INSERT HERE Runthrough

A video demonstrating the functionality of custom made inserts by Rob Searing.

[TyphoidBryan]

Removable bit trays are a great idea and, man, there are plenty of games that could use this sort of treatment. Nice job!

[winterplum]

How the times have changed for me...a looong time ago, I used to gaze longingly at the 'Tupperware Kitchen'...all the cupboards were organized with the whole shebang of the famous containers keeping everything in it's place...and of course very fresh. Now, I drool over the custom inserts for board games, keeping everything neat and tidy...and of course very fresh. Excellent demonstration of this board gaming trend.  ;)

[RobertSearing]

Richard - thank you so much for such a wonderful video and all of the comments. It was also a pleasure meeting you.

Yeah, I understand everyone's thoughts about the price.  Actually, I try to go out of my way to teach people how to make them before spending money at my site as its not that tough to do.  I'll put some tips below.  The reason they are priced the way they are is, unlike Broken Token (which makes a wonderful product - 2 of which I have purchased myself) each insert takes several hours to hand make.  Honestly, when I first started doing this I never imagined people would want to spend the money I would need to cover the time and materials invested. 

So I fully realize they are not for everyone but hey, if I can help you make them yourself, please take a look at the following and, more importantly, feel free to reach out to me privately at any time with any questions.  I will do whatever I can to  help you save your money and make them yourself.


2)  USE STRAIGHT PINS.  After attaching your walls, put some straight pins in their to help secure the bond.

3)  Don't rush - let it sit overnight to dry.  Most of the glue will actually dry much sooner, and I do tend to work on these during the evening - but I don't rush it.  Let it try to help secure that bond.

4)  VERY USEFUL TIP - MAKE SPACERS! (EDIT:  What I use is actually 'molding' not siding.  I'm not a home repair guy and not always sure of the name of stuff.  I get rectangular molding and cut as I continue to say)  What I did was go out to my local hobby store and purchase cheap siding strips that are just rectangular in nature.  I then cut "pairs" of strips into lengths that I use throughout my designs.  Thus, if I want a wall to be 2 3/4" from a side, I will lay down two "2 3/4 inch" strips - one on either end of the wall - flush against the stationary wall and then "butt" the piece I'm inserting against those strips.  (1) it keeps the gap consistent across the entire length and (2) it helps keep the wall vertical at a 90 degree angle to my base...since I'm butting that piece up to the strip.  It takes quite a bit of time to build up this collection - but if you save them - and label them - they really help in making me provide that "tidy" look.

5) Think about your design.  Typically, I will take my largest piece and place it in the box and then build my main walls at that length - and then just piece them together as I go.

6)  Use a sharp Xacto blade - and be ready to purchase several.  One blade will last me about 1/2 dozen or so inserts.


8) Have fun.  

[duncancole]

I make these myself for pretty much all of my games and it's a fun little part of the hobby for me. Almost certainly not as high a quality as Rob's stuff here, I still haven't got the cutting down perfect, but the inserts I've made make setting up, running and packing away, games much, much easier and for your Euros with tons of bits they're essentially for me now. As you mentioned, the fact that you can keep the game + expansions in one box is great and I'm pretty stoked that the insert I've made for Keyflower, that already stores The Farmers, is with some minor modifications also going to be able to fit in the upcoming Merchants expansion.

[stevens]

I have made some for myself. I made one for Eldritch horror, camel up, brugges, trajan and some more. Maybe not that nice but i'm very pleased with them.

Edit:

 Among the stars + expansions i also made one for.

[dkyzar]

I recently acquired a 3-D printer.. need to learn to CAD this stuff.

[TRez]

People hating on the price aren't taking into account that these are not mass manufactured.  It's just one guy sitting in his basement making these by hand.  I seriously doubt he's making much more than minimum wage ($8/hour) when you take into account materials + time spent.  Just take this into consideration before you shit all over these products.

[texasgeoker]

Yep...got a little excited until I saw the Lords of Waterdeep w/Expansion that Rahdo showed is priced at $57.  OUCH!  I think I'll spend that on another game and just store my games flat.  However, I'm sure there is a market for this out there.  Good luck!

[vincivader]

Lovely products! I just wish they werent the same price as the actual game...well I hope this guy or someone takes this to the next level of mass production to reduce the costs.

[roskoegordineer]

Rahdo, do you think you will be doing Lords of Waterdeep runthough with an expansion? PS Love your videos ! keep up all the work ! I am constantly looking for new uploads from you ! 

[nope]

I was tempted to buy the Caverna one off his site, until I saw the price.  $45 for an insert?!  I hope he can get the price down.  $9 worth of plano boxes will have to do.

[O.G.Alphaborn]

Hey, Rahdo Where did you get the meeples?  

[stevekrumpoch]

I make these myself and they probably take me 3-4 hours of labor.  Add in material costs and the prices are understandable.

If you have the time and inclination you can make your own, too.  I have ZERO artistic talent, and while mine are probably not as nice as this fellows', I'm always happy with the results.

There is a 3-part video series available on You Tube put out by the Esoteric Order of Gamers that shows the techniques and tools required.  You can find everything you need at most arts/crafts stores (like Michael's).

Just search Esoteric Order of Gamers foamcore.

[RobertSearing]

Thank you TRez5000.  Honestly, it really bugs me (in that it makes me feel horrible) when people complain about the price.  I state, up front, that they're pricey and not for everyone.  For those that cannot afford, I'm MORE than willing to help teach/instruct to help them make it themselves. I have 7 children with 1 on the way.  In order to make this worth the time it takes me away from the family, I need to charge what I do.  I can get 1-2 done in an evening - probably double that if I work all of a Saturday or Sunday.  
I try to make it worth their while.  Shoot - just last week I had a customer that emailed me on a Wednesday (after having received his order) stating that it was damaged.  He was willing to fix this himself if I could show him how (although it was COMPLETELY trashed).  He went on to say he was a little bummed because it was for his wife's birthday that following Friday.  Well, being married myself and with a rather large family, this hit a chord so I wound up overnighting my personal copy to him so that he could have it to his wife on her birthday.  

I lost about double my money on this - but, as I've said before, to me - it's NOT about the money.  It's about trying to help out fellow gamers.  If that means me not making a penny so that I can help show you how to make it yourself - I'll do that.  But if I am going to sell one, then I'm going to, at the very least, sell it to recoup the time it took me to make it.  In all actuality - when you price the materials, shipping materials - I make about $6-$7 / hr.

So I apologize for being pricey.  If it bothers you so much, and you really want one, contact me personally and I'll help you make it - really, I will.

[freejunk]

With the prices of these items, you can buy a brand new game!  I never understood paying for these things.  It doesn't help you sort the pieces during clean up, it just makes things a bit more compact in the box.  that is it!  don't buy these, spend the $$ on a new game!