January 21, 2024: Keeping Track Of Chits And Bits

I've been thinking about how many games we play that have little bits around the table, and how we keep them organized. In mulling it over (and considering if it might make good fodder for the Daily Illuminator), I realized we actually have two go-to solutions, which touch on two different topics. And that means two different entries!

The first solution is easy: those little cupcake liners made out of silicone. These are readily available and quite cheap; you can frequently get them for less than $1 apiece (assuming you buy a dozen or more). You may not even need to go out and purchase them if your own baking cabinet is well stocked!

Silicone baking cups have some advantages. They come in different colors, which makes it easy for us to color-code games that have different bit types: "Ahh, damage is in the red cups; potions are in the blue cups." They're designed to be stackable and pliable, so they can fit into pretty much any corner of a game bag without fear of damage. They're flexible enough to make a "spout" by squeezing the sides and pouring out bits we need. And they're easily washed if they start to get a bit grimy; we just toss ours in the dishwasher.

One of their advantages is also their biggest downside: They're squishy. This means that they're quite easy to pick up and use to scoop bits into your hands. (Good!) But their soft nature means that they sometimes collapse and slip out of our hands, spilling the bits. (Bad!) Still, for a number of games, they're great. If you have some kicking around your kitchen, give 'em a try! 

-- Steven Marsh