[I tried to search for this, but BLO is too short a word, apparently, and is only very rarely spelled out here...]

I've been a fan of Paste Wax over BLO for a while - easy, looks good, I don't need to clean brushes afterwards. However, the piece I'm ready to finish now is a cribbage board with dry transfer lettering on it. I am leary of the wax, because the buffing out process could potentially damage the letters. (I'm probably just being overly cautious)

What's an easy to apply top coat that won't get cloudy, won't require any sanding or serious buffing, and will give a smooth purty finish? I'm not committed to BLO as the first coat, either - I just like it.