How do you store your tabletop stuff?

[WhiteShark]

I was organizing some of my tabletop stuff today and found an old board game that contained no less than sixteen different types of tokens and zero trays, containers, or anything else in which to store them. This seems like it ought to be illegal. Having no other appropriate containers on hand, I settled for placing them in separate plastic baggies, but this seems inefficient both for retrieving and replacing them. For cards I have sleeves and binders, and for other games with lower token counts I've used various small boxes I had on hand, but this game seems like a good opportunity to find a standardized solution.

So, how do you guys store your minis/tokens/counters/etc.?

[Emphyrio]

I keep it in a plastic sandwich bag.

[rusty_shackleford]

Fireproof safe bolted to the floor that has all oxygen removed when closed and pumped full of nitrogen.

[Acrux]

How much and what kind of stuff do you have? They make storage containers geared to tabletop players if you have a lot of miniatures or something. but since I only have books, a ziploc bag full of dice, one small container of square counters, and some notebooks I never saw the need.

If you mean pieces for individual board games, I usually just use several small ziploc bags kept inside the box.

The only exception to that is for the LOTR and Star Wars living card games. I have the complete set of catds for both, so I got some wooden inserts that fit into the larger game boxes for organizing.

[Ratcatcher]

So, how do you guys store your minis/tokens/counters/etc.?

I build custom foamcore insert to fit all my boxes, I usually manage to fit all tokens/sleeved cards/boards neatly. I also try to build things that make the setup/teardown phase less of an hassle or that can be used directly on the table, like card holders and such. I suppose I could post a few pics but numerous people on board game geek do the same so you probably have a general idea of what I talk about.

How much and what kind of stuff do you have?

About a bookshelf worth of tabletop games + additional space for the stuff I use for pnp.

[rusty_shackleford]

Casuals.

[Ratcatcher]

Casuals.

A basic carbon dioxide trap with a reinforced lid will net you the same result, cost 1/100000th less to setup and has zero running costs.

[rusty_shackleford]

Casuals.

A basic carbon dioxide trap with a reinforced lid will net you the same result, cost 1/100000th less to setup and has zero running costs.

Pleb.

[Ratcatcher]

Irrelevant since we talk modern plastic-infused cardboard and fixed pigments. They are guaranteed to mantain even when stored in normal air for a few decades.

Ofc if you have a number of unusual pieces drawn on vellum or if most of your collection is 18th century boardgames and such, you probably shouldn't be using those to play. Use 3d printed replicas instead and just rent a small caveau for 1/5000th of the cost Rusty proposes.

[WhiteShark]

I keep it in a plastic sandwich bag.

If you mean pieces for individual board games, I usually just use several small ziploc bags kept inside the box.

This is the cheapest and most space efficient option, but I find it inconvenient for games where you must frequently retrieve more pieces or put them back. I don't like digging around in plastic bags in the middle of a game, and dumping them all out on the table makes cleanup a pain and is almost as unaesthetic as the bags themselves.

The only exception to that is for the LOTR and Star Wars living card games. I have the complete set of catds for both, so I got some wooden inserts that fit into the larger game boxes for organizing.

Do you make spaces for their tokens in said boxes, too? I'd love to see a pic of your setup. As an aside, I came very close to getting into LCGs, but at the time I didn't really have anyone with whom to play, so I didn't pull the trigger. I'm guessing it's too expensive to start collecting now.

I build custom foamcore insert to fit all my boxes, I usually manage to fit all tokens/sleeved cards/boards neatly. I also try to build things that make the setup/teardown phase less of an hassle or that can be used directly on the table, like card holders and such. I suppose I could post a few pics but numerous people on board game geek do the same so you probably have a general idea of what I talk about.

This sounds like what I want. I would prefer that whatever containers I use make all of setup, play, and teardown convenient, and ideally don't look terrible at the table. I haven't investigated this topic before, so while I can imagine the foam stuff, I'd still like to see your setup if you wouldn't mind taking a picture or two.

[Ratcatcher]

This sounds like what I want. I would prefer that whatever containers I use make all of setup, play, and teardown convenient, and ideally don't look terrible at the table. I haven't investigated this topic before, so while I can imagine the foam stuff, I'd still like to see your setup if you wouldn't mind taking a picture or two.

Sure thing! But I'm currently busy and won't be able to take proper pics until monday. Plz, either ping me again itt or send me a PM because otherwise I will definitely forget!

I think the only exception is Mansion of Madness as I was unable to fit all minis + map pieces. I use 2 additional boxes from expansions and 2 large ring binders. The latter also allow for easy browsing of map pieces, since looking for those is def the biggest time sink in MoM. You can buy plastic sheets used to collect notes and such, they usually come in pages with 3 'pockets' each. By mixing and matching those and the normal sized ones (dunno watchacallit, but every student used those) you can store small libraries in an orderly fashion. Can post pics of those too if unclear.

[Acrux]

If you mean pieces for individual board games, I usually just use several small ziploc bags kept inside the box.

This is the cheapest and most space efficient option, but I find it inconvenient for games where you must frequently retrieve more pieces or put them back. I don't like digging around in plastic bags in the middle of a game, and dumping them all out on the table makes cleanup a pain and is almost as unaesthetic as the bags themselves.

Honestly, the thought of having to get everything out, get it set up, and then put everything away after playing a game is one of the main reasons I don't very often these days. My wife is actually very stringent about how things get organized. We have several different sized bags (all the way down to really small half-sandwich sized bags) to store things in. We just keep them in an overturned lid during a game, so the aesthetic part isn't too bad (of course, we're also usually playing with our kids, too, so disarray is just a given).

The only exception to that is for the LOTR and Star Wars living card games. I have the complete set of catds for both, so I got some wooden inserts that fit into the larger game boxes for organizing.

Do you make spaces for their tokens in said boxes, too? I'd love to see a pic of your setup. As an aside, I came very close to getting into LCGs, but at the time I didn't really have anyone with whom to play, so I didn't pull the trigger. I'm guessing it's too expensive to start collecting now.

They're up in storage at the moment, so it would be a while before I could go get a picture of them. Storage is actually a big topic around LCGs because there are so many cards. A couple of the more popular sites have articles about it:

• https://visionofthepalantir.com/storage-hub/ (Mine is closest to Nemesis's solution on that page, but wooden inserts spread out over a couple of boxes.)
• https://hallofgondor.com/2021/01/08/lor ... solutions/

I realized I also have the Imperial Assault games stored similarly, except for the minis which I don't have a good solution for.

About LCGs: You can play the LOTR LCG solo. I know there's been a re-release of some of the oldest sets, but I haven't followed what's new there in a while so they may have changed some of that. The Star Wars LCG is 2-player only. I think it's the better game.

[REZOLD]

just put it in a big box (off an old board game)
if you have alot of stuff use a bigger box wih smaller boxes inside

[Slavic Sorcerer]

Before my TT group and I decided to part ways (mostly their fault), I had more stuff

I'm a dice goblin, and autistic at that. Each of my characters has dedicated dice sets.
And I have a lot of characters with written builds and backstories.

So I purchased a big linen bag (about 10 times bigger than typical bag for 1 dice set) and I store all the dice in it

Off the top of my head - I think I have like 25, maybe 30, dice sets.
One I bought 5 times, cause it's pearly white with gold numbers. I used alcohol to rub off the paint from the numbers, and paint them with nail polish to get an effect I want

This drastically changes the feel from basic gold-and-white (akin to cleric or paladin), to - for example - a midnight blue-white feel of an icy sorcerer.
And it's a nice stress relief to paint the numbers

As for books, they used to be just laying on the table, ready to go every week. Nowadays they just collect dust in my closet

I had a box for my run I was preparing for the aftermentioned group - Rime of the Frostmaiden.
It had props like icy crystals made of clear plastic, a masquerade mask for me as the GM, GM's screen for the campaign, dedicated candles, lanterns, and tons other shit.

Depending on the role and size, it was stored in smaller boxes within the big box

I also have smaller dice bags. I've got them to store dice sets for specific characters I played so I don't have to pour out my dice bag and sort everything.

[Hauberk]

In random piles and plastic bags themselves crammed into boxes crammed into the attic. I also like to leave stuff like dice out in the open on shelves here and there.

[Ryles]

I'm a big fan of those double-layered "tackle boxes" for storing my huge, throbbing dice hoard. I probably overpay for them but it's worth every cent.

https://www.amazon.com/Forged-Dice-Co-D ... hdGY&psc=1

[Rand]

For smaller counters, I'm a fan of pill cases. Old people take so many pills nowadays that you can find decent ones with almost any number of compartments.