When choosing a board game manufacturer, compare what each supplier intends to make, how it will approve the samples, and what happens if production differs from the approved game. Unit prices become useful once those details are clear.
A quotation for “300 cards, one board, two punchboards and an insert” leaves several decisions open. The card stock may be unspecified. One supplier may have allowed for sleeved cards in the insert while another has sized it around bare cards. A box dimension may come from the first prototype, even though the contents have since changed.
At Sunday Games, we start by checking those assumptions. They affect the price, the sample, and eventually the product a publisher receives.
Make sure the quotations cover the same game
Compare the component specifications line by line: materials, dimensions, quantities, printing, finishes, and packing. Ask each manufacturer to identify anything still assumed or to be confirmed. If you revised a miniature or changed the insert after the first quotation, check that every supplier is pricing the new version.
An early request for quotation (RFQ) can use provisional specifications. Those assumptions need to be resolved before manufacture. At Sunday Games, a quotation default is the starting configuration used when the customer has not specified a material or finish. Customer specifications replace those defaults, and the approved choices must be recorded in the final bill of materials (BOM) and production documents.
A quotation is not the production specification. It is a costing document based on the information available at that stage. Before mass production, the current BOM, approved files, approved specifications, and, where relevant, the approved sample need to describe the same product.
For example, our default card stock for quotation is 300gsm Art Paper. A project may ultimately use a different stock. The production specification must identify the actual approved paper; “standard” or “premium” does not give the production team enough information.
Look for experience with the components that need the most work
A card game in a tuck box and a game with miniatures, layered punchboards, and a custom tray place different demands on a manufacturer. Ask to see finished work that lets you inspect the difficult parts of your own project.
For miniatures, look at production pieces as well as presentation samples. If storage is central to the design, examine how the finished insert holds the components.
The manufacturer’s design for manufacturing review, or DFM, should address those same concerns. Our pre-production review checks the current artwork, dielines, and 3D files for risks involving print, structure, color, assembly, and manufacture. Unusual punchboards, complex trays, special card sizes, miniatures, and custom molded parts need closer review.
A tray can look right in CAD but leave too little room for sleeved cards. Finger access matters too: a piece can fit in its compartment and still be difficult to remove. Our engineering review considers sleeve thickness, component tolerances, stacking, and packing direction together.
On a folding board, the construction must work with the artwork around the creases. On a punchboard, token spacing interacts with die-cutting and surface treatment. A supplier that asks about these details gives you something concrete to assess during quotation and sampling.
Know what you are approving in a sample
Before approving a board game prototype, establish what it represents.
A white sample can be used to confirm structure, while a digital proof is used for artwork review. Component samples and complete samples answer different questions. For custom or externally sourced pieces, such as wooden parts, dice, plastic parts, and miniatures, a project may also use representative production samples.
We lock the sample BOM, file version, purpose, and quantity before making the sample. Internal sample QC follows before it is sent to the customer. A sample that conflicts with the BOM or customer requirements is returned for rework or remaking.
Customer approval may use a physical sample, photos, video, email, or another traceable written record. The record needs to identify what was approved and on which version. The appropriate method depends on what the sample is intended to demonstrate.
In one miniature-painting sample review, an overall wash left the finish looking too dirty. The revision focused on a cleaner base color, with dry brushing and highlights. That adjustment needed to be reflected in the sample approval before production could reproduce the intended finish.
When should a component be sampled again? When a change affects what the previously approved sample represents. A change to material, structure, fit, color, finishing, or function may require the affected component to be sampled and checked again.
At Sunday Games, a change that affects how well an approved sample represents the final product requires a new sample of the affected item and another internal QC check. The BOM and relevant artwork, 3D files, or dielines are updated as part of the change.
For instance, approving a box does not settle the fit of a later insert revision. If the new insert changes the height or arrangement of the contents, the assembled package needs to be checked again.
Choose materials and finishes for the component
For conventional punchboards without a customer-specified configuration, Sunday Games’ initial quotation default is 250gsm CCNB + 1.5mm greyboard + 250gsm CCNB, with 4/4C printing and matte varnish.
Should a punchboard be laminated? Not by default. Lamination requires a process review because film can lift around die-cut edges. A customer-specified construction or finish can replace the quotation default, but the process still needs to be suitable for die-cutting.
Other punchboard options include 200gsm CCNB, 1.5mm or 2.0mm greyboard, gloss varnish, and linen texture. The choice needs to work with the design and cutting process. Early layout allowances are useful for estimating, but the dieline and structural review determine the final arrangement.
For cards, our quotation default is 300gsm Art Paper, 4/4C printing, and playing-card varnish. Options include 350gsm White Core, 320gsm Blue Core, and 290gsm or 310gsm Black Core stock, with finishes such as linen texture, UV, foil stamping, or skin-touch lamination.
Discuss the intended feel and opacity with the supplier, then approve the actual combination you want to manufacture.
Color approval also needs a defined reference.
For Sunday Games projects, the color-reference priority is: approved physical sample or customer-specified standard → physical Pantone reference → approved proof → monitor preview.
The monitor comes last because a display is not a reliable production color standard. For broad areas of solid color or color-sensitive work, we recommend discussing Pantone or spot color and confirming the result with a physical sample. Stricter customer requirements for measurement or approval take precedence.
A phrase such as “about 5% color difference” is an internal rule of thumb, not our fixed contractual acceptance limit. The reference and any measurement method need to be agreed for the project.
Agree on what quality control will check
“Strict quality control” means very little unless everyone knows what the inspectors are checking against.
Production QC should be compared against the approved product, not simply a generic factory standard.
Sunday Games checks production against the customer-approved written specification or physical sample, followed by the approved production files and Final BOM. Internal standards and QC guidance apply where further detail is needed. They do not replace a stricter approved customer requirement.
Inspection covers component completeness, materials, dimensions, structure, printed content, color, finishing, appearance, function, and packaging.
The checks vary with the component. Miniature assembly and base stability need different checks from a wooden piece’s shape and finish or a card deck’s content.
Our current controlled standards do not prescribe a single company-wide acceptance quality limit (AQL). When a customer or third party specifies an approved AQL or sampling plan, we follow that plan. Otherwise, the inspection method is based on project risk, batch size, previous issues, and the approved reference, with the actual checks recorded.
Ask any prospective manufacturer how it defines defects for your game and records the results. A statement such as “100% inspection” still needs an explanation of what is being checked. Depending on the findings, our QC process records a pass, hold, rework, or remake decision.
Check how approved files reach mass production
Version control becomes especially important when a game has several languages.
In one multilingual project, card quantities differed between language editions. Each edition’s component counts, artwork, and BOM needed to remain aligned; treating the editions as interchangeable could lead to incorrect packing.
Before Sunday Games releases mass production, the approved sample or specification, Final BOM, and final artwork, 3D files, and dielines must be locked. Quantities, materials, printing, finishes, packing, and any required testing plan must also be confirmed.
Superseded files are removed from the production path.
If the latest artwork disagrees with the approved sample, production should not rely on someone guessing which version is correct. The conflict needs to be resolved before manufacture continues.
Ask who authorizes the mass-production release and how sample changes are transferred into the Final BOM. The supplier should be able to explain how version conflicts are identified and resolved before production begins.
Compare MOQ, total cost, and the schedule
Sunday Games’ standard minimum order quantity is 500 sets.
Special projects may be evaluated separately according to their component structure, materials, tooling, and production process. Confirm that your planned quantity is suitable before investing in detailed sampling or tooling discussions.
For complex components, also distinguish an estimate from a final price. Images and approximate dimensions may be enough for a preliminary miniature estimate. The price is updated once production-ready 3D files or the final structure are confirmed.
Compare component manufacturing, mold costs, assembly, unit cost, and total cost across quotations.
Complete-game projects need to account for sorting, bagging, and boxing. At Sunday Games, tooling or dies, samples, special processes, and shipping are priced for the individual project. Testing costs are borne by the customer; they should not be assumed to be included in the game unit price.
The schedule should allow for file review, sampling and approval, material preparation, tooling where needed, manufacture, inspection, assembly, and packing.
Ask the supplier to explain unusually short lead times.
Discuss destination labels, cartons, palletization, and fulfillment requirements while packing arrangements can still be adjusted.
Confirm tooling ownership and after-sales handling
Tooling is worth discussing before it is made, not when a reprint or supplier change is already being planned.
At Sunday Games, customer-funded project tooling belongs to the customer.
We store and maintain it during the cooperation period, handle normal maintenance and damage issues, and can arrange transfer according to the customer’s instructions.
Confirm the storage period, ownership, maintenance responsibility, and transfer arrangements with any supplier before paying for tooling.
For missing components or quality issues, Sunday Games asks customers to provide photos or video. The issue record should describe the defect, where it occurs, and the affected quantity or scope, with reference to the approved sample or specification where relevant.
The solution is agreed with the customer after the issue is reviewed. It may involve replacement components, remaking, a refund, a price adjustment, or another arrangement.
No single remedy applies automatically to every claim, so establish the reporting and resolution process before placing the order.
Set out testing responsibilities before production
Compliance is another area where responsibilities should be explicit rather than assumed.
The publisher or customer is responsible for determining which testing and compliance requirements apply to the product and target market.
The customer may contact a laboratory directly. When assistance is needed, Sunday Games can coordinate sample preparation, documents, laboratory contact, and testing arrangements on the customer’s behalf.
Testing costs are borne by the customer.
Where testing is required, the plan is confirmed before mass-production release. Test samples should represent the final approved construction, with any differences recorded.
Required reports and shipping documents must be completed before the relevant shipment approval stage is closed.
Include these responsibilities in the project discussion so that the manufacturer knows which samples and documents to prepare and when they are needed.
What I would look for before placing the order
By the end of quotation and sampling, I would want to know more than the unit price.
I would want to know whether the manufacturer noticed risks that were not obvious in the RFQ. Whether its material recommendations have a production reason behind them. Whether sample approvals are traceable. Whether the BOM and files are controlled as the project changes. Whether QC is checking against the same product the customer approved.
And I would want to know what happens when something is unclear.
A manufacturer does not need to answer every technical question immediately. Some materials need to be checked. Some structures need engineering review. Some fits need a sample before anyone should promise that they work.
The important part is whether the supplier identifies the uncertainty, assigns it to someone, and closes it before the decision becomes expensive.
That is ultimately what you are selecting.
Not simply a printer, not simply the lowest quotation, and not a factory that says yes to every specification.
You are selecting the team that will turn a changing collection of artwork, dimensions, materials, and components into one repeatable product.
To request a board game manufacturing quotation from Sunday Games, send your component list, planned quantity, available specifications, and current artwork or 3D files. Identify any undecided materials or structural details so we can separate confirmed requirements from items that still need review.
