r/boardgames • u/NandoSonny • Jul 23 '26
Custom Project Here, board games are expensive, costing 500/600 bucks, so I made my own.
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u/WhaleNipps Jul 23 '26
Wow everyone is getting really pedantic about the title here.
I just think you did a great job creating this and am happy to see you enjoying the hobby.
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u/Bagginnnssssss Jul 23 '26
I agree this looks great, and I'd have fun playing it
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
I swapped the flying Nazgul miniatures for horses to make it more like the movie, and I also made the Witchking fly to look more imposing.
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u/Xacalite Jul 23 '26
I don't know where "here" is but i can't imagine the import of a cheap chinese knockoff costing that much.
Then again, your bootleg looks pretty well made too.
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
This is Brazil, and there's a 92% import tax. I'm not kidding, the game costs between 500 and 600 reais here. Thank you, I did my best.
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u/sejuukkhar Jul 23 '26
Jeez, that's $100 to $120 USD. That's crazy.
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u/shanem Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
There are games that expensive in the US, what is crazy is the "average" income is about $700/month, so relative cost is huge to income.
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u/daniel-sousa-me Jul 23 '26
And the $100 is for the most expensive games in the US. In Brazil that's the starting price for imported games
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u/Signiference Always Yellow Jul 23 '26
I paid $120 to have purchase and have it shipped from the UK to the US when it was out of stock for so long here. Have definitely got my $120 worth with this game. Love it!
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
I have a friend who lives in Ireland, I've thought about asking him to send it to me, the problem is that it would be in English (not everyone here knows English) and it could also be taxed.
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u/Casaiir Jul 23 '26
I buy things and ship them to my family a few times a year. They also fly the the US to "visit" me. In reality they come here with what they are wearing and like one change of clothes and two giant suitcases.
They buy a bunch a stuff and go home to sell it to pay for the trip.
Oh sorry, if I were going to shop a boardgame I would ship in a a big box with other stuff, like candy and snacks and stuff. That way under scan the pieces look like everything else in the box.
I sent them a phone last year and just said "here's your phone you left last time you were here" It worked.
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
Yes, things sent by an individual are easier than through a large company, the problem is that they sometimes check the values and you get taxed 100%.
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u/Ordinary-Nickname Jul 23 '26
And this is the retail price, now the game is OOP here so people are selling for 100% more
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u/BilboGubbinz Jul 24 '26
It's about 10-20% of median monthly income, which is a better metric.
Imagine spending a week's wages on a board game and you're getting closer to a sense of what the actual cost is.
So for the US imagine a board game costing $500-1000.
No shade on OP, facing those kinds of costs I'd consider doing the same.
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u/Merman_Pops Jul 23 '26
So that $ 120-100 USD?
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
That's right, something around that price.
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u/Tamas_F Jul 23 '26
So its not 500-600 as the title claims?
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
In Brazilian Real, that's 500/600; in US Dollars, it's 100/120. This is just the conversion; for us, 500 is a third of the minimum wage.
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u/Borghal Jul 23 '26
The title says "bucks", if you assume that means something USD/EUR/AUD/CAD etc. that's your own defaultism bias, not OP's issue.
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u/Hemisemidemiurge Jul 23 '26
there's a 92% import tax
♪♫ ...Yo-ho-ho! And a bottle of rum!... ♫♪
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u/Retax7 Keyflower Jul 23 '26
If you think that is high, never look up import taxes in argentina. Besides, you paid the taxes for THE CHANCE of actually receiving you package.
Pretty common to sell used ones at 200-300% of its MSRP.
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
A few years ago, importing was quite cheap here, but this new government has made everything more expensive and prohibitive.
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Jul 23 '26
[deleted]
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
Do you create or resell games? I'm curious how people usually do it.
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u/J-A-G-S Jul 23 '26
There's a big difference between 500/600 "bucks" and 500/600 reals.
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u/sharrrper Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
"Buck" is used as slang in America for a dollar. So for an American the phrase "500/600 bucks" implies 500-600 American dollars. Which would be ten times what an average game costs here. Which seems crazy. The exchange rate to reais would make it about double instead, which is expensive but believable.
Based on a quick Google search it seems like buck is usually specifically slang for American dollars even internationally as it's an American word. Not generally used for other currencies. Which is why your title may be throwing people off.EDIT: Apparently I am incorrect. In my defense I knew buck=money was American in origin but I was unsure if it was used in other countries for other currency. Canadians have slang for their dollar coins that are specific to Canada (as far as I know) for instance. I already knew OP was in Brazil from his other comments and the idea he may have heard the term and was using it incorrectly in translation would not be crazy. Me not knowing the usage also very plausible. Hence my Google search. A quick skim seemed to indicate it was American specific. I was trying to be helpful not critical. Guess I should have looked harder. My apologies.
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
Sorry, I only used the translator.
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u/Borghal Jul 23 '26
Don't worry, you did nothing wrong, the above guy is full of himself. It's an international word.
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u/monotone2k Jul 23 '26
Except in Australia, where I learned from Bluey that the correct term is dollarbucks.
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u/Borghal Jul 23 '26
Based on a quick Google search it seems like buck is usually specifically slang for American dollars even internationally as it's an American word.
Your "quick Google search" got it wrong. Based on my experiences in several countries I can testify that "buck" is sometimes used as a shorthand for currency in many countries when people speak English. Not only have I seen it used in English-native countries (CAD, AUD, rupees, rands...), I've also heard it used for EUR, CZK, PLN and some others.
Maybe this was less widespread before the age of the internet, but these days the only way you could assume "buck" means any specific currency is if you had additional context that would narrow it down.
Speaking of context, in this instance, you can immediately assume OP's "bucks" are neither CAD, USD nor EUR since those countries aren't known for inflated game prices.
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Jul 23 '26
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
I don't advise anyone to do this to sell it; besides the legal issues, it's not worth the effort. I made it for myself as a hobby. If the original were a little cheaper, I would have bought it, like I did with Trolls and Princess, for example.
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Jul 23 '26
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
The moderators might consider this wrong and delete the post, but ultimately I just wanted to show a project that I enjoyed.
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u/DrBoardGames Jul 23 '26
Technically it doesn't matter whether you sell it or only use it privately (in the US anyway), though I doubt a board game publisher would ever sue someone for making their own copy for personal use like this.
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u/aslum Space Empires 4x Jul 23 '26
The difference absolutely does matter in the US. If it's for personal use it's totally fine. If you're selling it, it's totally not.
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u/pallladin Co2 Jul 23 '26
If it's for personal use it's totally fine.
That is not true.
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u/aslum Space Empires 4x Jul 23 '26
As others pointed out you can't copyright game mechanics but even if you could fair use would have you covered as long as you're not selling the game or charging people to play.
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u/DrBoardGames Jul 23 '26
If you use copyrighted materials in your DIY version it's infringement. This includes art and text. It doesn't matter if it's for personal use or not, though the penalties are worse if you're trying to sell it. Fair use does not cover this.
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u/pallladin Co2 Jul 23 '26
fair use would have you covered
Nope. Fair use requires him to have purchased the original.
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u/aslum Space Empires 4x Jul 23 '26
It certainly does not. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use
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u/DrBoardGames Jul 23 '26
https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-fairuse.html
"How much of someone else's work can I use without getting permission? Under the fair use doctrine of the U.S. copyright statute, it is permissible to use limited portions of a work including quotes, for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, and scholarly reports. There are no legal rules permitting the use of a specific number of words, a certain number of musical notes, or percentage of a work. Whether a particular use qualifies as fair use depends on all the circumstances. See, Fair Use Index, and Reproductions of Copyrighted
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u/DrBoardGames Jul 23 '26
Having purchased it does not make it non-infringing if you essentially copy it. That's not what fair use means (but to be honest fair use is not clearly defined by law and has to be decided on a case by case basis, which is a big flaw in the system).
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u/DrBoardGames Jul 23 '26
You are mistaken. Using small, limited portions could fall under fair use, but there is no "personal use" exemption in US copyright law.
"Can I make copies of copyrighted material for personal use? No, you cannot make copies of copyrighted material for personal use. It is not permissible to reproduce copyrighted materials in any circumstance, without the written permission of the copyright holder, unless it falls under Fair Use policy." From https://nytlicensing.com/latest/methods/copyrighted-material-without-permission/
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
In the US, the land of DIY, you can't make something with rights for your own use? That's bizarre.
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u/pallladin Co2 Jul 23 '26
DIY is not the same thing as violating copyright.
There is a lot of misinformation in this thread.
For one thing, unless you copied the artwork and the rulebook, there is no copyright. You cannot copyright gameplay. You can patent gameplay, but only a handful of the thousands and thousands of games out there have any patents, and most of those have expired anyway.
So making your own version, with your own art, is not a IP violation.
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
We're telling you to use it, and only you use it. If you think any company has control over your home, your things, your time, and your effort, that's a shame.
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u/DrBoardGames Jul 23 '26
Yes but isn't that what OP did? Use copyrighted art to make their DIY version?
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u/Suppafly Jul 23 '26
The "unless it falls under fair use policy" directly contradicts the "you cannot make copies of copyrighted material for personal use" bit. Personal use is pretty much de facto fair use.
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u/DrBoardGames Jul 23 '26
No, it isn't. It's NEVER fair use to completely copy a copyrighted work, no matter how it's used.
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u/DrBoardGames Jul 23 '26
Ugh, arguments like this are why I quit reddit years ago. Look, you're entitled to your opinion, but not your own facts: https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-fairuse.html "How much of someone else's work can I use without getting permission? Under the fair use doctrine of the U.S. copyright statute, it is permissible to use limited portions of a work including quotes, for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, and scholarly reports. There are no legal rules permitting the use of a specific number of words, a certain number of musical notes, or percentage of a work. Whether a particular use qualifies as fair use depends on all the circumstances. See, Fair Use Index, and Reproductions of Copyrighted
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u/Suppafly Jul 24 '26
Linking to random FAQs instead of the actual law and totally ignoring a couple hundred years of caselaw isn't actually a good way to convince people you're making a solid argument when it comes to things where the actual law and caselaw are the only things that really matter. Especially so when you quote parts that somewhat agree with you while ignoring the parts that don't despite both being on the same page. If you don't like arguments, stay out of them.
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u/pallladin Co2 Jul 23 '26
Copyright laws only come into play when you're distributing pirated or copied content anyway.
Um, no. That is absolutely not true.
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Jul 23 '26
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u/pallladin Co2 Jul 23 '26
I'm just telling you how copyright law works.
Just because no company has bothered to sue an individual doesn't mean I'm wrong. It just means that it's never worth the effort.
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Jul 23 '26
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u/pallladin Co2 Jul 23 '26
I'm only attacking the people who are making false statements about how copyright law works.
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u/RaggamuffinTW8 Jul 23 '26
So the first thing I saw was Terra Media and never having read LotR in Portuguese I just said to myself "oh this map is for a place called middle land" and it wasn't until I recognised some if the region names that I realised it was a homebrew version of a LotR board game I've never played.
Muito bem feito amigo. Tenho inveja.
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
I spent some time making it and haven't played it yet, but I intend to as soon as possible.
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Jul 23 '26
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
I made the miniatures and printed the dice too; there's no other way to do it with quality. I made a mistake in painting them; maybe it would have looked better without painting.
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u/shadree Jul 23 '26
Looks professional. Nice work. (I also worried about the 500 price tag 😆)
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
Thanks, to give you an idea, a PS5 at launch cost $500, here it was 4,000 reais, 3 months of work.
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u/natyhiga Jul 23 '26
I knew you were brazilian just by the title, tamo junto.
Fez em uma gráfica normal?
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
hahahah Brasil não é para amadores, eu fiz tudo em casa, fiz as artes e imprimi tudo aqui, inclusive a caixa, só não fiz a torre pq eu iria gastar com resina algo que não precisa de verdade, no futuro pretendo fazer um outro e a qualidade vai ser melhor
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u/SpeechWeird5267 Jul 23 '26
What's the boardgames scene like in Brazil? How did you get into boardgames?
I'm based in London, UK. I would say that I'm on the lower/lowest end of the socioeconomic scale. I came across a social group that do board games on meetup. I was intrigued as I was typically familiar with monopoly, cluedo, scrabble and the like. But they introduced me the bigger range of board games like Dominion, Port Royale, 7 Wonders, etc. But it is niche and not really accessible for others within this lower socioeconomic status/class. Respect for making and adapting to your circumstances. 🙏
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u/anonimo99 Agricola Jul 24 '26
I would say you can make an effort to join boardgaming events and spend as little as possible. At some point you should find house groups where thete are very little assumptions on what you you take to snack or something and it's basically only the time commitment. In return you should be a friendly, reliable and fun gaming partner though.
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
Is it expensive for you too? Board games are expensive here, and if you have miniatures, it's even more expensive, but almost everything here is expensive these days. To give you an idea, I stopped ordering delivery and now we make hamburgers at home because it's tastier and cheaper.
I started with board games when I was a child, I love seeing the boxes stacked up, I hope to release my own someday hahaha
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u/natyhiga Jul 24 '26
Not accessible at all, and I can tell they are not trying to be. Companies and events are targeting millennials that have disposable income and a bit of a collector mindset. There's been a lot of efforts to bring award winning games and RPGs. Deluxe editions and all.
Also I'd say it's a fairly new hobby and kinda niche. There's a lot of effort coming from people to build communities tho, so hosting play parties in public spaces, or supporting indie devs!
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u/PettyLikeTom Jul 23 '26
Can I ask, what was your process of making it? I'm trying to do the same
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
I searched for images online and watched unboxing videos, recreated them, printed them on photo paper, laminated the board and box (this gives it superior quality), applied Holter paper (the original paper from manufacturing), and printed the rest in 3D resin. Nothing is difficult to do, just laborious, especially the cards because they are double-sided.
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u/Chigabytes Jul 23 '26
I looked up holter paper and that didn't turn up anything on google.
Como se diz em português?
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u/en7roop Jul 23 '26
Jokes on you, but big games in my country really cost $500-600. Even more so if they are exclusive non-translated preorders. A complete set of Concordia, Puerto Rico and Castles of Burgundy sits at a hefty $1700.
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u/Eclo_Wing Jul 23 '26
Looks insane, well done!
I did this with expansions to Knizia's LotR 2000, which, given it helped inspire Pandemic, feels like Ëarendel himself.
I can send you files if you'd like?!
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
I didn't know this one, is it good?
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u/Eclo_Wing Jul 23 '26
If you enjoy Lord of the Rings, it's a certified win, yes! It's old (in board game years), and it's co-operative just as FotF is, but it's a staple in my groups! There's less field strategy, but with John Howe's beautiful artwork, it's just a lovely campaign!
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u/blarknob Twilight Imperium Jul 23 '26
Your Nazgûl are way better.
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
Thanks haha I tried to make it more like the one in the movie, and I made the Witch King the only one who can fly and is bigger than the others.
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Jul 24 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/NandoSonny Jul 24 '26
I designed the minis myself; I don't know if there's anywhere that offers them. I'll upload mine to Cults.
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u/BilboGubbinz Jul 24 '26
Did a comparison to Brazilian median wages and the equivalent cost in UK pounds is about £1000.
My god games are expensive in Brazil!
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u/Aragorn0071 Jul 25 '26
This board game is unavailable in my country and in my language, and I really dream about owning it. This post inspires me, maybe I should translate it myself and do it!
What did you need to do this?
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u/NandoSonny Jul 25 '26
Do this, you need to understand how to make cards, a board, and a box; it's not difficult at all, but it requires patience.
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u/GordoHELADO Jul 25 '26
Nice skills. Awesome game. We’ve played 4 matches and still haven't managed to win one :D
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u/tropical_heatt Jul 26 '26
You just know the instruction manual will be at least 50 pages thick....
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u/Shoddy_Variation2535 Jul 26 '26
You didnt really make your own. You pirated it, thats different. Totally get it though. Enjoy
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u/NandoSonny Jul 26 '26
I made my own version of the game, is that better?
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u/Shoddy_Variation2535 Jul 26 '26
Your own version? If I'm not mistaken, you downloaded and printed the game cover for Fate of the Fellowship right? So, I assumed the rulebook and components are for th same game too.
Again, nothing against it, I see no harm in it.
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u/NandoSonny Jul 26 '26
No, I created the artwork myself, I didn't download anything, and I even made the 3D thumbnails.
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u/OxRedOx Jul 27 '26
Pay asmodee 2 billion dollars please.
Nah I play games online with Brazilians and Eastern Europeans quite often
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u/s0n1cm4yh3m Jul 23 '26
I'm not one to condone piracy but, yeah, have fun! The most important thing is the collective experience.
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
I don't encourage anyone to do this, I only did it for myself because it was fun to do.
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u/Vsx Jul 23 '26
Nothing was stolen. Nothing was sold to anyone who would have otherwise bought the product. If you can't do this then you can't draw pikachu in your notebook.
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u/zaneprotoss Jul 23 '26
Nothing was stolen but it was pirated. OP did not make the card and board designs from scratch. Nintendo has no realistic way to stop you from drawing Pikachu in your notebook but it can qualify as piracy or copyright infringement depending on why you're doing it.
OP could have bought the game (although at a crazy markup). High cost is often used as an excuse for piracy but it's still piracy.
I however am glad that OP is able to enjoy such an amazing game.
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u/Vsx Jul 23 '26
It is absolutely not copyright infringement or piracy to draw Pikachu in your notebook. It's crazy how brainwashed people are by corporations.
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u/pallladin Co2 Jul 23 '26
It is absolutely not copyright infringement or piracy to draw Pikachu in your notebook.
That's only because the courts have made an exception for hand-made art.
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
I don't encourage anyone to pirate anything, but at the same time I don't consider self-reproduction as piracy, no matter how close to the original it is, it will never be the same. But I understand that many consider it piracy. I even encourage everyone to buy it, and I myself would buy it.
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u/zaneprotoss Jul 23 '26
I have no personal issues with what you've done. I think it looks great and I'm glad you're able to enjoy this great game.
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u/Gianchi8303 Jul 23 '26
Sooo cool! Are you gonna share the materials and rules?
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
Do you want to know what I used to make it? Basically, that's what I used: photo paper, 2mm Holter paper, resin printing.
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u/Biduleman Jul 24 '26
For the rules, it's an existing game:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/436217/the-lord-of-the-rings-fate-of-the-fellowship
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u/Retax7 Keyflower Jul 23 '26
- So, how much did it cost you to make it?
- 400 bucks and 400 hours of work
Jokes aside, it looks awesome. How much did it actually cost you?
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
It cost me 100 reais, which would be like 20 dollars, and almost a month of work. Many things were done wrong; it could be done with better quality.
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u/Retax7 Keyflower Jul 23 '26
I don't make much PnP, also south american with crazy taxes, crazier than brazil. But a good investment is a laminating machine, they cost around 50 bucks or so with 100 plastic sheets, and also a round border cutter, it will make your cards last way longer and look and feel much better.
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
I used that, the lamination makes the quality much better, it made all the difference, and it has a linen lamination, it must look gorgeous. I even got the paper weight wrong, it ended up too thick, it didn't need to be like that.
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u/Retax7 Keyflower Jul 23 '26
How did you do the board though? Looks amazing
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
It seems difficult, right? But it's not. Basically, I printed it on A4 paper and placed it on Holter paper. Once you understand how the board is folded, it becomes easy; the fold is made using kraft tape. The only problem is that it's a little smaller than the original. I wanted quality printing, and the price had to be lower; you can't have everything.
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u/EsotericTribble Jul 23 '26
Nice job.
Just a note tho - this is exactly how counterfeit copies are made and sold on Amazon lol.
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
Are there pirated copies on Amazon? Let me tell you, it's not worth making to sell; it takes too much time, and the selling price would be very close to the original.
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u/EsotericTribble Jul 23 '26
Absolutely yes it's a problem:
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2386095/counterfeit-board-games-on-amazon
https://www.facebook.com/groups/boardgamerevolution/posts/3643388189286426/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq3cDKKsHS4
I would say with your skills you could make up your own original game and crowdfund it (maybe try like 10-20 copies) and see where that goes. GL
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
Wow, people sell them as if they were originals! I'll tell you, I have at least two ideas for board games. I hadn't thought about crowdfunding them, but I intended to make them available for printing at some point. I'm working on a project to remake the never-released Degenesis Clans Wars game. I had to do everything myself since it never came out. When I finish, I'll make a video about the production process.
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u/EsotericTribble Jul 23 '26
That would be very cool and many designers started really small with crowdfunding/etc. Hope all goes well!
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
I had an idea for a board game called Shonen Heroes; the idea was to play with the concept of shonen anime using miniatures that "resemble" iconic anime characters.
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u/pallladin Co2 Jul 23 '26
Let me tell you, it's not worth making to sell; it takes too much time, and the selling price would be very close to the original.
The pirated copies on Amazon are made in the same machines that made the originals.
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u/desocupad0 War Chest Jul 23 '26
Sharing self-created projects are encouraged, but must be done so in a way that respects the intellectual property of publishers/designers. Shared game assets or digital recreations that are not publicly released by the IP holders require written permission by the IP holder. Game re-themes must be shared in such a way as to prevent physical recreation.
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u/Johnno117 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
Not to be a party pooper, but did you get permission for this reproduction? Otherwise by posting it you might be breaking rule #7.
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
I only made something for myself, can't I post it? I'm not giving anything away.
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u/musicismynation Jul 23 '26
I posted my pnp project here once and it was removed by mods saying piracy.
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u/donkeybrainhero Jul 23 '26
OP isn't sharing the assets, just showing us what they made for themself to use.
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Jul 23 '26
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u/Johnno117 Jul 23 '26
The game closest to me states specifically that written permission is required.
Frankly I'm fascinated that you don't carry that morality over to AI usage. Is AI image generation for personal use not okay, and is it not utterly ridiculous that you rabidly throw vitriol at anyone who posts any personal projects that use AI? Considering AI image generation is legally fine, especially so for personal use.
Care to explain your hypocritical morality?
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u/kemoko Jul 23 '26
Considering that taxes and geopolitical things, that OP cannot control, a game cost 1/5 of an average income. He is just a normal person that loves to play. I hope you (an the author) can just understand that and be happy for him.
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u/NandoSonny Jul 23 '26
Sorry everyone, the translation came out as "bucks" but it's Brazilian Real.