Deniath, mass production, and controversies
Over at BoardGameGeek, there's been a flurry of discussion surrounding Mayday Games, Deniath and Kickstarter.
The background is this:
- MayDay Games has been building and distributing mass-produced Crokinole boards made in China. These are not "handmade" games, but better than the cardboard options found at toy stores
- Like any larger scale operation, there have been bumps in the road.
- Deniath is a website offering "members" private sales and discounts on games. They have Mayday Crokinole board's on sale over the next couple of days. (let me know if you want an invite)
The gist of the discussion is concern over distribution of an unrelated game, Weykick, by Mayday both through KickStarter and Deniath. Given the circumstances, I would recommend avoiding purchasing crokinole boards from MayDay at least until the latest generation of boards have been reviewed and you've found retailers with boards in stock.
$100 or less boards of reasonable quality to expand the game. Between cost of materials, basic construction and shipping, it's definitely challenging to do at scale. Of course, there is something special about a heirloom quality hand made board.