Rick Thornquist announces end of Gamewire/Gone Cardboard

Here's the sad news.

The primary attraction for most visitors to Gamewire was "Gone Cardboard," the definitive answer to the question: Is it printed yet?

The board game industry lives and works on thin margins, and there is endless analysis on how best to release games in order to preserve the precious buzz. Even the larger companies often make promises, either verbally at conventions, on the web, or in print, that they will break later.

Publishers are faced with the eternal decision: Print too few copies (at higher unit costs) or print too many copies (and be stuck with the overrun forever). If the game's a hit, well, hopefully the publisher can crank out more to meet demand.

Once the games had "Gone Cardboard," you could ask for the games with confidence, knowing they were really, actually printed.