine boxes, it isn't a high priority for me.
I sleeve everything up top to avoid the replacing components if at all possible, though.
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Just like some games. Those old Avalon Hill boxes were pretty much ad space to sell you the game off the shelf and them the sole purpose was to store components and it was a guarantee that some corners would need to be taped in a year or so. But now game boxes are thick brutes you could use to build a house with, components are nestled within elaborate divider inserts, I often wonder how much cost those vacuformed molds add to the game versus how much curb appeal to justify the higher price point. Surely those empty spaces designed for expansions NEVER triggered anyones OCD to fill them

Given the often long train of overseas manufacturing from various plants, shipping, final assembly of what can be a bewildering combination of base game, ready made expansions, stretch goals, premium components, etc, it's no wonder that companies need, or should need at least, a robust correction/replacement service because mistakes do happen.
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- Jackwraith
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- southernman
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And in those who do, or don't, is there a price point of the car that determines if they do keep up the aesthetic look of it ?
Most of the cars I have owned the body has just been a shell to keep its important parts (mechanical and organic) protected and dry.
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