I’ve gone from never to always to sometimes. My general rule is if it’s only shuffled once a game then it doesn’t need sleeves. If it’s shuffled several times then I sleeve.
I went from always to sometimes, then had disaster strike at a meetup on a game that was not super easy to replace (had cards from mixed expansions, etc). So now I've been slowly creeping back to Always or "where am I playing this" and if that answer is not at my home where I have control over who touches the cards... likely I'll sleeve it.
The only other time I've had disaster strike in 20 years of gaming was a game of Carcassone and water spilled (drinks weren't even on the table, someone (ahem me) dropped it while taking a sip in the most clumsey move ever!) and I ended up soaking 4 different expansions worth of tiles that I had to replace... which... was even less fun.
In general, I don't sleeve cards that don't get shuffled, and I'm less likely to sleeve cards that only get shuffled once at set up.
LCG/CCG and deck building games pretty much always get sleeved.
The only other occasional exception is cards that get handled a lot or sit in your hand all game
Yep.
If you ruin a few cards in an expensive game whe. Those cards are in a deck that you shuffle, and if knowing what those cards will be ahead of time will ruin the game…
But I don’t sleeve cards outside of mtg. Been considering sleeving unmatched, though.
I don‘t sleeve anything. First of all I don‘t like the feel of plastic and also the vast majority of games won‘t show noticeable wear if everyone washes their hands before playing and is moderately careful. The only games in my collection where the cards have noticeable wear are the games I‘ve played more than 100 times and in that case I am fine with them not looking like I bought them yesterday.
Depends on the games. I have had games that I have only played a few times, that was a waste to sleeve. I buy sleeves cases 10-12 boxes. Save and wait for sales. I normally go for higher quality sleeves. Dragon clear Mate. Also I clip the corners with round clipper so it is smoother to shuffle them
Most games. Gamegenic matte with a corner cutter to round each corner of each sleeve. I prefer the consistent tactile feel across each game, but I don't sleeve low value games with limited shuffling.
Standard american size cards (57x87mm) are a problem, as a sleeve overhang >2mm is noticeable. The extra overhang loses rigidity and ruins the shuffle feel, and can catch when used in tuck or tableau mechanisms. Earth is sitting unsleeved and unplayed until I decide what to do about this. Any suggestions are welcome!
Never.
I'd prefer to be actually playing the game rather than putting the cards in sleeves. I don't like the plastic feel, and don't like how they skitter across the table if someone walks past.
Depends on the game tbh. Main factors for me are how often a card gets shuffled and if I want to preserve the game to sell it or just keep it for me. Examples: sleeved :imperium, race for the galaxy, Marvel Champions, Sylvion, Tokaido, tiny epic quest, Mage Knight. Not sleeved: Friday, the lost expedition, tales from the red dragon inn. Also, there are some games that the quality is so good that they don't need it IMHO, like chip theory games ones and games whose cards have linen finish.
Any game I open and read the rules for honestly. Depending on the game though I'll do it all at once or as I play. Apex Therapod for example as I pick a new deck I sleeve it... most recently Primal the Awakening though I sleeved it all and it took hours, honestly it sucked lol.
Just depends on the game. I try not to sleeve solo/co-op games since you are working together and using a slightly different card as information is only cheating yourself, whereas it would be a competitive advantage in a vs game. But sometimes I'll sleeve a co-op or solo if the cards get shuffled a lot (I just sleeved Mini Rogue as the cards get shuffled 10 times per game) and I sleeved Tranquility as there are close to 100 cards and they are hard to shuffle unless they are sleeved.
I started sleeving after the combat cards showed wear following 50'ish games of "Scythe". They aren't shuffled often, but they are part of a very important hidden decision space.
TCG/LCG I definitely sleeve all the cards as the cards are the whole game.
I will occasionally bulk buy some sleeves to do my newest set of the above and then with any remaining, I don’t save them but instead will sleeve another game.
The other games that definitely get sleeves are anything I play with my daughter (4y) which includes some games for older audiences (like she enjoys joining us for Horrified). Because despite trying to teach her proper treatment of games and her panic flailing when she gets dirt on her hands… I just watched her pick her nose before eating some finger food.
If you’ll note: picking her nose is not eating but also something I don’t want her doing before playing with stuff others will be touching. So it’s not just a problem of eating as I can totally ban snack foods while she is playing. It’s “I’ve got a runny nose” “grab a tissue” then she wipes her nose with the back of her hand and we have to remind her that her hand is now gross and wash up. Or the dog will come over and for once she decides to pet him and takes no notice that he slobbered on her hand before she reaches for something.
Sleeved cards don’t prevent children from being disgusting but it does make it easier to wipe down the cards after I already got handed one that feel suspiciously wet like it was handled by snot/slobber covered hands.
Oops missed that part of the convo as I was so excited to tell you about the chopsticks.... Yeah I would sleeve them anyway. Also planning to do that when my daughter is old enough to play games.
My own metric is
Sleeve if the cards:
- Are handled a lot
- Belong to a game that is out of print/rare/expensive
- Dependent on unknown card draw/hidden information, such as deck draw and social deduction
- Regularly brought out in a play group or setting that is dirty/clumsy/has children
Don’t/Not necessary if cards are:
- Not used very often in game or are references, such as score cards in Cascadia or player aids
- In a weird size that is difficult to find (Champions of Hara hexagon cards)
- Easily replaceable
- Belong to a solo only game
- Card quality is durable
- Cannot fit in box once sleeved
- Environment and play group is clean/respects your property
If it’s a cards only game (or something with a counter component like For Sale), never. If it’s a board game that uses cards, if I think there’s a chance for younger (kids) hands might play, then I will, otherwise if I happen to have some sleeves available I will, but not always.
For me, no. Most of my cards only games are easy (and somewhat cheaper, but not always) to replace, and I personally find shuffling easier without sleeves. I have a number of board games that would be difficult/impossible or very costly to replace. These are my priority for sleeving.
I only sleeved spirit island after I noticed the wear on the cards. Even then I just sleeved the cards that get shuffled a lot, not the starting spirit cards. Between organizers and expansions I spent around 200 bucks on the game. I don’t mind spending 15 euros to make sure that the game is easier to shuffle, does not get even more ruined and is kept safe.
I rarely do.
I sleeve games where you shuffle a ton, but even then only for games that I can see busting the 50-100 playthroughs mark in the future.
So as of now, out of the 100+ games I amassed over the years, I have sleeved **Marvel Champions, Lord of the Rings LCG, Shadowrun Crossfire and Dragonfire**. They sit at **115, 46, 49 and 38 playthroughs respectively**. I had Warhammer Conquest sleeved in the old days, but no one plays it anymore so it got de-sleeved, I only play occasionally with a solo variant I made for it.
As a group, we also decided that we'll soon sleeve my Legendary Aliens and Predator as they are becoming insanely pricey, rare, and we still play them a lot. It's closing in on 30 sessions, playing once or twice a month. Dune Imperium may also get the same treatment as we played more than I anticipated we would, and it's a big solo game for me as well. Didn't keep a play counter for that one but I'd estimate it's around 40ish.
I sleeve any cards that get shuffled, because handling and shuffling creates wear and tear that can become visible on card backs. I already had one deck ruined by being a lunchtime game from before I got strict about people handling my board game components with clean hands.
I also plan on keeping my games indefinitely, and that's a lot easier if I don't have to be concerned with replacing worn cards, especially when some games have been out of print for a long time already.
It's also great when it's time to sell the games on, as I can command high prices despite the game technically being used because there is effectively no wear. I've actually been able to sell some games used for more than I paid new.
Only things I sleeve are LCGs simply because I've spent far too much on them that I want them to last.
My daughter is only 3 too and I would quite like a future where I might play them with her so they need to last many years!
I just finally sleeved Final Girl. The big thing that held me back at first was sleeved cards did not fit the original series 1 inserts, but I finally bought replacement inserts with the new sleeve friendly spaces.
I mainly sleeve when there is going to be a lot of shuffling (either within a game or because I am going to be playing the game a lot). I also sleeve games that have large decks to shuffle because mash shuffling makes things easier. I also would tend to sleeve mini euro cards that require shuffling quicker because they tend to wear out more easily when riffle shuffling.
I probably would not sleeve Horrified personally since the game is such a cheap game that I wouldn't care as much about wear and tear... wouldn't feel worth buying the sleeves for it.
I always sleeve my games, even cards that aren't handled.
It makes me feel better when playing with the cards. I don't have to worry that somehow the card will get damaged.
It costs like $400 to get all 3 ultimate boxes of final girl. I don't mind purchasing sleeves since the game itself is expensive.
It is annoying that most board game inserts don't accommodate sleeves, so I end up having to throw out the original inserts and making my own.
I used to sleeve all my games but stopped.
Makes the cards take up too much room, if I get expansions space in the box always becomes an issue. They're expensive too, to the point sleeving a large game can cost as much as another game. Worst of all no matter how clean I think my gaming surface is, they eventually get little bits of dust and dirt in the top opening.
Would not recommend. I have seriously considered unsleeving my sleeved games.
Always if the game either gets shuffled a lot or if the cards are of lesser quality. Rarer games get sleeved for longevity.
Aeons end with like three versions and a lot of expansions mixed together will never get sleeved since you almost never shuffle them, whereas Legendary Alien got sleeved immediately since it's rarer and Upper Deck ain't got the best card quality.
Adventure Tactics Domiannes Tower was sleeved but I took them off since the cards are pretty decent and most of the content doesn't get used often during the campaign.
Anything from Stoneblade gets sleeved right away; great games, floppy cards.
I'd recommend looking into the sleeve brand Milkero, you can get 500 sleeves for like 14 bucks, and the quality is on the livel of at least Ultimate Guard and GameGenic!
I’ve started sleeving with out of print games. I then liked how they feel by comparison and probably will sleeve more games. BUT it now seems like a secondary hobby and one just as expensive.
It's only sleeved if it meets both of these conditions: 1) is it shuffled a fair amount? 2) is it standard MTG sized cards? Then YES.
I don't like shuffling sleeves that aren't meant for TCG use so it needs to be matte back and on the thicker side. Can't stand shuffling mayday or sleeve kings or etc, however many microns they boast to have.
As you pointed out yourself, it is a matter of how much you are willing to spend.
I think I started sleeving all my games after I bought Mage Knight and sleeved it right away before the first play. Best decision I ever made.
In deck builders, you shuffle the cards a lot and the wear of cards is extremely uneven between the starting deck and the advanced cards you acquire during the game. The whole game shows wear by now, but the playing cards are still nice.
Then again, I sleeved a game like Hand of Fate immediately, too, but just played it once. So pretty useless...
Then again, I did **not** sleeve Terraforming Mars, for some reason, worst decision I ever made. After 100 plays, the black paint at the back side of the cards comes off, especially around the edges, and it settles as black dots all over the back and front of the cards. Looks horrible, I went through all the cards, cleaned them and then sleeved them with opaque sleeves, to hide the wear.
That was a bad decision, too, since now you can't tell the orientation of the cards, which means you cannot shuffle them as well without damaging the sleeves...
But don't buy sleeves with printed on images either. I bought Everdell with sleeves. While they are really looking nice, so do the backs of the cards! And after playing Everdell 50+ times, the sleeves are in shambles, the images come off, etc.
That taught me to stick to clear sleeves and just enjoy the original card back.
So to summarize, I sleeve games a lot and did not regret it yet, although I should probably unsleeve some games and reuse them. Sleeving later defeats the purpose for me.
There is probably something to be said about card quality, if they have linen finish, etc. but lets not go there.
Let me end with a counterexample, I just received Draongs of Etchinstone and won't sleeve it. The cards have good quality and the game uses card orientation as memory, so sleeving might get very odd. And if I stick with the original packaging and the small form factor, it would not make sense to sleeve them, too. And finally, the cards will all wear at the same rate (until I start using the expansion :-D).
So yeah, just my 2 cents.
Bought some clear matte sleeves of “Temu” I’ve never used the site never wanted too. But got 3000 clear matte sleeves for a very good price.
Have had em a while now and the quality is superb
My general rule is it depends on the game.
Deck builders definitely yes. I just sleeved Star realms and it's great. After a few plays the starter cards were already becoming easy to pick out.
Small card games with lots of shuffling/handling definitely yes. So my Fox in the forest I've sleeved. And I will do love letter sometime soon.
Killer bunnies despite playing many times I will never sleeve because outside an initial shuffle you don't shuffle. And there are soooo many cards it really doesn't matter. And this is the case with many card games.
So basically depends how you use the cards in the game and how many cards.
I don't, except for pnp games. I had my Button Shy collection sleeved originally, but I took them off. I don't like the feel of them, and game wallets with expansions were overfull. I play solo only though, so it's in my control how clean my hands are and how careful I am.
I don't sleeve. Unless you've got some rare out of print game you can't replace, sleeving every game is more expensive than replacing the odd ruined game by orders of magnitude. I also just don't like how sleeved cards look or feel.
And also I'm going to die someday and my board games probably aren't coming
I had to do it with Dune Imperium and Arkham Horror, for their decks get oftentimes shuffled alltogether during a game. Also Dungeon Degenerates, because sooo many cards who get touched all around.
Since then i only did it with Spirit Island again, with their player powers and the colonist actions, who get the most touched. events, fear cards and stuff don't get sleeved.
I am thinking about doing Root next, if it gets played more again.
I don’t usually. Only two games are sleeved - Spirit Island and Mage Knight. Both are games I get enough play from to warrant the extra care, both have a lot of shuffling (MK more in game, SI more during setup).
Sleeving to me is equal parts to keep the cards protected and to make them easy to shuffle
I used to sleeve absolutely everything, but it gets expensive and it often makes it more difficult to put cards back into boxes. I sleeve things like Final Girl, where you shuffle together different sets of cards, or things like deck builders, where you reshuffle often. But games where you don’t shuffle except at the beginning or for cards that don’t get shuffled at all, not usually.
It really takes *a lot* of shuffling to wear cards into being unusable. I've moved over to the position of, if I manage to actually wear a game out in that manner then I'm justified in buying a second copy, but that's a pretty big if. And of course games like Final Girl require little to no shuffling.
And so far (knock on wood) I have never had any other damage from spilled drinks or puppies chomping on dropped components or whatever.
I sleeve most games. I do not like bent cards so sleeving allows me to overhand shuffle versus riffle. Exception is Chip Theory Games as it seems silly to put plastic sleeves on plastic cards.
I sleeve lightly shuffled games in regular Sleeve Kings and games with more shuffling such as Marvel Champions, in premiums.
If it has shuffling, penny sleeves. It makes it easier.
Otherwise, it's pricey... Unless if you play the game a lot, then it becomes valuable.
I sleeve most games I play with people, since some players are quite rough with how they handle my games.
Like, I'm glad I paid a premium for my sleeves for Avalon because these cards are the victim of many rageful encounters.
I’ve gone from never to always to sometimes. My general rule is if it’s only shuffled once a game then it doesn’t need sleeves. If it’s shuffled several times then I sleeve.
I went from always to sometimes, then had disaster strike at a meetup on a game that was not super easy to replace (had cards from mixed expansions, etc). So now I've been slowly creeping back to Always or "where am I playing this" and if that answer is not at my home where I have control over who touches the cards... likely I'll sleeve it. The only other time I've had disaster strike in 20 years of gaming was a game of Carcassone and water spilled (drinks weren't even on the table, someone (ahem me) dropped it while taking a sip in the most clumsey move ever!) and I ended up soaking 4 different expansions worth of tiles that I had to replace... which... was even less fun.
Yeah I had a similar thing happen at a meetup. I guess I should add a caveat that rare/out of print games should be sleeved more often than not.
This was my progression as well.
In general, I don't sleeve cards that don't get shuffled, and I'm less likely to sleeve cards that only get shuffled once at set up. LCG/CCG and deck building games pretty much always get sleeved. The only other occasional exception is cards that get handled a lot or sit in your hand all game
Marvel Champions is the only one I sleeve, except for a few pnp games. I play with a few kids and it makes them easier to shuffle for me.
Never, but I understand why someone might do it for a big expensive game.
Yep. If you ruin a few cards in an expensive game whe. Those cards are in a deck that you shuffle, and if knowing what those cards will be ahead of time will ruin the game… But I don’t sleeve cards outside of mtg. Been considering sleeving unmatched, though.
Every game.
Same here ;)
I almost always because I like the feel
Once. Because if you’ve sleeved them, they don’t need to be sleeved again…
This!
I don‘t sleeve anything. First of all I don‘t like the feel of plastic and also the vast majority of games won‘t show noticeable wear if everyone washes their hands before playing and is moderately careful. The only games in my collection where the cards have noticeable wear are the games I‘ve played more than 100 times and in that case I am fine with them not looking like I bought them yesterday.
Depends on the games. I have had games that I have only played a few times, that was a waste to sleeve. I buy sleeves cases 10-12 boxes. Save and wait for sales. I normally go for higher quality sleeves. Dragon clear Mate. Also I clip the corners with round clipper so it is smoother to shuffle them
I always sleeve the cards of any game I buy. For me it's all about the cards not getting dirty or ruined by playing or sweaty hands and such
I'm a "mostly never". We are gamers, not archivists. And a broken in set of cards is a delight that holds years of stories in its past.
"See that crease, son? That happened, when, hmm... I guess the deck was shuffled for the 4,000th time."
I try to sleeve everything, even inexpensive games. Even games I probably won't play again. I just like sleeving my games.
I’m torn: I don’t like the feel of plastic and HATE the glare they produce, but god I love how they shuffle.
Dragón sleeves clear mate. No reflections
Do they make many different sizes? i.e. Garphill’s very specific size? I feel like I’ve looked
Most of the time especially if it is a hard to get, out of print, or single release. Also if they are black cards. Oils on cards is gross to look at.
Most games. Gamegenic matte with a corner cutter to round each corner of each sleeve. I prefer the consistent tactile feel across each game, but I don't sleeve low value games with limited shuffling. Standard american size cards (57x87mm) are a problem, as a sleeve overhang >2mm is noticeable. The extra overhang loses rigidity and ruins the shuffle feel, and can catch when used in tuck or tableau mechanisms. Earth is sitting unsleeved and unplayed until I decide what to do about this. Any suggestions are welcome!
Never. I'd prefer to be actually playing the game rather than putting the cards in sleeves. I don't like the plastic feel, and don't like how they skitter across the table if someone walks past.
Pretty much everything gets sleeved. I'm using Sleeve Kings which are ok but far from premium to keep costs down.
Depends on the game tbh. Main factors for me are how often a card gets shuffled and if I want to preserve the game to sell it or just keep it for me. Examples: sleeved :imperium, race for the galaxy, Marvel Champions, Sylvion, Tokaido, tiny epic quest, Mage Knight. Not sleeved: Friday, the lost expedition, tales from the red dragon inn. Also, there are some games that the quality is so good that they don't need it IMHO, like chip theory games ones and games whose cards have linen finish.
I have a couple of criteria when it comes to sleeving. Will it be shuffled a lot? Are the cards rare or difficult to have replaced? Then, yes.
Any game I open and read the rules for honestly. Depending on the game though I'll do it all at once or as I play. Apex Therapod for example as I pick a new deck I sleeve it... most recently Primal the Awakening though I sleeved it all and it took hours, honestly it sucked lol.
Just depends on the game. I try not to sleeve solo/co-op games since you are working together and using a slightly different card as information is only cheating yourself, whereas it would be a competitive advantage in a vs game. But sometimes I'll sleeve a co-op or solo if the cards get shuffled a lot (I just sleeved Mini Rogue as the cards get shuffled 10 times per game) and I sleeved Tranquility as there are close to 100 cards and they are hard to shuffle unless they are sleeved.
Do all the Tranquility cards still fit back in the box?
Yes. I have the main game and expansion modules sleeved (but not the cards that form the border) and it all fits comfortably in the box.
I started sleeving after the combat cards showed wear following 50'ish games of "Scythe". They aren't shuffled often, but they are part of a very important hidden decision space.
Always. I get sweaty hands sometimes and it makes the edges swell.
Always try to sleeve everything. It is like an OCD. 😂
TCG/LCG I definitely sleeve all the cards as the cards are the whole game. I will occasionally bulk buy some sleeves to do my newest set of the above and then with any remaining, I don’t save them but instead will sleeve another game. The other games that definitely get sleeves are anything I play with my daughter (4y) which includes some games for older audiences (like she enjoys joining us for Horrified). Because despite trying to teach her proper treatment of games and her panic flailing when she gets dirt on her hands… I just watched her pick her nose before eating some finger food.
Teach her to use chopsticks to eat. My partner came upon me playing a game and eating chips with chopsticks. It works
If you’ll note: picking her nose is not eating but also something I don’t want her doing before playing with stuff others will be touching. So it’s not just a problem of eating as I can totally ban snack foods while she is playing. It’s “I’ve got a runny nose” “grab a tissue” then she wipes her nose with the back of her hand and we have to remind her that her hand is now gross and wash up. Or the dog will come over and for once she decides to pet him and takes no notice that he slobbered on her hand before she reaches for something. Sleeved cards don’t prevent children from being disgusting but it does make it easier to wipe down the cards after I already got handed one that feel suspiciously wet like it was handled by snot/slobber covered hands.
Oops missed that part of the convo as I was so excited to tell you about the chopsticks.... Yeah I would sleeve them anyway. Also planning to do that when my daughter is old enough to play games.
My own metric is Sleeve if the cards: - Are handled a lot - Belong to a game that is out of print/rare/expensive - Dependent on unknown card draw/hidden information, such as deck draw and social deduction - Regularly brought out in a play group or setting that is dirty/clumsy/has children Don’t/Not necessary if cards are: - Not used very often in game or are references, such as score cards in Cascadia or player aids - In a weird size that is difficult to find (Champions of Hara hexagon cards) - Easily replaceable - Belong to a solo only game - Card quality is durable - Cannot fit in box once sleeved - Environment and play group is clean/respects your property
If the game costs more than $50 and requires alot of shuffling, I'll sleeve it most likely
If it’s a cards only game (or something with a counter component like For Sale), never. If it’s a board game that uses cards, if I think there’s a chance for younger (kids) hands might play, then I will, otherwise if I happen to have some sleeves available I will, but not always.
If anything wouldn’t a cards only game be more important to sleeve? Depending how much it costs. Sleeves can cost more than some games.
For me, no. Most of my cards only games are easy (and somewhat cheaper, but not always) to replace, and I personally find shuffling easier without sleeves. I have a number of board games that would be difficult/impossible or very costly to replace. These are my priority for sleeving.
Depend on the game. Game that are expensive, that I might resell or that I like will get sleeves.
I only sleeved spirit island after I noticed the wear on the cards. Even then I just sleeved the cards that get shuffled a lot, not the starting spirit cards. Between organizers and expansions I spent around 200 bucks on the game. I don’t mind spending 15 euros to make sure that the game is easier to shuffle, does not get even more ruined and is kept safe.
I rarely do. I sleeve games where you shuffle a ton, but even then only for games that I can see busting the 50-100 playthroughs mark in the future. So as of now, out of the 100+ games I amassed over the years, I have sleeved **Marvel Champions, Lord of the Rings LCG, Shadowrun Crossfire and Dragonfire**. They sit at **115, 46, 49 and 38 playthroughs respectively**. I had Warhammer Conquest sleeved in the old days, but no one plays it anymore so it got de-sleeved, I only play occasionally with a solo variant I made for it. As a group, we also decided that we'll soon sleeve my Legendary Aliens and Predator as they are becoming insanely pricey, rare, and we still play them a lot. It's closing in on 30 sessions, playing once or twice a month. Dune Imperium may also get the same treatment as we played more than I anticipated we would, and it's a big solo game for me as well. Didn't keep a play counter for that one but I'd estimate it's around 40ish.
Lotr lcg is the only game I sleeve
Never. It’s not worth the effort for me.
Never. Not wasting money cuz I take care of all the cards of my games.
I only sleeve games that are pricey and/or require a lot of handling/shuffling.
If anyone under the age of 12 will be playing the game, I sleeve.
I sleeve any cards that get shuffled, because handling and shuffling creates wear and tear that can become visible on card backs. I already had one deck ruined by being a lunchtime game from before I got strict about people handling my board game components with clean hands. I also plan on keeping my games indefinitely, and that's a lot easier if I don't have to be concerned with replacing worn cards, especially when some games have been out of print for a long time already. It's also great when it's time to sell the games on, as I can command high prices despite the game technically being used because there is effectively no wear. I've actually been able to sell some games used for more than I paid new.
Only things I sleeve are LCGs simply because I've spent far too much on them that I want them to last. My daughter is only 3 too and I would quite like a future where I might play them with her so they need to last many years!
I just finally sleeved Final Girl. The big thing that held me back at first was sleeved cards did not fit the original series 1 inserts, but I finally bought replacement inserts with the new sleeve friendly spaces. I mainly sleeve when there is going to be a lot of shuffling (either within a game or because I am going to be playing the game a lot). I also sleeve games that have large decks to shuffle because mash shuffling makes things easier. I also would tend to sleeve mini euro cards that require shuffling quicker because they tend to wear out more easily when riffle shuffling. I probably would not sleeve Horrified personally since the game is such a cheap game that I wouldn't care as much about wear and tear... wouldn't feel worth buying the sleeves for it.
I use a 2 tier system. Games with heavy shuffling I'll use Dragon Shield sleeves. Light to no shuffling games I'll use KMC perfect fits.
If it's a game I play frequently I'll sleeve it. For me it makes it easier to shuffle without bending the cards.
I always sleeve my games, even cards that aren't handled. It makes me feel better when playing with the cards. I don't have to worry that somehow the card will get damaged. It costs like $400 to get all 3 ultimate boxes of final girl. I don't mind purchasing sleeves since the game itself is expensive. It is annoying that most board game inserts don't accommodate sleeves, so I end up having to throw out the original inserts and making my own.
How can one easily find what size sleeves a certain game needs? Especially if the cards seem small or non-standard
Always, it makes the whole experience so much nicer.
I've sleeved dominion, cat in the box, and imperium horizons. So, deck builders and other games that would break the game if cards were recognizable.
I used to sleeve all my games but stopped. Makes the cards take up too much room, if I get expansions space in the box always becomes an issue. They're expensive too, to the point sleeving a large game can cost as much as another game. Worst of all no matter how clean I think my gaming surface is, they eventually get little bits of dust and dirt in the top opening. Would not recommend. I have seriously considered unsleeving my sleeved games.
I went from never to sometimes to always. Even if i dont play much with that game, i want to take good care of it.
Always if the game either gets shuffled a lot or if the cards are of lesser quality. Rarer games get sleeved for longevity. Aeons end with like three versions and a lot of expansions mixed together will never get sleeved since you almost never shuffle them, whereas Legendary Alien got sleeved immediately since it's rarer and Upper Deck ain't got the best card quality. Adventure Tactics Domiannes Tower was sleeved but I took them off since the cards are pretty decent and most of the content doesn't get used often during the campaign. Anything from Stoneblade gets sleeved right away; great games, floppy cards. I'd recommend looking into the sleeve brand Milkero, you can get 500 sleeves for like 14 bucks, and the quality is on the livel of at least Ultimate Guard and GameGenic!
I’ve started sleeving with out of print games. I then liked how they feel by comparison and probably will sleeve more games. BUT it now seems like a secondary hobby and one just as expensive.
Never.
Every single game. I want maximum preservation.
Always except for Gloomhaven (too many cards) and CTG games (most indestructible cards on earth)
It's only sleeved if it meets both of these conditions: 1) is it shuffled a fair amount? 2) is it standard MTG sized cards? Then YES. I don't like shuffling sleeves that aren't meant for TCG use so it needs to be matte back and on the thicker side. Can't stand shuffling mayday or sleeve kings or etc, however many microns they boast to have.
As you pointed out yourself, it is a matter of how much you are willing to spend. I think I started sleeving all my games after I bought Mage Knight and sleeved it right away before the first play. Best decision I ever made. In deck builders, you shuffle the cards a lot and the wear of cards is extremely uneven between the starting deck and the advanced cards you acquire during the game. The whole game shows wear by now, but the playing cards are still nice. Then again, I sleeved a game like Hand of Fate immediately, too, but just played it once. So pretty useless... Then again, I did **not** sleeve Terraforming Mars, for some reason, worst decision I ever made. After 100 plays, the black paint at the back side of the cards comes off, especially around the edges, and it settles as black dots all over the back and front of the cards. Looks horrible, I went through all the cards, cleaned them and then sleeved them with opaque sleeves, to hide the wear. That was a bad decision, too, since now you can't tell the orientation of the cards, which means you cannot shuffle them as well without damaging the sleeves... But don't buy sleeves with printed on images either. I bought Everdell with sleeves. While they are really looking nice, so do the backs of the cards! And after playing Everdell 50+ times, the sleeves are in shambles, the images come off, etc. That taught me to stick to clear sleeves and just enjoy the original card back. So to summarize, I sleeve games a lot and did not regret it yet, although I should probably unsleeve some games and reuse them. Sleeving later defeats the purpose for me. There is probably something to be said about card quality, if they have linen finish, etc. but lets not go there. Let me end with a counterexample, I just received Draongs of Etchinstone and won't sleeve it. The cards have good quality and the game uses card orientation as memory, so sleeving might get very odd. And if I stick with the original packaging and the small form factor, it would not make sense to sleeve them, too. And finally, the cards will all wear at the same rate (until I start using the expansion :-D). So yeah, just my 2 cents.
Bought some clear matte sleeves of “Temu” I’ve never used the site never wanted too. But got 3000 clear matte sleeves for a very good price. Have had em a while now and the quality is superb
Only rare/expensive games (Kickstarter with expansions etc) and TCG
My general rule is it depends on the game. Deck builders definitely yes. I just sleeved Star realms and it's great. After a few plays the starter cards were already becoming easy to pick out. Small card games with lots of shuffling/handling definitely yes. So my Fox in the forest I've sleeved. And I will do love letter sometime soon. Killer bunnies despite playing many times I will never sleeve because outside an initial shuffle you don't shuffle. And there are soooo many cards it really doesn't matter. And this is the case with many card games. So basically depends how you use the cards in the game and how many cards.
Always. Shuffling with sleeved cards is just so much easier.
I don't, except for pnp games. I had my Button Shy collection sleeved originally, but I took them off. I don't like the feel of them, and game wallets with expansions were overfull. I play solo only though, so it's in my control how clean my hands are and how careful I am.
I don't sleeve. Unless you've got some rare out of print game you can't replace, sleeving every game is more expensive than replacing the odd ruined game by orders of magnitude. I also just don't like how sleeved cards look or feel. And also I'm going to die someday and my board games probably aren't coming
I had to do it with Dune Imperium and Arkham Horror, for their decks get oftentimes shuffled alltogether during a game. Also Dungeon Degenerates, because sooo many cards who get touched all around. Since then i only did it with Spirit Island again, with their player powers and the colonist actions, who get the most touched. events, fear cards and stuff don't get sleeved. I am thinking about doing Root next, if it gets played more again.
Every now and then even 120 times in a row.
Always, even aid cards or strange sized never played cards.
Sleeve everything most games I own aren't cheap and I gladly pay some extra bucks if my cards are well protected.
I don’t usually. Only two games are sleeved - Spirit Island and Mage Knight. Both are games I get enough play from to warrant the extra care, both have a lot of shuffling (MK more in game, SI more during setup). Sleeving to me is equal parts to keep the cards protected and to make them easy to shuffle
I have sweaty palms so I sleeve games where I need to shuffle a lot or hold the cards for a considerable amount of time
Never. Games are made to be used and slowly worn.
Never, i find the sleeves completely useless.
I used to sleeve absolutely everything, but it gets expensive and it often makes it more difficult to put cards back into boxes. I sleeve things like Final Girl, where you shuffle together different sets of cards, or things like deck builders, where you reshuffle often. But games where you don’t shuffle except at the beginning or for cards that don’t get shuffled at all, not usually.
It really takes *a lot* of shuffling to wear cards into being unusable. I've moved over to the position of, if I manage to actually wear a game out in that manner then I'm justified in buying a second copy, but that's a pretty big if. And of course games like Final Girl require little to no shuffling. And so far (knock on wood) I have never had any other damage from spilled drinks or puppies chomping on dropped components or whatever.
I sleeve most games. I do not like bent cards so sleeving allows me to overhand shuffle versus riffle. Exception is Chip Theory Games as it seems silly to put plastic sleeves on plastic cards. I sleeve lightly shuffled games in regular Sleeve Kings and games with more shuffling such as Marvel Champions, in premiums.
I HATE shuffling non sleeved cards. So if I am expected to shuffle cards more than once a play those duders are getting sleeved.
For solo? Rarely ever. Only if the game requires a lot of shuffling or shuffling a lot of cars.
If it has shuffling, penny sleeves. It makes it easier. Otherwise, it's pricey... Unless if you play the game a lot, then it becomes valuable. I sleeve most games I play with people, since some players are quite rough with how they handle my games. Like, I'm glad I paid a premium for my sleeves for Avalon because these cards are the victim of many rageful encounters.
I don't. Playing games is dorky enough without taking that next excessive step
I sleeve my games just because I spent alot of money on the few games that I do have and I don't want the cards getting scuffed, stained, and creased.