This will not be a regular, standard monthly update about the new trays & wargaming storage solutions available on Cube4Me. No, today we celebrate special moment – the second anniversary of cooperation between Cube4Me and The Boardgames Chronicle! And with this, we start a small GIVEAWAY! (details at the bottom of article).

It all started a bit more then two years. Initially, we brainstormed to what extent great capital which Marcin built around RailsOnBoards and his passion for 18XX genre games can be transferred / used on wargames. It seemed there should be such an opportunity but we really did not know how the community will react. In the end, there were many long-term and well established producers of such solutions.

The Beginning

So we knew we need something new and something special. We decided to based it on three pillars:

  • first and foremost, tailor-made sets for specific titles, which are designed in best way to sort and store components while allowing for the lid to close! If you go for such a product, you may rest assured it will fit your box and do the job nicely.
  • then, using the superb Cube4Me trays and – what is even more important sometimes – card holders. Why I am saying superb? They close very tightly and firmly – no way to accidentally open them. They are transparent, so you can see both from top as well as bottom what is in compartment. But most importantly, they optimally use the space, leaving minimal “waste areas” – thus allowing to pack many more components.
  • thirdly, superb customer service. When you look at the lengths to which Marcin goes when making sure the sending of the product is safe and fast, this is simply fantastic. But what really amazes me, is how very attractive cost-wise is the shipping worldwide he manages to offer. Last but not least, if any of our solutions raises question how to use them, we create materials with detailed explanation.

Once we decided what to do and how we would like to start, we shoot with first three ideas. The aim was to target some counter-based titles but also to run a test with one game which partially uses blocks. Of course, some of the more popular games so we can have enough feedback base on our idea. Here is what we went with:

Set for Empire of the Sun
Set for Atlantic Chase
Set for Combat Commander Europe

Now, did it worked? Well beyond our imagination! We received massive positive feedback, a lot of questions about how we made sure the sets are fitting into the boxes as well as tons of requests for additional titles – which we promptly did!

The Past

So you know now how it all started, but let us see how it evolved and where we are today. I admit, it was a long journey, not devoiced of some failures or less-than-optimal ideas, but in 99% of cases we were able to deliver what our devoted fans and customers asked us for.

You remember the Cube4Me started as extension of RailsOnBoard blog and mainly served the 18XX? This time is long gone! When you look today at the split of proposed solutions it looks like this:

Yes, you see it right – currently 72% – or in other words 257 storage solution sets – are in wargames category. Only 28% (or 101 sets) are for 18XX and Euro games. That shows how enormous transformation the shop went through.

Now, through those two years of course we were able to gather a lot of data, especially what is popular, what is most important for the customers in those sets, where they become indispensable. What was main conclusion? Well, that counter-intense games are in most dire need of Cube4Me trays!

So what four best-sellers of the two years of cooperation were? Except for the three we mentioned already above, here they are:

Pacific War
Almoravid
Mr. President
Commands Colors Ancients

The Pacific War is probably the masterpiece how to fit the over 2000 counters in storage solution and close the lid with only 4mm lift. Mr. President is another work of art as it has such an enormous number of components – and I am glad it will fit the second edition too! Almoravid set fills the box to the brim but does fantastic job of not only storing but also sorting the component. Commands Colors Ancients was an experiment – will those trays work for block-based games? Well, the public responded and they loved this solution!

What we were also asked for during this time, was to streamline the navigation on the page. A lot of the people knew those products but would like to see only the newly added stuff. Thus the “NEW & Noteworthy” section was created, which stipulates new titles from last five months. It often helps me too, especially when writing about recent additions:

And if you still wonder where to get all those great sets, here is the link to wargaming section:

The Future

Complacency is enemy of innovation and development. So while Marcin and me are really glad of what we already achieved and where we are with our project, new ideas emerge. We already added the tarot-sized card holders, we debate new trays designs – specifically for the Wargames usage, we discuss how to improve already created sets and where we can help most. There is still much to do – but we are sure the the path forward is set and we shall continue!

With this conclusion I would like to thank all wargamers who had possibility to use the Cube4Me storage and sorting solutions, for you overwhelmingly positive, open and candid feedback. That means a lot for us!

The Giveaway

We thought with Marcin that we would like to use this occasion and celebrate with you guys this anniversary. With that in mind we organize a Giveaway! So how does it work? Couple of rules:

  • Think about 2-3 wargames which dose not yet have the sets on Cube4Me and which you deem as worth adding
  • Submit answers in any way you wish: as comment below, via CONTACT ME page, as comment on Twitter, Facebook or YouTube; just make sure I can identify you later via email!
  • What counts is participation; no matter how many proposals you will provide or how quickly you will respond – you are eligible for a giveaway
  • You can submit your answer till the end the week 🙂 So till the end of Sunday, June 9th.
  • On June 10th with Marcin from Cube4Me we shall draw two winners; the prizes will be two discount coupons for 40$ each which you can use for their storage solutions

Good Luck!