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Message: <blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 7980176" data-attributes="member: 3285">As the pandemic continues to roil the globe, tabletop game companies <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/vtts-feel-the-strain.671166/" target="_blank">have seen an uptick in play</a> even as supply chains and distribution channels <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/diamond-alliance-shutdown-publisher-impacts-part-two.671376/" target="_blank">have been disrupted</a>. But companies are finding other ways to pitch in the battle against COVID-19 that goes beyond just playing games.[ATTACH=full]121659[/ATTACH]Wizards Summon FreebiesSince April 6, Wizards of the Coast has been releasing free material to support Dungeons & Dragons tabletop play, <a href="https://dnd.wizards.com/remote/freematerial" target="_blank">including content for families and younger gamers:</a>This content ranges from starter set rules and pregenerated characters to coloring pages and adventures. Particularly admirable is the fact that Wizards is <a href="https://dnd.wizards.com/remote/archive" target="_blank">releasing content every weekday</a>.That's not all Wizards is doing to help. They have a Stay at Home, Play at Home initiative that extends to Magic: The Gathering as well and <a href="https://company.wizards.com/article/news/wizards-coasts-response-covid-19" target="_blank">indexes all free content in one place</a>.Wizards is part of Hasbro, a global juggernaut that publishes many other types of games and gaming media. Their parent company has been busy.Hasbro Steps InPrinting for both book and card games have been disrupted due to the pandemic. DriveThruRPG's print on demand was temporarily halted but resumed on April 20:The card printing was followed by book a printing update nine days later:Social distancing requirements have left game manufacturers like Cartamundi in a bind. Fortunately, Hasbro and Cartamnudi <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/hasbro-inc-and-cartamundi-partner-to-produce-personal-protective-equipment-ppe-for-front-line-medical-workers-2020-04-25" target="_blank">joined forces</a> to produce 50,000 face shields a week for front-line health care workers over the next several weeks. The personal protective equipment (PPE) will be manufactured at the Cartamundi facility in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and donated to local hospitals in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, home to Hasbro’s global headquarters.In addition to much-needed PPE, people everywhere have been experiencing shortages of hand sanitizer. Game developers have options there too.Washing Their Hands of the Whole ThingJust as local distilleries and nationally-recognized companies like Pernod Ricard, Diageo and Anheuser-Busch have <a href="https://www.fooddive.com/news/alcohol-companies-pivot-to-producing-hand-sanitizer-as-coronavirus-intensif/574537/" target="_blank">pivoted from making alcoholic beverages to producing hand sanitizer</a>, the miniature gaming and painting market <a href="https://io9.gizmodo.com/wargaming-paint-companies-are-pivoting-to-hand-sanitize-1842843250" target="_blank">is following suit</a>.The Army Painter, a hobby supply chain who produces paints, sprays, and washes for models since 2007, shifted its idle manufacturing facilities to create hand sanitizer. The supply will be donated to local schools in its native Denmark for free and then gradually introduce through its international distributors.Similarly, Games Workshop, of Warhammer 40K and Warhammer, shifted its Citadel line of paints and glues to developing hand sanitizer production for the UK’s National Health Service.The damage the pandemic has inflicted on tabletop gaming will reverberate for years to come. But for now, game companies are doing what gamers do best--improvising with the tools at hand.Special thanks to brimmels for providing links that were used in this article. Thanks Beth!</blockquote>

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