Variant: Getting it Down to One Box
Image via geniusdv.com
For games that I enjoy, I often become a bit of an expansion junkie. Expansion are mostly, but not always, a great addition to a game. They tend to bring a fresh perspective, renew or improve the strategic climate, and add long lasting replayability. But they almost always come in a new box. For games with more than a few expansions (like Carcassonne or Dominion), lugging those boxes around is a hassle and they take up valuable real estate on the shelf. The solution? Down to One Box!
For me, Down to One Box (or DOB, as the kids call it) is more than just a good idea; it’s a credo, a mantra, a way of life. I hate giving up shelf space to boxes for expansions that could hold a new game. As I’ve previously admitted, I’m a card carrying member of the cult of the new. Or at least I tend to be as long as my budget holds out. Any expansion box is simply taking up space where a new game could be. So, to balance this with my desire for expansions, we have to get creative.
Most of the time, I can achieve DOB simply by bagging the components from the expansion and tossing them into the base game box. Often, the original boxes have enough room to accommodate a few expansions. At worst, it merely requires removing a cardboard or plastic insert so that I have the full box available.
Sometimes, it will fit, or almost fit, if I can arrange it just so. The one that leaps to mind here is On the Brink, the expansion for Pandemic. The expansion not only includes new cubes, pawns, and cards, but also a thick stack of paper for use in the bioterrorist variant and six awesome petri dishes to hold the pieces. While I could toss the dishes and just use baggies, they are so cool and thematic that I had to keep them, so I figured out a way to place all of the components so that it would be in one box – barely.
Stupid gap! How you mock me!
Other times, more major modifications are necessary. Getting Dominion DOB required the purchase of separate card boxes and the creation of a new insert. That insert can accommodate all expansions through Cornucopia, at least. There are already two more expansions, so it might be necessary to prepare a second box in the same style.
Then, there are those wretched games where the expansion cannot be added to the base box no matter what you do. The one that leaps to mind is Innovation and Echoes of the Past. Innovation’s box is just big enough to hold it. The Echoes of the Past box is just big enough to hold the expansion. There is simply too much to fit DOB. So there it sits on my shelf, mocking me.
The other major offender is Small World. So many expansions and boxes! And while I love all of them, there has to be a better way. So, I will attempt to consolidate it all down to one box if possible, two if not. Wish me luck, for this promises to be an epic adventure into DOB territory. I’ll let you know how it goes.
UPDATE: I got all Small World expansions into one, and Underworld and Realms in another. Two it is. Sigh.
Are you a fanatic DOBer like myself?
Yes, I’m definitely a DOB’er. I also like to get store, if possible, that makes the game playing process a little more organized as well. For example, I too recently consolidated Smallworld into 1 box (I don’t have Underworld or Realms) through the use of some Artbin plastic storage boxes. Not only do these keep everything nice and organized in the box, but they’re easy to pull out and keep the pieces organized during the game, making the playing process a lot smoother and reducing cleanup time.
For Dominion, I abandoned the single-card-box storage attempt and went with a different tack: each expansion is consolidated into a single, smaller card storage box. Intrigue, Prosperity, Seaside, and Hinterlands are in 400-ct boxes. The base game, including the treasure and victory cards, is in a 500ct box, and all the small-box espansions (I currently only have one) should fit in a 400-ct box. I also have a 200-ct box for the extra Base Cards (treasures, VP, curses) from Intrigue, and the final Big Box expansion, Dark Ages, should fit in a 500-ct box. Of course, to make this easy for transport I picked up a small duffel bag that fits every single one of these boxes perfectly, and even includes side-pockets for the extras in Seaside and Prosperity. It’s definitely a lot less cumbersome than a 1600 or 3200 count cardbox, it has a nice handle and shoulder strap for transportation, and it even looks nice. And since I got the duffel bag at a garage sale, I think the entire re-storage solution (card boxes, bag, notecard dividers and labels) cost <$10.
Also I managed to squeeze everything into the Pandemic box without the tiny gap. It involves splitting the cards into 8 piles. (roles, “scary cards,” special events, extras, infection deck (split into 2), player deck (split into 2)). I use baggies for the small stacks and rubber bands for the infection and player deck piles.
No gamer should be without a nice big box of extra baggies.
I sleeved all my Pandemic cards, so it’s pretty much required to use both boxes.
But to the bigger point, I agree that DOB is certainly preferable. But at the same time, it’s also a little silly to have a box that is so empty with just the base game that it’s just ridiculous. Nightfall, for instance, had all the room and foam padding for tons of expansions, but only took up about 1/3 of the space originally. And since I never played it enough to buy any expansions, it made me kind of sad to look at, actually.
Oops, that should have been 1/6 of the space…
@Chris I actually like it a lot when games plan for expansions. I see that empty space, I breathe a sigh of relief, and I know that I won’t have to fight to get it DOB. Then again, I’m an expansion junkie, so maybe I should look at it as enabling my habit?
@FutureWolfie, I demand pictures of your organization-fu! If I could get rid of the gap for Pandemic, I would. You also include the bio-terrorist papers and all six petri dishes?
Hadn’t heard this term before but I’m certainly a DOB’er. I found an incredible method for getting all of the Dominion games and expansions down into two boxes. Check this out here: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/598029/consolidate-your-dominion-card-organization-syst/page/1
I not only try to get single games DOB’d, but I’m a crazy reboxer that likes to consolidate multiple games into a sectioned plastic box for easy travel. I have Jambo/Race for the Galaxy in a nice Plano case that’s only slightly larger than the original RftG box. I also have Formula D with 3 expansions, Ultimate Werewolf, and The Resistance in a nice smallish rubbermaid for bigger get-togethers.
I am a DOB as well. It can be a pain in the butt. It can be a pain to do but it is nice to save some space. Maybe these game publishers can release a box to hold the base game and all expansions. I think you might get more than one taker. For me personally, one of the biggerst problems I have after I have combined the games is remembering which I did this too and what expansions I have versus what I still want to get.