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These foam core inserts are a fantastic idea and I’m already picking out the things I need to do this on Amazon. Keep up the great work!
(just a heads up, the link below the image in this article errors out. It ends with descent-2nd-edition, but should be descent-second-edition)
Great to hear, and thanks for letting me know about the link—fixed!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for not only the awesome game references that you put together, but now the great videos and these foamcore files that you’ve put on your website. I plan on donating as soon as I get some money.
This is the next project I plan to do once I complete my Netrunner suitcase. I was wondering how you stored your boxes? I’m assuming that you always store them flat given the design of these inserts. Any perspective on how these would handle o their sides? I have to put all of my games on their sides due to my space and I’m wondering if I need to modify these somehow to accomodate this limitation.
Thanks Howard. It’s great fun to share all my slightly obsessive game-related stuff with other gamers.
Yes, very good point that I should have mentioned—I always store my boxes flat, and indeed the whole idea of foamcore boxes wouldn’t really work if you stored them sideways. It’s not a good idea at the best of times as, over time, components (especially game boards) can warp if stored resting at an angle in a box.
You can have a relatively high pile of game boxes if stored flat, remember, as long as you don’t put smaller boxes in the middle of the box lids of larger ones. If the box corners are matching (ie, the boxes are the same size), then the lids won’t be damaged as the corners take the weight.
So I’m afraid if you absolutely must store them on their sides, a foamcore insert won’t be very helpful.
Ah, and here I was wondering what use would that box serve. “Isn’t it bad design? The moment you turn the box everything falls out o.O” It never occurred to me someone’d store the box flat and not take it anywhere ;P
Well, I sometimes do transport my games, in which case I still hold them flat – I never just throw them into bag and chuck them around. But otherwise, you can often still store components in bags in the different spaces of the insert. Not really in this one, of course, because it has lots of figures and components and there is not a lot of spare space in the card and counter tray part.
I just wanted to report back that with your adjustments to the walls I completed my first foamcore box assembly. I’m thrilled, thanks again for the efforts. Pumped to see other games…Agricola, Keyflower, Bora Bora, Terra Mystica, I could go on. Donation forthcoming!
-It’s much easier than it seems
-Very functional
-Looks great
-Pretty inexpensive (especially compared to something like a custom battlefoam solution)
Wonderful! That’s fantastic news, I really appreciate you reporting back. Well done!
Thanks a lot for this. I just got the game two days before you posted so I couldn’t be more excited. This will be my first attempt of many to pimp out my game boxes.
Keep up the good work
Great to hear! Good luck and remember it gets easier the more you make. 🙂
Thanks so much… just finished the Main Box and outside of Figure Tray this evening. Hope to finish it all tomorrow. So far so good for my first ever foam core boardgame insert. I noticed that the map tiles really need to be organized well in order to fit everything and avoid putting the Figure tray out of alignment with the top lip of the Main Box. Perhaps folks aren’t storing every tile in the box?
Yep, can’t deny you really have to organize those tiles well, but there was no other way to do it considering the amount of stuff in the box. It’s not too hard once to get the hang of it. Alternatively, you can experiment with reducing the height of the tray above the tiles. Good luck!
I got all the Tiles into the box with a perfect fit. I started with the largest pieces and played “Tetris” until I got it.
It’s a good work what you did here.
Just one question, what is the thickness of the foamcore?
5mm.
Thank you.
Nice work! I am curious what program you use to design your inserts?
SketchUp. But there’s no ‘make a box and explode it into pieces’ function, this is all created piece by piece using the program’s 3D tools.
Silly question – I’m guessing this won’t work with sleeved cards. They take up quite a lot more room
No, sorry.
Thanks for the reply. I don’t really know why I sleeved them all now, it’s not like they get shuffled a lot. Oh well
Sleeving is one of those things that I’ve never got into—I understand it protects cards, but I don’t like the effect on the aesthetics of the game.
Yeah I found out the hard way, after building it, that sleeved cards won’t work. But I made some changes to the design and now everything fits!
Wow, this is amazing! Just finished mine today. It works so well and makes the game even more enjoyable to play. Thank you for designing this!
Hi,
Just want to say thank you for designing these inserts!
I put mine together last night. I wish I saw your foam core tutorials first though. This was my first time working with stuff and I could have used your pointers to make mine look as clean and tidy as yours!
Oh well, it looks good enough 😛
Thanks again! 😀
Well done Sam, and don’t worry they’ll get better every time you make one!
Hey there,
do any of the expansion fit with these designs? or are they purely for the contents of the base set?
thanks
No, it would be impossible to fit all the expansions in the original box. This is just for the base set – and even then it all just fits!
Am i blind or are there no dimensions for the small compartments on the top tray? This looks like a fun project, thanks for taking the time to make these!
You know, you’re right! No one’s mentioned it before now, and really, I’d just wing it using the photo of the finished tray as a guide. The width of those compartments don’t have to be exact, as long as they fit the counters.
In reference to the 96mm length compartments on the top tray, could you tell me the 2 different sizes for the gaps please?
Just ‘dry-fit’ the dividers in until you’re happy with the widths, and glue. It doesn’t have to be exact!
I did the math, for anyone else that wants exact numbers:
30mm for the left 5 and 46mm for the right 2 (Top tray, bottom row)
Cool!
Ha, no problem, i was just thinking i had to be missing something since no one else had said anything, glad to know i’m not goin blind. I built one out of wood for a buddy but i’m diggin your design a lot more, mine ended up being a bit on the heavy side and wasnt quit as stream lined. I might try to make this one for him tomorrow it looks like a good snowy day project. Thanks again for the great info and keep up the good work!
Would love to see a pic of the wooden version if you build it.
I have a pic around here somewhere, i’ll see if i can dig it up and ill post it
I finished the inserts for my copy of Descent 2nd edition some time ago and just wanted to report that they are a great success! Set-up time is cut in half if not better, looks great, keeps everything separate and protected. Well done!
That is great news – thanks for letting me know! Nice one.
I wanted to thank you
I created my own box based on your description. Because i have the base game and the next 3 add ons i had to modify it a bit. You can see my result on these pics here:
http://www.directupload.net/file/d/3457/mv73jgq8_jpg.htm
http://www.directupload.net/file/d/3457/fmar26b7_jpg.htm
http://www.directupload.net/file/d/3457/q47rjl5d_jpg.htm
http://www.directupload.net/file/d/3457/65y5ewh7_jpg.htm
The picture was taken before i got the trollnest so you wont find the monsters on the picture. But they all fit into the remaining empty field perfectly. But by the next add on i have to build another insert.
(english isnt my native language so please be a bit tolerant then it comes down to grammar and spelling :))
Great stuff Batto, well done! Always good to see people experimenting with their own soutions.
does anyone have a “pack plan” for the map pieces? I suppose I could spend an afternoon playing Tetris with the lot, but I was wondering if anyone has a pack that already works and keeps the figure tray from jutting over the main box.
It seems very fiddly at first, but trust me, it gets faster to put them back as you get used to it. 🙂
Actually I finally settled on a pack that works and simply photographed each layer. Now it’s a sure fit each time!
Fantastic design! Would you mind if I used this as a basis for a design of my own? I plan to make a 3mm wooden lasercut insert for this game (and the expansions), and have those produced. I plan to make a few minor changes, perhaps make room for sleeved cards.
If you’re going to use my design for personal use, go right ahead. If you plan to use it as the basis for something you are going to produce commercially, then I’d prefer you come up with your own original design, or we have a chat about what percentage we will agree on for my work. 🙂
Thank you for this amazing design. I am not a very crafty person, but went out the day after Christmas and bought all the supplies and tools I needed and BAM before I knew it I had a completely contained game. I might try to design my own for the next expansion…..once we get there.
You’re welcome . And remember the EOG adage – you’re only as crafty as your last foamcore box insert!
Fantastic design and holds everything from the core set perfectly. I finally got around to building this insert and I am so glad that I did. Now all of my Descent game is nice and neat and easy to get to.
I am one that stores my games on there side and after building this insert I did the shake test and NOTHING fell out of place.
The only thing that I may have to do is a small redesign as I want to also include all of the conversion stuff so that I can add my 1st edition stuff to this box as well.
Thanks again for the amazing insert.
Ray
Thanks Ray!
Hello and congrats for the amazing design.
I never knew about foamcore before i saw your video tutorials and then this design. But once i saw it, i fell in love and ordered the materials to make it!
I m now waiting for the materials to arrive, but i have a problem. I always-always sleeve my cards. So i must find a solution to it. The main problem is the height of the cards. For other dimmension there is room to make them 1mm bigger. I did the measuring and the sleeved ones are about 7mm higher. 4mm if pressed slightly, which they will be with the rulebooks on top.
So my question is this. Is there room for the bottom and middle layrs to become 5mm shorter to make the top one 5mm longer or the figures dont have any spare room?
Thats it. Again congrats and thanks a lot for the design.
P.s. sorry for my english.
I know Jim, sleeving your cards changes everything. At the time I designed this I didn’t sleeve my cards, but now I often do. I’m afraid in this case I’ll have to leave it up to you to design something that works for sleeved cards because this one is a very tight fit, and I suspect you’ll have problems with he length and width of the cards as well. Looking at my copy there really is no room to reduce the height of the other trays. Experiment and come up with your own variant – good luck!
Thanks for the fast reply.
Once i have the foamcore (“μακετόχαρτο” for any greek looking for it. It took me some while to find what its called in Greece…) i l start experimenting based on your desigh.
Expect pics and dimensions from what i make.
Let us all know in the forums!
There are measures missing in the project that I cannot calculate by myself.
For example, even in the image above on this page in the left separators it is not written how much to distance them.
Could you add this information, unless the first one, in all containers?
Just wing it using the photos as a guide. Spaces for tokens don’t have to be perfectly exact.
If it is useful to others I have used the following measures.
For the second level:
– 45mm slot for dices
and in succession (doors and characters):
– 1 x 60mm slot
– 1 x 45 slot
– 1 x 40 slot
For the first level (tokens):
– 2 x 25mm slot
– 3 x 30mm slot
– 1 x 50mm slot
– 1 x 56mm slot
Cool, thanks!