Disclosure: Meeple Mountain received a free copy of this product in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This review is not intended to be an endorsement.
Disney Lorcana Master Token Set and Token Set for Pokémon TCG – Andrew Holmes
I’m not much of a player of collectable card games, living or otherwise. I like the boards of board games too much, I guess. Recently, however, this has been changing thanks to the interests of two of my frequent gaming partners: my wife enjoys basking in the nostalgic art of Disney Lorcana, whilst my 8 year old son keeps evolving his creatures to defeat me in Pokémon TCG. Both are fun, I can see the appeal even if I can’t always see the card text.
For our first forays into the two games, we got the starter sets: Disney Lorcana: Gateway and Pokémon TCG: Battle Academy. They’re both well put together, easing us as a family into the bottomless waters of duelling card games. I doubt we’ll swim all that much deeper but these are enjoyable boxes with everything you might need to get started, including tokens for tracking health.
The tokens are a mixed bag though, especially for a board gamer who enjoys the luxury of a wooden resource or a stack of Iron Clays. Tabletop games tickle the senses, and tactility is important. In fairness the Lorcana tokens from the Gateway box are perfectly fine, but the Battle Academy ones are little more than over-confident paper.
Step forward BuyTheSameToken Gaming Upgrades to save the day. I got the Disney Lorcana Master Token Set and the Token Set for Pokémon TCG. Let me get one thing out of the way: they aren’t cheap. I’m lucky that these are review copies, otherwise the combined total for the sets would have been over £60 for 53 tokens. That’s more than £1 a token and whilst I genuinely think these are great, I’m not sure if, with money tight, I’d have stretched to buying them myself. (Note: at the time of writing, subscribing to their newsletter does provide a first-time-buyer discount)
To be fair, the prices aren’t all that different from what I’ve seen on Etsy or elsewhere. For Lorcana tokens in particular, I’ve seen similarly sized sets on Etsy for only a couple of quid cheaper that are nowhere close to as pretty as the BuyTheSameToken ones. I might gripe about the cost, but across fifteen minutes of online searching I’ve not found better looking sets at a better price. Or better looking sets at all.
So what do you get? All the tokens are 3mm acrylic, laser cut and painted. They arrive with protective paper on both sides which, whilst a pain to peel off, protects them in transit. The Lorcana set comes with 30 double sided tokens, including willpower, strength and lore modifiers. The Pokémon set comes with 23 tokens, most of which are different values of damage tokens, and then five condition tokens. In all of our games, the number of tokens has never been a problem and we’ve never run out.
They look sharp. I love the bold primary colours of the Pokémon set, so in keeping with the game and really easy to read. The Lorcana tokens are more intricate in their design. I chose the Amethsyt set, lovely swirls and shimmers of purple with golden paint. Again, it fits the game’s magical, painty mood, but the purple numbers on the golden background means I sometimes need to take a second look to ensure I’ve picked the correct value. It’s about the only thing I’d suggest to improve, that the intricacies of the painted design could allow for slightly larger numbers or the tokens themselves could be fractionally larger. That said, it’s not a big deal and, honestly, compared to reading some of the card text in these games the tokens are child’s play.
They’re lighter than I imagined they would be but there’s a satisfying clack to them as you put them on your cards. You’re always adding and removing tokens and I’ve never once struggled to pick one up, something that can’t be said for even the Lorcana cardboard tokens. And compared to the Battle Academy tokens they’re a godsend, a huge quality of life improvement that genuinely makes the experience of playing the game about 20% better.
We’ve battered them about a fair bit, but I’ve yet to see any signs of wear. I’ve been deliberately careless, and my son really enjoys messing about with them even when we aren’t playing a game. I’m confident that they’re going to last us a long time and they mean I look forward to playing these games rather than quietly dreading another encounter with flimsy cardboard.
Overall, I’m really happy with the BuyTheSameTokens sets, they’re a lovely addition to our games, vastly improving the aesthetics, tactility and usability of both games. If my family are going to ‘force’ me to play trading card games, then these tokens are my only condition.
Arkham Horror LCG Ivory Token Set, Investigator Board – Kevin Brantley
There are some game systems that you absolutely love and couldn’t see yourself ever not playing. Marvel Champions and Arkham Horror: The Card Game are those systems for me. As both a fan of Marvel comics and all things cosmic horror, it only makes sense that two flavors of the same structured format would appeal to me.
We’ll kick things off with Arkham Horror: The Card Game, as the advent of the new Chapter 2 led to some serendipitous timing to try out these premium components. Though the main box provides a plethora of cardboard tokens for everything, there’s always something nice about playing with a little added bling.
I had the fortunate opportunity to run my spooky scenarios with the ivory investigator token set, which includes premium-feeling substitutions for the main counters: health, horror, resources, and clues. The feel and heft of these tokens are unmatched. Worry naught, as these tokens aren’t made of real ivory, but they certainly look and feel like they could be. The light beige base and contrasting colors make me feel like I’m playing with a collector’s edition of Scrabble tiles. The weight sits perfectly in the hand, and running your fingers over the grooves is a good way to destress from the game’s incoming madness.
The thematic font used for the numbers is clear and distinguishable, with appropriate sizing that doesn’t detract from the overall art of the token. The Art Nouveau-style borders also add handsome accents, framing each token nicely, especially when inserted into an investigator board. The overall look and feel of the set is sure to add pop to the table, though realistically, each set provides enough for one investigator, with five tokens in varying denominations.
Buy the Same Token also offers a full-color set with translucent hues, but I prefer the aesthetics of the ivory version. It better matches the tone of the game’s 1920s setting, and it reminds me of a classic mahjong set. If you have the money and Arkham is your game, then I highly recommend these token sets, as they elevate the entire experience.
Next, we have the investigator board upgrade. This handy holder has room not only for the investigator card and tokens, but also a side tray for extras that could be used for story-specific pieces. The board has a nice weight to it as well, and the ornate glyphs add to the deep thematic ties that Arkham brings to the table. The slots serve as a clean reminder of the hits you’ve taken or how much investigating you’ve been up to.
While the holder gives fantastic presence to a player’s character area, it really requires the premium token sets to shine. You could use the default cardboard chits with it, but they wouldn’t fit quite right and could possibly get stuck. If you’re thinking about picking up the investigator board, then I’d recommend grabbing the tokens as well to complete the set.
Marvel Champions Core Token Set, Hero Board – Kevin Brantley
Marvel Champions is up next, and in reverse turn order, we’ll focus on the hero boards first. Much like the Arkham Horror investigator boards, these are made of sturdy plastic with a satisfying heft that doesn’t feel cheap. There are numerous slots to house damage and status tokens, and I especially love the comic book style of the white player board.
These add a good amount of pop to your hero area, but the downside is that if there are attachments, upgrades, or other cards connected to your character, there’s not really a good place to slot them aside from setting them next to the holder. Alas, there could be worse problems. The hero boards function similarly to the Arkham Horror investigator boards, where they are best utilized with the matching tokens.
Lastly, we have the Marvel Champions Core Token Set, filled with all kinds of goodies. My first reaction was one of delight, as it includes a first-player marker similar to the coin slot you’d find on an old retro arcade cabinet. The child in me was beaming.
This set comes with a hefty price tag, but if you want to bling out your Marvel Champions experience, this is how you do it. The set contains replacements for all major parts of the game, from threat to damage to the very well-done status tokens. It even includes twelve all-purpose tokens in a lovely blue, meant to substitute for any other type of counter, such as ammo or charge tokens.
While the tokens are of premium build, the etching feels a little rough around the text. It’s not a knock by any means, but just know they aren’t perfectly smooth when you run your finger over them. The colors perfectly match the shades used in the game, especially for the status conditions, making everything simple to identify at a glance, particularly when paired with a hero board.
The denominations are helpful, though be forewarned that they come in increments of 1, 2, 5, and 10 instead of the 1, 3, 5, and 10 found in the basic tokens. In Marvel Champions, I find myself needing 3s just as much as 2s, and if anything, this requires me to add in the basic tokens to keep my counting simplified.
Otherwise, these have the same quality, feel, and presentation as the Arkham Horror tokens, bringing a significant upgrade to the playing experience. These counters, while a tad expensive, are well worth the money and will keep the game feeling fresh, streamlined, and premium for many plays to come.
Fellowship Token Set – Fate of the Fellowship – Jesse Fletcher
Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship is one of my new favorite cooperative games, so I was thrilled to see the product offerings for this title. Fate of the Fellowship comes with a decent amount of cardboard bits, both for the four resource tokens, and the stronghold and haven markers. I was more than happy to replace the tiny cardboard chits with acrylic bits that are definitely more pleasing on a tactile level.
The tokens are shiny and pleasing to the eye. I don’t know how much they offer in terms of gameplay improvement aside from aesthetic and tactile appeal. There aren’t any inherent quality of life improvements provided but that’s mainly because the gameplay itself doesn’t rely on the quality of its components.
That said, I’m always a fan of upgrading bits and bobs to create a richer tactile experience. I think often as “hobby gamers” we lose sight of the fact that board games are just complex toys. Sometimes, it’s a nice enough investment to make your favorite toys more fun to look at and more pleasing to handle.
