You guys are fast becoming one of my favourite board game channels. Such a nice mix of comedy, surrealism and genuine warmth amongst the well written observations and critique. Keep it coming boys - loving it! 😎
I came to comments to say the exact same thing. So refreshing. Great b-roll and editing. Lovely smiling faces. And interesting content to boot. Love it all. Thanks for all your effort!
I've been heard that the best way to improve your board gaming experience is to find some people to play with you. I can't speak from personal experience on that one though.
I have a tip for you: call your local moving company, ask for three guys by the hour based on the length of your game and when they arrive, sit them down at the table.
Another great video as always! The tips were super helpful. One suggestion: consider covering the table with a cloth or another appropriate material. It not only makes handling the board game components easier, but also transforms an ordinary desk or dinner table into a proper gaming surface. Keep up the awesome content!
Yep! I bought some felt to cover the table. However, I'm finding it to be a hair magnet! 😞 And if it gets dirty, you have to be careful when washing it. So, like he said, get some cloth! 😀
For keeping card decks tidy, I love using fabric hair ties. No rubber/plastic to dry over time nor stick to things. They are inexpensive, can be as simple as thin black ties, and come in helpful quantities.
The best way to make an insert is foamcore. I bought a 75 x 50cm foamcore sheet for around 8$ and made my first insert for Spirit Island with all 5 expansions in 1 box, premium sleeved cards. Excluding the spirits from the box of course, I keep those separately in a binder
Can confirm that some game components can be improved relatively easily. This summer I created a wooden dice tower in the shape of a bird house for Wingspan. It was fun to design and to craft (also had someone to teach me), and it's gotten lovely positive reactions as well. It's a solid improvement from the cardboard tower, with the only downside being that it's heavier and doesn't quite fit in the box, but doesn't fall apart if taking it to a friend's place
A very good way of improving our boardgame experience was to distribute admin and setup. Lots of newer games, especially coop games or campaign games, have tons of admin stuff to do. Let everyone do a little bit and the game will run much smoother and keep everybody more engaged. For example when we play oathsworn, one player keeps track of boss behaviour and movement, one manages the attack decks, one life points.
Great tips fellas!! I have done everything you said to quite a few of my games and definitely has made the experience much better. Keep up the great work.
One extrremely cheap way to quickly make some boardgames better is to use markers (black usually works best) on the grey sides of cardboard components. These sides are usually grey and look awful, and the black marker will make them look premium, at no cost.
We just purchased some dividers for Arkham horror, and what a life changing difference it has made to setup time and deck building - definitely a must have upgrade.
Theme changing. I did a few of these (all on BGG): Mage Knight -> Legend of Zelda BOTW Ninja Academy -> Pikmin Incan Gold -> Monster Hunter Tailraider Safari I would like to do Runebound 3rd edition -> Dragons Age Origins / Skyrim version (ideal for exploring and adventuring) Gloomhaven -> Monster Hunter (prototyped it; the mechanics just fit so perfectly)
Sometimes making house rules or adding an additional variant of play makes the experience more enjoyable. Some examples of mine are playing Trash Pandas with TWO copies of the game, and mixing all the cards together is hilarious. Also in The Mind, we sometimes we allow talking and gesturing because it's so ridiculous and we get quite a laugh out of it, especially playing the "Blind" mode. Also in Mind Bug, my friend and I each built a deck for ourselves using whatever cards were wanted , and then swapped our built decks with each other. We also tried to do a 2v2 format of Mind Bug and Epic Spell Wars. Also in Telestrations we sometimes do a "wrong answers only" which can be pretty fun. Would love to hear more examples but yeah that's what we sometimes do as a group is change the rules or make a variant squeeze more life out of the game - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but it's a lot of fun experimenting !
Inserts are my favorite upgrade as if a game takes too long to set up/tear down it'll get passed over for other games. I also prefer wooden meeples over plastic cubes, so I try to substitute there where I can. I sleeve most of my games because card quality is all over the place and a few of my favorite games had damaged cards after one shuffle attempt. Still working on the painting boring gray minis thing. It's a time factor I just don't have right now.😅
I had the korean splendor pokemon imported and i can confirm that i no longer have any need to play the original splendor. Also, id LOVE to see a video about which games have benefited from getting inserts or upgrades. Maybe a before and after video with some of them.
May we have the STL for the Card Holder? I was looking everywhere for a decent, curved one, but with no avail. Great video as always guys, keep the awesome work up!
Wow - I thought I was already waaaaay down the rabbit hole with accessorising my games. I do want the premium appearance/components, the sleeves, the player aids, and - most importantly - anything to help setup and teardown speeds. But "token sleeves"!? 🤣....
You mentioned metal coins, but forgot coin covers for tokens that need to be drawn from a bag. Super cheap premium feels. EDIT: I see you put it under "longevity." :D I guess I'm the weirdo who sleeves for shuffeling and tokens for the feels. (I would recommend aliexpress for coin covers BTW). Also, you mentioned printing player aids and had them laminated but didn't put lamination (of player aids and scorecards along with some dry erase pens) in longevity with a mention on how cheap and easy it is to buy a laminator.
You guys are fast becoming one of my favourite board game channels. Such a nice mix of comedy, surrealism and genuine warmth amongst the well written observations and critique. Keep it coming boys - loving it! 😎
I came to comments to say the exact same thing. So refreshing. Great b-roll and editing. Lovely smiling faces. And interesting content to boot. Love it all. Thanks for all your effort!
Don't forget to like the page of the downloaded file on BGG, it makes us feel seen and appreciated :)
Yes, good on you!
I've been heard that the best way to improve your board gaming experience is to find some people to play with you.
I can't speak from personal experience on that one though.
😢😂
Im going to go ahead and keep buying games, and just hope the people come later hehe 🥲
Nah. Solo games all the way.
I have a tip for you: call your local moving company, ask for three guys by the hour based on the length of your game and when they arrive, sit them down at the table.
@ 😅
Another great video as always! The tips were super helpful. One suggestion: consider covering the table with a cloth or another appropriate material. It not only makes handling the board game components easier, but also transforms an ordinary desk or dinner table into a proper gaming surface. Keep up the awesome content!
Yeah, nothing elevates the experience more than covering a cheap plastic folding table with a cloth of some sort, of not an actual gaming mat.
Yep! I bought some felt to cover the table. However, I'm finding it to be a hair magnet! 😞 And if it gets dirty, you have to be careful when washing it. So, like he said, get some cloth! 😀
For keeping card decks tidy, I love using fabric hair ties. No rubber/plastic to dry over time nor stick to things. They are inexpensive, can be as simple as thin black ties, and come in helpful quantities.
That is a fantastic tip!! (And definitely cheaper than board game created bands!)
The best way to make an insert is foamcore. I bought a 75 x 50cm foamcore sheet for around 8$ and made my first insert for Spirit Island with all 5 expansions in 1 box, premium sleeved cards. Excluding the spirits from the box of course, I keep those separately in a binder
Loooove your humor!!! 😂😂😂 Please keep making your videos like that!
6:47 "That's where the fun of Gloomhaven is buried."
Ouch!
Can confirm that some game components can be improved relatively easily. This summer I created a wooden dice tower in the shape of a bird house for Wingspan. It was fun to design and to craft (also had someone to teach me), and it's gotten lovely positive reactions as well. It's a solid improvement from the cardboard tower, with the only downside being that it's heavier and doesn't quite fit in the box, but doesn't fall apart if taking it to a friend's place
A very good way of improving our boardgame experience was to distribute admin and setup. Lots of newer games, especially coop games or campaign games, have tons of admin stuff to do. Let everyone do a little bit and the game will run much smoother and keep everybody more engaged. For example when we play oathsworn, one player keeps track of boss behaviour and movement, one manages the attack decks, one life points.
Great tips fellas!! I have done everything you said to quite a few of my games and definitely has made the experience much better. Keep up the great work.
Really loving the interesting video topics lately, like this one and the house rules video! Nice work 🎉
Pimping boardgames satisfies my ocd compulsions.
Love the energy!
One extrremely cheap way to quickly make some boardgames better is to use markers (black usually works best) on the grey sides of cardboard components. These sides are usually grey and look awful, and the black marker will make them look premium, at no cost.
We just purchased some dividers for Arkham horror, and what a life changing difference it has made to setup time and deck building - definitely a must have upgrade.
Your channel is very enjoyable even for someone who’s not playing the board game much.
You guys are great! Love the video and the interactions between you two! You just earned a new subscriber!
Love the banter and practical advice. Subscribed.
i always have the game set up and ready when guests arrive and put on some ambience music to keep the mood light. always a good time, and great tips!!
Theme changing. I did a few of these (all on BGG):
Mage Knight -> Legend of Zelda BOTW
Ninja Academy -> Pikmin
Incan Gold -> Monster Hunter Tailraider Safari
I would like to do
Runebound 3rd edition -> Dragons Age Origins / Skyrim version (ideal for exploring and adventuring)
Gloomhaven -> Monster Hunter (prototyped it; the mechanics just fit so perfectly)
Loved the humor here. Made it fun to watch.
Sometimes making house rules or adding an additional variant of play makes the experience more enjoyable. Some examples of mine are playing Trash Pandas with TWO copies of the game, and mixing all the cards together is hilarious. Also in The Mind, we sometimes we allow talking and gesturing because it's so ridiculous and we get quite a laugh out of it, especially playing the "Blind" mode. Also in Mind Bug, my friend and I each built a deck for ourselves using whatever cards were wanted , and then swapped our built decks with each other. We also tried to do a 2v2 format of Mind Bug and Epic Spell Wars. Also in Telestrations we sometimes do a "wrong answers only" which can be pretty fun. Would love to hear more examples but yeah that's what we sometimes do as a group is change the rules or make a variant squeeze more life out of the game - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but it's a lot of fun experimenting !
His smile at @2:12 is so cute and genuine hahaha
Also the war of the ring jokes 😂
Nicely done, my dudes!
Very well made video. Love the humor in this one!
Inserts are my favorite upgrade as if a game takes too long to set up/tear down it'll get passed over for other games. I also prefer wooden meeples over plastic cubes, so I try to substitute there where I can. I sleeve most of my games because card quality is all over the place and a few of my favorite games had damaged cards after one shuffle attempt.
Still working on the painting boring gray minis thing. It's a time factor I just don't have right now.😅
Delightful as always. Had me cracking up at "if you are out of blankets, use your playmats." 😂 Great video!
Great topic with huge potential! Can't wait for the competition.
I painted my war of the ring minis during covid. Best time to do it is during a lockdown
For giving more weight to cardboard tokens, put them in coin capsules to give them weight, a better presentation, and make them easier to pick up.
Great video love the format ❤
Great video guys, right up my alley 🙋♂️I really like the format of your reviews and how you make fun out of stuff. keep doing what ya doing 👍
1:00 - That looks like masking tape.
Where did you get those fabric cloth bands for the cards?
Great video! I will definitely try some things out! Thanks
Thanks for the tips. I do like playing themed music in the background on game nights.
So many great ideas (and jokes lol) thanks!
I've got the same lovely insert for Spirit Island. LOVE it 🙂
You guys always crack me up 😂
Très bonne idée cette vidéo. Essentiel. Toujours un plaisir à écouter et à regarder bravo
Keep up the good work!
A lot of great advice!
2 Questions… where you got your Wall Cubes? and what Smoke maschine do you have/use?
Great videos, thanks a lot!
Loved this video ❤
Coin protectors are a great and cheap way to protect and add weight to round tokens
I had the korean splendor pokemon imported and i can confirm that i no longer have any need to play the original splendor. Also, id LOVE to see a video about which games have benefited from getting inserts or upgrades. Maybe a before and after video with some of them.
Forget the gels, just get colour changing light bulbs, its cheaper.
Best way to improve a board game evening is beer.
It can also ruin a game night when one or more players drink too much and it ends up affecting their ability to play the game
Very good video.
laughed a lot. BTW... you look better when you change seats. WDYS?
Man those dune cards are beat haha they went to war and back
May we have the STL for the Card Holder? I was looking everywhere for a decent, curved one, but with no avail. Great video as always guys, keep the awesome work up!
"Where the fun of Gloomhaven is buried" ... never a truer statement made on a boardgame channel 😅😅
Be careful w rubber bands- some can dry out and “stick” to your cards over the years, not sure if there are archival bands or not
Hair bands that don't put too much pressure on cards are best. They're holding all my Summoner Wars decks together.
I love the awkwardness
I have improve some hames by changing them for other games
What are those color sheets called for the lightning?
Gels - lighting filter gels
Wish i could double like this vdeo simply because of The Office reference
Please give a link to that file for War of the Ring :D
Holy shit those Dune Imperium cards have seen some shit
I hope you will share all of the files for 3dprinted War of the ring terrain and other things. Really love the game and want to improve it really bad.
How to improve Ark nova please 🙏🏾
Wow - I thought I was already waaaaay down the rabbit hole with accessorising my games. I do want the premium appearance/components, the sleeves, the player aids, and - most importantly - anything to help setup and teardown speeds. But "token sleeves"!? 🤣....
Too bad most games aren't like Line Dice, which comes in a compact and nearly indestructible case of it's own.
You mentioned metal coins, but forgot coin covers for tokens that need to be drawn from a bag. Super cheap premium feels.
EDIT: I see you put it under "longevity." :D I guess I'm the weirdo who sleeves for shuffeling and tokens for the feels. (I would recommend aliexpress for coin covers BTW).
Also, you mentioned printing player aids and had them laminated but didn't put lamination (of player aids and scorecards along with some dry erase pens) in longevity with a mention on how cheap and easy it is to buy a laminator.
How to make you old board games fun?
INSERTS!
Use some sleeves on your deckbuilders, yikes, its obvious if you have a bought card on top of your deck
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
"how to spend more money on your expensive hobby"
The awkwardness is strong with this one.