The StarArena Battle-Box 2003 is a mock-up of how we envisioned the commercial product to look like in game shops. Armed with this playable prototype and presentation model, we scoured a limited number of manufacturing companies to find affordable quotes. In short, the common replies were: Despite its simplicity, it remains a highly complex and costly process to produce. Somewhat of an understatement, your humble narrator has seen numbers sent by fax that could buy you a small island.
So, the Battle-Box mainly served as a portable game portal to play in public venues, keeping in mind that we played on a life-size tabletop for years. One such weekly event was on Saturdays in Vandal Com-X, back when it was still a brick shop in Amsterdam. But we would also take the show on the road and conduct promotional play sessions in various venues, far from our local comic shop, to gather the reactions of game testers. In a nutshell; This Battle-Box has some serious mileage on it.
StarArena Battle-Box 2003
Truly encompassing the old-fashioned definition of a mock-up, this piece is crafted from scrap wood, spray paint, hand-laminated color prints, and spray mount. Another project made with ‘Timber’ in the woodshop and finished at Studio TBH-Q. We made two battle boxes that day: one for travel and one to keep clean and pristine for presentation. This version is undoubtedly the most authentic in terms of StarArena game history and has the Battle-Damage to prove it!
This Battle-Box contains: An Original Limited-Edition 2003 StarArena Gameboard and the Original 2003 Game-Decks hastily put together for an art show. One last remark: The exorbitant quotes received for manufacturing and/or production of the Battle-Box have played a significant role in the decision to split up The Card Game and The Arena Game.
View the ‘The Making Of’ portfolio for the Early-Editions here.
