Board Game Accessories Worth Gifting: Sleeves to Mats

Board game accessories are the gift category hobbyists quietly want and rarely buy. Plenty of gamers will spend $60 on a new box without blinking and then play it for years with cards going soft at the corners and components in sandwich bags. The upgrade often costs less than $20, and it keeps not happening.

This guide covers the four categories that get used every game night, what to buy in each, and what to skip. Prices are approximate at the time of writing and will move in November. Most products named below link to Amazon.

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The quick answer: if you know their favorite game, give card sleeves (about $3 to $13 a pack) or a box insert made for that game. If you know nothing, give a plain neoprene playmat (about $40 to $60) or a folding dice tray (about $11 to $16).

Which board game accessories actually get used?

The accessories that stay out are the ones that make setup faster or play nicer, every single time. The ones that go in a closet are decorative.

The right-hand column matters. If you do not know what games they play, buy from the rows marked “No.” If you do, the rows marked “Yes” are the better gifts.

Are card sleeves a good gift for board gamers?

Yes, and they sound more boring than they are. Sleeves are clear plastic pockets that protect cards from shuffling wear and spilled drinks. For a game that gets played weekly, they are what keeps the cards looking new for years instead of months.

What to buy. Dragon Shield Matte is the standard for standard-size cards (63.5 by 88 millimeters, the size of a poker card). At the time of writing a 100-count pack runs about $8 to $13. For board games with unusual card sizes, Sleeve Kings and Mayday Games make sleeves in dozens of dimensions; a Sleeve Kings 110-pack can run as little as $2.99, though stock comes and goes.

How to get the size right. Look up the game on BoardGameGeek. Most popular game pages list card dimensions and sleeve counts in the user-maintained files. Buy ten percent more than the count.

What to skip. Ultra-thin “penny” sleeves. They are cheap and they feel cheap. Spend the extra $5.

Are board game inserts worth gifting?

For a game they love, yes. An insert replaces the loose cardboard tray in a game box with molded compartments. Setup goes from sorting baggies to lifting out trays. For a game played often, it is one of the biggest quality-of-life improvements available.

What to buy. Folded Space makes foam-core inserts for hundreds of games, typically $15 to $30. Their Wingspan insert is about $15.99 at the time of writing. They ship flat and take about an hour to glue together, which some people find pleasant and some do not. The Broken Token makes wooden organizers at higher prices; its Great Western Trail organizer is about $58.99 at the time of writing.

What you need to know. The exact game and, for games with expansions, which expansions they own. Inserts are built for specific box contents.

What to skip. Generic “universal” inserts. They fit nothing well.

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What playmat should you buy a board gamer?

A neoprene playmat is the same material as a mousepad, cut large. Cards slide and lift easily, dice stop bouncing, and the table underneath stays unscratched. It works for every game, which makes it the safe accessory gift when you know nothing about their shelf.

What to buy. A plain mat in a dark neutral color, 36 by 36 inches, or 24 by 48 for a narrower table. Expect about $40 to $60 at the time of writing depending on size and whether it has stitched edges; as a reference point, Inked Gaming’s 28-by-14 custom mat is about $39.99, with stitched edges a $5 add-on. Stitched edges last longer. Skip printed designs unless you know their taste; a plain mat goes with every game and every room.

For RPG players. A dry-erase battle mat with a one-inch grid is the equivalent gift. Chessex’s vinyl mats have been the standard for decades and list at $27.98; the 23.5-by-26-inch reversible Chessex Battlemat was about $22.99 at the time of writing. Our guide to gifts for tabletop RPG players has more ideas for the people who roll dice behind a screen.

Dice tray or dice tower: which makes a better gift?

Dice go off tables. A tray stops that, and it quiets the roll, which people with downstairs neighbors appreciate.

What to buy. A folding faux-leather tray costs about $11 to $16 and snaps flat for travel. At the time of writing, Ultra Pro’s Vivid magnetic folding tray ran about $11 to $16. A dice tower, where dice tumble through baffles and out the bottom, runs anywhere from about $20 for acrylic to $60 or more for resin or hardwood (an acrylic tower and tray is about $19.99; a polyresin dragon tower is about $59.95) and is more of a showpiece. For a D&D player, a tray is better; for someone who runs games, a tower looks good at the head of the table.

Pair it with dice. A tray plus a set of nice polyhedral dice (about $4 for a basic Chessex set to about $18 for a mini metal set at the time of writing) is a complete gift under $50. Our piece on D&D dice explained covers what the seven dice are for, if the recipient is new.

Are metal coins and upgraded components worth it?

Many games ship with cardboard coins. Publishers and third parties sell metal replacements that feel better in the hand and make a satisfying clink.

What to buy. Only a set made for a specific game they own and play often. Common targets include Scythe and Viticulture, whose publisher sells its own sets. Prices run about $24 to $35 at the time of writing: Stonemaier’s 80-coin Scythe set is about $29 and its Viticulture lira set is about $24. The deluxe version of this idea is a box of Iron Clays poker chips from Roxley, the publisher of Brass: Birmingham, at about $89.99.

What to skip. Games that already have good components (Splendor’s poker-chip tokens are the usual example), and generic “fantasy coin” sets with no game in mind. The latter end up in a drawer.

What are good board game accessory gifts under $15?

• Token bowls. A set of small ceramic or wooden bowls for sorting pieces during setup. Any kitchen store sells them, and they are inexpensive.
• A good mechanical pencil and a pad of score sheets. Plenty of score pads are still being filled in with a mini-golf pencil.
• A microfiber cloth and soft brush. For cleaning dust from components and crumbs from boxes.
• Rubber bands and small zip bags. Dull and used constantly. Buy the good ones.
• A card shuffler. Controversial. Some gamers love them; many think they damage cards. Ask first.

For more small gifts, see our board game stocking stuffers, and for bigger ones, our list of board game gifts under $50.

What board game gifts should you skip?

• Anything “gamer-themed” that is not for playing. Meeple earrings, dice-pattern socks, a mug that says “roll initiative.” They probably have these. We have written a whole article on gifts for the board gamer who already owns everything because of this problem.
• Storage furniture without asking. The Kallax shelf from IKEA is the hobby standard (the 4-by-4 unit is $179.99 at the time of writing), but people are particular about their shelves.
• Component upgrades for a game they have not played in a year. The upgrade will not bring them back to it.

Is an accessory a better gift than a new game?

Often, yes. A new game is a decision you are making for them. An accessory for a game they already love is an acknowledgment of a decision they already made. It says: I noticed what you play, and I want it to be a little nicer every time.

That is the whole trick. Make the table nicer and people sit at it longer. The game is the reason. The people are the point.

FAQ

What card sleeves are best for board games?

Dragon Shield Matte for standard poker-size cards, about $8 to $13 per hundred at the time of writing. For odd sizes, Sleeve Kings or Mayday Games, which make sleeves in dozens of dimensions.

Are board game inserts worth it?

For a game played often, yes. A Folded Space insert costs about $15 to $30 and makes setup much faster. For a game played twice a year, no.

What size playmat should I buy for board games?

36 by 36 inches suits most square tables and most games. Go to 24 by 48 or larger only if you know the table it will live on.

What is a good board game accessory gift under $20?

A pack of Dragon Shield sleeves, a folding dice tray, or a set of token bowls. All are under $20 and get used every game night.

One table upgrade at a time

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