Smash-Up Fans,
As the CEO of AEG, I’ve had the privilege of launching many new games and watching them grow into mature brands with passionate fan communities. Often over time, we are forced to make hard decisions about those games and brands. We are at that crossroads for Smash-Up. The good news is that for the first time in the 30+ year history of the company, we have options that I am excited to share with you.
AEG and the Smash-Up team are working hard to upgrade the Smash-Up experience and give Smash-Up fans new content.
In the past 6 months for Smash-Up 1.0
- We have launched POD printing for Smash-Up
- We’ve updated over 200 cards across previously printed factions and completely overhauled 10 of the original factions.
- In the Fun Factory pledge manager you’ll find a deal for the 83 reprinted factions (with updated cards), this includes the 10 overhauled factions, and 6 brand-new factions all for $199.00. (Note: Factions come separate from retail packaging)
Next, we’re doing the following for Smash-Up 1.0
- Releasing 6 new factions: the new set Half the Battle and two new single factions Clowns and Slashers.
- Making a final full print run of every Smash-Up faction and expansion, all available in the Fun Factory Kickstarter’s pledge manager which will be activated in October.
- Reprinting all expansions in their retail packaging available through your FLGS and via our online store (alderacstore.com) and our friends in the EU at boardgameselect.com while supplies last.
Why Print on Demand (POD) Is the Future of Smash-Up 1.0
STOP THE PRESSES: The #1 complaint about POD has been slight card-size differences. We are fixing that. We’ve partnered with our manufacturer to build a cutting tool that matches original card sizing. We are pausing shipping POD orders while the tool is created. The tool will be ready in about 3–4 weeks, after which POD printing will resume.
GOOD NEWS: If you already received POD cards, we plan to send you replacement cards at the new size at our expense!
Going forward, POD will let us:
- Release new factions
- Bringing back legacy set Munchkin (Deal for POD has just been inked with SJG)
- Possible art reskins of the Marvel and Disney sets.
- Keep cards available almost indefinitely, far beyond the lifespan of traditional print runs.
- Connect with players in new and different ways.
Rules WIKI
We’re shifting from printed rulebooks to an online, searchable, wiki-style rulebook. This ensures the most up-to-date rules and errata are always available in one place.
What This Means for the Smash-Up Community
With POD, Smash-Up 1.0 gets a future instead of a finish line. Without it, the game would be approaching sunset. We know some fans will be frustrated when new content appears only via POD; that frustration comes from deep love. But no company can support a product forever in the same way. We’re choosing continuity over closure.
A Closing Thought
Change can feel like a betrayal of an implied promise. We’ll never tell you your feelings aren’t valid. We’re making these choices because we believe in keeping Smash-Up 1.0 alive, accessible, and growing rather than letting it fade into memory.
This announcement is our clearest explanation of why we’re making these changes. As we move forward, this is what I’ll ask my team to share whenever someone asks a “Why?” question about Smash-Up.
Thank you for caring enough to hold us accountable, for challenging us to do better, and for being part of this journey. Together, we’ll ensure Smash-Up keeps delivering fun for years to come.
John Zinser
CEO, Alderac Entertainment Group
