Top 10 Characteristics of Good Board Games and Expansions

boardgamequest.com:

The price of buying boardgames is dramatically increasing. Supply chain issues, shipping costs, increases in material costs… none of this is news. Games that used to cost $30-$40 will now cost you $50-$60. Fine. I get it. But if you are going to ask me to spend $60 or more on your game, I certainly have expectations for the game you are publishing.

When I open my game, I will be very disappointed if I see the Fantasy Flight Games Death Star Trench Run “organizer.” That insert is in place for holding my components in place UNTIL I open the game. These days I expect a decent insert or organizer to hold my components in place AFTER I opened the game. I am not necessarily expecting Game Trayz in every game I own. I am looking for something that will hold my components in place, including sleeved cards. Something like Ark Nova, which includes two simple sets of trays for organizing the cardboard tokens, or Dollars to Donuts with its excellent plastic tray.

SAY NO TO PAPER MONEY (except for you Millennium Blades, we cool)! Thankfully, this has pretty much died out, but still rears its ugly head every once in a while, especially on Kickstarter campaigns with inexperienced designers/publishers. Cardboard tokens, chips, metal coins… anything but paper money. I am begging you.

I love when cards are sealed securely. I HATE when it does not have a starter piece on the one side to assist with opening. Nothing infuriates me more than trying to open my cards and having to pick at one of the corners, use my teeth, or hand them to Tony to cut open with his Swiss Army knife. This is especially true for cards smaller than a poker card—for whatever reason, opening those is even harder for me. I should NOT have to carry around a cutting