I'm getting magazine games now, plus I've got older games in manila envelopes. Thinking of storing them in plastic zip-locs. Just have to figure out the best size. I'm thinking that either 9 x 12 (http://www.amazon.com/Mil-Clear-Lock-Bags-Pack/dp/B003ZZUJT4) or 10 x 13 should be big enough to store most games.
Michael
I used plastic bags for all of my counters back in the 80's with all of my old AH games. Ziplock bags worked ok but you either had several bags or one or two bags all mixed with lots of counters. You'd pour them out in to the game box lid and start sorting. Ugh, that was the old days.
Now a days, I store all of the counters for my favorite games in Plano 3601's (thin latched) storage units. I like the thin units (3600 series) because it's easier to dig counters out of the bins. The con's: it probably won't fit in the box that the game came in...if that matters to you. Otherwise, the pro's outweigh that con: durable storage that is environment safe (water, humidity, etc) and it allows you to sort counters for easy retrieval for game play.
You have to detach the dividers and insert them in to the holders. That gives you flexibility on how large or small each storage container is. I use a dab of super glue to secure the divider in place. That prevents "counter crawl" from one area to the next.
As posted in the "What's on your gaming table now?", in case you missed it:
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.garykrockover.com%2Fuploads%2FStarter_Kit_kit2.jpg&hash=7f8f6c9a9f38622914bf4b4deecefe27d4b86863)
I'm a big fan of the little bead bags that are about 2"x3". You can get a pack 100 for about $2.50 at your local craft store (Michael's / AC Moore / etc)
Gary, where do you get the rubber matting you put in the top of the lids? Also, do you have a good online source for the trays (read- cheap) that you can recommend?
I get the Plano's at my local Academy sporting goods store. $7 ea I think. One large one will hold all the pieces for most games. Nope, $6 ea:
http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/plano-174-prolatch-8482-stowaway-3620-tackle-box/pid-12167?N=272574547&Ntt=plano&Ntk=All
The lids secure strongly with the latch so you don't have to worry about that accident waiting to happen....
The black mat is a simple drawer or shelf liner that I pick up at a grocery store. It's soft rubber. Cut to size and stuck on with a little bit of spray adhesive. That prevents counter crawl over the tops of the dividers.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcf.geekdo-images.com%2Fimages%2Fpic314692_t.jpg&hash=0bf660b650b0cae520adf272efe60cb28d61642e)
So literally, I have no worries about the thing falling off the table or taking a tumble (which has happened).
Quote from: GJK on September 22, 2013, 10:24:36 AM
The black mat is a simple drawer or shelf liner that I pick up at a grocery store. It's soft rubber. Cut to size and stuck on with a little bit of spray adhesive. That prevents counter crawl over the tops of the dividers.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcf.geekdo-images.com%2Fimages%2Fpic314692_t.jpg&hash=0bf660b650b0cae520adf272efe60cb28d61642e)
Ooooh.
That could work for some Star Trek minis that don't have an expensive tote right now. Thanks!
I like counter trays, except for the fact that they take up more space. That's why I'm thinking of ziplocs.
Michael
The GMT trays work really well. Of course the downside is they do take up box space so if you have a counter heavy game with a smaller box (I'm looking at you ASL!), they might require being stored outside of the box.
I use the GMT's trays if I can get them - and a reallly could do with a few. There is only one retailer that I know of in the UK, and he charges as much for 4 as GMT do for 10.
Looks like I will have to think about buying direct from them.
I need to buy some more myself. I ordered 10 from NWS a few months back and I'm down to 3 and I want to further sort ASLSK and I still have Combat Commander to sort. /sigh/ This is a never ending process. I don't even want to get into the difficulty of sorting Panzer using trays.
Quote from: bob48 on September 22, 2013, 11:52:13 AMLooks like I will have to think about buying direct from them.
or you could come to Origins next year and just take 40 of them home with you :)
I wish!
Would need a Lotto win first though :P
Uh oh - the baggie got a hole in it! :)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcf.geekdo-images.com%2Fimages%2Fpic1481615_md.jpg&hash=1624a8afd9ee394e0417a9fa7d6b2e1ca226a35c)
I hope that was a prank
I'd hate to be f'er that had to sort that stuff out!
I find sorting counters out strangely....relaxing.........
Hmmm, think I'll go and empty all my WaW counter trays into a big heap and.......twitch, twitch..........
I'm like bob...I totally enjoy organizing my wargames and adding little refinements to help make the playing go a little smoother. It's a good thing too as I tend to enjoy meaty games, and it is no small task to sort a few thousand counters into a couple of tackle boxes.
At the moment I am working up Compass Games Steel Wolves, plus the expansion Fleet Boats. With a total of 13 counter sheets it has a sizeable chit count, but not massive. The job of sorting them still took me a week, including a couple of restarts, and plenty of head scratching.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8EhsLyhXjKY/UoR8tqnH26I/AAAAAAAAA7c/9DP9qsqXdFY/s800/Untitled%2520Photo.jpg)
Intially I sorted all the U-boats numerically (U-1, U-2,..) until I discovered that was the wrong way to go about it. They are now sorted by their date of availability. The sub counters are pretty sweet. I'll get to clipping those corners sooner than later.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xkQup3bi-VE/UoR8wmZ_3cI/AAAAAAAAA7k/13bFZWrS48A/s800/Untitled%2520Photo.jpg)
Next task. It quickly becomes apparent that sorting the subs was the easy part of this exercise. Figuring out a way break down all those surface vessels isn't going to be easy. I was fortunate to have a spare GMT tray on hand and my first attempt at sorting transports by tonnage looks workable.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WOXB82-FpUg/UoR83Fb8HII/AAAAAAAAA7s/nRtt8yBJ5Bk/s800/Untitled%2520Photo.jpg)
With several classes of warships belonging to 10 nationalities...it took a while just figuring out where to start with what's left.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Slv-CiGqibk/UoR85m5MWeI/AAAAAAAAA70/W1YFgkQKdEo/s800/Untitled%2520Photo.jpg)
It took a couple of passes at sorting the warships and required some re-jigging of the tackle box container to make some extra space....plus the use of one plastic baggie...but they all went in :P
That is neat stuff. There's something about "prissying" up boardgames; laminating the charts, clipping counters, sorting, etc. I've often thought about how utterly useless but how cool it would look if you could enclose each counter in a little mini screw down acrylic holder - sort of like a mini baseball card holder for the super high dollar cards that are used. That way the counter could be protected forever (as long as you don't lose it).
Semi-on topic, but I just woke up to get ready for work and caught myself in a dream so I can remember it freshly; but my work was relocating our entire office to a "new" Manhattan (as in up in Yankee land) office. I'm thinking about what will be different going from Texas to New York but as I awake my final thought is "well, at least I can still play my wargames". How's that for prioritization?? :)
Very impressive setups guys. Rekim that game looks very interesting if you can fill up 90% of a tackle box with just U-boats.
Yeah, that's real neat. I must try and get my hands on some more GMT trays. I had to 'borrow' a couple from WaW to house the new Desert Heat counters, so a lot of the WaW stuff is now in baggies.
Looks like a still from a Tom Vasel video review.
Those Academy storage containers are the thing to go with, especially with minis. I should have bought a ton of them just before I left there this summer.
Quote from: Banzai_Cat on November 14, 2013, 02:47:59 PM
Looks like a still from a Tom Vasel video review.
Those Academy storage containers are the thing to go with, especially with minis. I should have bought a ton of them just before I left there this summer.
Ya. I really don't get why the iPad takes such crappy pictures. On the other hand, I take pictures a lot more often than prior to owning it.
My only "problem" with a tackle box container unit such as that one is the depth of the compartments. As you can see, most are only half filled (and that's with larger counters). Personally, I like the Plano 3700 series (I think it is); the "shallow" well design and the compartments are rounded which makes counter retrieval even easier. Works great for every game and they stack up half the size of the larger tackle boxes so I can sometimes even get it to sit inside the game box. Don't get me wrong, that's a nice tackle box as well, I just prefer a more shallow recess - especially when my fat fingers are trying to dig counters out of there.
Quote from: Rekim on November 14, 2013, 04:08:26 PM
Quote from: Banzai_Cat on November 14, 2013, 02:47:59 PM
Looks like a still from a Tom Vasel video review.
Those Academy storage containers are the thing to go with, especially with minis. I should have bought a ton of them just before I left there this summer.
Ya. I really don't get why the iPad takes such crappy pictures. On the other hand, I take pictures a lot more often than prior to owning it.
No no, sorry, I was referring to the "baggie got a hole in it" picture. My OCD commends you on your organization, sir!
Both Plano and Flambo (the brand of container used above) are available to me locally. I agree that the shallower compartments are preferable, however, in every instance so far I have gone with Flambo. While the Flambo gear is ~50% cheaper the primary reason I choose one container over others is how the capacity meets a specific need. For example, I used the exact same Flambo container to store each nationality of my ASL counters. All of the MMC, SMC, SW, Guns, Dummies and AFV counts for a single nationality fit in a single container and fill it up to a reasonable level. The Plano users I know require 2 or more containers for the same purpose. I've noticed that Raaco containers are popular with some of the hard core ASL players. Super expensive and not all that shallow either.
http://www.raaco.com/Product_list-1121.aspx?GroupID=Boxes%20ind%20CarryLite
I even know a couple of people who use empty match boxes for storing game counters ::) now that takes a special kind of crazy.
Yes, agreed. With the shallow Plano's, you'll require more of them to get the job done; especially with ASL. I've been to the Texas ASL tourney a few times where guys wheel in these plastic storage containers on wheels full of Plano's (and maps, etc). ASL is just a whole different mindset - for most hardcore ASL players, it's *the only* game that they play and they are quite serious about it. For other games, I find that a single shallow compartment Plano usually works but often it will require two (at most). Not so bad.