Review on Woodronic Wooden Backgammon Set: Classic Folding Board Game With Smart Strategy Tactics In Walnut-Mahogany Case by Ismael Hennigan

I've been looking for a backgammon set for awhile now but the ones I'd found up to now were just too cheap looking. My tastes in this area are somewhat refined due to my experience with chess, where the sky is the limit as far as quality and price. Backgammon was different--everything I had found had cheesy plastic checkers, a low quality board and just felt shabby. At the same time, I wanted something that was fairly portable so that I could travel with it.That was until I happened upon this gorgeous backgammon set. Woodtronic also makes very nice chess boards, so I figured this would be decent. My wife doesn't play backgammon but I had this set out in my office and she came in just to admire the beauty and workmanship. Everything about this set is first rate. It's beautiful when closed thanks to the multi-colored inlays on the exterior. The set folds in half--making it great for travel--and stays together nicely. It comes with a velvety bag to protect it while traveling. This was the first of many very thoughtful touches that left me seriously impressed.The board itself is just as beautiful as the exterior. The points are hand inlaid to make sure everything fits nicely. Not only does this look better, it makes it easier to play since the checkers can glide over the board effortlessly. The overall aesthetic of the set has an 'art deco' feel--that's a good decision since there's no reason to make a backgammon board as conservative looking as a chess board. Not only is it a very functional backgammon board it looks incredibly cool.The board has a compartment on one side that provides a perfect storage space for the checkers, dice and doubling cube. In addition, there's a smaller velvety bag that can accommodate the checkers, dice and doubling cube. The storage spaces work well but when I travel with it I'll want the added security of the bag so I don't have to worry about spillage. The checkers and dice are extremely high quality and the set has two black leather dice cups.My only gripe is so minor as to almost not be worth mentioning. The instruction manual that comes with the game is very mediocre and won't do much to explain the game to newcomers. Then again, you have to think that most of the customers for a set of this quality will already know how to play the game. There's plenty of online resources about backgammon but more extensive instructions would have been great. It would also further enhance its 'giftability'. A very minor critique, but the one detail that isn't executed perfectly in this set.This is a gentleman's backgammon set. It plays great and looks beautiful. You won't want to fold it up and put it in the storage bag. It looks great and really needs to be on display. I put mine on a table in my office. I'd give this set six stars if I could. Very impressive.