Board games have certainly come along way. Several games come with high-quality components, very practical and visually appealing storage areas, and beautifully designed player boards or mats. That said when it comes to components, sadly not all games are created equal. It doesn’t mean the game is bad – it just means that the designer/publisher chose to focus elsewhere in the game, either to keep the production costs down or it was deemed not essential.

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There are several board game accessories that you can add to your play sessions that can make the session more enjoyable. Either because they keep the play area organized, make the game “feel” better, or frankly just make it look cool. In addition, the physical space around the play area is important to me. I like to have a well lit, roomy area, and space that makes the game easy to play. Anything that I can add to make gameplay smoother I want to take advantage of. I don’t want to deal with dice spilling onto the game board, waste time searching for specific tokens or pieces, or in general, dealing with chintzy components.

I will highlight a handful of board game accessories but I would say you definitely should get these three things first:

• Metal Coins
• Variety of Storage Trays
• A Dice Tower or Dice Tray

I’ll do a deeper dive into a variety of accessories you can add to enhance the experience.

Money

_{For the sake of discussion I will refer to money in terms of US Dollars or the $ symbol. I realize several games aren’t using US Dollars per’se.}

Coins

Unfortunately, when it comes to coins – you are going to run into a lot of cardboard punch-outs for coins. They are definitely the low-cost goto choice for board games.  If you get a game like the Isle of Skye, you end up with a bunch of varying pieces of cardboard laying around representing $1, $5, or some other dollar amount. On the other hand, Scythe got it right during production and included a nice set of coins. I generally don’t like taking pieces from one game to play another – but it is an option. If you don’t have Scythe there are some nice alternatives out there – including the ones used in Scythe.  For a small price, you can have a nice addition to be used in a multitude of games.  I strongly recommend finding something with denominations on them,  $1, $5, $10, $20 would be my suggestion.

In lieu of metal coins, a nice set of poker chips can be used as well.  If you don’t fancy yourself as a poker player, a 100 piece set should do fine – however, if you see yourself hosing a poker night – spring for a 500 piece set. Getting a poker set can be a whole post in itself – so I just want to highlight a couple of very generic sets, that will work for boardgaming, but should also provide you a nice set should you host a poker night.

If you really want to take a look at all the coin options available, there is a great thread on Board Game Geek doing a very deep dive into the different coin types used in games.

_{“It’s such a strange thing because metal coinage is a purely aesthetic upgrade. They don’t change game mechanics or offer any extension to the gameplay experience. Even so, deluxe editions have proven there’s a market for aesthetic upgrades, and metal coins have grown into one of the most popular.}“

Pixleart Meeple – BGG

Coins work well in a lot of games under a lot of different circumstances. As an alternative to coins, you could also consider poker chips. You can get several different types of sets that will have denominations printed on the chips. I much prefer a good set of coins though, as they tend to stay in theme more than poker chips.

Paper Money

Paper Money is a bit more problematic. One – several games you could use coins for, and two, there aren’t a lot of good alternatives. I have looked high and low and can’t find one, nor have I ever encountered a proper substitute. Frankly, I think the best bet is to sub out money altogether and use poker chips with denominations. Conveniently they generally come in matching denominations.

Gems/Other

Maybe it’s not about money per se’.  Take a game like  Splendor or Inca Gold – Gems are the key. There are some great gem alternatives out there.  What about swapping out the final awards in Saboteurwith an “actual” gold nuggets – in lieu of the card. In that same vein, there are a number of games that use a form of currency – but it is much more abstract. In King of Tokyo, when you roll a “bolt” you get a green cube. There are some neat alternatives.

For Inca Gold, Splendor, or say Saboteur – check out these alternatives.

If you don’t mind doing a bit of sorting – here is a great way to get a lot of “stuff” that can be used for several different types of games. If you go this route – you definitely will want to spring for a storage solution for these counters/gems/resources etc. For the best bang for your buck – these are the way to go.

Dice Towers and/or Dice Trays

Dice Towers

Dice Towers keep your dice from spewing all over the game board, player board, or rolling off the table.  While some games may only require one die and may not necessitate a dice tower others can have you rolling a handful. Don’t bother with a dice tower if you are playing a fast-paced game – but definitely consider this classy addition if your table is running full of other components.

Dice Towers also have the benefit of very independent and transparent rolls. It is tough to be accused or accuse anyone else of improperly rolling a die hoping for a specific result.

Towers can be somewhat thematic – and are highly customizable.  You can definitely find a base tower on Amazon, but if you are looking for something a bit more thematic – consider Etsy.  They have got some nice towers. I like dice towers when players don’t need to roll every round/turn, only need to roll 3 or less die, and fit the theme of the game.

Between Etsy or Amazon there are a ton of choices. Find the one right for you – but for starters, I think one of these two are the best.

Dice Trays

In lieu of a dice tower – consider dice trays. In fact – perhaps consider upwards of 4. Dice trays take up a much smaller footprint. If you have a game that has a large footprint and requires players rolling a number of dice every turn these space savers can save time, keep your pieces in check and provide a little bling to your gaming setup. There are some really nice nested trays.

I prefer trays over the tower when I need to roll more than 4 dice, have multiple rolls each turn, and need to roll each and every turn.

Organization

Inserts

Be careful here. Inserts are great, but they can run almost the same amount of a game. Not only that, but they don’t really help facilitate the gameplay much. Yes, they do help in setting up and taking down. It is very nice when everything you need is already quickly in place and sorted in the box. Likewise, it is very useful during takedown to have dedicated placeholders for the vast array of cards, dice, tokens, and other components.

There are two commercial outfits that specialize in game inserts. Both sites provide highly quality inserts for specific games in your collection. As mentioned earlier, they will cost as much, if not more, than several games in your collection. As you view the sites you’ll notice a difference between the two. Folded Space uses foam cutouts to form their inserts while The Broken Token actually uses birch wood. Both are cut with precision instruments.

Folded Space is focused on inserts only, while The Broken Token has a number of other products as well.

Folded Space

The Broken Token

If you aren’t going for inserts instead of looking for game-specific inserts -= consider more of a universal insert or organizer. They will be considerably cheaper and by definition have a broader range of use.

If you are just looking for a way to tidy up your games while they are on shelf you need not purchase an expensive game insert. Some generic style containers/sorters will like satisfy what you are after. There are some inexpensive options to keep your components sorted and facilitate an easy setup and takedown.

A simple small tackle box often can solve storage issues. There are several that are small in their dimensions that would fit into plenty of game boxes. Depending on the game and existing insert, you may need to remove the insert the game came with. Some will allow both to fit nicely. “It depends” seems to fit nicely here. Alternatively, you may want to pick up a handful of these to store your add-on components like upgraded coins or tokens.

On Table Organizer

While it is great to have your game boxes in order, it is important, if not more important to keep a clean tidy play area during your games. Tokens, dice, components should always be at arm’s length and easy to find. It can save time during gameplay and will making teaching the game easier if everything is clearly visible. Lastly, they do a great job of keeping pieces from slipping off the table or get bamboozled by some rouge dice. (Though you are using a dice tray right?) Frankly, you don’t need to spend very much at all to get the job done. Small little bowls or muffin tins will do a great job.

For the Tabletop

Player Mats

Player mats generally serve multiple purposes. Some are very game specific and have a nice presentation and practicability for game play. Other play mats aren’t game specific but do offer a very nice aesthetic value. On top of aesthetics a nice tabletop player mat can just make it easier to play the games you love. Some of the benefits include:

• Easier to pick up cards
• Cards slide easier
• Dice don’t create a racket while playing
• Multi-Use – puzzles for example

The mat need not be fancy, but it should cover a decent size area. If you play primarily 2 player games or card games, then something as small as 3’x2′ will be “ok”. If you can get something a bit larger. As games get larger and larger you don’t want to sell yourself short if you opt to buy one of these.

Upgraded Components

I’ve briefly talked about the benefits/highlights of upgrading currency – so I won’t dwell on that here. Instead lets take a look at some of the other shiny objects you can get to up your game experience and presentation.

Game Specific

If you want a very specific money/token/resource cube or other game customized component then you really need to check out Top Shelf Gamer. You will find a wide selection of beautifully customized components for several of the most popular games on the market.

The Top Shelf Gamer storefront is gorgeous – it is like you are looking at a shelf at your favorite board game store. Of course you can just as easily search for the specific game components you happen to be looking for.

Another great place to take a look at is over at Etsy. With a little surfing, not only will you find various game overlays, mats, and organizers – but you can find specific components for your favorite games as well.

While not quite as intuitive as Top Shelf Gamer, you will still find a great deal of items to choose from. Not only will you find the accessories we’ve been talking about so far – but you are likely to find decorations, fashion, and other great items to bring home to your hobby.

Multi-Use/Generic

Of course if you just want some general multipurpose pieces that can be used in a variety there are some solutions for that as well.