Top 5 Tips For Board Gamers

As someone who has been in the hobby for awhile, some might call me a board game savant, my wife would say I just like to spend money. Either way I’ve picked a few tips and tricks I thought I’d pass on. Enjoy!

1. Pretzels

There is a time in every young boy’s life when he has that first urge which makes him a man. The urge to hold his… first board game night. However, in his haste to invite people he’s unsure of what editable offerings accompany this occasion. For that young lad, and for the rest of you, the answer is pretzels.

Pretzels are fantastic for board game nights because while they’re as morish as chips, or crisps, they don’t leave any residual food on hands. Those same hands that will be holding, shuffling, and massaging your cards and tokens. Also, if I’ve learnt anything from Roller Coaster Tycoon, is that you hit them with the salt, and then increase price for beverages.

2. Hair Ties

If there’s something wrong with a grown man standing in front of women’s hair care products in the grocer, then I don’t want to be right. Hair ties are fantastic for board game organisation; wrapping them around a deck of cards. Do this instead of using rubber bands, as after a while of neglect rubber bands start to deteriorate, and leak their rubber bandiness all over your cards, hair ties are covered in material ensuring that our precious cards remain undamaged.

3. Tackle and Bead Boxes, plus Baggies

In a similar vein, tackle boxes, or bead boxes are great for storing a large amounts of tokens. For the Australian’s among you, I pick mine up from Daiso – $2.80. They also have a range of baggies in different sizes. Now, I know how dumb this sounds, but don’t get me started on the quality of baggies usually found in new board games. Buying your own is really cheap, and gives you peace of mind that some Chinese factory worker didn’t repeatedly scrunch up your baggies a thousand times, and rub them through a mound of dirt. Which if it doesn’t happen, definitely feels like it does sometimes.

4. Do Your Prep

When it comes to a board game night, make sure you put in the effort to make it a success. Part of this is determining what games to play on the night. Once you past 5-6 board games it becomes difficult to keep all of the rules straight in your head. So pick four, even if you have to make an executive decision, even if your friends call you Comrade Board Games, it’s the right thing to do. Ensure that you have all the rules memorised so that you’re not hidden behind a rule book all night.

5. Have Fun

While this seems like a dumb, Carebear-ish point, it’s one that needs to be advocated. When it comes to games, people become over-competitive. However, you can be competitive without being a jerk at the same time. The same people I play with, are the same people I want to hang out with. I don’t want to damage that relationship because of a fun pastime. Which sounds condescending, but it is a matter of priorities, as while I love board games, I love my friends and family more.

Bonus: Don’t Go To Kickstarter

Just don’t do it. Your wallet will thank you.

That’s it, did you learn something? What are your top tips for the rest of the board gamers out there?