A girl likes games

I'm a Finn, a knitter, a girlfriend, a blogger, a tea-drinker, a dog-owner... <br /><br /> But here I'm just a girl who likes boardgames

Recommend

My Uno deck and why I'm not pro card sleeves

Posted by Amoena

13 Mar 2011

Amoena aka a girl likes games

(Amoena)

Finland
Espoo

Uno was one of my favorite card games when I was a kid. The deck felt so thick and the cards felt so many! And I was good at it too. I remember playing it a lot, though I can't recall with whom exactly. Probably with my dad and sometimes with my big sisters. I had difficulties holding the cards in my hand so I usually arranged them to a chair under the table.

I still have the same Uno deck and it's still one of my favorite games. I don't play it as often as I did when I was a kid, but I like the portability of it. It's easy to throw in a bag when you're going to movies and you know you have some waiting time. And it's easy to teach and easy to play. But even today I have never seen the official rules, and I know that I probably play it with many house rules. I don't mind: for me there's only one Uno deck and only one way to play it.

My Uno deck is old. I'm pretty confident it's older than me. I'm 24 years old now. The deck looks worn and torn, but it has always looked worn and torn. I don't remember it ever being new and shiny. No, it has always looked like it has been played at least thousand times. And that might even be true.

The deck is no longer white and the sides are anything but sharp:

And each card has it's specific wear and tear. Some cards are bend, some cards miss corners and some cards have scribbles on them:

And basically that's why I'm not pro card sleeves. They prevent the cards from having history. I love cards when they look they've been shuffled and played and loved. I would be saddened to see our Dominion cards in mint condition after 20 years. It's just not natural. Even people get wrinkles at some point!

15 Comments

Sun Mar 13, 2011 2:51 pm

Post Comment

Luke Morris

(HamsterOfFury)

Japan
Nagoya
Aichi

....and people who get botox and surgery to get rid of the wrinkles end up looking wrong.

Posted Sun Mar 13, 2011 3:09 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Steve S

(Shadoglare)

United States
Rockford
Illinois

For a $4 Uno game that's fine.
For a $40 game I'd be inclined to disagree.

Posted Sun Mar 13, 2011 4:52 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Amoena aka a girl likes games

(Amoena)

Finland
Espoo

Shadoglare wrote:

For a $4 Uno game that's fine.
For a $40 game I'd be inclined to disagree.

I totally understand why some people wish to sleeve the cards, especially if you're are a game collector or maybe wish to sell the games later. I just have different aesthetics and find card sleeves a turn off

I want my cards to wear and tear because I find that attractive, and for a $40 game I'd except the cards to stay in a good shape longer anyway

Posted Sun Mar 13, 2011 5:26 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

(Pierzasty)

Poland

I'M TRAPPED IN AN OVERTEXT FACTORY SEND HELP

You forgot the smell of e.g. 15- year-old Talisman decks

However, IMHO sleeves are absolutely necessary in 2 situations:

1. board game club - the cards wear way too fast to have any history, so that's a moot point. If they *do* have individual wear, it's much worse, as it's no fun playing with peoiple who know all the cards by their respective wear and use the knowledge every chance they get. One of the reasons I got turned off BSG.

2. if the cards are self-printed or ordered in a cheap printing shop. Again. wear too fast, stain hands, need sleeves to last a reasonable time.

BTW, I have an Uno deck almost as worn as yours sitting right next to me

Posted Sun Mar 13, 2011 5:43 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Amoena aka a girl likes games

(Amoena)

Finland
Espoo

Pierzasty wrote:

Hey, I didn't think about those! I gotta agree with those two too

Posted Sun Mar 13, 2011 5:53 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

James Sitz

(Jexik)

United States

Illinois

Agreed. My family has a 17-year-old Pinochle deck that is in similar shape, though not quite as bad. I can point to it and say "hey, remember that time when dad taught us all how to play in that hotel on our summer vacation to the Dells?"

My only exceptions so far have been games where it's essentially required for tournaments or some other rules like that.

My Dominion coppers and estates are so worn that I won't play the Wishing Well against people who don't know that fact. It's a Laboratory nearly 70% of the time in that case.

Edited Sun Mar 13, 2011 6:02 pm
Posted Sun Mar 13, 2011 5:56 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Matt Alexander

(rendil)

United States
San Francisco
California

I'm a fan of sleeves, but only for specific games. I don't think any sleeve advocate would advise sleeving Uno or a standard deck of cards, for example. Those should get relatively even wear and are cheap to replace, if necessary.

I do sleeve Dominion, though. The problem with leaving an expandable card game unsleeved (at least one that gets as shuffled as Dominion) is that the early sets will start to show wear before the later expansions are even released. It can become painfully obvious that the pristine card on top of your opponent's deck must be from a newer expansion.

As an aside, Uno was the only game my grandma would play, so I have a strong sense of nostalgia over it too.

Posted Sun Mar 13, 2011 6:49 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Jim Patterson

(jpat)

United States
Iowa City
Iowa

Here are my (evolving) sleeving guidelines. I tend to sleeve when the cards are

-- to be mixed across sets (e.g., Dominion).
-- on cheap stock.
-- black edged.
-- frequently handled (held in one's hand more than set on a table).
-- to an expensive game.
-- to an out-of-print game.
-- fairly easily sleevable (not unusually sized).

Posted Sun Mar 13, 2011 8:56 pm
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Matti Saarenketo

(Subido)

Finland
Rovaniemi

Every Wednesday at 16:00 in the library.

Final Fantasy VIII SUCKS!!! -Spoony

I sleeve cards if the game mechanics require me to shuffle them or the frontside of a card should not be knowed when the back is seen.

Those do not apply to all cards. For instance: Memoir'44 terrain and other rules cards.

Posted Mon Mar 14, 2011 10:31 am
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

James Smith

(greatsage)

Australia
Ashburton
Victoria

I absolutely agree on this. I have never sleeved any cards and I like it that way. I figure that if a set of cards gets worn out to the point of being unplayable then the game deserves to be bought again. We have gone through a few decks of Fairy Tale. I feel that buying the game multiple times is my little way that I can thank the designers and producers of games in a "your game is so good I wore out the deck and bought it again".

I can see where people come from sleeving Dominion and Thunderstone decks due to the expansions, but I also feel that I play games for enjoyment and really my gaming experience would not be troubled if I knew that the next card to be drawn is from such as such expansion due to the wear (or lack of wear) on the card. That just isn't an issue to me or the people I game with.

Posted Thu Mar 17, 2011 8:55 am
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Lori

(ellephai)

United States
Durham
North Carolina

I've sleeved an extensive quantity of Dominion, and I can't argue in favor of playing with marked cards, but I still thought this post was beautiful.

Posted Sat Mar 19, 2011 1:46 am
- Choose your Dice
  - d4
  - d6
  - d8
  - d10
  - d12
  - d20
  - d100
  - Help
  - Roll
  - Comment (Optional)
- Reply
- Quote

Freddie Foulds

(xTHAWx)

United Kingdom
Durham

Friendship is Love without his wings!

I really enjoyed this post. Unfortunately for me though, I am one of those geeks who likes their games to be in pristine condition. Therefore, I sleeve quite a few of my games laugh