Board Games

If you are new to the board game hobby or just want some of my favorite resources on modern board games here are the best board game resources I have come across:

• If you are new to board games please watch these two video to get a senses of what board games can bring to your life:
  • We are Ant Lab Games
  • Special Channel Announcement: But Why?
• Some great advice I received when I first started in the board game hobby and pretty much follow to this day https://www.thesimpledollar.com/how-to-save-money-on-a-board-gaming-hobby/
• Any question you ever have about board games including how to play them, what expansions are available for the game (ones you can purchase or even user generated you can download and print off) or even alternative ways to play games you have purchased, and creative ways to organize your games or store them can be found here: https://boardgamegeek.com/ I typical just type in any question I have about a board game and end it with bgg and typically get exactly what I was looking for.
• I sleeve all my cards to keep my games looking good and protected follow these links to find what sleeve you need
  • https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/164572/card-sleeve-sizes-games
  • https://www.sleeveyourgames.com/
  • https://sleeved.io/
• My favorite sleeve is Ultra Pro Deck Protector Sleeves Standard 100 count. For standard size cards this is the best sleeve for the buck. I find a seller who sells in bulk on eBay in the range of 500 – 1000 sleeves at a time.  If you stay in the hobby you will eventually use them and save a lot of money going this route.
  • When the game call for non standard size cards sleeves Mayday Games are the sleeves I purchase.  They make sleeves for virtually any card size you need. You can get them direct from their website here.
    • ***It's important to note I only recommend premium sleeves. The standard ones for any sleeve vendor are not high enough quality to use in my opinion.
• Gaming Play Mats are fantastic.  I do not currently have any strong recommendations on any specific company. For me it has been a real challenge to find exactly what I was looking for including some custom mat's I have purchased. Since I'm not really offering any specific advice on gaming mats I will at least off you this greats site on how to care for you the gaming mats you purchase https://vikingmats.com/care-and-handling/
• Whenever available make sure you print out player aids/reference cards that you can find on boardgamegeek.com. This give you a quick summery of how to play the game often times without having to refer to the rule book. Is is also super handy for new players to refer to  to understand what things mean at a glance and how to win the game.
• Great for top 10 & top 100 list http://www.dicetower.com/ and
• I really like their reviews -  https://www.youtube.com/user/thedicetower
• If you are trying to learn a board game this is an excellent video how to guide https://www.youtube.com/user/WatchItPlayed
• This is a local board game shop http://www.heroeshavenmansfield.net/ The have over 100 board games the owners will teach you to play before buying. They are very nice people. If you talk to Son he will strongly recommend them. Games purchased here will come at a premium cost, but it can be worth it if you are struggling to learn the game or just want to support our local board game community.
• Amazon is often times a good source of cheap board games
• The following two places specialize on cheap board games online and sometimes have games that amazon does not have at all like tumblin' dice. You can also do pre-orders or watch-list to be notified when a new game or expansion comes out. I have not found this feature anywhere else https://www.miniaturemarket.com/
• https://www.coolstuffinc.com/
• This checks most of the popular board game websites online for the best prices on board games - www.boardgameprices.com/

​My Video Response from Tom, Sam, & Zee from The Dice Tower

I always wanted to meet, shake hands, and share how much I appreciated the positive impact Tom, Sam, and Zee from the dice tower have had on my life. I found a creative way to meet them and share my appreciation through their 2019 kickstarter.  I am very blessed to have their kind reply to my video.  It is a memory I will always treasure!!!