So you’ve made up your mind to give print-and-play games a shot- good for you!

From our experience of playing PnP games, we can assure you that you are signing up for a whole new level of adventure!

So let’s have a look at all that you need to explore this gem of a realm; be it the tools, online resources, communities- everything!

Handy tools for Print-and-play games

Basic tools
These are the stationery items that you should have around, or won’t be difficult to manage. 

• A pair of Scissors to cut out the printed gaming pieces
• A cutter if you are more comfortable cutting papers with it
• Pencil, eraser and pen for marking sheets or taking notes
• Ruler for precise measurements or straight cuts
• Glue Stick, or both-sided tape to assemble components like cards and boards

Paper
You saw it coming! You have a few varieties of papers to choose from, depending on your preference or convenience.

• Standard A4 or Letter paper, which usually comes in 80 to 120 gsm, which you can easily purchase from local stores, or online stores like Amazon. Do keep in mind though, the games printed on standard A4/letter papers are not sturdy, and won’t be durable unless played and stored with utmost care. 
• Cardstock papers that are quite thick (200 to 300gsm), durable and have a longer shelf-life than standard A4/letter papers. They are also available in local stores as well as on Amazon.
• Recycled papers! By now we all have papers from our old assignments  or projects that are no longer needed. How about printing a one-page game and trying it out on these papers? It can be the perfect litmus test for you, before investing in papers or printers.

Printer
With paper sorted, we move on to printers. Do not get startled, you do not have to buy a printer unless you absolutely want to!

• If you have printing stores near you, then it’s ideal to avail its service while you are in the trial-and-error phase of your new hobby
• Printing support is always present in school, college or office; so you can make the most of it!
• If you are a minimalist with a creative soul, there is always the option of drawing the printed parts of the game, and adding a personal touch to it!
• If you made up your mind to purchase a printer, then we encourage the Canon PIXMA G6020 Inkjet printer for a start. The printer is quite affordable and will give the desired output for both black-and-white and colored PnP games. With time, if you can upgrade to laser printers. But we prefer inkjet print over laser, as we tend to laminate our games.

Laminator
Now this is a perfectly optional tool to have, and many might frown over it, owing to the factor of sustainability. But if your vision is to preserve a game and keep it for a long time (even decades) then we recommend laminating the games instead of having to print them on standard papers over and over again. Laminated game components can be easily cut by a pair of scissors, and they are quite sturdy- making them easy to store, while enhancing the overall gaming experience. 

Laminating machines are quite readily available on printing stores, but you can check out Amazon for a very handy thermal laminator, as well as laminator sheets.

Dice
One of the most common denominators of print-and-play games has to be gaming dice. If you happen to have up to five or six D6 (six-sided dice) with you from the board games you already have in your collection, you are good to go for a start! Otherwise, we recommend purchasing some high-quality dice that won’t put a dent in your wallet!

While a vast majority of PnP games can be played with D6, some need D4, D8, D10, D12, or even D20. For a start, we recommend playing games that either need D6 or need no dice at all!

Small miniatures or gaming components
If you want to enhance your gaming experience, you may opt to pick a few items that are readily available around you, as game tokens. For example- coins, beads, and buttons can be very handy as tokens for PnP games. You can also opt to purchase gaming pieces from Amazon that are quite affordable.

Aiming higher? Mini 3D printers are always a click away, for you to print out spectacular miniatures to add to the depth of the game. 

Additional items
These are items that will help you shelve or store the games, or contribute to the durability of the gaming pieces. This involves pouch bags or zip bags for the gaming pieces, a folder to contain all the game parts, and card sleeves for both-sided cards.

Handy resources for Print-and-play games
Now that you are well sorted with all the tools needed to explore the world of PnP games, it’s time to go through the resources to not only learn but also purchase the games. You will be amazed once you explore the PnP games there are, that you can try for free!

Resources
There is a wide range of sites that you can explore to purchase PnP games; among all, our favorite has to be pnparcade, itch, boardgamegeek, and buttonshygames. These sites have free games you can try out, as well as paid games that are more extensive.

Research
Before you dive into a PnP game, make sure to do your research before giving it a shot, to assess if the game is your type. You can browse our site to see the wide range of reviews that we have shared on various PnP games that we tried, where we also attached in-depth gameplays of renowned PnP game YouTubers like Sir Thecos and Veselko Kelava.

Join Communities
It is always wholesome to be a part of a gaming community. You can join Boardgamegeek to unleash a whole new world dedicated to board games and PnP games, or you can also dare to create your community with friends and colleagues to host a Game Night! We have a whole blog on preparing for a game night, make sure to check that out!

Next Step? Start Small!
Fellow gamer, you are ready! With the knowledge of tools and resources passed on to you, all you have to do is start small.

No, you don’t need to assemble all the tools at once, nor do you need to do a thesis on the resources provided to you. All you have to do is give it a shot! And we have a game in mind that might be the perfect launching pad for you in the realm of PnP- give it a go!