On Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 2:40 PM, Andy Looney
<andy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Me neither. As you might imagine, I have a lot of pyramids.
What're the odds? ;)
It struck me as interesting that, apart from your one TH set and the boxed stuff (are they even open?), you don't use original packaging at all. I may now reveal my evil, ulterior motive.
I know that the boxes are here to stay. I know the retailers love them. I am sure they pop on the shelf more than tubes (I remarked on that effect at my FLGS when picking up my pinks). But--apart from folks cramming 3HOUSE into a few--I think the boxes are a step in the direction of straight-to-recycling (or -landfill, but let's hope for better). Maybe it's me, but I know that I thought the tubes were brilliant, lo those many years ago, BECAUSE of their inherent utility and durability. Boxes get beaten up, get crumpled corners, tear, absorb liquid (recall that 90% of my gaming happens with frosty beverages), fade in sunlight, and open easily if dropped (particularly smaller boxes with low sides). Tubes basically only crack, and that's over a LOT of time and use. Further, tubes show off the actual product (Ooo! shiny colors! gimme!) while the boxes depend upon artwork--might work, might not. Tubes are honest, in their transparency.
Huh. I was just going to write "I hope that..." and I have no hope on this front, actually. I mean, I could say "I hope they offer tube packaging options for pink" but that's sort of moot, for me, now. I could say, "I hope the third Treehouse set is in a tube," but that's going to be, like, years away (if ever). I reckon I'm just bitching a bit. Or nostalgic. Or something. Maybe I'd hoped that my poll-cum-platform would have shown many Iceheads using tubes, buying new tubes for pink, etc... but it would seem at best an even split.
Anyhow, folks should keep answering in spite of my ulterior motive. I just felt like getting that off my chest. I miss the tubes. (Note: Cosmic Wimpout sold itself to me because it was in a cool, pocket-sized tube... that cracked; and now I carry it in a Crown Royal airplane bottle bag.)
On Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 9:03 AM, Ryan Hackel
<deeplogic@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Thank you LL for keeping new
stashes available in monochrome, at least for the initial release.
I'd say that's unavoidable, with any new colors... until they hit five new (one opaque). Then, the mono>set sort will happen again.
But one can search the archives to find MANY threads where we beg for a new Treehouse set. I'm still partial to "Eco Treehouse" colors.
The other LL games,
well, they're hard to find in the back room.
Sounds like it's time to demo. Do they have an "open gaming' night or some-such? (I find trying to demo on nights with scheduled events is... hard.) Shows folks the versatility of even ONE Treehouse set, and they'll be back at the front of the store soon enough. (OK, here's where a box set would be better--the back could rave about how many games one can play with just this set--emphasizes the system more than one game.)
I see pros and cons to tubes and to boxen. The tubes have one major
advantage that boxen will never have, and that is transparency. It
saves me lots of time to see what colors are in the tube before opening
it. It's much more convenient than my Altoids tins full of dice, where
I'm frequently opening the wrong tin looking for my D20s.
Hear, hear.
There's another plus for tubes. Since they're not box-shaped, I can fit
them where boxes won't fit, making use of marginal storage space in my
game bag that would otherwise be wasted.
Or in a case binder, which fits a book bag nicely. ;)
(And you can't play Drip or Ice Golf without the tube!)
*ahem* Or Moon Shot.
On the other hand, I've already discovered that the boxen are a more
versatile storage system than the tubes can ever be.
Heretic! You had us tubeheads' backs, and now you waffle! No cookie! :)
I've already
reused the Pink Treehouse box for storing cards. The tubes aren't
useful for storing anything other than pyramids, dice, or small tokens,
and I'll never be able to store cards in a tube. The box can also hold
a rulesheet more easily than a tube can.
OK, I'll give ya that. But, then again, as someone with a LOT of card games (not even talking CCGs) I don't want to think about storing them in original packaging (*shudder* All of Munchkin in separate boxes, reshuffled every game, sorted out every game end?!?) I put almost every card game I play into one long collector's box, which has enough "top-space" for random dice, rule sheets, bookmarks (thanks, Steve J... bookmarks?!?), and tokens. And all those cool, artful tuckboxes or double-boxes or mega-boxes (SJ Games is BAD about selling air!)... in the recycling bin, now made into toilet paper or some such. Just seems a shame.
I have one minor complaint about the tubes. After four years, the tube
caps fit loosely and fall off easily, scattering pyramids among my card
boxes. I haven't fixed this yet.
I haven't had that happen, yet. Maybe try a wrap of Scotch tape on the cap (the part that inserts into the tube) to thicken it? Or in the interior of the tube (though that will impact their tournament legality, for Moon Shot). ;)
I'll admit I've often wished the tube tops were made of a firmer plastic, though. Like, if they snapped into place, rather than slid and relied upon friction. But, eh... it's better than a box I'm gonna chuck, leaving me to buy another means of storage. ;)
</rant>
David