After a lot of consideration between the two output options, I have decided that I will be moving forward with the card game for my final output.
Based on the testing I have conducted and the feedback that I have gathered the card game was a much more engaging and successful game overall. Based on the testing feedback, players said that from the card game they felt they had a clear idea of the mythological story of the game after playing, whilst also being a really fun and exciting experience. Based on the testing and game development of both of the outputs, I am much more confident in the game play of the card game. In my opinion, it is a much more well rounded and better developed concept than the current board game game play.
Other factors were also considered in terms of design choices, development of game play, accessibility of printing etc. I also had to take into account how long is left to complete the project. Although I would love to have a board game as part of my portfolio, with the time left in the semester I don't think I would be able to complete a fully fleshed out board game and accompanying materials to as high a standard as I expect for my work. In contrast, I have previous experience designing a card deck and printing it so I'm very confident in my abilities for completing this project with the timeframe.
From the research I have done into printing of both of my outputs, it seems much harder to find printers that will produce a board game board than it is to find a company to produce a custom card deck. In selecting the card game as my output, I have yet to decide whether I would like the cards to be printed digitally or screen printed however I imagine that decision may be made for me based on what printers themselves will be able to accommodate.
Printer Research
For the card deck I have been looking at a couple of different printers within Ireland, and trying to figure out which one would best suit my needs for the project. At the minute, I have been looking into Cartamundi Ireland Ltd. which are based in Waterford. They are formally part of Hasbro Inc. and are the largest European games manufacturing plant in the Cartamundi Group. However, from what I can tell from their website they seem to be a company targeted towards more bulk orders of games and although their portfolio is very impressive, it may not suitable for a smaller project like mine.
I have been running into the issue of actually finding printers that will create a full custom deck, most that I have seen give you the option to only slightly customise a deck. These look to be just gifts you can give someone with pictures of them on it, which is definitely not what I'm looking for.
In lieu of finding more printers to accommodate my project, I will be contacting Plus Print Ltd, which is a Dublin based print house. A few weeks ago, Ciaran Smith from the printers spoke with our class about how he could accommodate our projects. Ciaran seemed very helpful and knowledgeable, and mentioned that he often works with students on their graduate projects to make sure they get the best outcome. The printers are known for working with the design colleges in Dublin. However, from what I know of the company and what I've seen on their website they mainly tend to do booklet and more print orientated work so I will be contacting them to see if they will be able to accommodate my design output.