Players will be able to purchase Altered products through their local game shops, which will have enough product to cover the season and encourage community growth with the new distribution approach, according to Lokinox, community builder for Equinox.

LGS communication and distribution were two of the topics he covered in a short Q&A on Altered’s French Discord server following the Sept. 11 news post about Equinox’s new preorder partnership with Gamefound.

Local game shop access

The objective of the new independent distribution approach is to improve access to Altered products for both LGSs and players. To start, LGSs will have access to preorders before players through a dedicated platform separate from Gamefound. They’ll also have new offers specific to shops and not available to players directly. The model has been developed to avoid disadvantaging LGSs.

In the U.S., LGSs will be able to order directly from Equinox, which should help build local communities. In the past, some shops have had difficulty sourcing products and receiving materials needed to maintain and grow in-person play. The aim is to reduce the barriers to obtaining products by dealing directly with the companies.

Asia is a more complicated market with higher prices throughout (boosters are around €7 in Japan, for example). Providing direct connections for players to get preorders through Gamefound will reduce the barrier of high booster prices and encourage shops to get more involved as players show demand. Marketplace and Print-on-Demand services are still being developed. The team is working on the widest possible availability for those services, according to Chief Marketing Officer Eric Dieulangard in the official Discord server Sept. 12.

Players will be able to purchase in shops as before throughout the season. The overall objective is to make Altered more accessible through the coming months both directly to players while continuing to build LGS communities and in-person play. Despite LGS’s doubts whether players who had already purchased the Kickstarter at various pledge levels would want the Beyond the Gates set, the product sold well in shops.

Instead of working through representatives, LGS owners will be able to contact Equinox directly at marketing@equinox.fr for questions, kit tracking (such as Tumults or organized play kits), information and feedback.

Gamefound preorders

From Set 5 onward, players can preorder Altered products through Gamefound. Even though the platform is designed around crowdfunding, it’s being used here to get a better sense of production quantities before printing. If they don’t buy from Gamefound but have a LGS they work with, they’ll still be able to purchase through the shop.

There are no stretch goals planned, as each campaign isn’t built to be directly crowdfunded. Cards will be printed whether or not the projects reach a particular amount. Some special products, such as the Woollyback plush toy, might be available directly through these preorders. The full set won’t be shared before each set’s launch to continue to build anticipation through reveal seasons, like the current cards being revealed for the upcoming Skybound Odyssey set.

The goal remains to produce exactly what is needed and then use the Marketplace and Print-on-Demand to handle ongoing player needs. This will allow players to get the cards they’re after without creating artificial scarcity or a fear of missing out. Sufficient quantities of cards at all levels are planned for production.

Though a set’s print run will be complete once LGS orders and Gamefound preorders are filled, reprints of individual cards may be a possibility in the future. The intention is to continue to work with the Marketplace and Print-on-Demand platforms to handle those needs. Solutions have been devised in case of a high demand for particular cards, but it’s not an immediate issue going into the next stages of transition.

Due to scheduling and production issues in transition, Gamegenic accessories for Skybound Odyssey have been cancelled.

Equinox is currently in the process of looking for other partners to produce accessories. In the interim, they’re working directly with factories with no intermediaries, said Eric in another Discord message. For example, the playmats produced for the World Championship Finals, coming Oct. 17-19, only carry the Altered/Equinox brand, not Gamegenic’s.

Community development and organized play

Organized play remains a priority throughout the shift to independent distribution, with ongoing, continuing development with leagues and Board Game Arena.

The “Hive” program, built through the official Discord server, is designed to support players who want to encourage in-person LGS play.

Non-shop associations will be able to develop direct relationships with Equinox, but that won’t come immediately.

Upcoming communication

The project of making the move to partner with Gamefound for preorders has been underway for several months. Equinox has been evaluating partnerships at each level in the process as a part of handling supply and distribution issues, according to Justin Parnell, Equinox sales and marketing director, in our Gen Con 2025 Q&A.

Several shops and community members were consulted during that process to get feedback and questions, similar to what’s been shared in the last day in game communities. Those observations were addressed as they moved forward.

The article was posted Sept. 11 to avoid leaks. Now that it’s published, Equinox and Lokinox are taking note of all comments shared across platforms, both positive and negative.

Official communication about next steps and more detailed announcements are planned for Oct. 15, including notes on new preconstructed decks and changes to make opening booster packs more appealing. Other announcements might come on that date as well, including updates on new products, conventions and events.

Read more

• Equinox moves to direct distribution in Altered’s second year
• New mechanics, cards and design shared for Skybound Odyssey
• Skybound Odyssey Card Reveal: Welcome to a Druid who was a long time coming