Play Cales and Components: Ergonomics and Premium Perception

A bilgeless play box is immediately perceived as low-end. Four concrete reasons:

• Opening presentation With hold, each component is staged in its place. Without hold, the bulk content breaks the discovery effect.
• Protection of components Without hold, the pawns fall, the cards creak against the board, the hourglass can break. With hold, each room is immobilized.
• Storage after part With a hold, we know where to put each room. Without a hold, storage becomes random and chaotic.
• Perceived "premium" effect - A well-designed hold immediately signals a professional product. It is the equivalent of the foam cut into a jewelry box.

• Single bowl - One single simple cavity. For single type of component games (e.g. a pack of cards).
• Simple compartments - A few separate cavities to accommodate 2-3 types of components.
• Central well - A wide central cavity surrounded by compartments. For games with central tray + secondary components.
• Double / triple well - Several main cavities for complex games with multiple card packages.
• With deck - A strip of cardboard that overlooks the contents to add a storage level (e.g.: top folded top, components below).
• Mixed (cards + accessories) - Very complex cale combining map slots, pawn shaft, hourglass support, slot rulebook. The standard of modern high-end games.

The design of a multi-finger hold is an iterative work where subtle parameters can make all the difference: depth of cavities, spacing, notches to facilitate the grip, robustness to manipulation. On PDF or 3D model, these parameters are difficult to judge.

The physical model allows:

• Ergonomics test - We're really trying to take/drop each component.
• Dimensional verification Are the components really entering their cavities?
• Visual validation - Premium effect expected?
• Strength test - Does the hold hold after several cycles of use?

• 1. Technical plan 2D/3D - Design of the hold on CAD software according to the components to be hosted.
• 2. Model cut - Production of a single white cardboard 1.5-2 mm copy via laser cutting or digital cutting table.
• 3. Customer test - The customer receives the model + all components. It tests on 2-3 cycles of use.
• 4. Iteration - If necessary adjustments (cavitity too tight, etc.), new model in 3-5 days.
• 5. Final validation - Once the model has been fully validated, the production of the hold series is launched (with the final printed visual this time).

For a typical B2B project, count:

• First model - a moderate envelope depending on the complexity of the hold (number of cavities, special shapes).
• Additional iterations - a moderate envelope per additional model.
• Time limit - 5 to 8 working days per model.

Small investment vs. the cost of a serial reprint for hold failure (which can reach a significant cost). We recommend the model for all projects > 500 copies.

Before 2000, the game pawns were either functional (cubes, flat pawns, tokens) or illustrative (detailed figures like Risk). The meeple invented a third way: a simple figurine, immediately identifiable as "human", without unnecessary details.

Created by the designer Bernd Brunnhofer for the Carcassonne game (Hans im Glück, 2000), the meeple has been an immediate success. Its recognizable form (sleek human silhouette) has made it a distinctive sign of modern "German" board games (Eurogames).

The word "meeple" itself is attributed to an American player, Alison Hansel, who used it in 2000 on BoardGameGeek - contraction of "my people" to designate his Carcassonne pawns.

For most business games, the 16-18 mm French beech standard is the right choice: sufficiently visible on the board, inexpensive to produce in series, ergonomic in hand. (more about our custom B2B game)

• Human Meeple (standard) - The classic Carcassonne shape, standing human silhouette.
• Thematic meetings - Car, animal, tower, castle, ship - adapted to theme of the game.
• Detailed Meeples (wrought or printed) - Standard version with laser engraving of a detail (sword, flag, instrument).
• Coloured Meeples - Worn in 7-12 colors to distinguish players.
• Meeples natural wood - Crude oiled aspect, CSR aesthetic. (more about our corporate CSR game)
• Recycled plastic Meeples - Bioplastic alternative for eco-friendly approaches.

Right (classical) Pion

Historical shape of the pawn: simplified human silhouette, straight, without details. Typical height 15-20 mm. The absolute standard, used in all classic sets (Monopoly, Cluedo, Trivial Pursuit).

Pion cone

Simple conical shape. Silhouette of a cone placed on its base. Simpler to make, more economical. Often used for abstract games.

Cylinder Pion

Disc or short cylinder. Very stable on the board, little risk of falling. Ideal for placement games requiring a lot of pawns per player.

Thematic Pion

Animal (pin, snail, cat, hedgehog...), vehicle (car, train, boat), thematic object. Ask for a custom-made piece cutter or wooden tower. Higher cost, maximum immersive effect.

Meeple

See dedicated entry. Stylized human silhouette in the fashion of modern games.

• French beech - The standard. Light wood, hard wood, economical, French availability important. 90% of our pawns.
• Maple - More expensive, whiter, premium finishes. For fine laser engraving pawns or pastel dyes.
• Charm - Very hard (Brinell 4.4 vs 3.4 for beech). For very high durability pawns (10+ years intensive use).
• Exotic wood (forbidden) - We do not use any exotic wood (cahogan, palisandre, ebony) - environmental assessment incompatible with our CSR approach.

• Natural wood oiled - Gross appearance, without coloring. Ideal CSR approach.
• Transparent varnishes - Watery varnishes that protect without masking the natural colour.
• Color dyes (10+ colours) - Penetrating dyes, the grain remains visible. Colours: red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, black, white, gold, etc.
• Opaque paints - Covering solid colours. Plastic effect on wood.
• Laser engraving - Controlled burning of wood on the surface to create a brown pattern in hollow. Without ink, natural.
• Screen printing - opaque wood print for logo, detailed text, complex patterns.
• Hot foil stamping - Transfer of metal film (gold, silver) for premium effect.

Available in:

• Natural - Light beech undyed, warm look. The most ecological.
• Primary colours - Red, yellow, blue, green, black, white.
• Custom colors - Pantone matching for brand colors (MOQ (minimum order quantity) higher).
• Marked - Screen printing or stamping of a logo or symbol on 1 side.

All our cubes are produced in the EU from beech or maple from sustainably managed forests (paper responsible certification). EN71-3.

Chain production: sawing, polishing, dyeing, drying. Quality control by sampling: geometry (tolerance 0.2 mm), colour, absence of radiance.

Standard options:

• Natural - Light beech undyed, warm and ecological look.
• Colour dye - Red, yellow, blue, green, black. Dyeing with food colourings conforming to EN71-3.
• Screenprint 1-3 colors - Logo, value, symbol on 1 or 2 sides.
• Laser engraving - Permanent engraving on the surface. Premium effect.
• Polishing songs - Polished song finish for luxury effect.

• Premium look - Wood immediately gives a feeling of superior quality vs. cardboard.
• Sustainability - Holds thousands of manipulations without visible wear.
• Sensuality - Weight and touch characteristics, tactile return satisfactory.
• Ecological rationale - French wood certified responsible, biodegradable.

• Pawn player - Different colors to identify players on the board.
• Object marker - Simulate a tower, a mast, a standing character.
• Target - In the address games (putting down the bowls).
• Advancement marker - On a linear score track.

• Natural - Light beech, warm look.
• Colour dye - Red, yellow, blue, green, black. EN71-3.
• Cylinder screen printing - Logo or vertical symbol (technical) pad printing).
• Laser engraving - Permanent engraving.

A game hourglass The professional is composed of four elements:

• Two ampoules of borosilicate blown glass - Thermal shock resistant glass, transparent, lead free. Typical diameter 25-40 mm.
• A calibrated neck - Connecting the two bulbs. The internal diameter of the neck and the amount of sand determine the flow time.
• Coloured sand calibrated - Accurate granulometry (usually 0.2-0.4 mm) and uniform colour (red, white, blue, black most often).
• Wooden support - French beech most often, which keeps the hourglass vertical and protects the glass from shocks.

The standard accuracy of a game hourglass is ±5% over the nominal time (a 1 min hourglass runs between 57 and 63 seconds depending on the examples).

The manufacturing of a game hourglass follows a process of craftsmanship-industrial:

• 1. Glass breathing - Both bulbs are hot-blown by a glassmaker (a semi-crafted process across Europe or industrial in Central Europe).
• 2. Calibration of the neck - The neck is stretched to the torch until the precise internal diameter corresponding to the desired duration is reached.
• 3. Sand Filling - Precise quantity of calibrated sand inserted into a bulb, then closed by welding the glass.
• 4. Duration test - Each hourglass is individually timed. Tolerance ±5%.
• 5. Mounting on support - The hourglass is fixed vertically on a wooden support (pasted or held by tones).

Sleeves are made in the most common format:

Three levels of quality:

• Standard (40-60 microns) - Basic protection, light, cheap. Suitable for occasional use.
• Premium (80-100 microns) - More rigid, better protection. Standard for intensive B2B training.
• Tournament (120+ microns) - Very rigid, opaque on the back for hidden information cards.

The sleeves make sense to:

• Training games widely used - Maps handled tens or hundreds of times. Sleeves multiply the lifespan by 5-10.
• High-value cards - High-end cards, event cards, customer collection cards.
• Multi-user games - Several facilitators, several teams, fast wear context.

For a B2B game used 1-2 times a year, the sleeves are superfluous - good filming is enough.

The production of a scratch card combines 3 steps:

1. Printing of hidden content on the cardboard (text, code, image).
2. Application of a sublayer white or coloured to prevent transparency below.
3. Application of latex silver or gold in screen printing thick, in precise area.

Dry latex adheres to the cardboard but can be removed by manual scratching thanks to its specific texture. Once scratched, the contents appear net.

Scratch cards are widely used for:

• Promotion codes and contests - Distribution in stores, customer events.
• Serious games - Mechanics of surprise, progressive revelation of information.
• New starter onboarding - Fun discovery of corporate culture.
• Event goodies - Trade show, seminar, commercial kick-off.
• Internal raffle tickets - Internal HR events.

Latex screen printing imposes constraints:

• Realistic minimum MOQ 500-1000 units. Below, the cost of starting the engine kills profitability.
• Limited scratch surface : well defined areas (logo, rectangular window). No very complex shapes.
• Additional lead time : +5-7 days vs a classic card to integrate the latex screen pass.
• Flat storage : to avoid premature latex release.

Standard forms (economic, immediate availability):

• Round - Diameter 16, 18, 20, 25 mm. Standard resource or dots.
• Square - Side 15, 18, 20 mm.
• Hexagonal - Side 18-25 mm. Modern look.
• Cubic - Side 8, 10, 12 mm. Standard wood resource.

Custom shapes (specific cutting or moulding, MOQ Superiors): piece, star, animal, customer logo.

Several options depending on the material:

• Wood - Screen printing 1-3 colours, stamping, laser engraving.
• Plastic - Tampography, screen printing, hot foil stamping.
• On compact cardboard - Offset printing direct before cutting punchboard.
• Metal - UV epoxy padding, laser engraving, hot foil.

THE punchboard meets a manufacturing challenge: producing hundreds of small cardboard chips individually would be extremely expensive and complex to condition. The solution: pre-cut all the pieces on a large board, leaving just a thin strip of material that breaks under pressure of the player.

The player receives the whole board in the game box and "punches" the coins itself at the time of first use. Positive collateral effect: it has become a ritual of initiation among the players (the "punching" is even shown in the videos of unboxing).

• Compact cardboard - Typical 1.5 to 2.5 mm thick. The 2 mm is the standard.
• Board format - Common dimensions A3 (297×420 mm) or A4 (210×297 mm). Adaptable according to the content.
• Pre-cut - Made to the press to cut with a dedicated shape. The pieces hold by 4-6 micro-puns of cardboard (each of 0.3-0.5 mm) that break at the pressure.
• Double-sided printing - The pieces are printed on both sides (recto = symbol/value, reverse = uniform pattern).
• Lamination - Mat or shiny to protect the parts.

• Score chips - Tokens numbered (1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100) to record points.
• Resource chips - Wood, brick, wheat, sheep... for management games like Catania.
• Modular tiles - Board tiles that assemble (carcassonne type placement games).
• Character marker - Cardboard chips (economic alternative to meeples wood).
• Event cards - Maps in special format (round, hexagonal) that cannot be made in standard cards.
• Reference discs - Overlayed rotating discs for game mechanics (chronology, scoring).

THE punchboard is a compact cardboard (1500-2500 g/m2) on which the pawns are printed, then pre-cut 90% by guillotine cutter The remaining 10% form micro-attaches that hold the pawns in place until they are detached by the player.

The gesture is intuitive: you press the room with an inch, it is detached with a clear click. No tools required.

THE punchout is one of the key moments of the UX of a board game:

• Anticipation - The player discovers the pieces one by one, like a gift unpacking.
• Touch pleasure - The net click of the detachment is satisfactory, ASMR.
• Collective ritual - In groups, we often untie several, creating a social moment.

For a B2B game, this positive moment creates a striking first impression and installs emotional engagement.

• Adapted Cartonage - Compact rigid cardboard 1500g+. Too soft = pawns that detach themselves in transport.
• Calibration of micro-attachments - 4-6 0.5-1 mm attachments per pawn, equidistant.
• Machine test - Every new punchboard requires a test to validate the ease of detachment.

The Velleda ink contains a volatile solvent and wax that keeps the pigment on the surface (without entering the material). Once the solvent evaporates (a few seconds), the wax pigment remains hung but can be easily wiped with a dry cloth or sponge.

Without prolonged cleaning, writing can remain readable for a few weeks. But a few months later, it can become difficult to erase (aged wax). Always wipe after use.

• Slate Velleda game - Score meter, guess drawings (Pictionary type).
• Film-coated tray inscriptible - Reusable planning table, followed by part.
• Erasable film-coated cards - Cards that players annotate and then erase between the games.

• Fine or wide tip - Fine (1-2 mm) for precise annotations. Large (3-5 mm) for drawings and titles.
• Colours - Standard 4 colours (black, red, blue, green) in kit.
• EN71 compliance - Markers sold with slate child must be EN71-3 Check the laboratory report.
• Cap with wiper - Small felts with mini-dryer integrated into the cap (practice).

A magnetic board standard is a multi-layer complex:

• Printed layer - Coated paper 135-170 g/m2 printed in quadrant.
• Ferrous layer - Slim steel sheet (0.3-0.5 mm) or special iron layer.
• Structural layer - Kraft wood board 1500-2000 g/m2 for rigidity.
• Layer over - Paper or finishing fabric.

The total thickness varies from 3 to 6 mm. The tray can be folded (softhing) or rigid.

The pawns to be used on a magnetic plate are equipped with an integrated magnet (typically 3-5 mm diameter neodymium).

• Wood peas with magnet inserted - Magnet stuck in a cavity pierced at the base.
• Plastic peps molded on magnet - Magnet inserted in the moulding. More economical in large series.
• Metal magnets - Soft steel pawns that magnetize themselves. Premium look.

• Chess games / Travel checker - A long time standard, a train player or a plane.
• Mobility training - Training facilitator who travels by train or car.
• Premium Strategy Games - "satisfaction" effect of the magnetic click, pro look.
• HR/Project Steering Tables - Wall magnetic tray with coloured pawns representing the statutes.

THE folding board is manufactured in several stages:

1. Die-cut of the kraft wood cardboard (1500-2000 g/m2) in rectangular sections.
2. Cross-country of the coated paper printed on the top of the sections.
3. Laying of the canvas fabric hinge on the lower (or intermediate) face connecting the sections.
4. Back-side-crossing Of coated paper or fabric for finishing.
5. Folding and mechanical testing.

• Compactness - 60×60 cm tray in a box of 30×30 cm. Optimization of transport and storage.
• Robustness - The fabric hinge is extremely durable (thousands of possible folding).
• Unpacking effect - The gradual deployment of the board creates a playful anticipation.
• Universal standard - All players understand the mechanism immediately.

One NFC tag is composed of two simple elements: a copper antenna (a few centimetres) and one small electronic chip which stores a few bytes of data (usually a URL or an identifier).

When a smartphone (NFC equipped, which is the case for 95% of modern smartphones) is approached within 10 cm of the chip, the phone antenna electromagnetically feeds the NFC chip, which transmits its data in return. No battery or battery is needed in the chip - it is passive technology.

The transmitted data can trigger: opening a URL, launching a video, sharing contact, opening a specific app, scanning a dedicated web app.

• Explanatory video by map - Scanning an event card triggers a 30-second explanatory video on a smartphone.
• Automatic score - Each card has a value encoded in the chip. Scanning the cards in hand automatically calculates the score.
• Exclusive content released - The game's NFC chips unlock complementary content on the web app (rule variants, strategic advice, rankings).
• Authenticity (anti-counterfeiting) - Each game has a unique identifier to verify authenticity.
• Tracking parts - Game stats (number of games, players, scores) collected via app for UX study.
• Adaptive mode - The difficulty of the game adapts to the choices scanned via NFC.

• Frequency - 13.56 MHz (ISO 14443 standard).
• Distance reading - 0 to 10 cm (beyond, reading impossible).
• Memory capacity - 48 bytes (NTAG213) to 924 bytes (NTAG216) typically. Suffices to store a URL or ID.
• Lifespan - Indefinite (passive, no battery to replace).
• Compatibility - All Android smartphones (since 2010) and iPhone (since iPhone 7, 2016).
• Reprogrammable - Yes (NTAG213/215/216), allows to modify the content after manufacture.