Last holiday season I explored a number of enticing subscription-based services built with the modern geek in mind. (For those of you keeping score at home: I am still all about Marvel Unlimited.) Since that time, however, this nerd-friendly marketplace has continued to expand.
Last week Nerd Block, my preferred box-a-month service, launched Nerd Block Jr. This cheaper, t-shirtless option is tailored specifically for kids 6-11, and comes in at a slim $13.99 per Block. It boasts a heavy focus on popular toy properties, and comes in two flavors.
While the whole boy-toys-vs.-girl-toys thing is a bit of a pet peeve of mine – and I wouldn’t be completely surprised if the company received a little flak as a result of these designations – there’s nothing that says you can’t hook your brony-son or padawan daughter up with a differently-gendered box o’ swag.
And just this week my pal John “Hex” Carter (of Nerdapalooza fame) revealed his latest project, Indiebox. This monthly mystery box program focuses on indie video games, and seeks to recapture the old-school excitement of cracking open a physical title.
Each month’s game will come in custom, retro-style packaging, and will include supplemental goodies like stickers, CD soundtracks, posters and maps. Full details are still forthcoming, but I did manage to confirm plans to ship the very first Indiebox in April.
Early word is that subscription pricing works on a sliding scale, with a single month costing $16.99 plus shipping. Purchasing a three month subscription reduces that individual monthly price to $15.99 + S/H, and six months discounts it down to $14.99 + S/H.
You can sign up at the Indiebox site to receive further information as it becomes available, and to be alerted when the service goes live.
For awhile now I’ve thought that a monthly role-playing game “book-of-the-month” club would be a nifty idea. Each month, the subscriber would receive a new role-playing game book — usually a core rule book. This would be ideal for rpg enthusiasts such as myself that might not play every game out there, but still enjoy checking out what’s new and out there as well as discovering new games and systems. Some rpg books are just entertaining reads in addition to being a set of rules. This would be a great way for publishers to get their products into hands of readers/gamers that might not normally pick up their book off of the shelf. Offered at a special reduced price, and it’s even better. I’d set it up myself, but I’ve got no idea where to start. Anyway…just an idea.
And a fine idea at that, Dan!