Emily Parker

You bought the box on a Friday, played it once on Saturday with friends, and somehow ended up promising to teach it to six more people next weekend. If that sounds familiar, you are not alone, and yes, you can absolutely run a teach after only one playthrough. I have done it more times than … Read more

Why Reading the Rulebook Aloud Fails Every Time? Reading the rulebook aloud seems like the responsible thing to do. After all, the rules are in there for a reason, right? The problem is not the rules themselves. The problem is the delivery method. A rulebook is a reference document, not a teaching script. It is … Read more

Every board game enthusiast has lived through the same nightmare. You crack open a new game, open the rulebook to page one, and start reading. Three minutes in, someone is checking their phone. Five minutes in, eyes have glazed over. By minute eight, half the table has mentally checked out and you have not even … Read more

Picture this: three of your friends have logged two hundred hours of a heavy strategy game, and two have never touched a rulebook longer than a takeout menu. You volunteered to host. If you have ever sat at that table, you already know that learning how to teach a game to a mixed group of … Read more

If your favorite deck of board game cards feels grimy, sticky, or stained, you can restore it without damaging the finish. The safest approach uses a microfiber cloth, mild dish soap, cool water, and patience. Avoid harsh chemicals, abrasive scrubbing, or soaking, since these strip protective coatings, fade ink, and warp the card stock. I … Read more

Last flu season hit our game night hard. One friend came down with a stomach bug, and within a week three of us were sick. The first thing on my mind was: how do you clean and disinfect board game components after someone is sick without ruining expensive cardboard, miniatures, and cards? This guide walks … Read more

You just unboxed a secondhand copy of Gloomhaven, and there it is. A price sticker slapped right across the lid, baked on by years of shelf sitting. We have been there, and the sticky mess left behind is enough to make any board game collector cringe. Removing stickers from legacy game boards without damaging the … Read more

If you’ve ever pulled a beloved board game off the shelf and watched a corner sag like a tired eyelid, you know the heartbreak. I learned how to repair a torn or split game box corner the hard way, after a move left three of my favorite titles looking like they’d gone ten rounds with … Read more

I’ve been collecting and playing board games for over 15 years, and I can tell you from experience: nothing ruins a great game night faster than pulling out a deck of warped, creased cards. After ruining my favorite copy of Wingspan during a humid summer, I spent months researching the best ways to fix bent … Read more

If you have played the same board game dozens of times, you have probably noticed your wooden meeples looking a little worse for wear. Those smooth, colorful pieces develop scuff marks, faded edges, and dull patches from all the handling they go through. The good news is that you can restore faded or scuffed wooden … Read more