What Are Board Game Promos?

Ever heard the term, “board game promo,” and wonder, “What are board game promos?” Don’t worry because you are definitely not alone. There’s good news for you, and everyone else who’s a bit confused though because today we’re going to answer that question.

Board game promos are special, usually limited components created to help promote a board game. These can be components like unique cards, characters, dice, and more.

What Are Board Game Promos?

The first thing to know about board game promos is what the word, “promo,” stands for. Promo stands for promotional. What it means for board games is special components designed to help promote the game. These can be components like cards, dice, an extra piece, and so on.

Typically, promos are given away at conventions or as an extra for buying the game on the publisher’s website. Sometimes they’re only available for a limited time.

What I find interesting about promos is that they don’t promote a board game any better than social media, board game news sites (like this one!), and so on. I’m not sure why the people who make board games continue to make promos for those games, but it might be some combination of tradition and maybe the promos still do provide enough value to be worthwhile. After all, even when promos are sold, people (myself included sometimes) will buy them.

In some ways, promos have also transformed into stretch goals. If you don’t know about stretch goals, these are offered through crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter. As more people pledge funds to support and get a copy of the games, more stretch goals unlock, which add more things to the games. And, in this case, I buy in just as much as anyone else because stretch goals are awesome!

What Are Some Examples Of Board Game Promos?

Here’s a list of board game promo examples:

• Unique survivors for Zombicide
• Special monsters in Blood Rage
• The time travel car piece and rules for Colt Express
• Additional cards for Mysterium
• The Lucky Hat card for Fireball Island: The Curse Of Vul-Kar
• Special dice for Lucidity

The list here is endless because just about every board game has promos. In truth, if a board game company wanted to, they could even produce promos after making the game to continue to keep interest in their game-high.

Are Promos Fair?

This is a great question, the answer to which is no, they’re not fair at all. For those who may not understand what this question is asking, say you really love a board game and want to get everything for it. How do you do that if there’s an expensive promo that’s only available for a limited time in a physical location you can’t get to?

You can’t. For some, this leaves the board game feeling incomplete, which can affect the whole experience. As someone who struggles with this feeling when it comes to collecting games, I can relate all too well. So, what do I do?

Well, I have a friend who once asked me, “Does having that thing actually affect your life in any way?” I wanted to say, “YES, OF COURSE, IT DOES!” but my more logical side won out in the end and I said, “No, it doesn’t.” Knowing that doesn’t stop me from buying and collecting everything I want, but it does keep me from making purchases that I would have in the past.

You know the ones: those silly purchases that you regret later and that leave you asking, “Why did I get that?”

None of this makes promos any fairer, but it will hopefully give you a better perspective on how to deal with their unfairness.

Should I Get Board Game Promos?

This question ties into the one I was discussing above. Here I’d say the same thing: you don’t have to get promos. If you’re enjoying the game as is then there’s no reason to get more for it if you don’t need to.

You might consider promos though if you find yourself loving a game and wanting to get everything you can for it, to maximize your experiences with it, if you will. I would also only consider getting promos if you have the money for it. Our hobby can be expensive, so if you have to choose between promos and more board games, consider which one is more important to you.

Did You Know?

(Each time you refresh the page you will get a new “Did You Know” fact!)

Did you know unboxing board games can be really enjoyable to some people? Me included! Check out my thoughts here!

Conclusion: What Are Board Game Promos?

So, there you have it, an answer to the question, “What are board game promos?” I ultimately think they’re a good part of the hobby, but I do agree they can cause some problems too.

What do you think though? Do you want to get promos or not? Let us know your thoughts and why in the comments below!

And, as always, keep on gaming, you maniacs.