Before moving further in this entry, a definition of what loyalty is would be helpful. Oxford Dictionary online states that loyalty is as a “strong feeling of support or allegiance.”
Has there ever been a game company in which you have enjoyed their games so much that you “have to have them all?” Of course I am not talking about Parker Brothers or Hasbro or other companies that have been around for 40+ years who has published hundred plus games. I am thinking more along the lines of companies that have twenty or less games currently published but have more than, let’s say, three games.
For my wife and I, there are a few companies that we really like and have most, if not all, of their games in our collection and there are quite a few that are still new companies which only have one or two games out so far and we are keeping an eye out for their new and forthcoming games to see if they are ones we will continue to support.
Factors in our Loyalty
What are some things that influence our loyalty to a publisher? There are four main factors that we look at in a publisher which are good quality in their products, communication, customer service, and (most important) integrity.
Good quality of product
If we support a company over and over again, we would want the quality of their products to last for a good period of time. We don’t want game boards that fall apart after a few plays or cards that can easily rip and get worn out fast. If you want us to invest in you, we expect you to invest into your product.
Communication
This category mostly covers the games we back on Kickstarter but not always. We appreciate when companies keep us informed of upcoming projects, changes in policies, etc. etc. Being open with your fan base and customers strengthens a companies client loyalty. I will speak more of this further down the post about a company who excels in this area.
Customer Service
A major factor regarding any publisher or store or brand is how well they treat their customers. The ability of a consumer to speak with a company about anything, good or bad, reflects the importance and value a company places on those who purchase their goods. This also ties into the integrity of the company as well.
Integrity
Oxford Dictionary online defines integrity as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.”
There is a company that we backed on Kickstarter who has shown poor integrity and we will never directly support again. They placed an order with the manufacturer that was well below the amount that was pledged for their new game. The lack of communication and then putting blame on someone else for their mistake which resulted in backers waiting over six months for them to fix the error was unacceptable.
It is believed they created another game to cover the costs of their blunder, this will only trickle down from game to game and we do not want to support that.
Companies who communicate well and keep us informed on what is going on with the production and the reasons for major delays show that they care about those who support them. More of this as I speak about the three companies below.
Now, let’s examine three companies that have earned our loyalty and the reasons behind it.
ThunderGryph Games
One of the first few games we backed on Kickstarter was, my #1 game still, Tang Garden. The look, design, & gameplay got me hooked right away. With all that they were doing to make sure the game was done properly and to the high standard they set for themselves upon release, I put my trust into them right away.
At one of our quarterly game swaps that we use to go to in pre-Covid days, we game across a vendor that had the majority of the previous releases from ThunderGryph. After reading what the games were all about we picked them all up and fell in love with everything they had. This covers the quality of product criteria, what about the other three?
During the Tang Garden campaign, I felt like the communication was great and for all the other campaigns since then, not an issue with keeping us informed as to the progress.
As for customer service, we had placed an order through their website once and got our product in a timely manner except for items that became backordered. Once the backordered items became available I got a shipping notice that it was on the way.
A day or so later I got an email from one of the ThunderGryph crew saying that they sent the complete order not just the backordered items and to go ahead and keep the extras. In my email response back, I stated that it would not be a problem to return the extras because they have been so good to me as a consumer. The response back I got was basically just a huge “thank you” for liking the games.
We ended up giving the extras away as gifts to family members who enjoyed playing them with us. This showed great integrity from them and is why ThunderGryph Games is my favorite publisher.
Final Frontier Games
We love the themed games that Final Frontier publishes (we have all of them). Following the progression The Five Relams storyline has captivated our interest as well as the Western and Medieval Robin Hood games too. The newest Kickstarter was for two games in a new Pillars of Creation series.
Each game, both large and small sized, they publish is done with high quality components and fine attention to detail. In the most recent update for an upcoming game they had communicated some of the major behind the scenes changes within the structure of the company which is causing some slight delays in the production of the game. Being open and honest with us backers help to set this company apart from others (you know, integrity).
We, personally, have not dealt with any customer service related items with the company but what I have read from previous Kickstarter campaign updates, they have helped those with issues with great satisfaction.
Stonemaier Games
Of the three companies, Stonemaier Games (SG) is the only one where we do not have every title. We were late joining in on the SG “bandwagon.” Our first experience was when we picked up a copy of Charterstone at the game swap because we heard great things about the game and it was our introduction to the legacy format. Wingspan came next and that is when we became hooked. Each game they publish has high quality components, is aesthetically sound, and are easy to learn just by reading the game manuals.
One thing that sets SG apart from other companies is that Jamey Stegmaier (one of the founders and head honcho of the company) is very open, sociable, and always (I stress ALWAYS) keeps his customers interests in mind first. He does a weekly Facebook update/Q & A session, releases blog entries and Youtube videos weekly, and listens to the suggestions that others provide him.
Honestly, I can say that it is because of the things Jamey does is what keeps us coming back to SG. Will we get the other games that we don’t have? Not sure yet. We will continue to support SG with their new releases? Yeah, I think so because of the loyalty we have with the company.
Final Thoughts….
Like with most things in life, having and giving loyalty is a part of living. At the same time, loyalty can change based on the actions of others.
An example of this is that I had a best friend who ended up being not the person that I once knew back in college. He was there for me when I was going through hard times (my divorce) and I was there to support him with his marriage and eventual divorce as well. The biggest difference is that he was not open to the advice that was given to him by those all around him to help him try to mend his marriage. He decided to remove himself from the lives of most around him blaming people for his misfortune.
We are still friends with his ex-wife who has become a dear and trusted friend of ours. As she had put it “she got us in the divorce and he lost it all.” We did not put one person above another and I would still be friends with him if he did not do the things he did to break our friendship.
An example of a game company that has lost a lot of loyal consumers in the States last year is Asmodee. They had changed their missing parts policy and started requiring consumers to return the whole game to the store they purchased it from. If you received the game as a gift (with no receipt) or got it second hand then you are out of luck.
The overall consensus by consumers and other game publishers is that Asmodee has made the biggest mistake ever. I just checked to see if they rescinded the policy and they have not. So in this case, if you want a game from this publisher… buyer beware.
Bottom line folks, loyalty comes and goes. Treasure it when you receive it, value it when you give it.
No comments:
Post a Comment