A Bit of a Storage Rant and Ramble

[robbage]

My concept of storage for a game like this, or its sibling Wings, is not at all about travel. I simply don’t take them anywhere, although in the recent past I would haul them along on month long wilderness seacoast kayak expeditions. Laying in a tent in a storm at the edge of the world or out on a tiny island offshore as a storm rages and the tents shelters admirably, is to experience a form of sanctuary and the resultant degree of immersion from a game played by headlamp in that tent with the wind howling like hades and waves booming like a frigate salvo . . . is unlike any other.

Shot of us on remote BC coast back in the day playing a German copy of Settlers of Catan:



And yes, I would take fragile miniatures into this world. Stored in foam inside a bomber Pelicase. But these days the purpose of storage for me for a game like Sails is to have the ships at hand, secured in foam or magnets or something inside trays or boxes, but more importantly, in a quality, elegant manner. These trays would be modular so that I can take one out to admire the ships, study the logs, or carry to the game table.

I don’t much like the phrase ‘pride of ownership’. It sounds like a materialistic paradigm, something I am half-heartedly struggling to distance myself from. But I do feel that pleasant contentment, satisfaction or pride, is it? . . . that a lovingly curated and utilized collection can provide. In fact, I may get more pleasure, albeit subtle, reflecting on the possession of such a collection than the actual play of it.

Which brings me to Sails and how to store it because this is as important to me as the game itself. I have yet to see a pic of Keith’s Dry Docks with ships inside. Does anyone have one they could post here? I like the circumspect aspect of holding cards ships and logs. Even at only three ships per tray, it seems both convenient and portable to bring to the table. But how does it look with ships placed vertically in their slots? And what is the ease of taking them in and out?

By comparison I looked over the KR Multicase line and quickly dismissed it. I think Keith is onto something with the Microcell foam, as long as it is not so dense that the fingers can’t squeeze in to pick up a ship. And as for the ship logs, where are they stored? Underneath and loose? There is only one review on the Aerodrome to date and it was ambivalent, saying the slots are a little tight for the cards. Can anyone provide more insight on this?