Hello, Chaz Marler from Pair Of Dice Paradise here, and if you’re anything like me, then you not only have a severe allergy to dehydrated cantaloupe juice, but you also spend a lot of your spare time thinking about ways to improve the components in your board game collection.

For example, several weeks ago, I did a segment on the different thicknesses of plastic bags that are available for storing one’s board game components. The response to that segment was absolutely… the same as any other segment. Actually, it was a little less. None. Nobody really responded. At all.

But I keep telling myself that that’s because there was one aspect of board game component bagging that I completely omitted from that segment. You see, while I have come to terms with being full of hot air myself, I have no tolerance for billowy, bloated board game baggies. That’s why I I’m excited to bring you the first episode in this new one-part series focusing on unique tools of the board game aficionado. Today’s episode: utilizing polyethylene ventilation technology to compress component containers.

(TOOL OF THE TRADE OBNOXIOUS INTRO TITLES)

Today’s Tool Of The Trade tip comes from long-time Head In The Clouds viewer Chaz Marler, who uses a simple hole-punch to vent board game baggies, reducing the amount of precious box space they require.

Chaz writes, “Simply punching a hole in a corner of the bag with a standard hole punch allows the trapped air inside to escape. It’s a subtle difference, but it adds up. And, in more than one case, it’s made the difference in whether or not I’ve been able to fit an expansion’s components into the base game’s box.”

Thanks for the tip, Chaz. Maybe I’ll even invite you onto the show sometime. (CHAZ APPEARS TO THE SIDE, USING SPLIT SCREEN) But not right now. If you use this technique, I find it works best with slightly thicker, 4 mil, bags. And to prevent accidental ripping, be sure not to punch the hole too close to the bag’s edge. In my experience, I have never had components fall out through the punched hole.

So here’s to the simple hole punch. A useful tool for a board gamer to have at their disposal. And what about you? Are there any unusual or ingenious tools that you use to maintain your board game collection? Let me know in the comments below, and if I become desperate enough for content, I may feature them in a future segment.

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