I just finished protecting my tokens with something similar. I used a really cheap version online so I ended up having to use some plastic model glue to keep them from falling apart, but they look nice and feel much better when drawing them from the Chaos Bag.

I use a leather dice cup I got with the Elder sign stiched on the side. Very thematic.

I don't use the actual tokens, though -- I converted to glass beads:

They have nicer hand feel and are easier to shake and root around in.

On 16/06/2017 at 7:15 AM, Blimp330 said:

Apps are great, but I like the feeling of grabbing my own chaos, "shall I take this one....".

Leuchttrum makes excellent Ultra coin caps, I'll recommend the 25 mm, a perfect fit.

Guide to Coin Capsules for the Arkham Horror LCG Card Game

Like you I use these but from lighthouse bought on eBay, they fit the tokens good and tight and once in they are in for good. They snap together tightly and make a great rattling sound when your rummaging in the Chaos Bag, for the one token that you hope will save your bacon.

On 6/17/2017 at 5:42 PM, Hawkstrike said:

I use a leather dice cup I got with the Elder sign stiched on the side. Very thematic.

I don't use the actual tokens, though -- I converted to glass beads:

They have nicer hand feel and are easier to shake and root around in.

How did you do that or get that?

5 hours ago, Jobu said:

How did you do that or get that?

It's pretty simple. Photocopied the tokens at about 80% size; trimmed and glued to the underside of a glass bead (the ones used for flower arrangements) using decopage glue. Add a few more layers of glue to seal, then paint the back side. Spray the back with clear varnish for a final seal.

There's a YouTube video somewhere on custom Arkham clue tokens that gave me the procedure.

5 hours ago, Jobu said:

How did you do that or get that?

Looks like some of those tokens are slightly different sizes (the tombstone for instance) but otherwise look really cool.

I just swish the tokens around with my hand inside the bag before choosing one. I like to imagine a tingling sensation will let me know what token to pick. I used to cast runes and used a similar technique except I only pick one. I can't physically feel the difference in the tokens, so as long as I swish 'em around before I draw one, I know it's random enough.

I also love the tactile part of rummaging around in a bag for my inevitable doom.
The bag I use is somewhat small-ish, but, having had the same experience as the OP I just make sure to dig in the corners and stir everything up before I draw.
Sure, it slows down the game a bit, but on the other hand it builds tension as almost every draw of a token in AHLCG feels like a critical moment in the game.

On ‎6‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 1:52 AM, shosuko said:

What I would like to use as a physical chaos bag, if I could go through the production of it (I'm not a crafty person or an artist) is to get those glass beads and engrave each symbol into them. The glass beads would slide against each other very easily to randomize, and drawing 1 would be simple compared to the cardboard ghetto bag.

You're not wrong and you're SO close to the easy, inexpensive "optimally random" (god, leave it to the FFG forums to come up with THAT little bit o' word salad.....) method of "dealing" with the Chaos bag. I'm going to keep reading but the solution is Coin Capsules. Y'know, like collectors use? The Arkham Chronicle on You Tube has a whole video about it and even names different companies that carry them inexpensively and what mm to use dependent on what kind of fit you prefer, but manoman can you feel the difference.

Coin capsules and a big draw string bag (that doubles as my Eldritch Horror monster "cup") is what I use. I love theme and nothing says impede my imagination quite as quickly as the words "smart phone." The chaos bag is one of the real innovations of the game and the last thing I want to do is circumvent designer/artist intent. Particularly when the designers have said so themselves. It cheapens the experience AND gives a different result than intended.

1 hour ago, xodarap said:

The chaos bag is one of the real innovations of the game and the last thing I want to do is circumvent designer/artist intent. Particularly when the designers have said so themselves. It cheapens the experience AND gives a different result than intended.

While I can certainly understand preferring the bag (even if I think "cheapening the experience" is a bit strong), how do you figure it gives a different result than an app does?

11 hours ago, xodarap said:

You're not wrong and you're SO close to the easy, inexpensive "optimally random" (god, leave it to the FFG forums to come up with THAT little bit o' word salad.....) method of "dealing" with the Chaos bag. I'm going to keep reading but the solution is Coin Capsules. Y'know, like collectors use? The Arkham Chronicle on You Tube has a whole video about it and even names different companies that carry them inexpensively and what mm to use dependent on what kind of fit you prefer, but manoman can you feel the difference.

Like you I use coin capsules, I find the 25mm ones from Lighthouse are a great snug fit for the tokens. Once the tokens are in they are in for good,not unless you break the capsule to get the token out (but why would you need to do that anyway?).

I also use a Arkham Horror themed drawstring cloth bag for the tokens, and when the tokens are in,it makes a great rattling sound when your trying to find the one token to save your bacon.

On 6/12/2017 at 3:52 AM, shosuko said:

What I would like to use as a physical chaos bag, if I could go through the production of it (I'm not a crafty person or an artist) is to get those glass beads and engrave each symbol into them. The glass beads would slide against each other very easily to randomize, and drawing 1 would be simple compared to the cardboard ghetto bag.

It actually wouldn't take much to do this. You just need vinyl decals with the numbers and symbols, put those on the back of the glass beads, then use glass etching cream to etch the symbols and numbers on the them. When you wash off the etching the cream, the decals come off leaving the symbols & numbers engraved on the beads. You may possibly want add a felt backing or thick coat of mod podge so that you can't feel the etching.

1d20, and a conversion table in Excel. Never used a token in 60+ games played

1 hour ago, Julia said:

1d20, and a conversion table in Excel. Never used a token in 60+ games played

Hahaha, that's hilarious. But truly random. :B

18 hours ago, Buhallin said:

While I can certainly understand preferring the bag (even if I think "cheapening the experience" is a bit strong), how do you figure it gives a different result than an app does?

That's because physical and digital results and patterns are never the same. So playing with an app gives you a different result than playing with an actual chaos bag the way the game was meant to be played. At least according to the designers who I'm not gonna' argue with. It's weird to me how everyone wants to change one of the most innovative parts of the game is all.

1 hour ago, xodarap said:

That's because physical and digital results and patterns are never the same. So playing with an app gives you a different result than playing with an actual chaos bag the way the game was meant to be played. At least according to the designers who I'm not gonna' argue with. It's weird to me how everyone wants to change one of the most innovative parts of the game is all.

Then why isn't a "standard" chaos bag included with the game?
Seriously.
If the difference between physical and digital results and patterns are THAT significant, then the volume of the "bag" the physical drawings are made from is almost certainly going to affect them as well.

Further, are coin capsules actually acceptable for use? After all, they very significantly alter the tactile sensation of the tokens, as well as completely changing the effects of wear on the tokens.
From there, what then is the definitive way to use the cards - with or without sleeves? Once again, you are altering the effects of wear on the cards, as well as altering the patterns of distribution when shuffling the cards.
And let's be very clear that those differences in wear patterns will be particularly pronounced on cards and tokens that are used more, functionally marking them in very short order, particularly for those with superior vision. This will show not merely on favored cards that are included in decks more often than not, but also on non-scenario encounter card sets which are used in multiple scenarios as opposed to scenario encounter cards sets, which are used once per campaign. For chaos tokens, it will affect both those that do not appear until later parts of extended campaigns, and those that do not appear except in high difficulties. While you won't be able to see these effects, those with adept fingers will certainly feel them in due course.
Of course even sleeves and coin capsules are subject to such marking (one really hopes not deliberately), though they are more easily replaced than the cards and chaos tokens, and so the effects can be quickly corrected.

Now I'm not saying there aren't quirks between a physical draw and an electronic random number generator. (And definitely more with the use of a Platonic solid, especially with rerolls when the number of unique possibilities do not match the sides of such a solid.)
I am however saying that if the quirks are sufficient to impact the game, then factors such as size and shape of the chaos bag, and protectors for chaos tokens and cards, are going to produce similar quirks, and so should have a definitive standard, along with a caveat about doing things differently.

4 hours ago, xodarap said:

That's because physical and digital results and patterns are never the same. So playing with an app gives you a different result than playing with an actual chaos bag the way the game was meant to be played. At least according to the designers who I'm not gonna' argue with. It's weird to me how everyone wants to change one of the most innovative parts of the game is all.

Putting the tokens in coin capsules will also give you a different pattern, and playing with them gives you a different result as well. So does the shape of the bag you use, and the size. Why not be worried about the different results you get there?

To the extent that there is innovative design, it's in how the results affect the game. There's absolutely nothing innovative about dropping a bunch of markers in a bag and picking one blindly.

If you (or anyone) prefers the physical, that's cool - really, it is, I get it. But this sort of BS excuse for why it's the "right" way is just silly.

4 hours ago, Buhallin said:

Putting the tokens in coin capsules will also give you a different pattern, and playing with them gives you a different result as well. So does the shape of the bag you use, and the size. Why not be worried about the different results you get there?

To the extent that there is innovative design, it's in how the results affect the game. There's absolutely nothing innovative about dropping a bunch of markers in a bag and picking one blindly.

If you (or anyone) prefers the physical, that's cool - really, it is, I get it. But this sort of BS excuse for why it's the "right" way is just silly.

The innovative part here is that the 'faces' of the random 'die' can be changed to affect difficulty and scenario effects. I agree. Use whatever you like so long as it has the same effect. If Julia can make a d20 work, more power to her, hahah. There is no 'right' way so long as you are enjoying the game. It's not a competition.

10 hours ago, Soakman said:

The innovative part here is that the 'faces' of the random 'die' can be changed to affect difficulty and scenario effects. I agree. Use whatever you like so long as it has the same effect. If Julia can make a d20 work, more power to her, hahah. There is no 'right' way so long as you are enjoying the game. It's not a competition.

You must be new here. This isn't a place where consumers should come to get and share information. Unfortunately, it's the only place to get it from the recently purchased horse's mouth, so I have to bear it for a bit but here it's not about sharing information, it's about being right and who "wins." Nuts to this. Have fun with the pedantry pageant!

haha, firstly, I don't think Soakman is new here... =D

Second, I mean woah... hold up there a bit. Buhallin might have been a bit direct, but it's not fair to say they were on a mad mission to be right and win and crush all dissent either. I actually think this game has a pretty nice community. We're fans of the game here, what disagreements we have sprout from trying to help others to enjoy the game as we do. Dissent is built out of friendship, not malice. And I'll be the first one to stand up and say what I think of a card, whether I think it's bad or good, and argue my case, but we don't have trolls here. When we voice opinions it is with a direction to help people comprehend and use strategies we feel have been effective for us.

Even in the case of the chaos bag, comments here should be aimed at helping people to enjoy the game more. I started the thread because I felt that the experience I was having was not what the designers of the game had intended. I felt I was getting insufficiently random results from the chaos bag I possessed and was looking to see if others had a similar problem and what they did to fix it. I can't imagine that the designers intended that a token getting stuck in the corner of a chaos bag and never getting drawn was supposed to be in some way "part of the game". An app certainly would be one way of ensuring randomness.

Of course, it's clear in the OP that an app wasn't what I was looking for =D, I was looking for a physical solution. Of note, since the OP I switched to a larger chaos bag, with rather a large amount of space for the tokens to move in, and I think it helps, but I don't think it solves the problem completely. I'm still looking for any tricks, anywhere from giving the bag a shake to making a totally newly designed bag. So let's keep things on that topic.

2 hours ago, awp832 said:

haha, firstly, I don't think Soakman is new here... =D

Second, I mean woah... hold up there a bit. Buhallin might have been a bit direct, but it's not fair to say they were on a mad mission to be right and win and crush all dissent either. I actually think this game has a pretty nice community. We're fans of the game here, what disagreements we have sprout from trying to help others to enjoy the game as we do. Dissent is built out of friendship, not malice. And I'll be the first one to stand up and say what I think of a card, whether I think it's bad or good, and argue my case, but we don't have trolls here. When we voice opinions it is with a direction to help people comprehend and use strategies we feel have been effective for us.

Even in the case of the chaos bag, comments here should be aimed at helping people to enjoy the game more. I started the thread because I felt that the experience I was having was not what the designers of the game had intended. I felt I was getting insufficiently random results from the chaos bag I possessed and was looking to see if others had a similar problem and what they did to fix it. I can't imagine that the designers intended that a token getting stuck in the corner of a chaos bag and never getting drawn was supposed to be in some way "part of the game". An app certainly would be one way of ensuring randomness.

Of course, it's clear in the OP that an app wasn't what I was looking for =D, I was looking for a physical solution. Of note, since the OP I switched to a larger chaos bag, with rather a large amount of space for the tokens to move in, and I think it helps, but I don't think it solves the problem completely. I'm still looking for any tricks, anywhere from giving the bag a shake to making a totally newly designed bag. So let's keep things on that topic.

I use a ceramic bowl. No corners to stick in!

I use a basic hand stitched bag (My kid made it a few years ago). It's big enough to give a good shake before passing to the next player.

The idea of the coin capsules is interesting to me but I don't think I'll put enough wear on the tokens to worry about it just yet.

1 hour ago, karavak said:

I use a basic hand stitched bag (My kid made it a few years ago). It's big enough to give a good shake before passing to the next player.

The idea of the coin capsules is interesting to me but I don't think I'll put enough wear on the tokens to worry about it just yet.

I'm in the same place. I love the game, but it doesn't hit my table enough to be too concerned at this point. Maybe down the road though.

I definitely think a larger bag or container is helpful. I use a variety of things, a ceramic vessel I made specifically for the game for games at home, a chaos hat for games on the road (it has tassels, which are close enough to tentacles, right?), and my friend has a nice big drawstring bag for another game that we use sometimes. I think I prefer the ceramic piece, both because I made it, and because I think it's easiest to mix up tokens effectively in.

On 27/10/2017 at 1:54 AM, Soakman said:

Hahaha, that's hilarious. But truly random. :B

You know, when we started playing the game was early in the alpha for the core set. At that moment I had to print my own tokens. We did it, but then paper was soon torn, and so, it wasn't that random either, plus tokens got stuck and so on. And the composition of the token pool was constantly changing, both because different combos were tried, and because different scenarios required a different token pool. And there were a lot of checks to be resolved in each game, so, we wanted a universal method that allowed us to stop fussing about the tokens and delivering good results. We noticed that there were never more than 20 tokens in the bag, so, it's a d20 and if a result on the die doesn't match anything, the die is simply rerolled (or better, we roll three at the same time, red is first pick, blue second, green third). For us it worked, and in the end we kept rolling that way