So, for Misspent Youth, I have developed a playmat which contains pretty much all the conflict resolution rules in a very convenient way. It's got this nice parabola, squares to put your chips, etc. The problem is to be useful it probably has to be about twice the size of a sheet of standard paper.

Would it be prohibitively expensive to produce something slightly durable to sell separately or to make part of the purchase of the game? I'm thinking something sort of like a D&D playmat in toughness/feel.

I can't think it would be too tough to take the file to Kinkos and say "print me a hundred of these, color, and laminate them."  I could be wrong, I suppose, but my GUESS would be that the perceived value-add of having that included with the rest of the game would offset the costs of getting it made... if you're willing to package a hundred of 'em and send them to the buyers yourself.

Alternately, you could make the mat part of the packaging -- wrap it like a GM screen with the text in the middle.  But then not every player gets one, unless you wrap it in three or something...

-G.

Hi Robert,

My suggestion is two-fold.

For the cheapskates out there, supply the mat on your website as a free pdf.  Supply it both as 2 pieces of 8.5x11 (to be taped together for the true penny-pinchers), and as a single 11x17.

Then, offer it as a CafePress t-shirt.  That's way cooler, and takes all of the packaging effort out of your hands.  Not to mention, it's useful as something other than a game aid.

Cheers,
Darcy

PS -- also, what Greg said. However, I've always been tempted to try my hand at silk-screening.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. There'd only be a need of one per play table, so that's actually the only thing that causes me to be cautious about putting one in every book. I'm wondering what a vinyl thing like the D&D play mats would cost, or even where to go to find that out. Something like <a href="http://www.hitmissorfumble.com/product_info.php?products_id=31580&">this.

This place:  http://www.modipoly.com/tablemats/index.html

does custom dinner place mat printing.  I don't know what the limitations are for complexity of design, but they have a variety of sizes and print on that plasticy rubbery stuff.

Greg's got the right idea, to my mind.  Make the mat part of the product.  Use it as a wrapper, or print it on the inside of the dust jacket, or make it the center spread, or something.  Not only will it integrate it with your book, but it will make your book stand out.

Valamir wrote:
This place:  http://www.modipoly.com/tablemats/index.html

I think for an ashcan stage (if there is one) I will probably just say "here, blow this up 400% at Kinkos." With time hopefully I can figure out how to make it how I want it. It doesn't help that I can't even express it in text.

In case you're curious, I was finally able to put this somewhere where people can look at it. A PDF of the current version of the playmat can be found at Splitting the Party, a new design-in-the-open Wordpress blog I'm participating in.

Why not just post an 11x17 PDF on your site and tell folks to laminate it at their local copy shop?

abzu wrote:
Why not just post an 11x17 PDF on your site and tell folks to laminate it at their local copy shop?

You could also look for a local company that does silk screening, and have them print it on cloth, white vinyl, or whatever.

But I think the Cafe Press T-shirt or bandana or poster is a GREAT idea that takes all of the production and fulfillment off your hands. (Note: Though they claim bandana, I can't actually find where one sets up a bandana product--might have to call to do it or go with a different company.) Or, if you want to fulfill for yourself, they can at least get you a bulk rate on the stuff.

FWIW, I tend to agree with Robert that, if only one per table is required, it needn't be a part of the book that (presumably) everyone at the table would buy. SO... offer a free PDF download or a printed shirt/poster/whatever for purchase, and leave it to the users to decide how they'll do it. At the Kinko's in MY area, by the time you color print an 11x17 heavy stock and sheet-feed laminate it, you're gonna be in for about $6 or $7, plus your time in line. I, for one, would rather buy one online than have to take my time to fabricate one.

David

A laminated poster is a good idea that I didn't think of. I really like the soft, roll-up, D&D battle-mat style but I think that the costs associated with it will be untenable.

I could Cafe-Press-up a bunch of 11x17 laminated posters and offer a special Authority Pack for the person who'll be running the game.