Leaving Sleeving #1: Forbidden Island

In the first of (what I hope to be many) posts, I'll be unsleeving cards from a board game I sleeved before, for whatever reasons I thought were valid.

In the past few game nights, I've been playing games with sleeved card, and some without. While I was initially concerned holding bare cards, I actually grew quite relieved to not dealing with the "silk linen" slippery effect I've had with sleeved cards. In addition, the quality and thickness of most cards in board games usually tells me whether a game can withstand the rigors of continuous gameplay. This was proven time and time again with Cheaty Mages (a game which I never sleeved) to Hanabi (a game which I couldn't sleeve - cool French version square cards).

So, with that in mind, I've decided my first game to undergo the NSFW ("No Sleeves For Willie") treatment will be my copy of Forbidden Island!

Why I Sleeved

When I think about it, I'm not quite sure. The insert is decent enough, the cards are of good stock and durability. I blame it on the answer "Because I can." The end result became a mass of cards that slipped WAY to much for a simple game like this. So, they must go.

Unsleeving...START!

Alright...I can do this. It's just a sleeve. A simple plastic sleeve.

Slowly...slowly...

Card: "I'm nekkid!!"

Simple enough. Still a sturdy card, too. Off you go with your buddies!

A card ménage à trois.

Still a bit slippery on each other, like it's Turkish oil wrestling.

Halfway through unsleeving cards. I didn't realize how many cards there were in Forbidden Island.

This is therapeutic.

Unsleeving...DONE!

Sleeveless. As board game nature intended.

The shedding of all its plastic skin next to the end result.

Verdict

I'm glad I did this. It's liberating to free a game from its plastic shackles. Though, in the end, they're just as slippery as when they were in their coats. But no matter. They're bare, they're there, and I"m used to it. Onward!