Luxury Items I Like to See
Today I am going to be a little selfish and talk about luxury or deluxe items I like to see in board games and crowdfunding campaign offerings. I will also mention a few items I have not seen that I would like to see. Reality is I can be a sucker for deluxe items and their table presence.
The first thing I would like to see more of are handmade specialty or deluxe items. I love seeing what people can create with their hands and what they can accomplish. There is also something awesome about having an item that is one of a kind because it was not produced by a machine but crafted by a person.
A great weakness of mine is resin dice poured and mixed by hand. Each dice is different, and man, do they look good! There is also something to be said for the finishing by hand that takes place and the labor that goes into that versus a factory that will produce nice dice but without the care and effort.
I have also seen some very nice dice trays. I am not talking about the leather dice trays (those are nice) but I am referring to the extremely nice wooden and resin dice trays. The patterns and inlays that can be in the resin are at times breathtaking. The varieties of wood that can be used, the coloring, staining, and even the joinery itself can add to the design.
Trays and component storage systems, I think, are always a luxury that is good to see. Not only does it make set up and tear down easier when they are done right, but there is something to be said about the look of a neatly packed and stored game in its box.
Speaking of boxes, who doesn’t love to see a nice wooden deluxe ultra-nice game edition. The look and heft of a wooden box is a beautiful thing to behold. You can also appreciate the design that is burned in (usually with a laser). Though I would love to see a box that is carved with a CNC router; I think there could be some amazing things done with that for a board game box.
Luxury Items I Would Like to See
I just mentioned an item that I would like to see offered in a truly deluxe edition or luxury edition of a board game, a completed carved out (by CNC or hand) box that would hold a board game. I actually looked into this option for the Herald of the Deep Pledge for Cult of the Deep. Sadly, it was not feasible for our time frame or price point and was something I really should have done more research into before the campaign. I am, however, extremely happy with the Mahagony boxes we ended up having made by Woodchuck USA. Beautiful if I do say so myself.
Another thing I would love to see are some upscale finishes, graphic designs, boxes, embossing, foiling, gilding, tuck boxes, etc. I would love to see some of these things done for a few of my favorite games. I think Splendor in particular would be a great game to receive the playing card treatment. I highly recommend that you take the opportunity and check out some good luxury playing cards. There are some beautiful works of art out there that I would love to get my hands on and would be even happier if various board games decided to go down that route.
Now that I have said my piece, I know I have left off a few luxury items such as playmats, metal coins, dice towers, miniatures, and look alike resource pieces. What are some things that people have seen outside of hobby board gaming that they would like to see incorporated? Sky is the limit here; price is not a factor.
