My whole thing was portability & speed of setup. Hunting around for tiles in the box was taking too long; it was eating into play time & people have to get up early for work etc. We can bust out multiple quests in a night now.

So I picked up a Plano 7771 tacklebox. It works pretty good, is secure, and unlike the game boxes I can see where everything is without opening the trays. The only downside I can see is if you are all about painting up your minis to a high standard, with grasses, sand etc, you may want them individually slotted in foam or something. I've only finished a few like that and keep them up top; the rest are still unpainted so it's all good.

The map tiles are in labeled ziploc folders inside a big D-ring binder.

I really like the solution you have with the tackle box. For the trays with the tokens, cards, etc, did you physically alter the barriers in them to make the cards fit? I was looking in the store at them and it didn't look like the cards would fit.

Oh hey I haven't seen this thread in a while now! In case anyone is interested, I wound up getting this box:
http://www.planomolding.com/product.php?BCCID=110&PID=657

I found it at a local Walmart for $40. It is currently home to my entire Descent collection (which consists of the base game, Lair of the Wyrm, and all of the Lieutenant packs that have been released so far) AND my collection of X-Wing minis (which is the base game and at least 1 of every ship that has been released. I intend to get a 2nd box and seperate the two games, but for now I can probably squeeze in one more Descent expansion or the next wave of X-Wing ships without much of an issue.

I'll try to post some pics of my collections in the box later

I just bought the 7771 too, and I got the same question.

"For the trays with the tokens, cards, etc, did you physically alter the barriers in them to make the cards fit?"

I was thinking of cutting the barrier manually too, so the card could fit.

Yeah, I don't see another way other than cutting it, but figured I'd ask Evilhead since he had so many great photos of his setup. Also, the bottom of the barrier that seems to need to be cut is somewhat rounded, and I'm wondering if that further complicates things (or if it is just left as is).

Yeah, so I decided to go ahead and sacrifice a box and try cutting the parts manually. It works well. And yes, there is the little round part at the bottom. You will end up with a 2mm extrusion, but the cards still hold fine.

Thank you for taking the plunge!

Yeah, so I decided to go ahead and sacrifice a box and try cutting the parts manually. It works well. And yes, there is the little round part at the bottom. You will end up with a 2mm extrusion, but the cards still hold fine.

How did you end up storing you map tiles?

Haven't done that yet, but the older model of the 777 came with a Plano 3504 for the bottom right section. So i'm going to order that from amazon and see if it hold everything.

Thanks again dude. How did you cut the barriers? Did you use a hand saw or something else?

I actually have the same tackle box kit as described above. To remove the barriers I used a dremmel tool. To store map tiles I bought two 3 in binders and 100 sheet protectors. I put each numbered tile in its own sheet protector and it made quest setup very fast.

That Plano 7771 tackle box looks great. Anyone know if it can be bought in Europe? The only shops I have managed to find is in the US, and the customs adds around 50-60 $ charge just to make me pay my import taxes if it comes overseas.

I think your (totally awesome) picture kind of overshadowed your question here, dude. Unfortunately I live in Canada so I don't know much about Plano boxes in the EU myself.

Have you tried searching for other modular fishing/tackle boxes? Perhaps the Plano brand name isn't in Europe, but I'd be surprised if you couldn't find something similar on the continent. =)

Edit: You could also try asking this question over in the Arkham Horror forum. It's another bits & cards heavy game by FFG and I know there are a few active European forumites there. They may be able to better point you at a comparable storage solution to be found in the EU.

I thought I would take a second and post some pictures of how I store all of my Descent stuff. I have all of Descent Second Edition (the base games, all of the expansions to date, all of the Lieutenant packs, and all of the Monster and Hero expansions to date).

All of this is stored in 3 ArtBin cases which I found on Amazon. Here is a picture of all of the bins stacked:

Here is ArtBin 9101AB which contains all of the tokens, dice, etc.:

Here is ArtBin Super Satchel Box with Removeable Thread Trays. It just happens to be the right size for storing all of the map pieces. I simply remove the thread trays:

And finally, here is ArtBin 6990AB Super Satchel Double Deep Box which contains all of the cards, monsters, heroes, rules, quest guides, etc.:

I found that this was a very workable, expandable system to storing everything, and for allowing me to access and setup things very quickly. It also made it very transportable.

Any2cards, that's actually quite a nice setup you have there. I might have to consider those containers when I expand my Descent collection.

@Zogwort ... thanks. Unlike many gamers, I am not really hung up on everything being stored in its original box. Quite frankly, after collecting everything from Descent First and Second Edition, I have found that putting everything back in the box from which it came (after unpacking it) is impossible.

I think that is one of the great mysteries of the world ... I know it all fit in there when it came, but it no longer does.

Anyway, these boxes stack really nicely for overall storage (in fact the bottoms and tops of them are grooved so that when stacked, they don't really move). When it comes time (if necessary) to transport the game, it works really nicely.

Finally, when it comes time for setup of a new game, everything is at your finger tips - especially the tokens, etc. No more searching, no more fumbling, etc. It makes things a hell of a lot quicker - this is especially true if we happen to stop in the middle of a game, and pick it up later (this happens far more in Descent First Edition, rather than Second Edition, but it still does happen).

In the past, I have tried several flavors of tackle boxes, plano boxes, etc., but I think these ArtBin boxes work out far better. I actually use them for all of my games that are similar to Descent. You should see my game storage area ... it is simply towers of these containers !

Like most others, I also have the Plano 7771 tackle box. I had to upgrade from another I used when I got the SoN expansion. I also have all available expansions, plot decks, etc. Mine is set up a bit different but I have everything stored in there except for tiles, which are stored in an expansion D2e box. I did remove the bottom most storage unit, as it's not needed right now and store all my manuals and printed resources in that lower section.

After reading that some people had their tiles sorted into zip lock bags, I'll be doing this as well. That's the biggest problem, sorting through all the darn tiles to make the maps and with up to 60, or so, unique tiles, it get's to be a pain.

This is properly the best thread ever. Have gun from a 45 minute set-up time to 3 min set up time by getting inspiration from here

THANKS everybody!!!

Like most others, I also have the Plano 7771 tackle box. I had to upgrade from another I used when I got the SoN expansion. I also have all available expansions, plot decks, etc. Mine is set up a bit different but I have everything stored in there except for tiles, which are stored in an expansion D2e box. I did remove the bottom most storage unit, as it's not needed right now and store all my manuals and printed resources in that lower section.

After reading that some people had their tiles sorted into zip lock bags, I'll be doing this as well. That's the biggest problem, sorting through all the darn tiles to make the maps and with up to 60, or so, unique tiles, it get's to be a pain.

I agree. Having tiles sorted out (I happen to actually keep them in numbered order within the base game and/or expansion they came from) makes it far faster to build the appropriate maps.

I have to chime in on this one as well. While I don't yet have a box for the figures (although that tackle box is on my radar to pick up now) the ziplock bag idea is SOOOOO good and speeds up map creation like crazy. I love things that reduce the setup time in games, and I didn't realize how much that helped until I tried it.

Alright, never posted pictures before, so i'm going to give this a try. I'm really enjoying seeing pictures of everyone's storage solutions, so i thought i'd throw mine in there. I'm using the 7771 solution, so it won't be terribly different from the others.

Both 7771 sets. All for Descent.

I'll start with the one on the left. Here's the top of the lid section.

Here's inside the lid. I keep the character cards on the right along with the skill cards, and store cards which are also in plastic card holders. Still plenty of room to grow with the large figures.

Here are the contents of the card boxes for those who are curious. I just keep the character cards loose except for Raytheon and Serena, which are in the baggie.

The player's tray. When we start, i just hand them this tray. It has all their pieces ready to go including all the player hero figures.

The Overlord tray. There are many like it, but this one is mine. It's got the smaller lieutenant figures, an extra set of dice, and the smaller map pieces for easy access.

This box fits in the lower right of the 7771. I had to special order it (twice) but it fits so perfectly it was worth it. In this one i keep the standard map pieces from the base game...plus maybe a few extras.

Here's a shot of the front. I took the bottom tray out to leave room for really big map pieces, of which there is only one currently. The third tray is actually empty, so bring on the expansions.

Edit: Added all the pics and descriptions...more of a repost than an edit i guess.

Use a free hosting site like TinyPic, then utilize the URL they give you and copy and paste that value into the URL link field provided by clicking on the 9th icon from the left on the bottom row.

Well, i guess that worked. I don't know how to embed them in the post so i can comment on each picture, but i'm happy with baby steps. Thanks any2cards.

Well, i guess that worked. I don't know how to embed them in the post so i can comment on each picture, but i'm happy with baby steps. Thanks any2cards.

For TinyPic, make sure you use the last URL provided - the one that says "Direct Link for Layouts". This will embed the image.

On to the right box. This is the top of the lid view. I try to keep most of the monsters in the lid for easiest access.

Inside the lid. This is what actually spurred me to get a second 7771. The large lieutenant figures just started taking up too much space. I've also got 3 hard plastic card boxes on the right for the rest of the cards.

Card box contents for those who are curious. Plenty of room to grow. I broke up Act 1 and Act 2 bad guys as i usually only use Act 1.

The lieutenant plot card stacks. These alone fill an entire card box. There are a lot of choices now. Yea!

This first tray. I cut out the plastic walls so i could put the large map pieces inside. I used a razor blade for the big work, then used a dremel to file down the rest. It turned out really well i think.

Second tray. Same thing. I cut out the walls to make room for more large pieces. There's still plenty of room in each tray for more.

Here's the bottom of one of the trays. I lined it with felt paper to protect the pieces from the cuts i made along the bottom. They probably would have been fine, but why take chances?

The side box. Most of the pieces from the expansions are in here...plus the doors as there was tons of room left.

Here's the second box from the front. Again, i took out the bottom tray for all the rule books and such. And again, the third tray is empty.

I can almost cram it all into one, but with the new large figures it's a bit tight. Plus, i know new stuff is coming out, so i thought i'd take the plunge and just get a second 7771. I might even spread the hero minis out a bit as i've seen on the forums; I've got the room to spare.

This post brought to you by any2cards, thank you for taking the time to help me...really, thank you.

Play on my friends, and keep the pics coming. It's really fun to see everyone's solutions.

One thought, although I don't know how well things will fit after you do this, but ...

I have found with map pieces that if I group them by tens (i.e. 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, etc.), and place each set in a labeled baggie, then I can find the map pieces very quickly; this in turn helps setup occur faster, so we can get to playing faster.

I am not sure if everything will still fit if you bag your map pieces, but something to consider.

I originally grouped them by size to be a bit easier to find, but the numbers idea isn't bad at all. I usually don't have trouble finding the pieces before the player's get their stuff together, but it has happened on some encounters on the second part. Hmmmm.