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The Folded Space insert for Dead of Winter is the first Folded Space insert I have ever used and I have to say, I am not very impressed.
As a storage solution, it is perfectly serviceable and will keep your components well protected but a storage solution should be far more than just a container for components.
I have used many storage inserts and they have all had one thing in common, they make the game easier to get to the table.
Sure, some are more elegant solutions than others, some are made of birch plywood and others are made from MDF but they all store the components and made set-up faster and easier.
Folded Space Insert Build Quality
The insert, and in fact all of Folded Space Inserts, are made from Evacore, which is a memory foam made from 75% recycled plastic which has a laminated card attached to it for rigidity and to allow the PVA glue to stick to it.
Folded Space Dead of Winter insert particularly consists of 4 Evacore sheets, and you push the component parts out of each larger sheet before assembly. The trays require assembly, obviously, but will push together easily and hold with enough strength that you don’t need to clamp or hold them whilst the PVA glue dries.
I still have not glued the token trays as there is not enough weight and the friction bond alone is strong enough to keep the trays together.
What do you get?
When you have finished putting the entire Folded Space insert together you will have two deep, cardholders for four stacks of cards and other containers to use as you see fit however, it would be suggested that you use the deepest container for the Survivors, and the other two big trays for Zombies and perhaps the first player token. There is enough space to separate the tokens you will use when playing Dead of Winter as there are two trays of four compartments.
I need to stop now and explain, or I suppose more to question a very strange design choice that, for the life of me, I cannot understand.
The problem with the Folded Space insert
There is a hashtag shaped piece that sits under the two large containers. This brings them to the same height as the deepest container that I use to keep survivors in. That deep container also has 4 L shaped feet added to the bottom. Why do this and why add feet to the container, it’s the only one with them.
This is space that could have been used to make the compartment deeper, fitting the standees into the tray with their stands on is made more complicated for this reason alone. The space is not being used for anything and it makes absolutely no sense to increase the height with useless space, therefore, sacrificing useability.
This leaves you with two small square trays which I use for dice and zombie counters respectively.
The Folded Space Insert for Dead of Winter allows you to get your tokens at the table, it also makes things easier to store in the box but it fails in one very important way. This insert does not make set-up and break down any easier.
The main reason for this is the inability to separate cards into their respective stacks but also because the containers themselves are bulky to have at the table.
Sure the foam core is only slightly thicker than the standard 3mm birch ply but overall this is a clunky feeling insert and despite the claims of its strength it does not give you confidence in its ability to withstand a little abuse like a wooden insert would.
There are no embellishments or markings to make the insert stand out. My thought is always that this is an expensive hobby. Why splash out £60-£100 on a game that you will spend many hours with and then ram it into a baggy or this ugly looking clunky insert.
It feels like a Minecraft version of storage solutions but despite it not being as sturdy as wood, as biologically decomposable as wood, as pretty as wood or as user friendly it does have one undeniable advantage over wood.
It is so cheap.
How much?
You can buy this insert right now on Zatu for £12.49. As far as storages go this solution barely ranks above baggies and has separation issues that baggies don’t but is it ever cheap?
The storage solution for Gloomhaven cost me £105. It looks incredible, it helps with set up and break down and for the amount of use it gets would be pennies per outing, however, I could have bought a lot of games for £105 and I would have also had money left over to buy a Folded Space Insert or two!
In Summary
I would urge you to consider The Broken Token, TowerRex, e-Raptor, Smonex or any other manufacturer who makes inserts out of wood that help you set up but if you have no will to spend money, don’t care how ugly a solution this is, are only interested in storage or just like Minecraft then this could be an insert for you.
I am trying to think of something positive to say because at the end of the day, this does work to store your game, but little else. I suppose the nicest thing I can say is “The Folded Space insert for Dead of Winter is available for sale.”