You have questions and we have answers!
While we’ve been having a lot of fun making so many exciting announcements, we’ve been listening to some common questions that have been popping up. Below we’ll do our best to answer those questions!
To start, Smash-UP POD (Print on Demand) is a new way to purchase Smash-Up decks and content.
The Fun Factory Kickstarter is a crowdfunding campaign we are running in August for multiple AEG products featuring new Smash-Up content and reprints of expansions and other content.
Q - What Smash Up content can I snag through the Fun Factory Kickstarter?
A – Every expansion* and single faction pack ever printed will be available through the kickstarter, including the brand new Half the Battle expansion AND two chilling new single faction packs: The Slashers and the Clowns!
Q - I can’t wait! What are the dates for the Kickstarter and when will the kickstarter fulfill?
A – The Kickstarter is scheduled for August 26. We aim for the kickstarter to fulfill in the first half of 2026. This kickstarter has a lot of moving parts! You can sign up to be reminded when the campaign starts here:
Q - Why POD (Print on Demand)?
A – We love Smash Up, and we know you do, too. We want to bring you Smash Up in a new, reliable, and accessible way, made in the U.S. and at your request.
The POD service is a unique chance to pick up individual factions you want to play, including ones that have been out of print, and to get new content as early as possible. It is also an opportunity to make the game even better with updated cards and some exciting changes to factions in need of a makeover!
Q - What factions will be available via POD?
A – By the end of July the Smash Up Core Set factions and a few in-demand factions will go live then new factions will become available weekly until every faction* is available. This includes…
- 66 core, expansion, and single faction packs, with their bases and titans included
- 6 brand new factions (Half the Battle factions, Slashers, and Clowns)
- 10 factions with new and exciting rebalances!
*At this point, those published under license, such as Muchkin, Marvel & Disney, will NOT be available, though this is subject to change.
Q - Woah, what? Tell me more about the rebalanced factions!
A – Top players tell us these factions kind of stink, so we are giving them some love! We reviewed every faction extensively and made minor errata on many, but these 10 are getting more substantial changes to make them as fun as their quirky themes while maintaining their essence.
- Bear Cavalry
- Elder Things
- Giant Ants
- Mega Troopers
- Miskatonic University
- Penguins
- Super Spies
- Tricksters
- Vampires
- Vigilantes
If you avoided these factions before, now is your chance to give them a shot. If you already love one of these factions, we promise you’ll love the new one even more!
We’re not going to be making replacement cards available through our customer service team for these revisions.
Q - What else has changed? Do I need to buy everything again to get errata cards?
A – Errata ranges from wording tweaks to minor buffs across all 82 factions which will be part of the POD service. A few naughty Titans (Dagon, Creampuff Man, Killer Kudzu, and Great Wolf Spirit) originally released as buffs have been reined in slightly. We may have overcompensated the first time, but we all make mistakes!
A full list of errata will be provided on the web for reference, and every modified card will be available to purchase in an upgrade pack through POD if you wish to play with revised cards without buying all new decks (though, we wouldn’t mind!). The approximate quantities are:
- 83 faction cards with functional gameplay errata
- 72 faction cards with wording errata
- 39 base cards with errata
Additionally, the Pirates card Saucy Wench has been renamed to the more tasteful and clever Cut Lass, and the Vigilantes base Hideout has been renamed to Back Alley. Someone didn’t realize there was another card with the name Hideout already. Whoops!
Q - Will new printings of existing Smash Up expansions include errata?
A – No. The files for past expansions have already been sent to press, so if you buy a physical box set, you’ll have exactly the same box set which was always sold under that label, though you may choose to upgrade it with errata in the future.
Q - What, exactly, will I receive if I order a POD faction?
A – Glad you asked!
- 1 cover card (image, logo, UPC code, legal notices, etc)
- 20 faction cards
- 2 faction bases
- 1 double-sided Titan (if the faction has ever had a Titan)
- 1 Forgefire data card, which can be combined with the cover card to create a divider (example below). Forgefire does not make hard plastic dividers, so this placeholder is available to help organize your collection if you don’t wish to keep factions in their bags.
Q - Are POD cards identical to those found in physical box sets?
A – No. Because POD cards come from a different printer, there are unavoidable differences. We recommend sleeving cards if you wish to use POD cards with original Smash Up cards.
- Color – Print on demand does not allow for color calibration between each print of different products. We’ve compensated by adjusting our source files to match the printed product to the originals, but it is impossible to achieve the same consistency as large print runs.
- Size – Forgefire cards (2.47” x 3.47”) are slightly smaller than original Smash Up cards (2.5” x 3.5”), but both fit into standard card sleeves, which hides any difference.
Titans – Rather than increase the price of a deck to include a separately printed tarot-sized card, we chose to include the Titans with their factions at no extra cost to you by scaling them to the same size as the rest of a faction’s cards.
Q - Is there a rulebook included in the POD cards?
A – We’re bringing Smash Up rules into the internet age! Smash Up will be Wiki-fied at the same time POD cards become available! A link to the new Wiki will be provided at time of release. The Smashup Rules Wiki will be the definitive source for rules, errata, clarifications, etc; because it will be digital it can be updated and maintained to always be the best, most current reference for the game!
Q - What about other components like power counters, stasis counters, and Madness cards?
A – We will not be selling power counter tokens with the POD sets. If you have purchased Smash-Up expansions in the past, you should have tokens in abundance. If you do not have tokens to use, we recommend using a suitable analog, such as homemade paper tokens, tokens from another game, coins, or pieces of breakfast cereal.
A Madness deck (for use with factions from The Obligatory Cthulhu Set) will be available as a separate purchase on POD.
Q - How much does a POD faction cost?
A – Each POD faction will cost $7.99 USD, plus the shipping for your order and sales tax if assessed.
Q - Will the POD service be available internationally, or in different languages?
A – Forgefire POD products are made in the U.S. and can be shipped internationally, but generally at a significant shipping cost and subject to VAT and import duties.
We are only making these cards in English at this time. If other languages become available later we’ll be sure to make the community aware!
Q - Alright, I’m sold. When will Smash Up POD go live?
A – We are targeting the end of July for the launch of the first wave of factions on POD. The online official rules wiki will go live at the same time. We’ll be emailing everyone subscribed to the Smash Club newsletter and including announcements in our monthly We Make Fun newsletter too! (It’s harmless to subscribe if you don’t know if you’re a subscriber or not – when in doubt; subscribe!)
