Cheap Organizer Solution for Mage Knight

 'All hail the dollar store'

After getting a new 'big box' tabletop game one challenge that faces gamers (for most boxes) is finding a way to organize the components after they have been assembled. Very rarely do games come with well integrated organizers that protect, organize and facilitate play. Frankly in this day and age that is a debacle. This is so bad that when a game does do this well (e.g. Dwellings of Eldervale) everyone comments on it. 

I don't know about you, but I'd pay more for a game if it came with an integrated, bio-degradable organizer system that cleverly kept everything together and ready to play quickly.

Now, there are plenty of good commercial options for most major games, but they can be expensive (sometimes as much as the game itself - or more). That is why I experimented with foamboard for my copies of Descent 2nd edition, and Mansions of Madness 2e. I like making stuff, so experimenting with foamboard and glue to organize these was fun and challenging, but it does take a lot of time (and cutting!). After the excitement of unboxing Mage Knight I was getting out a pencil and paper to plan my foamboard solution and I thought 'Why am I doing this? Isn't there a faster way?'

As it turns out there was a faster way. It cost a little bit more and isn't completely customized, but I think it 'gets the job done'. All it took was a trip to my local 100 yen shop (Daiso - praise be thy name!) and some measuring.

Let's take a look...

1. Open up the box and you'll meet the rulebooks on top of the reputation track.

2. Take those off and we get to the day and night cycle card. It lies on a black piece of plasticard.

3. As well as supporting the day/ night card the plasticard also serves as the lid for a stack of two boxes underneath. Remove the day/ night card and you reveal a long box underneath. This has a variety of bags and cards. You can see this in the image below...

4. Lift up that box, you'll find another one underneath. This identical box has more cards (wound cards etc.) as well as the enemy tokens.

5. Remove that second box (see below) and you get to the bottom of the game box. You can see here that I've put a black piece of craft paper underneath. This isn't only thematic, but it looks coordinated with the other pieces and hides the white base of the box. You can also see three small storage boxes at right. (Note how the city models sit nestled between them.)

6. Now let's look at the two small boxes that hold the Mage Knights themselves and small bits and bobs like mana crystals. 

7. Now we come to a third small box. This is identical to the two above, but I use it to keep all the decks for the Mage Knights themselves. You can see it in the lower right corner of the image below...

...and here is a close up of that small box and the cards in it. You can also see clearly how I use the space between those boxes for the city models and where they sit.

8. The biggest piece is actually two separate, identical boxes that I have arranged to lay on top of each other. These are actually letter stands/ pen stands for a desk. Pull them apart...

...and this is where the map tiles are stored.

They are actually divided into two levels on which sit the sets (brown and green). When you play the game, these can stay horizontally like this and tiles can be drawn as needed, but they could also stand vertically (as below). 

You could use the empty twin box to store anything else that you want, but I like to store card decks in there to save table space. Below you can see that spell, artefact, advanced action, and wound cards can all be stored. It is tight, but it will serve!

Cost?

About 6-8 USD.

• x3 small PU leather boxes (3 USD)
• x2 large PU desk boxes (2 USD)
• x2 long PU leather trays (2 USD)
• x1 piece of black plasticard, cut to size (1 USD)
• x1 piece of black paper (0 USD...I already had it.)

Pros and Cons:

Pros:

1. Fast to put together.
2. Cheap.
3. Convenient - no cutting or gluing.
4. 'PU leather' looks more professional than foamboard/ foamcore.

Cons:

1. More expensive than foamboard (by about 3 dollars!)
2. Not 'custom' so doesn't fit exactly (there are gaps)
3. Not custom, so there aren't separate slots for everything (tokens etc.)
4. Not custom, so lid extends 2 cm higher than normal.

Perhaps one day (if I win the lottery) I'll get a nice insert from one of the many companies that make them, but until then this does the job!

Happy gaming!