The best tabletop games always go a step beyond what’s expected. When you’re guiding your party through the Ghosts of Saltmarsh or alien Warhammer worlds, it’s the little things that make those long gaming sessions memorable. The right set of tabletop gaming accessories can make a big difference in the way you play.
It’s got to be said that there is no strict ‘best’ board game accessory. The tools you decide to keep at your side through those long tabletop sessions should be determined by what you’re actually playing and personal preferences. For example, A set of standard polyhedral dice is always fine when playing a cosmic D&D campaign, but a special metal set decorated in starry colors can do so much more for creating an incredible experience.
Dice Bag
No one begins playing tabletop games with the intention of racking up accessories, but somewhere between your first nat 20 roll and your latest victory over a cataclysmic threat, you’ll end up with a sizable collection of dice. This board game accessory is one of the best ways to get all your precious dice together in one place and also protect them from the elements. Not only are dice bags handy for carrying your dice around to a friend’s place, but they’re also designed in a way that adds character to any gaming session.
Shelf Liner
Shelf liner is an unlikely hero when it comes to tabletop game accessories. Anyone who’s played an intense game of Catan has experienced the infamous ‘earthquakes’. A single jolt of excitement or even an accidental nudge into the table can send the tiles flying all over the place, making you lose track of where your settlements and roads were placed. Shelf liners save the day by keeping your board in place even through the roughest of games and campaigns. Just roll your shelf liner out on the table first before putting down your game board or tiles, and the textured surface will help keep everything in place.
They’re pretty much universally applicable to any tabletop game, but they’re especially useful for tile-based and role playing games that need absolute precision in unit placement. As a bonus, they usually come in a variety of colors that you can mix and match for a more atmospheric experience.
A Campaign Notebook
What was the name of that chaotic Elf wizard we met last session? What’s the potion we need to lift that curse? Great note taking saves campaigns, and a notebook just for your campaign keeps them all together. It’s a great way to save all the epic moments of your campaign, and let's face it, you’ll probably run out of room on the back of your character sheet by session three.
The best board game accessories make your life easier while still making the game an even better experience for everyone involved. It doesn’t really matter whether you’re a beginner or even an expert player, we’ve all had moments of confusion struggling to remember a cantrip or ability in the heat of battle or the middle of roleplay. Juggling a veritable mountain of new information that comes with every new D&D campaign can be a brutal task.
We’ve also got to give a shoutout to combat tracking pads a great tabletop gaming accessory for keeping last combat’s damage totals out of your main notes so you can find the important stuff sooner. You can use these to stay on top of all the developments that happen through a game. Keep track of your active buffs and when they expire, your abilities, any debuffs, and more with a simple sticky pad designed for tabletop games.
Gaming Tables
It’s one of the best board game accessories around - the mythical gaming table. Expect to find these in the home of a die hard tabletop gaming aficionado, and for good reason. This tabletop gaming accessory is designed completely with the player in mind, and every facet of it suits a particular need.
Gaming tables often have grooves to accommodate cards and tiles. They’re generally also made of special material that suits dice rolls. And some models even have removable tops to save your combat session for next week when you need to. The trade-off is that they are much more expensive than other gaming accessories, so don’t feel pressured to trade up from that old folding table before you’re ready.
Trays!
As far as tabletop gaming goes, trays are some of the most inexpensive accessories you can buy for yourself and your friends. Component trays, for example, are inexpensive ways of keeping all the different moving parts that go into a table top RPG in one place. As different dice, tokens, and markers change hands throughout a long session, keeping track of everything can be a hassle, a problem that component trays solve.
As for those people who are fully specced into D&D, a padded dice tray is a must have to keep your premium wood dice safe from damage, or keep your metal dice set from damaging the table. It’s also a great way to keep them from rolling onto the floor. Dice trays are some of the best board game accessories in terms of the value you get for your money.
Stickers
If you’re an avid DM or just a frequent member of a gaming party, chances are you and your friends probably have an accessory or two in common. The best way to differentiate yours from theirs is with a cute or kick-ass sticker.
Stickers are probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of tabletop gaming accessories, but the right set of stickers can add so much more personality and charm to your gaming desk or dice clutch.
Gaming in Style
The charm of tabletop gaming was and always will be that all you really need for a good time is a solid surface and friends to play with. That’s a vision that’ll keep tabletop gaming alive, but there’s no reason not to make this incredible board game tradition your own with some of the best accessories and dice from Dice Envy.