2017 Non-Board Game Gift Guide for Board Gamers
One of the questions we get the most around this time of year is: What can I get someone who loves tabletop games, but already has so many?
Well to this I say: There is a world of items that either show off your love of games or help you play them. Diana did a fantastic version of this list back in 2015 that still rocks to this day, but there are plenty of new places to shop at. Check out the list below for ideas on what to get your gamer this year.
Tabletop inspired jewelry
There’s a lot of stores that will offer you jewelry that is basically a meeple in a chain or dice made into earrings. I wanted to find something that goes the step beyond into high-quality, handcrafted designs.
Francois Reissi, of Proud to be a Player, designs board game inspired jewelry on Shapeways. The pieces are 3D printed in polished brass and plated with Rhodium.
While Moore Design doesn’t offer many choices in tabletop designs, Austin Moore’s dice jewelry are really stunning. The d10 engagement ring above combines Sterling silver or white gold with rose gold to make a piece that any roleplayer would be happy to receive.
ChittyPins offers some really nice 1.5 inch hard enamel pins. I may have to get myself the “I’m Always The Traitor” pin as a warning to anyone who plays with me. It’s only fair.
Check out ChittyPins on Etsy here.
Inserts
We are big fans of companies like The Broken Token, Game Trayz, Meeple Realty, and Board Game Boost, but if you are looking for more , here are a few other board game organizer companies to add to your shopping list.
Go 7 Gaming makes HDF (high density fiberboard) inserts that look pretty slick. I’ve never assembled one myself, so I can’t say if they are easy to assemble or not, but they do have a wide variety of inserts to choose from.
Daedalus Productions specialize in quick-start inserts which help cut down on set-up and clean-up of games. Their wooden inserts (occasionally paired with Game Trayz plastic inserts) look pretty slick. They have inserts for Terraforming Mars, Gloomhaven, Star Trek: Frontiers, Colonists, and more.
Check out their products here!
Game Upgrades
Looking to add some extra pizzazz to a game? Why not get some upgrades?
Meeple Source is THE place to go for custom meeples and more! They’ve got a huge selection of stuff there, and you can either buy bits in sets per game or in batches for your own game designs and more! Their bits have featured in several of our reviews and always add some awesomeness to any game!
Top Shelf Gamer does it all: Inserts, apparel, and most importantly upgrades! They have a wide variety of tokens, coins, gems, and more to make most any game a little more luxe.
Miniature Market is a one stop shop for card sleeves, tokens, dice, playmats, and more. I particularly like their Q-Workshop: Elven Dice Tower (pictured to the left).
Hit the Miniature Market shop here.
Art
Here’s something I hadn’t thought of in previous years: Board game art as a gift! Many artists who work on games also sell their prints. These can make for some really nice decorations for your game room. Here are a couple of my favorites!
Nolan Nasser is offering his board game art at 25% off for the holidays! His art has been featured in games like Fate of the Elder Gods, Exoplanets, Groves, Nantucket, and New Bedford. You can get high quality mouse pads, playmats and prints. We have a couple of pieces by him and they are all fantastic.
I am so obsessed with Jakub Rozalski’s art. He did all the images for Scythe and several of his paintings are on my wishlist.
Beth Sobel’s work has been featured in some of my favorite games including Herbaceous, Lanterns, Between Two Cities, and more. Her pieces are beautiful and sure to be a centerpiece in any board gamers gallery.
Buy her work here.
I love how bright and exciting Kwanchai Moriya’s art is! His work has been in a huge number of games like Flip Ships, Dinosaur Island, Kepler-3042, Island Hopper, the list just keeps going!
Check out his gallery and buy prints here!
Clothing
Deck your favorite player out in clothes that proclaim their love of gaming!
Geeky Goodies has a huge selection of board game t-shirts, including licensed tees from some of the best board-gaming shows on Youtube like The Dice Tower, Watch it Played, and even Gameosity (hopefully your favorite).
Love Gameosity? Check out our Redbubble store where we feature items like laptop skins, leggings, mugs, and more! Purchases made will go to help supporting this great site and if we ever spot you at a convention wearing our gear, you’ll get a hug or high-five from Jess! Find our stuff here!
Need more ideas for gifts? Check out our other shopping guides here!