Design | Tooling | Production | Cost | Request more information
The creation of a custom game piece is more complex and more expensive than most people imagine. The process contains three steps: Design, Tooling and Production.
Design
A design might start with a sketch or a photograph. This representation is the basis for the creation of a professional line drawing. The line drawing is converted into a 3-dimensional drawing. This 3D drawing is actually a data base that contains all of the dimensions that are necessary to calculate firm tooling and piece prices.
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Tooling
This refers to the mold that determines the shape of the piece. A cavity refers to the place where the part is actually molded. A tool with few cavities will be less costly than one with many cavities. The number of cavities affects the piece price. The fewer cavities the higher the part price, while more cavities will decrease the part price. The amount of detail in the piece will also affect the price of the mold.
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Production
Although you would own the mold, it would be stored at the manufacturing facility. When you order parts for your game, the manufacturer sets your mold in an injection molding machine, prepares the appropriate materials and runs production according to your order.
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How much does it cost to create a custom game piece?
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2D Silhouette – approximately $3,000 - $4,000
A silhouette piece is a profile representation. These pieces are flat with minimal detail and usually less than 1.5” in width and less than 2.0” in height. These can be created to sit on a pedestal or on a flat base. |
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3D Silhouette – approximately $5,000 - $8,000
A 3D silhouette is a profile that has some depth to it and a bit of detail on each side. Because it is thicker, this design will have a higher piece price because of the amount of material that is needed. |
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3D – approximately $8,000 and up
There is no limit to the figures that can be created in plastic, but there are limitations on the capabilities of a two-piece mold. Most of the miniature figures that are popular in hobby games are produced with rubber molds, or 3-part metal molds. When designing a 3D figure that will be formed in a two-piece metal mold, the design must allow the piece to be easily ejected from the mold. |
Akamai Games:
The Story of “Kimo” and “Ipo”
Eileen Tupman of Akamai Games came to Rolco Games, Inc. with four custom game parts that she wanted to create for each of her two games, Pele’s Perils and Ohana Mana. The price tag for eight unique 3D pieces was much more than Eileen anticipated but she just knew that a custom game piece would add a dimension of character to the board and thus enhance the play of the game in a way that a standard game pawn could not.
She came up with a unique solution that gave her a different look for each game at a fraction of the cost. Eileen started out with four animal characters and four people characters. She proposed using just two of the people characters, a boy and a girl, and produce them in two sizes; small for Ohana Mana and large for Pele’s Perils. She provided Rolco with sketches of her family of characters and the creation of Kimo and Ipo began.
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Click here for more of the story.