DIY – If Needed, Make Your Own Board Games
In recent years, board game prices have skyrocketed, making it increasingly common to hear that someone can't afford a board game project. Today, we want to show that there are solutions—in fact, more than one.
Written by
Máté Lencse
Educator, game designer,
founder of PlayWise
Why listen to him?
Máté has been regularly playing modern board games and classic abstract board games since 2013. He plays because he loves to. He plays because as an educator, it is his most important motivational and developmental tool. He plays because as a father, it is one of the highest quality times spent with his daughter. He plays because it adds to his marriage. He plays to get to know games and as a game designer, to be able to create new ones. Thus, it's not surprising that he often plays through 15-20 games weekly. Learn more about him and his background on his author page or follow him on social media:
Board gaming has grown into an incredible industry. With countless new releases, increasingly extravagant components, and impressive design solutions, it truly feels magical—though, in my opinion, Go remains the most beautiful game ever created.
For teachers and parents, however, board gaming is fascinating from a different perspective (or multiple ones). We see how beneficial it is for children, how it helps them develop in countless ways. Board game pedagogy is about exposing kids to a wide variety of game mechanics and experiences, believing that this exposure will have a meaningful impact.
But let’s be honest—owning many board games today costs a small fortune. Yet, the tool itself is invaluable.
So what’s the solution?
First, we need to pause for a moment—not just when it comes to board gaming. This extreme level of consumption is clearly unsustainable, yet the social pressure to keep up is immense.
On the PlayWise website, you’ll find several articles exploring how to create board game experiences from almost nothing. For example, we’ve discussed how coloring can be gamified—we even have multiple board game-inspired coloring pages. But you can gamify nature too, and we’ve collected recommendations for outdoor board games as well.
Then there’s the question: Do we know enough classic abstract games or traditional card games? Many of them can be played with the same or very similar components. We’ve also compiled games that require little to no materials.
All these approaches share one message: Stop for a moment. Look around. The game is already there, surrounding us—we just need to recognize it and learn how to use it. There’s no need to rush to the store and buy something new.
In 2013, we launched an educational program with very little funding, so we had to think in minimalist resources—we ended up creating a lot of things ourselves.
That included board games, too, which we learned to make during a training session.
Below, I’ll share a few of these homemade games with you.
6 nimmt!
A true classic. As simple as it is, it’s equally thinky and math-heavy.
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 8 and up, 45 min, 2-10 players
Tools
104 numbered cards, each featuring bullhead symbols that determine penalty points.
Skills
This game enhances strategic thinking, risk assessment, and probability skills, as players must carefully choose where to place their cards to avoid penalties.
Instructions
Players simultaneously select a card from their hand and reveal them at the same time. Cards are placed in numerical order into four rows, but whoever places the sixth card in a row must take all five previous cards—earning penalty points. The player with the fewest points at the end wins.
6 nimmt! DIY
Bausack
We bid, assess risks, or simply build—all with unique, high-quality, and beautifully crafted wooden pieces.
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 7 and up, 15-45 min, 2-8 players
Tools
A set of uniquely shaped wooden building blocks, a bag of betting gems (depending on the edition), and game instructions.
Skills
This game enhances fine motor skills, balance, spatial awareness, and strategic thinking, as players carefully stack odd-shaped pieces while making tactical decisions.
Instructions
Players take turns stacking wooden pieces to build increasingly unstable structures. In some versions, players can bet on whether their opponents will succeed or fail in placing a piece. The last player to keep their tower standing wins the game, making it a thrilling mix of dexterity and strategy.
We couldn’t get our hands on this game for a long time, so we had to gather all sorts of building blocks and unique wooden shapes to play it. But the kids loved it just the same—because the game itself is truly fantastic.
Bausack DIY
For Sale
Two types of bidding, a game split into two phases—simple yet brilliantly clever classic.
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 10 and up, 30 min, 3-6 players
Tools
For Sale includes 30 property cards, 30 check cards (money), and 60 coin tokens, all used in a two-phase auction-style game.
Skills
This game enhances strategic thinking, bidding skills, risk assessment, and financial awareness, as players must evaluate when to spend and when to save.
Instructions
The game consists of two phases:
Players bid on properties using their starting money, trying to acquire valuable estates while managing their funds wisely.
Players then sell their properties in a second auction, aiming to maximize profit. The player with the most money at the end wins.
We fell in love with it instantly when we first discovered it, but we had no chance of getting a copy—there wasn’t even a Hungarian edition at the time. It didn’t seem too hard to redesign, but for some reason, we didn’t want to use houses, so we ended up ranking animals instead.
The funniest part? The highest-valued animal ended up being the chameleon, because it can "transform."
For money, we used soda can tabs, which turned out to be incredibly useful—not just for this game, but for other games, math exercises, and so much more.
For Sale DIY
No Thanks!
Take it or leave it? That’s all there is to it—yet every decision makes you sweat.
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 8 and up, 20 min, 3-7 players
Tools
33 numbered cards (3–35) and 55 plastic chips.
Skills
This game enhances strategic thinking, risk assessment, probability calculation, and decision-making skills, as players must weigh when to take cards and when to pass.
Instructions
Players take turns deciding whether to take the face-up card or pay a chip to pass it to the next player. The goal is to collect the lowest total score, with consecutive cards counting only as the lowest number in the set. Once a player runs out of chips, they must take cards, making resource management key. The player with the lowest total score wins.
It’s fascinating how such a smart game can be created with such a simple set of components. All we needed were numbers and soda can tabs.
And yes, we love auction games—luckily, we’re not the only ones! (This, for example, is a really great list.)
No Thanks DIY
Qwirkle
Take it or leave it? That’s all there is to it—yet every decision makes you sweat.
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 6 and up, 45 min, 2-4 players
Tools
108 wooden tiles featuring six different shapes in six different colors.
Skills
This game enhances pattern recognition, strategic thinking, spatial awareness, and planning skills, as players must carefully place tiles to maximize their points.
Instructions
Players take turns placing tiles in a shared grid, matching either colors or shapes in a row or column. The more tiles placed in a sequence, the higher the score. A Qwirkle (a full set of six matching tiles) earns bonus points. The player with the highest score at the end wins.
We didn’t attempt to draw for this one, but even printing, laminating, and cutting was quite a task.
That said, these DIY game-making sessions always ended up feeling like team-building activities as well!
Qwirkle DIY
