BLOG – GUTENBERG – You will have it for Essen

It was October 2009, a few days before Essen Spiel. I received a phone call from Granna. 

‘Mr. Ignacy, this is Konrad Falkowski speaking, Granna. We have a problem with Stronghold.’

Time stopped. The reality collapsed. My heart stopped pumping blood. That was another bad Essen news. The last straw that breaks the camel’s back. I had too much. I definitely had too much.

‘I am calling you to tell you that we will fix the problem and you should not worry. You will have the game at Essen.’

My heart started pumping blood again. The reality got back in place. 

***

In 2009 we were a small company with a small budget. Working with a high-level manufacturer like Granna was still a new experience. The production quality, the service, the whole package was top-notch. The production price was barely within the budget. We were investing every single penny we had in our account to produce this game at a quality manufacturer like Granna.

To cut some corners and save some money, we produced cardboard insert at the small local manufacturer who gave us a meager price. Granna did everything except the insert. We made it locally and shipped it to Granna.

Granna had everything produced a week before Essen and began completing all game components into the box, shrinking boxes and preparing pallets for Essen.

When they put the board on top of the insert, the insert collapsed. Low production price meant the poorest quality of cardboard. It was not sturdy enough. All copies of Stronghold, when delivered to customers, will have inserts destroyed. 

That’s why Mr. Falkowski, the owner of the company gave me the call. They had everything ready for Essen, yet couldn’t pack the game.

I had to save money on insert, and now I had the whole production on hold. As the saying goes, it never rains, but it pours.

‘We will fix the problem, and you should not worry. You will have the game for Essen.’ he said.

***

Granna’s team came up with the idea of putting styrofoam blocks under the insert to prevent collapsing. They bought styrofoam. They cut it to match the dimensions of the insert. They put it below each insert. They did the whole operation in 48 hours and managed to deliver the game to Essen in time. 

Instead of telling me, it was my stupid idea to outsource insert, they just informed me that there was a problem and that they would fix it. They had the owner of the company reach me personally to assure me they have it under control. 

Portal Games became a loyal partner and vocal advocate for Granna for years. Today, I mention this little story as I am very happy that Portal Games brings their great game to the US market. Besides being a manufacturer, Granna also has a game studio that creates and publishes games. Their recent release – Gutenberg – is one of the best eurogames I played in 2021. I couldn’t be more proud to bring this Polish game to North America and keep being vocal about this great Polish company – Granna.