Arcane Tinmen ApS

Dragon Shield

is the new black.

That’s how the saying goes, isn’t it?

By Ian Spiegel-Blum • Narrative Designer, Dragon Shield

You may have already heard a little something about Dragon Shield Matte Dual sleeves. But in case you haven’t, allow me to fill you in. In late 2021, we released five brand new colors of sleeves for both standard and small-size cards. These colors had a crisp, clean pastel palette, with a slightly softer color profile than alternatives of the same color variety. We called them Lightning, Snow, Eucalyptus, Lagoon, and Orchid (available at your local game store now).

But these sleeves had something different about them other than the beautiful shades of yellow, white, green, blue, and purple that gave them their names. These sleeves were special. So special, in fact, that The Professor of Tolarian Community College fame said that these “…sleeves are actually flawless,” awarding the line an A+ as the gold standard for sleeves in his October 7, 2021 review. They have… a secret, shall we say?

A dark secret.

Hiding underneath the pastel palette is an innovation our customers have been asking about for a long time. Instead of the typical plastic front and two-sided color back of normal sleeves, the Dragon Shield Matte Dual is welded with a one hundred percent opaque black interior. No matter the lighting conditions, whether you are gaming underneath hot streaming lamps or in a feature match at a Pro Tour, you will never see the back of your cards through our Dual sleeves.

That’s a promise.

And now, we have another secret to share with you. The Dual line of sleeves is expanding with three brand new colors, each with its own original story and characters to go with them.

In the lore universe of Dragon Shield, the first five Dual dragons existed on both sides of an interdimensional gateway called The Wyrm Gate, functioning as demi-gods and overseeing the laws of existence. The three new dual dragons are their warders, or assistants, helping to ensure the barrier between these dual worlds is kept safe.

Peach is our new pastel shade of orange, featuring the dragon Piip on the front of the box, with artwork by Godfrey Escota for both the standard and small size versions. Piip helps Emme, our Orchid dragon, protect the sanctity of time.

Crypt, a light gray color, features artwork by Sabine van Apeldoorn, and the dragon Neonen, warder of the Eucalyptus dragon Lehel, the god of life and death.

Finally, Raul Cruz brings us depictions of the glacier dragon Miniom, warder to Saras, god of sea and sky. Together, the warder dragons keep the peace between the two worlds as best they can.

Pick up these brand new dual colors in your local game shop or online today!

Feedback AND

By Lynn Potyen, The GameBoard - Sheboygan WI

The week leading up to GAMA EXPO, retailers receive many solicitations to stop at booths, hear about special deals, and offers to have meetings with publishers. After being in business for over 15 years, the amount of time I have to spend in booths, meetings, and seminars is limited. I have found over the years that one of my favorite tools is to listen to the expectations and first impressions of fellow retailers.

For this to work best, I work with retailers who don’t always agree with my choices but always respect my voice. I have 2 to 3 groups that I regularly connect with on social media and I make sure to reach out to them during trade shows. We like to gather for a meal or coffee and share products we are interested in.

This year Stonemaier Games contacted me for a private meeting. I asked if a few people from these groups would want to listen to what they had to say. It’s important to have a small group for this kind of discussion. If it had only been my voice or perspective, the reps wouldn’t get an understanding of the greater concerns for the business and if it was a premier presentation they would be focused completely on selling a product.

What retailers needed to talk about was past service and experiences with this publisher. Retailer’s opinions of Stonemaier’s company were not generally favorable, the perception being that they did not care about what the retailers needed for the relationship to be successful.

With Alex and Susannah from Stonemaier up for the challenge, a small group of us gathered and had a heartfelt discussion. It refreshingly began with an apology to us retailers. That first sentence was so very important to create an open dialog of respect. I could feel the tension dissipate and conversation began.

I have been proud to create moments like this throughout the years with many publishers. We’ve even hosted multiple publishers at one time, just to go over the next releases. By creating genuine relationships that center on honesty and

CHANGE

are Key to Industry Growth

respect, we have been able to build a stronger Industry, one that values each other and listens with intent.

Stonemaier took a big leap of faith this year by sending reps to listen, take notes, and be in the moment. I look forward to the next steps that their company will be taking. I hope that they will continue to be a good partner and will honor their retailer sales force.

When you have a chance to sit and listen to a publisher or a retailer, remember that they are important to your business. This Industry has changed so much in the last 15 years and without each other we cannot continue to grow. Retailers have strong opinions because they work the front lines and see what the consumer is saying. When they tell a publisher something isn’t working for them, it’s important to consider that feedback.

During the exhibit hall, I told a publisher that their packaging wasn’t working for their product. They replied that they had never heard that before and said I was obviously wrong. Ten minutes later I ran into a fellow retailer and explained what had just happened. They had the same experience. This tells me that that publisher is no longer a partner we can work with.

On the other hand, Stonemaier’s product has a polished feel and the art stylings are lovely and charming. Games of today are a piece of art; they are an investment. They are beautiful, elegant, great for critical thinking, mental health, and socialization. It’s a different world and the tabletop scene is where it’s at. Come join the conversation and take a seat at our table.