Cyberpunk Tabletop Games (Sergey Vasnev and Star Wars Ewoks)

 And the winner is. . . 

Drumroll, please. . . 

Right. You've heard this all before. And don't think that I'm not just as skeptical as you are. But there comes a time in the design and development stage of any product, board games included, that you have to decide on what you're going to publish. 

That's a big decision because everything hinges on your first impression. And as you know, you can only make, blah, blah, blah.

So after experimenting with dozens of designs and getting a feel for how this game should look and feel, I've settled on this image. (fingers crossed)

Battle for Endor

Chances are you're familiar with the Star Wars movies and characters like most humans on earth. In this image, Vasnev re-imagines George Lucas' Ewoks with an interesting fan-art like this.

Mmm. . . now it's all coming back.

And so if we remember, Ewoks hail from the moon of Endor, thus the battle you see hear.

When I saw this image I was struck at once with several questions and curious about the idea behind Vasnev's concept art.

As it turns out this was an art challenge of sorts, of which I don't know its outcome.

Star Wars

So all that aside, let's get in our time machines and travel back to the year 1983 and the movie, Return of the Jedi.

Many of you had not been born yet. But I'm sure you recall the Jedi movie as part of the Star Wars franchise and all the films that followed it. How many action figures do you own?

If you recall, those furry little bears, the Ewoks helped destroy the imperial shield generator in their forests and defeated the stormtroopers and scout walkers of the Empire. Nobody saw that coming.

Battle of Endor

Long story, short. 

I contacted Sergey Vasnev and asked if I could use this amazing image and he was gracious and generous enough to grant me the use of Battle For Endor, as a cover for the Remnants board game. (Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Sergey.)

As it turns out if you visit Sergey Vasnev's website on ArtStation, most of his artwork lends itself perfectly to this sort of game. He's quite prolific and all the artwork is stunning. You must see it. So the idea is to incorporate more of his designs into the game (box, playing cards, etc.) so gamers have a choice of whichever design they like most. Collectors can collect all three boxes, for example.

That's the plan for now and I haven't run it by Sergey yet but, you get the idea. I hope he'll be on board and I think he'll agree so we'll see. Let me know what you think in the comments and what your favorite Sergey Vasnev work of art is. It'll be difficult to choose, I promise.

You'll notice the new game board with the city of Manhattan and new playing cards. I'm loving it so far. Overall I do like this current iteration of the game and I think it's a good place to be as I further develop the game.

At this point, I'd like to feature the game on Kickstarter.com but not sure if it will be ready for this coming April. That's what I'm trying to finish as we speak. Actually, I just might be able to pull that off because the new concept flows much better than anything I had tried before so hopefully, I'll be able to launch the game this coming year.

How exciting will that be?

I can hardly wait. 

Don't forget to sign up for updates (upper right column) about the game plus interesting reveals about Vasnev's art in upcoming posts.

Hey, check out the animation on the blog where you see the whole box in 3D and much more fun stuff.

Learn more on the blog:

CYBERPUNK Board Game Box Packaging - It's All About Hooks

 

Remnants Box Bottom

Okay folks, here's the back of the new box, as promised. Lots to unpack here so let's get into it.

The most important thing is the copy on the left column. Similar to the back of a book, this is all about sales copy that takes you right to the sales page on the manufacturer's website, for example.

That actual link has yet to be determined because the game is unfinished and not for sale yet, but, you get the idea. I tried my best in this limited space to cover all the important points that make this game unique and sales-worthy.

Let's face it, I'd need to write an entire book about this to be thorough but I'll have to keep it short here. As you can see, I've packed the back of this box with lots of good stuff. All that good stuff translates into many different hooks that should lead prospects to the buy button. That's the short of it and that's the result you're after, obviously. 

HOOKS

I've also stuffed 2 promos for the books on the bottom right. These are important because upselling, so to speak is part of the deal. I've included a promo for the first book in the series plus a peek at the collectible hardcover. 

What makes the hardcover collectible? Its unique design plus the fact that it includes all three stories in one book and also includes awesome photos. In a perfect world, the title should be blind-embossed or have some sort of metallic embellishing, etc. But for now, this jacket is good enough as is.

The characters up top are also hooks because they are what make the story meaningful and exciting. An example for an odd video link follows (another hook).

That's followed by a short summary of the game in the gray box. This is a crucial hook and the equivalent of a strong headline and sub-headline.

HOOKS

That's followed by another hook stating the theme of the game that provides a visual tone and what players can expect with this extraordinary game. Take a read and see if it works for you.

On the right column, you see the game board and below it, many of the components and card decks included in the game. These are all additional hooks that intrigue players.

The bottom line is simple. The back of your box must entice, inspire, and motivate prospects, your audience to find out more about the game and eventually buy it. The goal is for curious gamers to get into the theme and imagine themselves playing the game and having a great time.

AND MORE HOOKS

You want to create a burning desire in your audience that leads to a sale, hopefully, now rather than later. That's why you need more than one hook. You need as many hooks as you can configure and fit into a small space without over-crowding the box. Not an easy task, but it's always possible with a bit of planning.

Let me know what you think in the comments. I've also finished a short promo video that I'll post here soon. It's just a teaser so it doesn't include gameplay instructions. But instead, it's designed to intrigue gamers so they can find out more details about the game on the blog. Your blog should be the equivalent of a long and never-ending advertisement, but without looking or sounding like one. 

Welcome to the world of marketing, my friends.