Board Games for the Blind: Adaptations and Fan-Made Solutions

Board games are a way of communication, fun pastime, and a means to develop thinking and social connections. For many people, they mean friendly evenings, family gatherings, a way to step away from screens, and simply spend time together.

But most modern board games rely heavily on sight: cards with tiny print, colorful illustrations, and components that are difficult to recognize by touch. This creates a barrier people with low or no vision are often deprived of the opportunity to play independently, relying on others for help.

To make games more accessible, various adaptations, fan-made solutions, and technologies have been created and continue to emerge all giving a chance to include board games in the lives of people with visual impairments. Below are examples of how this is already being done and how you can do it yourself.

Classic Adaptations

Cards with Braille and Tactile Markings

One of the most common ways to adapt a game is by adding Braille or tactile symbols (raised dots, lines, or textures) to its components. For example, Braille stickers can be placed on cards so that a player can feel and read what card they are holding.

The organization APH (American Printing House for the Blind) recommends using symbol stickers or Braille letters when adapting games.

Another approach is to use textures for example, cards of one type can have a smooth surface, while another type can have a fine grain, allowing them to be distinguished by touch.

Chess, Checkers, and Tactile Boards

The oldest and most reliable adaptations apply to chess and checkers. On adapted chessboards, the squares are slightly recessed or separated by grooves, and the pieces have raised parts or spikes at the base so they “sit” firmly and don’t shift.

Tactile chess sets with Braille are often sold as complete kits.
For checkers and other abstract games, the idea is similar: the board is tactile, and the pieces differ in size or surface texture.

Such adaptations allow players to play almost “as usual,” just relying on the feel of the board and pieces.
Jenga for the Blind: an adaptation of the classic tower game featuring raised or high-contrast elements for tactile play.

Read about the best games for the blind and find your next favorite.

Modern Board Games and Fan Adaptations

How Fans Adapt Popular Games

Fan communities take classic board games and “translate” them into tactile formats. Examples include:

• Monopoly: cards with Braille, a tactile board (raised property borders), and distinctively shaped tokens for tactile recognition.
• Carcassonne: tiles with raised borders and ridges marking roads and fields so that players can feel their layout.
• UNO: cards with Braille + unique card shapes (e.g., cut-out edges), where card outlines differ by texture or notches.
• King of Tokyo: a modern dice-and-monster game that can be adapted using online dice-rolling services or bots.

In DIY (do-it-yourself) adaptations, people modify standard games by adding Braille stickers, applying textures, reprinting cards in Braille, and more.

Examples of DIY Solutions

• Players share their adaptations on forums such as “Board Games for Visually Impaired People” and discuss how they created cards or attached tactile markers.
• Articles on adapting games for children with visual impairments recommend using hot embossing, contour lines, and thick cardboard bases so that components do not deform.
• In the Maxi Aids store, you can find adapted versions of popular games such as “Braille and Low Vision Monopoly,” tactile chess and checkers, sticker sets, and adaptive components.
• On Reddit’s r/boardgames, users have discussed projects like “3D Printed Catan for the Blind,” a fan-made version of Catan with tactile tiles and 3D components.

Such examples are inspiring; they show that even commercial games can be “re-equipped” to make them accessible.

3D Printing and New Technologies

Using 3D Printers

3D printing is one of the breakthroughs: it allows for the creation of raised pieces, special tokens, adapted tiles, frames, and “tracks” for boards. For example, the N-edge model is a board game for both sighted and blind players available on Printables, with STL files ready to print and assemble.

Dice-rolling services also help: in Telegram, there are bots like @DiceRollBot that allow you to roll dice directly in chat. This is useful for tabletop RPGs that require multiple dice types.

For dice-based games, the website Roll20 allows online play, built-in dice tools, and the ability to adapt role-playing systems.

Online Communities for Printable Models

• Printables.com: collections of free STL files, including adapted games like N-edge.
• BoardGameGeek: a section titled “3D Prints for Board Games.” 3D printing ensures precision and consistency: parts can be printed with the desired textures, shapes, and sizes, making them durable and reusable.
• Facebook groups about board games and 3D printing, such as Board Game Revolution.

This enables communities to share ready-made files, assist each other, and improve adaptations together.

Communities and Experience Sharing

Groups, Forums, Reddit

• On Reddit’s r/boardgames, there’s a thread titled “Board Games for the Visually Impaired?” where users discuss which games are adapted and how to adapt them.
• The r/printandplay community shares homemade versions of games, including accessibility adaptations, files, and methods.
• On BoardGameGeek, there are sections and topics about how to play with blind players and adapt components.
• Facebook groups, such as Board Game Revolution, exchange STL models and discuss adaptations.

Meetups, Clubs, and Inclusive Play

In many places, people organize inclusive gaming meetups where blind and sighted players play together using adapted or specially designed games. Such clubs sometimes operate in centers for the visually impaired, libraries, or NGOs  and even hold tournaments.

The typical format: one or more players use an adapted version of a game while others play traditionally but everyone collaborates to ensure fairness and accessibility for all.

Conclusion

Board games can become accessible even for people with zero vision if approached thoughtfully. The use of Braille, raised elements, tactile markers, 3D printing, and digital tools makes gameplay independent and engaging for all participants. 

Games whether tabletop or online are more than entertainment.  They are a path to learning, strategic thinking, communication, and socialization.  They help people with visual impairments feel part of a team, develop new skills, and discover new forms of interaction.

If, in the future, designers and publishers implement inclusivity from the very beginning  by creating adapted editions, releasing embossed and Braille component sets, and collaborating with communities of blind players then board games will become truly universal.

The world of games has the power to unite  when its doors are open to everyone.