VHS Case Challenge

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A board game’s box is often its most expensive component. It’s also the most easily damaged. So, earlier this year, when I launched Solo Game of the Month through Gamefound, I started using old-school VHS cases to house each game. And they’ve been a huge hit!

They look great and don’t take up much space on a shelf. They give customers a really cool nostalgia vibe. They’re super sturdy and hold up to international shipping extremely well. (And when they do get damaged, they’re cheap and easy to replace.) And they’re just big enough to contain a ton of gameplay in a very small package.

I was excited to see that the Game Crafter is now offering them as a box option, and I immediately asked if I could run another contest with the case as the main focus.

So, this contest is very simple: Make a great game that fits inside the VHS case.

However, do your best to fill the case with as much game as possible. (We’re not looking for micro games or 18-card wallet games!) So, get creative with how components are used. People should get done playing and wonder how in the world you fit that much game into a case literally the size of a VHS tape.

Examples

• Dieson Crusoe
• Rome: Fate of an Empire
• Hunted: Kobayashi Tower
• The Cursed Castle

Judge

Gabe Barrett - Founder of Best With 1 Games and the Board Game Design Lab

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• The game must fit inside the VHS Box.
• Any theme, player count, and mechanism is allowed. (All solo games will be considered for publication, but player count will have no effect on contest judging.)
• The game should play in 75 minutes or less.
• You have free reign to use any theme and mechanics you like.
• The game must have a printed rulebook.
• A PDF of your game rules must be downloadable from your game's shop page.
• Though not explicitly required, a 2-minute overview video is highly encouraged.
• All artwork must be your own, commissioned by you, licensed to you, or in the public domain. Be sure to attribute your images when required.
• The game must be publish-ready (as it relates to our shop, not as it relates to being finished). This means it has a logo, backdrop, shop ad, action shots, description, and cool factors. It must also have all images proofed.
• This must be a new game created for this contest. It cannot have existed on TGC prior to the start of the contest.
• All entries must be submitted through TGC's game editor (by clicking on the "Contests" button) no later than December 2, 2024 at 6pm US Central Time.
• Games and their shop page should not be changed after the contest deadline, until the finalists have been announced.
• Contestants may submit multiple entries to this contest. Each entry will be judged separately.

The winner shall receive all of the following prizes:

• $100 from Best With 1 Games.
• A trophy to put on your mantle.
• $250 of shop credit on thegamecrafter.com.
• Automatic Showcase status for their game on thegamecrafter.com.
• The possibility of judging a future contest.
• Induction into The Game Crafter Hall of Fame.

Semi-finalists, finalists, and the winner will all receive accolades for their achievements.

Finalists will be chosen from the group of semi-finalists by the following criteria:

• Gameplay - Is there a lot of gameplay in a small package?
• Creativity - Does the game overcome the box-size constraint in interesting ways?
• Product Viability - Would the game do well in the marketplace?
• Rules Clarity - Are the rules easy to understand?
• Shop Page - Does the shop page provide a good overview of what the game is and how it plays?

Finalists will be judged on the following criteria. (Each section is worth 10 points):

• Fun - Is the game enjoyable to play? Are we impressed by how much gameplay was packed inside the case?
• Creativity - How well did the designer overcome the box-size constraint?
• Product Viability - How well would the game do in a crowdfunding campaign and on the current market?
• X-Factor - What makes the game special and stand out from the rest?