My buddy in Seattle said to always sleeve my board games, but I finally tried it.

He told me this about two months ago after seeing my worn-out copy of Ticket to Ride. I bought a pack of 200 sleeves for around $15 and spent a Sunday afternoon doing it. The cards feel totally different now, way smoother to shuffle, and I'm not worried about spills anymore. Has anyone else found a specific piece of game care advice that actually paid off?

4 comments

4 Comments

wade8712mo ago

Honestly, I used to think sleeving was a total waste of time and money. My old view was that games are meant to be played, not babied. But I had a copy of a game with hidden roles get completely ruined because one card was obviously marked from wear. Sleeving the new deck made all the difference, the shuffle is so much better and now I don't stress about greasy snack fingers. I'm fully converted now, at least for my favorite games.

sandra_bennett592mo ago

Yeah the greasy snack fingers thing is so real, I started sleeving after a pizza night disaster lol.

torres.thea2mo ago

Oh man, the pizza night disaster is a rite of passage. My tipping point was a friend who always eats those super-dusty cheese puffs and then immediately needs to check the rulebook. The cards looked like they'd been through a sandstorm. Now I just silently slide the sleeves across the table before game night starts. It's cheaper than therapy for my control issues. What's the worst thing you've seen ruin a game component?

williams.sage1mo ago

My friend brought over his new puppy and it drooled a whole puddle right on my unsleeved character cards... that was the last straw for me. Now I buy sleeves in bulk like I'm preparing for a snack food apocalypse.