Concierge
Concierge is where we can lend a helping hand and one-on-one support with getting your project going on The Game Crafter.
Below you will find things that we can help with, and at the end we will include things that we cannot help with. We will also go over our terms of use at the bottom. If you are unsure if Concierge can help with your project, please contact customer service.
What Can't Concierge Do?
We have illustration and graphic design experience, but will only be able to offer general services in this vein. This means we will not be doing edits to your art, designing a box or logo, or assembling your images and text into cards. We cannot offer proofing or editor services for anything with text. Your files should be in their final state before they are provided to us.
We cannot design your game for you, or write your rules.
We cannot help create anything outside of what you find on the product pages. So if you want something 3d printed, made from a material we don't have, or in a size larger than we offer through TGC, Concierge cannot help. But Laboratory may be a better fit. Contact support about how to get a quote before opening a Laboratory project.
If you need an artist/graphic designer familiar with The Game Crafter, you can find some community artists here: https://help.thegamecrafter.com/article/15-artists-and-illustrators
What we can do
Formatting your files for use on The Game Crafter.
If you have your files in a size and format that doesn't upload to The Game Crafter, and you are not sure how to get them to work, Concierge can help with that.
PNGs and JPGs are perfect formats to provide to your Concierge, but they can take almost any format. Here are a few tips to make things quick and easy for you and your Concierge if you need them to format your files.
1) Try and use a universal format like a PNG or PDF.
2) Provide files in as high of a resolution as possible (300dpi or more)
3) Provide your preferred component type and size for the files you provide. For example, these 60 images are for Tarot Cards. Or These 60 chits should be about 30mm and triangles.
Those tips are not required, we understand if you are not sure how to do those things, and we will take your files as they are.
PNGs or JPGs
PNGs and JPGs are simple image files that the Concierge can edit very easily. These are the preferred format, but we understand that this is not always possible. If you are able to provide these at a high resolution (300dpi or more), that is also helpful. The Concierge cannot make an image less blurry if the image is too small. Especially if Concierge has to make your image larger, it will lose quality.
If you have a lot of images as separate files, please place them in a zip folder before uploading them. This will save you money, as the Concierge can download them faster. Our uploader has a 100mb limit. If your zip file is larger than that, feel free to image an image hosting site like Google Drive or Dropbox and share the link on your project.
PDFs
If your program can save, print or export as a PDF, that is also a great format. But, there is one big caveat. If the program does not embed your font, and you are using a non-native font, when the Concierge opens the file, a new font will be selected and used instead. This can mean that your layout may shift.
If possible, embed your fonts. Google generally has information related to embedded a font in the program you are using.
Word/DOCX, Powerpoint/PPTX, Excel/XLSX
Microsoft Office files have a similar issue to PDFs in where, their fonts and sometimes even formatting is not kept when opened by the Concierge. Exporting your files into something like a PDF with an embedded font, or an image file (PNG/JPG) is preferred. Not doing so may produce a different design for your files than you originally intended.
Adobe
Most Adobe files can be opened by the Concierge, and they can be helpful in ensuring that your files stay as they were originally designed. Some Adobe programs like Illustrator or InDesign will require you to embed your images and font into the files before sending.
Uploading your files to The Game Crafter.
Whether helping with formatting or you simply need help using the game editor. Concierge can help get your file uploaded to a game on your account.
Consultation on which of our products and parts would best suit your needs.
We all have an idea of what we want our game to look like, but maybe you don't know how to best to translate that to components or sizes that The Game Crafter offers. Concierge can work with your to select the best options for your game, including custom items.
They can then add those components to a game on your account so you can find templates easily for them, and pick and choose the options you want.
Help designing something in Component.Studio 2.
We can help setup your data sets and designs so you can import your images and information, and get a head start on your automated designs.
Making cut files for custom punchouts or custom plastic components.
Making a custom cut file for your components can be a complicated process. There are a lot of rules and things that could go wrong. If you need help reviewing your files, or prefer us to just make one for you, we can do that. We can also prep your image files so they work with the cut file.
This can include things like adding bleed, or arranging the images so they fit on fewer sheets. Here are some examples of items we have helped design:
And much more!
We can also help with a lot of odds and ends. Here are a couple of odd requests we have had that we were able to help with:
- Teaching someone to use Component.Studio 2
- Teaching someone to use the game editor
- Reviewing files to ensure they will print correctly
Pricing
We charge $50 per hour for our services at the Concierge with a minimum cost of $50 (1 hour) to get started. You'll see the hours we're putting toward the project live on your project tracker, as well as the cost of materials added to your project. Your initial $50 fee will be applied toward hours and materials.
We only charge for the time and materials used after that first hour, so if you use 1 hour and 10 minutes, we only charge for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Want a quote?
Most projects are completed in less than 1 hour. Everything we do is billed by time and materials, but if you want a rough estimate or just want to speak with us via e-mail about your project before jumping in, please contact customer service and put "Concierge Project" in the subject line..
Free Support
If you're looking for free support, we've got plenty of options to help.
Terms Of Use
When you start a Concierge project, you will notice a set of terms that you are agreeing too. Here are those terms and what they mean.
1)To get started on your project we need the initial payment of $50. This covers the first hour of work on your project, or as a downpayment of materials.
The $50 for the first hour is a minimum down payment. If your project goes less than that first hour, the remaining balance is not usable for future projects, changes or orders. It only covers the use of Concierge for the original work discussed in that project.
2) Every hour of work after the first will be an additional $50 that you will pay after the project is finished.
After the first hour, you are only charged for the time you use. So if your project takes 70 minutes, you are only charged for 1 hour and 10 minutes. If the project goes 2 hours and 10 minutes, are are still only charged for that exact time.
3) It is crucial to make sure you know what you want and to be as clear and detailed as possible before we start work.
If you are unsure what you want, this can add signification time to your project. If you are not sure you need Concierge, or if you do not include enough information or files for the Concierge to review, you will be charged for the Concierge trying to clarify what you need. It is best to include as much information as possible so the Concierge can get your project done in a timely manner.
If your project is closed, and you notice that you need more than you thought, you will need to make a new project for those additions.
4) We will send you previews of the work to approve before the project is considered complete.
Depending on your project, this may be screen captures of the files, or the files uploaded to your game so you can proof then. In cases like this, your game will be locked, until your project is complete, and the final balance is paid. Once paid, and the project is closed, your game will be unlocked.
5) Any requested changes to the project mid-project will add to the total time.
If we are working on your project, and you decide that you need additional work, your project will go longer than estimated. We can only provide you quoted times for what you have told us.
6) If you approve the work, then request changes after you have paid at the end of the project, it will be considered a new project.
After you pay, and a project is complete and closed. We will no longer be able to assist you on the original project. If you need changes, or what to talk to the Concierge, even for simple questions or clarifications, you must start a new project. The Concierge will not assist you on a closed project. If you have general questions about using the site or ordering your game, you should contact Customer Service instead.
7) From this point on, design time and project management time (email correspondence) will be calculated. This is not the time it takes you to respond to an email, but rather, the time it takes to respond to the emails you send.
Any time you ask a question, or leave a comment on your project, the Concierge will start the timer before reading it. The timer will continue running as they reply to your communications and review your files. This is also why, once your project is closed, a Concierge will not assist you, or answer questions on the project. You must start a new project if you want to speak further with the Concierge, all time with them is time you must pay for.
This also applies to emails you sent to Customer Service for the Concierge, with questions or quote requests. The time spent reading and replying to those emails will be applied to your project.
8) By sending the payment, you agree to pay for the work completed based on the hourly rate of $50 times the number of hours to complete the project.
Any time the Concierge is doing anything on your project, they will start a timer. You will be able to view the time registered under your invoice, as well as a total balance that will update as they progress though the project. If the Concierge is working on a game of yours, that game will be locked, until the project is done, and the balance is paid.
Any unpaid balance for an extended period of time on a finish project, with lack of communication from you, will be deducted from your project, your project closed, and the remaining balance added to your account as negative shop credit. The balance will need to be paid, before you can make any purchases on the site. The Concierge will attempt to contact you before these steps are taken, it is important to respond to them, to avoid having these measures taken.
Paying for the work on a Concierge project, means that you approve of the work done. Any updates, fixes or changes you need after that, will need to be a new project, no matter the reason for those updates.