Packaging

When 2nd Edition was first released we had switched to confection boxes with a full-color printed label - a step or two above those acrylic baseball card-type boxes used in 1st Edition. Easier to load the pieces into the box and the box no longer cracked during travel. Mid-2002, we were set to roll out with sturdier jewelry boxes which had enough room to fit the CD-ROM inside the box - still the rubberband closure we weren't happy with [we have stock if interested email for price quote]. Thanks to a loyal piecepack fan [for reminding us], we decided the real solution was VHS cases, all the pieces fit nicely [put the tiles in first!], the CD-ROM was changed to the miniature type and we replaced the paper sleeve with vinyl - the box features self-closure, paper label insert & the bonus is that now the set can be displayed flat or upright!

Pawn Saucers

Since the inception of piecepack, MG has scouted a solution for making the pawns directional. Many solutions were tested, until one day inspiration struck - sleds! Originally the "saucers" were 7/8" wooden buttons with a black stripe down one portion [demo version]. The accessory was developed further. Now the non-drilled pawn saucers are multi-functional - used with pawns atop they provide directionality, the color dot on the top allows the piece to be used as stand alone directional game marker, turning them upside-down hides the color with still keeping directionality - this feature enables designers/authors to give the pawns even more functions!

Rulebooks

The rules CD-ROM all contain PDFs of all the games posted at www.piecepack.org and quick reference lists: games listed alphabetically by title, author and games listed by number of players with duration, we also include current contest information and contest history. The games, lists and contest documents are included within the rulebooks. The difference between the PDF rulebooks included on the CD-ROM are formatting: formatted for usual 8.5 x 11 printing, 8.5 x 11 mirrored margins for duplex (two-sided) printing/binding, and for those outside the U.S.A, we've added: PDFs for A4 printing (8.26 x 11.69) formatted for one-sided and also for duplex printing. For ease of reading we kept the font size on the large side (12-14) instead of traditional tiny font rules!

We have discontinued the printed rulebook offered during 2002 - color printing for over 400 pages was too expensive to outsource (one chain wanted $420 each!) - look for something new with the rules coming out during 2004.

Piecepack Game System

Original - MG released the first piecepack in June 2001 with 7 games. We changed the artwork (from purchased to created), packaging and finish & application process, then released the product as 2nd Edition in October 2001, by December 2001 the system was up to 13 games. We continued to add games to the rulebook and after the first contest [introduced by piecepack creator James Kyle] we moved the rulebook to a CD-ROM. In late 2003, we changed packaging, added pawn saucers, and changed the finish to a non-yellowing version - this product was officially released in January of 2004.

Expansions - Under development since June 2001,two expansions for the Piecepack Game System by Mesomorph Games were officially released in January 2004. The expansions include the same rules CD as 2nd/3rd Edition and the same number(24) and denomination of tiles, coins, pawns & dice, packaged in VHS cases with the appropriate pawn saucers and insert. Both expansions as well as 2nd/3rd Edition feature created artwork, copyrighted by designer - Karol Boyle.*

Piecepack 4 Seasons Expansion™

Again inspired by Winter, the designer selected icons reminiscent of the four seasons with colors selected from the left over publicly available game pawns (White, Light Blue, Purple & Orange) to keep this set accessible for personal use.* A White Snowflake represents the Winter suit and shows up beautifully against the wooden background once the finish is applied. The Light Blue Flower icon represents Spring. The Powder Blue of the game pawns didn't show up well against wooden pieces, so we chose to use a different shade for the stamped images. Reflecting the movement and activity as well as the designers love of water, the Purple Fish icon was selected to represent Summer. The beauty of Fall in Michigan inspired the Orange Leaf used to represent Fall. [We went with the colors as released for several reasons: Yellow and Brown do not show up well on the wooden pieces; Orange seemed to fit the Fall Leaf better and Purple [Tropical] fish are found in nature.

Note: Unlike the other sets, the suits (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall ) and icons (Snowflake, Flower, Fish, Leaf) of 4 Seasons Expansion™ have different names.

Piecepack Playing Cards Expansion™

It seemed only fitting that piecepack pay ohmage to the inspiration for the system itself: playing cards. The icons and colors are the same as those used in traditional playing cards, with Hearts and Diamonds in Red and Clubs and Spades in Black. To lessen confusion one each of the red and black pawns are topped with a silver dot, and one each of the red and black pawn saucers feature a smaller white dot within the color dot. [The pawns are purchased already sealed so we chose to use a permanent mark that would not need to have an additional sealer applied. Silver was chosen because it shows up well on all pawn colors] Players are encouraged to choose whether they want to use the "dotted" pawn/pawn saucer with Hearts or Diamonds and Spades or Clubs respectively.

*Look for generic art versions for both expansions to be posted to piecepack.org for free download sometime in 2004.

Page content last modified on: 02/23/2004