So this weekend while playing TI3 I once again found myself feeling paranoid about spills. Here is my not very cheap game that I thoroughly enjoy sitting within inches of a glass of lemonade that is way too ful, a sweatly beer bottle, and greasy potato chips.

Admittedly, it's a bit OCD of me to worry about this, but I do. So I come to you who have played the game for advice on how you keep it looking good so you can play it for years to come.

I'm considering shellacing the Hexes. Has anyone else out there tried this, and if so, were there any problems with it?

Next I'm cutting all my old card sleeves from CCGs in half so I can protect the cards.

Finally, I'm laminating the race cards.

So who has tried something like this an what were the results? Are there any pitfalls I need to avoid?

FYI _ I put a coat spray on dull cote on a scrap from Shattered empires that I puched hexes out of, and no apparent damage has resulted.

You're a lot braver than me I usually don't even allow drinks on the table with my games, to prevent spills. Or if they ARE there, they need to be well away from the board and any cards, etc.

I have had one major spill on a brand new game (and I mean so new that it just came out of the box and was spilled on) and that was enough for me and I do not allow drinks on the table when gaming. If they are in bottles they are put on the floor beside them or I am thinking of getting some TV trays in which to put drinks on. One option I have been thinking about is getting a nice sheet of table glass to lay over top of my game boards. But depending on the size of the table getting a pre-cut piece of glass can get pricey.

Putting something over it probably isn't a bad idea. Personally, I'd go with plexiglass over table-glass, mostly due to pricing. A few years ago I got a 2' x 3' sheet of plexiglass and I think it cost less than $20.

I have a strict "no drinks within 3 feet of the table, wash your hands after eating greasy food" policy. I must admit that it is slightly anal, but I'm the one in our group who owns several hundred dollars worth of games, so I get the final say. The other players don't have that much of a problem with that either - I think it's a matter of education, as I'm the one who introduced the whole boardgame thing to most of them.

Drinks usually end up on a nearby table, where they are easily accessible to thirsty parties, but are in no danger of ruining my beloved TI.

You could try table trays stands I am thinking of the wooden ones. Then have everyone put their drinks there. I would avoid the greasy foods if possible.

I sometimes say, "guys, I know I am being anal here but this game cost me $80 bucks so please be careful" Try to say it in a light manner.

Most people, if they understand why you are nervous and not being OCD, behave pretty reasonable.

But if you would enjoy the game more without worrying about the damage to your game pieces, go ahead and laminate them.

Bill

I have laminated all Race Cardsand have put all cards into half-of-usuall-plastic sleeves.

Tiles seem quite endure. If You sweep water ASAP from tiles, they will be OK.

do not allow for eating fatty snacks. Drinks are possible if drunk and hold carefully.

I won't let anyone place drinks or food on the table and politely ask for people to clean their hands when they handle food. I know that sounds as though I am asking for too much, but this game is expensive and I want it to last. So far, no one has complained over my requests.

Doesn't sound like you're asking too much at all.

I laminated the edges of the system tiles, but mostly to protect them when they are mixed. The other things are open still, but I am considering further protection. In our games, usually open glasses with drinking stand right between the board, cards and other stuff, because we just don't have the room to do better - I only rent one room with 11 square meters, so there is not really much possibility. But nothing happened so far.

With second edition, I had a piece of glass that we would put over the map once it was built. It was kind of a joke, the "placing of the glass ceremony shall commence." We'd chant and stuff, it was a lot of fun. The glass was mostly there to keep the tiles from moving around, but it was good protection too.

All of the suggestions here are good ones. I seriously doubt that anyone will give you any trouble if you explain nicely that you want to keep your expensive games looking new as long as possible.

All of my cards are sleeved. It did take awhile to cut all the sleeves in half after putting the cards in but using a Fiskars slide cutter really helps to make sure they are all uniform in size and speeds the process up a bit. I have not put my hexes in anything but I have many variant hexes that I have made and then used Krylon Clear Matte or Gloss Photo protectent on them to keep them from deteriorating. I usually do not allow open containers around the game but do not mind the spillproof coffee cups and is it comes to food a break can be made for lunch or dinner rather than bring it all around the game. I do not like to get grease on anything from chips or fries.

@Mike: Do you have pictures of that?

Since I am a great fan of boardgames and proud owner of several titles I am concerned about protecting them, too. When they're new I am alway very careful whilst handling them. I often remember my friends on how much sweat and money I invested in bringing this nice item to our table. But when the games lost their new and fresh smell and we realize it's "just cardboard and plastic" we start to play less cautioned and more relaxed (way more fun by the way). To further protect some out of print or expensive titles I just scan them into handy .tiff files which are burned to CD for easy recovery if something gets seriously damaged. But "recovery" is rarely needed.

Since I play with good friends some beer and pizza damage occurs, but there is only one thing that makes me wanna cry. Our 16 Year old Monopoly Deluxe Edition (which is the second most beautiful edition Monopoly was ever in) is being held together by tesafilm and some gaffa tape. The Money has lots of coffee,beer,cola....etc. stains and even some metal figurines are damaged.

Only few tables are big enough to keep Twilight Imperium without some damage.

If you have no rules to prevent spills, then it's only a matter before you have a Galactic Doo Maelstrom. We had a Leze Faire attitude during second Edition when it came to food and drink at the game table, and that poor set took so much punishment; the tiles were warped, the pieces were grimey, and the action cards were splotched in such a way that we'd often whisper to one another, "Hey, Katie has an action card with 3 splotches, a cut, and a knick at the top left--- Rise of the Messiah is on its way!!"

It wouldn't be such a big deal for me as far as buying a new set, but I know that 3rd Edition will go permanently out of print someday and I want to be able to play it for years to come, so we have a strict no eating or drinking at the table. All eating and drinking occur when assembly is played (in which all players are allowed to conduct secret negotiations) and everyone washes their hand before the game resumes.

Food is not consumed while playing - I always enforce a lunch break because greasy pieces gross me out. I've tried not to be too anal about drinks at the table. I go back and forth. With people my age, I'm not so worried, but I think I'll have some more rigid rules when my children are old enough to learn the game.

A related tip: I was in a fabric store with my wife over the weekend and realized that high-friction shelf liner (the stuff some people put down in their cupboards to keep their cups, etc. from sliding around) is pretty cheap by the yard. In addition, the store was having a sale, so I got a 36" by 54" piece for $3.50. I'm excited to put that down on the table next time we play TI - it should minimize the board hexes getting bumped and jostled out of position. Has anyone else tried this?

Not as yet. But it doesn't sound like a bad idea.

My last face-2-face game, one of the players dog jumped right on the table, scattering pieces everywhere. Pretty funny.

Bill

All my cards are in sleeves cut in half so they fit. I have tuckboxes for all other cards and hexes for protection when in transport. I try to keep all food either away or with lids if they are drinks.

Actuarialnutt said:

I was finally able to play a game of TI using my anti-slide mat last weekend. It was excellent. The board was never jostled around even when the cat jumped on the table and walked across the galaxy. The mat is also large enough to have room left over on an end for the victory point track and public objective cards, so these were given the gift of high friction as well. I'd highly recommend this approach to anyone who frequently finds themselves pushing hexes back together after bumps.

My basic solution is no drinks on the table with the game. I tried the no drinks within certain distance, but that got a little hectic trying to clear game pieces out of the way of a fast expanding spill. I usually play in an area with a lot of small tables or counters around so its usually not an issue. A friend of mine has small TV tray tables that a couple of people share for their drinks.

We don't have any TV trays but I did use our two barstools as mini-tables for drinks last game. Most people are pretty agreeable with keeping their beverages off the board when I disclose how much the game costs to purchase.

Spills are one of my three gaming phobias. The other two are greasy hands (that really grosses me out) and pieces falling on the floor and subsequently being stepped on and crushed. The latter is especially vivid for me ever since I experienced it firsthand (while playing Fortress America!)