You open the box. Again.
And again, you spend the next fifteen minutes untangling plastic bags, sorting tokens that migrated across the box during shipping, and hunting for the one card that slipped under the insert tray.
Then you set up. Then you play. Then you put it all back, loosely, and hope for the best next time.
If that sounds familiar, this post is for you.
without an organizer
a heavy euro game
with damaged components
📦 So, what actually is a board game insert?
A board game insert is a custom organizer that fits inside your game box and gives every component a dedicated home. Cards in their slots. Tokens sorted by type. Player boards stacked cleanly. Resources separated so you can reach them without disturbing anything else.
The cardboard tray that comes in the box from the publisher? That is not an insert. That is a shipping solution. It is designed to keep components from rattling during transport, not to make your game easier to set up, play, or store long-term.
A proper board game insert is designed around how you use the game. It is engineered for the table, not the warehouse.
🎯 Why do you need a board game insert?
The short answer: because your game deserves better than a plastic bag. The longer answer is below, five reasons from the obvious to the ones most people do not think about until it is too late.
1 Setup time
A good board game insert cuts setup time dramatically. Instead of opening bags, sorting piles, and counting tokens, you open the box and the game is already organized. Each component type is where it belongs, ready to be placed directly to the table.
For lighter games like Rebirth or Caverna, this might save you five minutes. For heavier games like Darwin's Journey Collector's Edition, Scythe, or Hegemony, with their dozens of resource types, multiple player boards, and stacks of cards, a well-designed insert can be the difference between a 20-minute setup and a 3-minute one.
More time playing. Less time sorting.
2 Protecting a serious investment
A heavy euro game is not a cheap purchase. By the time you have bought the base game, an expansion or two, and a set of card sleeves, you are often looking at €80 to €150 or more sitting in a single box.
Without a board game organizer, components move freely every time the box is transported. Cards bend at the corners. Tokens scratch each other. Cardboard trays warp under the weight of components stacked on top of them. Over time, the game degrades, not from play, but from storage.
A well-fitted insert holds everything in place. The lid closes fully with no pressure on the top layer. Components arrive at the table in the same condition they left the factory. Games like Darwin's Journey or Hegemony, with their premium components, deserve that protection.
3 Ease of access during play
A good insert is not just organized, it is accessible. Components should be easy to pick up, not just easy to find. Trays should be sized so you can reach in and grab what you need without knocking over adjacent piles.
Mid-game, when you need to grab a specific resource quickly, the last thing you want is to fumble through a tray that is too deep or too crowded. Good board game insert design accounts for how hands actually interact with components at the table. Our Brass Birmingham insert is a good example of this in practice.
4 The clean table state
There is something that happens when you open a well-organized game box. The components are sorted, the trays are clean, everything is exactly where it should be. Before a single card is drawn, the experience has already started well.
Board gaming is a social experience. The setup is part of the ritual. A chaotic unboxing creates friction before the game even begins. A clean, organized box sets a different tone entirely, and we hear this from customers regularly: not just that the insert is practical, but that it changes how the game feels to own.
5 Resale value
Board games hold their value when they are well maintained. A game with punched, sorted, sleeved components stored in a proper insert will sell for significantly more than the same game rattling around in its original cardboard tray.
If you ever decide to move a game on, whether to fund the next purchase or because your tastes change, the condition of the components is the first thing a buyer checks. A 3D printed board game insert is part of that condition.
🧩 Not all board game inserts are equal
A board game insert is only as good as its design. A tray that does not account for sleeved cards will leave you with components that do not fit once you have protected them. An insert that ignores expansions will be obsolete the moment you buy the first one. A lid that does not close fully means the insert is solving one problem while creating another.
At RCD, every insert is designed after playing the game, tested across multiple printers, sized for sleeved cards by default, and validated with the lid fully closed before it is ever listed. That process takes time, sometimes 3 to 6 weeks for a complex game, because the details are what make the difference between a board game organizer that works and one that just fits.
Browse our full range in the Board Game Inserts collection, including inserts for Scythe, Caverna, Rebirth, and many more.
❓ Frequently asked questions about board game inserts
Everything you might be wondering before you buy.
Do I need a board game insert if my game already has a cardboard tray?
The cardboard tray that ships with most games is a packaging solution, not an organizer. It is designed to protect components during shipping, not to make setup faster or storage cleaner. If you find yourself using plastic bags, rubber bands, or zip-lock pouches to keep things sorted, that is a clear sign the original tray is not doing the job.
What is the difference between a board game insert and a board game organizer?
The terms are used interchangeably. Both refer to a custom-fitted storage solution that sits inside your game box and gives each component type a dedicated compartment. Some people use "insert" to refer specifically to solutions that fit inside the original box, and "organizer" more broadly, but in practice the distinction rarely matters.
Will a board game insert work with card sleeves?
It depends entirely on how the insert was designed. Many inserts are sized for unsleeved cards and become unusable once you add sleeves. At RCD, every card slot is sized for sleeved cards at 80 microns by default. If you prefer to play unsleeved, the fit is simply more generous, never the other way around.
Can I use a board game insert if I own expansions?
Only if the insert was designed with expansions in mind. An insert that fits the base game perfectly may leave no room for expansion components, which means you are back to plastic bags for everything that does not fit. At RCD, we design expansion-first: the insert accommodates the full component list, including all known expansions at the time of design, before we finalize any tray layout. See how we handle this for Darwin's Journey or Scythe.
Does a board game insert affect the resale value of my game?
Positively, yes, provided the insert is well-fitted and the components are in good condition. A game stored in a proper insert arrives at resale in better shape than one that has been rattling around in its original tray. Buyers notice. Well-maintained games with organized components consistently command higher prices on the secondhand market.
Is a 3D printed board game insert durable enough for regular use?
That depends on the material and the print settings, which is why we do not make blanket claims about durability. What we can say is that every RCD insert is tested across multiple print runs before it is listed, and that the design accounts for the stresses of regular use: component weight, lid pressure, and repeated handling. Our customers play with their inserts, not just display them.
How do I choose the right board game insert for my game?
That is exactly what the next post in this series covers. The short version: check for sleeve compatibility, expansion support, lid closure, and whether the designer actually played the game before building the insert. Read it here: How to Choose the Right Board Game Insert for Your Game.
📖 Next in this series: How to Choose the Right Insert
Now that you know what a board game insert is and why it matters, the next question is: how do you pick the right one for your game?
We cover exactly that in How to Choose the Right Board Game Insert for Your Game, from sleeve compatibility and expansion support to lid closure and the questions worth asking before you buy.
Have a game you would like to see an RCD insert for? Send us a message.
We read every single one of them.
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