Euro Card Game Sleeves (100 Soft Sleeves / Pack – 59 mm x 92 mm Comments)

Review by E. Lambeth for Euro Game Card Sleeves (100 Soft Sleeves/Pack – 59 MM X 92 MM)
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I’ve purchased these cards and have successfully sleeved the 500 Dominion Cards. That was fun. The funner part is getting them back into their slots.

All of the cards fit back into their designated slots except two: The Silver goes into its slot, but it’s REALLY tight. Tight to the point where you have to worry about damaging the cards that you’ve just taken 5 hours to sleeve. Almost as tight as the Silver cards are the Curse and Gold cards.

The Copper cards don’t come close to fitting. You have to take maybe a 3rd of those cards and put them elsewhere (I put mine in the blank slots).

None of this matters if you get one or two expansions and want to put all of those decks into one box, because you have to get rid of the plastic tray to make room for all those decks. But if you don’t plan on adding expansions or you plan on keeping expansions in their own boxes, then you’ll at least know that all of these don’t fit in their proper slots, but they still CAN fit into the box by moving things around a little.

No problems at all with the randomizer cards and the randomizer slot.

I do overhand shuffling when I play Dominion, so I have no problem shuffling in that manner. If you prefer rifle shuffling when your deck gets big, best of luck to ya. That’s why I didn’t buy similar cards for Ticket To Ride.

I just started out with these, but I could see where constantly putting these cards back in their trays would probably wear the card sleeves down quicker. So all the more reason to get rid of the plastic tray.

Review by Curt L. Woodard for Euro Game Card Sleeves (100 Soft Sleeves/Pack – 59 MM X 92 MM)
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Edit: OK, I spoke with Customer support and within the week, I had replacements for all of the defective sleeves, no questions asked. It turns out there was a bad production run that they were getting past. The new sleeves had only 6 out of 500 that didn’t fit and when I ordered 1000 new ones for other Dominion expansions, all but one of the sleeves fit. On top of that, they shipped directly to my local game store and didn’t charge me shipping.

So, my previous review can be considered a fluke. I would recommend these sleeves for Dominion and other Euro-sized cards.

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Quite literally 30% of the sleeves in any package of sleeves WILL NOT fit. They are too small and a few times I had a sleeve SPLIT OPEN when I just tried putting the card in the thing.

I have to admit, the ones that actually do fit, fit well. But when you have 30+ out of 100 that are too small and actually keep your cards in a slightly bent position…I say move along.

Pros: cheap sleeves. When a sleeve does fit properly it’s nice.

Cons: 30%+ failure rate is CRAZY STUPID. You’d think that there were some sort of quality control going on, but obviously not.

Look elsewhere for Euro card sleeves! Unfortunately for me, I bought 1,000 (10 packs) because I have Dominion and Dominion: Intrigue and wanted my cards to stay in good condition (500 cards each game).

Review by Mary K Gorman for Euro Game Card Sleeves (100 Soft Sleeves/Pack – 59 MM X 92 MM)
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I purchased several packages for Dominion and am happy to say they fit well. I haven’t noticed any inconsistent sizing between the 5 packages I’ve used with the base game. I had previously tried using standard size card sleeves that were too wide but thought it would be manageable, but simply storing them proved otherwise (the excess of the sleeves were getting bent without any effort). It’s worth the extra money to make sure the cards fit correctly and these ones definitely do. Altho, they are a little pricier than I would like, since buying enough for the base game and the two expansions would cost almost as much as the base game itself. But if you’re like me and have fingers that destroy playing cards for some unexplainable and embarrassing reason, then it’s worth it to sleeve them. As far as storing, I was able to pick up a 4 slotted card box (typically used for Magic collectors) at my local comic book/game store for about $3. Each row can store approximately 650-700 sleeved cards so it’s a great alternative way to storing Dominion compared to the very bulky standard boxes (especially since it can fit base+expansions easily in that one box).

Review by Ginny S. for Euro Game Card Sleeves (100 Soft Sleeves/Pack – 59 MM X 92 MM)
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I purchased these Euro card sleeves for the game Dominion, which involves so much card shuffling and manipulation that I believe sleeves are essential. Unfortunately, these Mayday card sleeves have slight variations from one package to the next. I sleeved “gold”, “silver”, and half the “copper” cards with a package of Mayday sleeves from one purchase (the store had only one package left) and the remaining game cards with four packages of Mayday sleeves that I purchased from Amazon. My son says he can always cut his deck with “money” on top because the money card sleeves are just a tiny bit wider than the other cards in the deck. Other than that flaw (which I hope Mayday has corrected), the card sleeves are fine and serve their purpose.

Review by Alejandro Carrasco for Euro Game Card Sleeves (100 Soft Sleeves/Pack – 59 MM X 92 MM)
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Let me quickly run you through my experience. I just bought a copy of Dominion and Stone Age from Amazon. Together with that order I purchased 6 packs of the Mayday Games Euro Game Card sleeves for use in the 500 card Dominion and the

Review by T. Frank for Rio Grande Games Race for the Galaxy
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The sensation of the 2007 Essen convention, this is a card game for two to five players with tremendous replayability. If you’re familiar with San Juan, the game is similar: you have a deck of cards that can either be played on a tableau or used as currency. Each card has a cost (that can be modified by existing cards on the tableau) and grants certain powers and scores. The idea is to play cards that build your powers that can then be translated into victory points. But, unlike San Juan, every player has a different starting point; there is an additional level of complexity and strategy from the variety of cards available. Like San Juan, there are many different ways to win. The space theme is nicely done, and expansions are expected. Scales nicely: it’s as fun with two players as with four, though strategies are slightly different.

I think the symbols on the cards are intuitive, but I’ve seen inexperienced gamers complain about the number of symbols. The symbols are color-coded and would be unreadable to the color-blind.

Less than a few months after its release, RftG’s rating already in the top forty all time on the Board Game Geek website, which is unheard of.

Review by J. Rich for Rio Grande Games Race for the Galaxy
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This game is incredibly fun. I’ve played Puerto Rico, San Juan, and many other similar games, and this is by far my favorite.

Here’s why:

- Super fun (and in some ways more interesting) with just 2 players. There aren’t many great 2-player strategy games out there, especially ones that scale nicely to 3 or 4.

- Excellent replayability. Many different strategies and combinations.

- Once you get the hang of it (the learning curve can be steep for some you can play a game in 30 minutes.

- You do have indirect interactions with other players (anticipating what actions they will select, and which ones will help them most), but you don’t attack them.

One last comment. If you plan to play this game lots, I’d recommend card sleeves — the cards are pretty durable, but any card is going to start showing wear and tear after many repeated shuffles.

Enjoy!

Review by Alexander Scott for Rio Grande Games Race for the Galaxy
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RACE FOR THE GALAXY is a card game of resource management that bears strong similarities to SAN JUAN (it was in fact the rival development to translate PUERTO RICO into a card game). There are roles that each player takes, cards representing assets that are paid for by discarding from the hand, and the game is over when one player has 12 assets, or when all victory points are assigned. RACE FOR THE GALAXY has some advanced features that make it more fun to play, and the artwork for the science fiction theme is fantastic.

One major departure from the “PUERTO RICO”/”SAN JUAN” mechanics is that all players choose roles simultaneously. Each player has a hand of role cards for “explorer” (to draw cards), “developer” (playing new technology), “settler” (playing new worlds), “consumer” (equivalent to trader or captain), and “producer” (same as always). The explore phase has two versions, one giving a deeper draw and one keeping more cards. The consume phase has an alternate version, the trader, which allows only the trader to draw cards for a good while everyone else can only consume (equivalent to shipping).

All players choose roles simultaneously and then show their role. If more than one player chooses the same role, each “chooser” gets the benefit but there is only one phase for that role. Another interesting complication is that worlds and developments may have symbols for each phase which affect the player’s actions. There may be, for instance, an additional card draw during the phase, or a cost break on certain kinds of cards. These effects stack, so the total effect can be quite powerful.

Settling worlds also has a lot of complexities. Worlds can have a few different subtypes, such as production worlds, windfall worlds, and military worlds, or a combination of the 3. Production worlds can produce a good such as novelties, alien tech, genetic tech, or rare minerals. Windfall worlds come into play with a good on them (tip: trade the next turn for a substantial card windfall) but don’t automatically produce any further goods. Military worlds, in an intriguing twist, cannot be paid for from the hand. They are played for free if your military score (as determined by bonuses from worlds in play) is greater or equal to their cost.

There are many different victory strategies to RACE FOR THE GALAXY, and choosing the best one can be very situational. Drawing military cards early may allow you to race the other players to drop 12 cards while keeping your hand full. It is possible to win on points just by playing developments, since many give bonuses for having other developments. Trading/consuming can be a powerful strategy for acquiring victory points, but it is slower because it takes 2 cycles to reap the benefits, unless two people go this route. Then, one is playing trade/consumer and the other produces, and both benefit.

RACE FOR THE GALAXY is a fun game visually, socially, and intellectually. It is simple to setup, fast to play, and has enough complexity to offer a lot of replay value. The number of unique cards is large, so you are seeing different game components every time you play. And, it practically begs for expansions, which should be seamless to integrate. RACE FOR THE GALAXY will undoubtedly be one of the best, if not THE best, game of the year.

Review by J. Day for Rio Grande Games Race for the Galaxy
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My wife and I have played the two player variant of Race for the Galaxy (R4tG) every night since we got it two weeks ago. This is by far the most fun we have had playing a game in years. Basically you have a starting world and a hand of developments and/or worlds that you are trying to add onto your empire in order to A. Get many more cards to build the best Empire. B. Convert your hand into points through several methods. The easiest way to get points is to play worlds and developments, each has a point value. Military worlds are conquered for “free”, while non-military worlds are paid for with cards from your hand. You also can produce and consume goods for points or more cards… goods are also represented by face-down cards from the deck. Finally (with the first expansion) there are various goals you can achieve for more points. There are at least 4 strategies for winning we have found, but a robust plan allows for a right turn half way through a game.

This game is a lot like Puerto Rico in space. Initially it plays a lot like San Juan, but it is much deeper and feels like Puerto Rico more… maybe San Juan version 3.

It has enough random element to it that my wife likes it, but there is enough strategy that you don’t feel like you are thrown to the fates each game. Each hand lasts around 25 minutes (two player) and it is very easy to handicap new players as they learn the ropes. There are a LOT of symbols to learn, but after a game I was comfortable reading the cards without the rules, and after 3 or 4 games my wife (who never read the rules) stopped asking me what the more obscure symbols meant.

I highly recommend the expansion also, it adds new home worlds and military powers that make the game more balanced.

Review by Christopher H. Svara for Rio Grande Games Race for the Galaxy
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Race for the Galaxy is a fun game and has a lot of replayability.

The symbols and game concepts take a game or two to pick up, but once you do the game is really fun.

One of the amazing things about the game is that it is almost a better 2 player game than a multiplayer game, which makes it a great gift for people who have only one or two gamer friends.

The games go quickly, about 20 to 40 minutes, once you get the hang of the game. So if you are doing poorly in one game, it will end quickly and you can do better in the next.

There is no player elimination or agressive combat with other players that bogs down some games and makes them less fun.

Definately recommend to any gamer looking for a fun, fast game with a lot of replaybility.