Enhance Your Game Nights With These 5 Great Accessories

By Ciarán Laverty

Whether you’re a longtime veteran gamer or you’re just setting out on the weird and wonderful journey of board gaming and tabletop roleplaying, it’s always a good idea to optimise your dedicated gaming space to get the most of your gaming experiences. Board games come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and so there’s almost no end to the ways that you can set yourself up for greatness. We can’t cover all of that right now though, so here’s 5 great accessories that you can get yourself in order to take your game nights, and your gaming space, to the next level.

5: Double-Sided Play Mats

So many games can be brought to vivid life by pure imagination, but there’s nothing quite like having a swath of thematically relevant terrain to bring everything into sharper focus. A double-sided play mat works wonders for helping to immerse yourself and your players into a game. Whether it’s a pirate adventure out on the seven seas, or a cosmic space opera out in the far reaches of the galaxy, you can bring the setting to life at your table with the flip of a cloth. These play mats couple perfectly with the Ironside table, slotting neatly into the recessed edges for a secure surface on which to play your games. And whenever you need to swap out one play mat for another, they can roll up nice and neat for easy storage. Which brings me to the next item on this list!

4: Playmat Hero Hanging Playmat Holder

Whether you’ve got a batch of long playmats or even a few smaller ones, this hanging playmat holder allows you to keep all your playmats in one place. The design allows for the holder to be attached to a standard shelving unit, or even specifically to the BoxThrone, so you can keep your playmats handy during game nights in your dedicated gaming space. As mentioned before and as pictured above, you can store longer playmats vertically or use the individual slots to store shorter playmats horizontally. Once its screwed into the top of the shelving unit, the hanger is as secure as can be, and the adhesive elements are stronger than your average Velcro, employing the same technology as high-end biking equipment. This also allows you to keep your playmats and your games right next to each other, keeping all of your gaming materials in one place just in case you’re short on space for storage in general. And while we’re on the matter of storing your games after use, you might even want to keep track of your gaming sessions with this next accessory!

3: Dry-Erase Play Count Trackers

If you’ve got a sizeable collection of board games or a regular game night set up with your family or friends, then it can be a good idea to keep track of just how many times a particular game has been played. These dry-erase play count trackers are a great way to ensure that not only are all of your games getting some love, but to see which ones are getting the most love from your players! After a few sessions of a particular game, it can be refreshing to mix it up, and these trackers make sure that you can play something as fresh as possible rather than defaulting to a house favourite all the time. You might even use them to figure out which games you could do with offloading if you’re looking to downsize your collection. There’s no glue or adhesive involved either, the trackers are pure silicone that will stay up by the power of gravity alone. I personally think they’d be a great way to track Initiative for a fantasy role-playing game too. You could line them up on your playmat or your narrator’s screen and mark them with the initials of your players to follow the turn order! As a frequent Gamemaster, I’m always drawn to things that will make my gaming experiences more dynamic. The next accessory does just that!

2: Adjustable Bamboo Writing Desk

I can’t tell you how often I end up just chucking my books down under my chair during a session of a tabletop roleplaying game and have to stoop down to pick them up. That boils down to the lack of space behind the GM screen, but with this adjustable bamboo writing desk I’m afforded a special place to keep my rulebook while keeping some space free for other bits and pieces. While my pen and book can rest easy on the desk, I can keep minis, counters, small pieces of terrain, or even dice underneath it and not have to have everything all piled up or shoved off to one side. The dynamic design of the desk also reduces the strain of having to be looking down all the time in order to read a rulebook or write a note. I like to prioritise my comfort during long gaming sessions, because after all, what’s the point in subjecting yourself to eight hours of fun if you feel all ache-y and tense the next day? That being said, everyone’s comfort is a priority at the gaming table, both mentally and physically, and this last accessory is probably one of the best ways to ensure people aren’t coming away from your gaming sessions in need of a physical therapist!

1: Plush Arm Rests

Having your elbows on the table is not only the height of bad manners, but it’s just plain uncomfortable – especially on wooden or metal tables. These plush arm rests ensure that everyone at the table can feel the optimum level of comfort during your gaming sessions. They’re magnetic, so if you are playing on an Ironside table, then ten of them will attach the whole way around the perimeter. Otherwise, you can slot one at each of your players’ seats and let them enjoy the velvet-y softness for however long they so please. Within reason, of course. Ge them out of your house when you’re done. Make sure they don’t steal the arm rests.

So, there you have it! Five great accessories to help you and your players get the most out of your game nights; whether it’s a nifty solution for storage or an aide to everybody’s comfort, BoxKing’s got you covered!