Greetings Acaeum,

My name is Brian and I am a comic and magazine grader at CBCS, as well as a long time RPG hobbyist and collector.

What is CBCS? It seems most of you know what CGC is, we are their primary competitor. CBCS is wholly owned by Beckett, a name many of you will recognize for card grading and price guides.
https://www.cbcscomics.com/

I’ve been working with our executive and grading team to bring grading to the RPG hobby. I brought a few prototype graded modules to the North Texas RPG con this weekend to show around to a few dealers and guests and the response was very positive.

When we enter this space we want to do it RIGHT, and we want to make sure we are giving collector and dealers what they want and need.

So... Why CBCS?
1.        Your submitted modules will be assessed and graded by real hobbyists who just happen to be trained professional graders. There are 3 of us on the grading team for this project and between us we have over 90 years of collecting experience (yes, we are old).

2.        Modules will be assessed for completeness, including all inserts. Yes, we know that Q1 has a cardstock map insert, and that I12 has 2 booklets. We also know to double check these things when assessing a module. Labels will indicate any insert, like the graded Q1 example “Includes map insert”.

3.        Grading scale is .1 to 10.
a.        We expect that 10’s will be absolute unicorns and that, given the age of books likely being submitted that even a 9.8 will be very, very rare.

4.        Grading Notes: There is a QR code on the back of the label that you can scan to see the grader’s notes. We put notes on every book that is a 9.6 or lower so you will know WHY the book received the grade that it did. You can also search our website for the label number to get this info.

Examples:
a.        Q1: https://www.cbcscomics.com/grading-notes/23-1EB31DA-001
b.        Moonlight madness:https://www.cbcscomics.com/grading-notes/23-1E4F7B3-002
c.        I5:  https://www.cbcscomics.com/grading-notes/23-1E4F7B3-001

5.        The current price for magazine tier (where these would fall) is $25 per book. The current Turnaround Time is (TAT) is 30 business days with a MONEY BACK GUARANTEE if we are late.

6.        SIGNATURES: Our company is unique in the grading space for offering VSP (verified signature program). If you have modules you previously had signed by a creator, those signatures can now be “VSP’d” through our partnership with Beckett Authentication Services (BAS). These modules would receive a yellow label instead of a blue label.
a.        WITNESSED signatures: if an authorized witness or employee is present when your book is signed you are eligible to receive a “witnessed signature” yellow label when your books is encapsulated. The Q1 pictured was signed at the NTXRPG con on Thursday and graded/ encapsulated on Friday to bring to the show.

7.        Labels: Please check out the examples and let us know what you think of the information on the label. I think we have it “right”, but maybe we missed something.

STILL TO BE DECIDED
This is where we need your help and I invite all comments and suggestions:

SHRINKWRAP – a big one
Current thoughts:
1.        Remove the shrinkwrap and grade the book so we can check the contents and interior (nobody wants this, I know).

2.        Notate that a module is shrinkwrapped on the label and grade the book with the shrinkwrap intact (like Moonlight Madness example).
       NOTE: if the shrinkwrap is not authentic we will reject the book and will not grade it.

3.        Assess the shrinkwrap for authenticity and assign a separate grade to the wrap.
       Grading would be: “Module 9.4, Authentic Wrap A-“ .
       Wrap grading is on an A+ to D scale, wrap grading will follow the same standards as our VHS tape grading division.
       Wraps will be noted as “Authentic” or “Not Authentic”.

Grading modules with missing inserts

In comics if a page is missing the book receives a grade of 0.5.

Option 1:
If the module is missing any page or insert it will receive a grade of .5 since missing a single map, handout, or counter affects the playability of the module.

Option 2:
A missing insert will be evaluated to determine the impact on playability and a grade deduction will be assigned based on this:

Examples:
The punch card for DL9 is missing a single chit: Since this barely affects the playability of the module, but is still a missing piece, we would start the grade at an 8 and then deduct for any further defects.

The punch card for DL9 is completely missing: Since this would significantly affect the playability of the module we would start this grade at a 5.0 and then deduct for any further defects.

The card stock map from I4 is missing: This dramatically impacts the ability to use this module and grading would start at a 2 and then deduct for any further defects.

NOTE: These “starting grades” are not written in stone and will be evaluated and determined by the team as we receive submissions with missing pieces.


I invite any and all feedback this group may have and look forward to hearing from you!

Hi Brian,
My name is William Meinhardt. I was at the NTRPG Con but I did not see you there. Ironically several people came up to me to have items appraised, but you were not amongst them.
You may or may not know, but i have what is probably the largest (by number of different items) FRP collection known. I have been actively collecting since 1978. I welcome the professional grading process as believe it will enrich our hobby. When I have a little more time I will respond more fully to your post, but I will offer two comments now. Firstly, the concept of grading an item without removing the shrinkwrap I think is absurd. I have copies of items from 1978 (and earlier) in original shrinkwrap. But I "know" it is original shrinkwrap because I bought the collection of Brian Blume, one of the owners of TSR. I would think that if you validated something as original shrinkwrap that turned out not to be, it would be devastating for your business, calling into question those prior determinations. Even if the shrinkwrap is "original", some smaller items could still be missing. Or the module could have been resealed. It seems to me you folks have to make 100% sure items are complete and undamaged inside (checking for mold and staple rust as well). I just don't see how not removing the shrinkwrap is even an option.
Secondly, if anything is missing at all from a module, the module could not have better than a good grade. If counters are punched the module can't have better than a good grade. This I will admit is more my aesthetic opinion. I will be curious as to what others think.

Thunderdave wrote in Actually... your opinion DOES still matter! Graded RPGs:While I’m still not sure this is for me, thank you for posting, soliciting opinions, and helping me understand a bit more!

I think your single-tier pricing and turnaround time are much more attractive

To be fair you can pay more for expedited grading if you're really in a hurry.

Interesting... The CBCS slabs look smaller (thinner) to me or are they the same size as the CGC ones?

-SKA

Sir Kill Alot wrote in Actually... your opinion DOES still matter! Graded RPGs:Interesting... The CBCS slabs look smaller (thinner) to me or are they the same size as the CGC ones?

-SKA

Here are a couple of videos reviewing our magazine slabs. essentially these things are absolute bricks, and much, much sturdier than anything else on the market.

CBCS' New Magazine Case: First Look - YouTube

CBCS New Magazine Slab Review! - YouTube

red_bus wrote in Actually... your opinion DOES still matter! Graded RPGs:I want to echo some of what has been said about shrinkwrap.

I don't see how any company which is serious about assessing the condition of a printed item (book, comic or game) can do so without actually looking inside the covers. We all know that sealing an item in plastic isn't a guarantee against mould, or staple rust (these are caused by how it is stored over the years). As a collector, I am not sure I would trust any such rating, just as when I look to buy an item on ebay which is in shrinkwrap I know that it might still have issues from being stored in a warm humid attic etc.. And to a large extent, trust is what people are buying when they send a book or game for third-party grading.

Moreover I don't think that is a problem. People will still value shrinkwrapped modules. And they will still send items for grading.  :)

Fair points, and this is where our initial thoughts led us.

Most people I talked to at NTX wanted us to have some sort of grading option with SW.

Thank you so much for the feedback.

What about removing the shrink wrap to grade the item, and then noting as an additional description that the item was in the original shrink wrap before grading.  The item will then be protected in the plastic case.

CGC does not grade sealed by manufacturer poly-bagged comics. Such as the 3-pack bundles in the 80s. They require you to send it in out of the bag or give written consent for them to remove it from the bag.

So IMO shrink is not a condition. If in shrink item should be removed and graded as such

MegaTherion wrote in Actually... your opinion DOES still matter! Graded RPGs:CGC does not grade sealed by manufacturer poly-bagged comics. Such as the 3-pack bundles in the 80s. They require you to send it in out of the bag or give written consent for them to remove it from the bag.

So IMO shrink is not a condition. If in shrink item should be removed and graded as such

We also do not grade polybagged comics. Polybags obscure large parts, if not all, of a comic.  Also they are typically much larger than the comic themselves making them unwieldy to put in a slab.

We are considering alternatives since neither of these disqualifiers apply to RPG modules, but it is only a consideration.