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Old 12-12-2020, 02:09 PM   #1
JimTullis
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Default Uncle Albert's Catalog BINDER (Long Post)

My Plan for Card Storage and Sorting is to replicate the first Uncle Albert's Catalog in binder format.
Experience from X-Wing shows that this is the easiest way for me to design vehicles using cards.

I have created a binder cover and section dividers that will bring the flavor of Uncle Al's catalog to my binder.
The version I am linking to has been formatted to show how I layed out my Binder. I retyped the text from the Uncle Albert's 2035 Catalog for my binder, but have obscured it here to avoid infringing on Steve Jackson's rights.

The binder I've chosen is is the Staples “Better Binder” line. It is one of the few binders that have enough width that sheet protectors and card pages do not overhang the edge and get crumpled. I chose Orange due to the color of the old catalog, but you could also choose to do binders for each base color. I put in sheet protectors with indexing information and some of the old Catalog Text to divide the cards. I used stick on tabs on the sheet protectors to index the binder.

I printed a copy of the Catalog Cover on Orange paper for my Binder Cover to match the original Catalog Cover.
Inside is a copy of the cover on white paper, with the first page of the catalog on the reverse, followed by an Index sheet with the Uncle Albert's story (p38) and his Guarantee (p40) on the reverse of that.

After that come the SECTION DIVIDERS, each one has an Index sheet on the front and the original Uncle Albert's description of the section on the reverse. I created a section called Chassis where I was planning on keeping car body cards if they came out. I will put Structure Cards here. Then come the four major divisions from the original catalog. The descriptive section headings for Offense, Defense, Accessories, and Personal Items all come from the 2035 catalog. I created new sections for Job Seekers (crew/pedestrian cards), Now Hiring (scenarios/terrain features) and Travel Notices (hazard and terrain cards).

I also included pages to put between the card sheets since I hate seeing the next sheet of cards through the one I'm currently viewing. I included a sheet of cards to put in the upper right pocket of the binder pages to visually blend them in with the rest of the binder. I also included a sheet with the tab labels.

The card size for the 6th edition upgrades is Mini European (44x68 mm) (Munchkin Treasure Hunt size).
Currently the only binder pages I have found to store the cards are UltraPro Top Loading Mini American, they will hold sleeved Mini European cards with a slight overhang at the top.They advertise a size of 41x63 but measure 50x70, most Mini European Sleeves are about 46 wide and between 71 and 73 mm tall. I tested the sheets with a Munchkin Treasure Hunt Card in a Fantasy Flight sleeve. Board Game Geek has an article on bindering GloomHaven where these pages are discussed for holding Items cards. Ultimate Guard makes a nicer double sided sheet but it will not hold Mini European cards because it is a side loading sheet.

Does anyone know of sources for other binder pages that will hold sleeved Mini European cards?

Binder Parts List
Staples 1.5" 3-Ring Better Binder, Orange (13467) 55867
Avery Side Insert Sheet Protectors, Diamond Clear, 25/Pack (15935-CC/76001)
Avery Self-Adhesive Tabs with Printable Inserts, 1", Clear, 25/Pack (16221)
UltraPro 16-Pocket Platinum Page with 41 mm x 63 mm Pocket (# 84781)
OPTION
UltraPro 1-Pocket Platinum Page with 8-1/2" X 11" Pocket (# 81419) (would also work for section dividers)

Sleeves and Boxes
Fantasy Flight Supply Mini European Board Game Sleeves (FFS02)
Arcane Tinmen Board Game Non-Glare Sleeves: Small - 50ct Box (AT-10424)
Ultimate Guard Mini Card Case 75+ (UGD010491)


Here is a link to an OPEN OFFICE file that will let you see how I've laid out my Binder Pages.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wk30ut9oml...%20IP.odt?dl=0

Again...
The version I am linking to has been formatted to show how I layed out my Binder.
I retyped the text from the Uncle Albert's 2035 Catalog for my binder, but have obscured it here to avoid infringing on Steve Jackson's rights.
PLEASE DO NOT REPOST my link elsewhere. Please do feel free to use it as a starting place for your own binder designs.

Last edited by JimTullis; 12-13-2020 at 08:26 PM. Reason: Update Link
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Old 12-12-2020, 04:27 PM   #2
Overload
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Default Re: Uncle Albert's Catalog BINDER (Long Post)

Do we know how many pages and sleeves we will need for CW6?
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Old 12-12-2020, 09:46 PM   #3
JimTullis
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Default Re: Uncle Albert's Catalog BINDER (Long Post)

Can Someone tell me a good file host.
I thought I set the file to PUBLIC,
but DropBox is asking me to confirm people's access.
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Old 12-12-2020, 09:47 PM   #4
LokRobster
 
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Default Re: Uncle Albert's Catalog BINDER (Long Post)

I appreciate the research you’re doing and sharing.

I don’t see myself building a large binder system like this, but I plan to keep it in mind if it seems helpful after setting up and playing a few games.
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Old 12-12-2020, 11:35 PM   #5
JimTullis
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Default Re: Uncle Albert's Catalog BINDER (Long Post)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Overload View Post
Do we know how many pages and sleeves we will need for CW6?
Truly rough estimates from BOB MOSEY's Kickstarter Spreadsheet

Cards for each color...
Core Cards 56 (types not specified)
Structure 56
Accessory 21
Weapons 93
Turreted Weapons 6
Linked Weapons 14
Dropped Weapons 27
Gear 2
Upgrade 10
Coating 1 (surely not a card type)
Crew/Pedestrians 31

Don't know if these are color specific...
Scenario 30
Playmat/Tile 40

Looks like close to 400 cards per color IF you got all the packs.

Binder pages will hold about 4 copies of a card per slot.
Binder pages have 16 slots per page.

Looks like at least the following number of sheets
4 for Core Cards
4 for Structure
2 for Accessory
8 pages for Weapons std, turreted, linked
2 for Dropped Weapons
1 for Gear
1 for Upgrade?
1 for Coatings
2 for Crew
2 for Scenario
3 for Palymat/Tile

Looks like roughly 36 binder pages if you divide them up by types
or maybe 25 if you don't divide them as finely.


You can maybe get all 4 colors in a binder, but I'm going to recommend that you make at least 2, that way two players can build at the same time without getting in each other's way.

Some Company on Amazon offers...
Dephia 1000 Card Sleeves for Gloomhaven Board Games 44mm x 68mm Great Fit for for Mini European Cards for $13.95
Never heard of these guys, but at that price, I'm guessing those are some soft sleeves. ;)

You can usuually get a display box of about 500 sleeves between $20 and $40
Mayday has a bundle of 500 for about $18
I know they have 2 qualities the same as Ultimate Guard does, i'll bet these are the softer sleeves.

FFG usually has bundles of 500 for about $35

Arcane Tinmen have their NonGlare sleeves 10 boxes of 50 for about $30.
These have a cheap cardboard deck box that holds about 50 sleeved cards. Their standard sleeves are in bags of 100.
Not quite as nice as their Dragon Shield boxes, but no one else has boxes, just baggies.

UltraPro sells the binder sheets in boxes of 100 for about $25.
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Old 12-13-2020, 12:03 AM   #6
JimTullis
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Default Re: Uncle Albert's Catalog BINDER (Long Post)

Quote:
Originally Posted by LokRobster View Post
I appreciate the research you’re doing and sharing.

I don’t see myself building a large binder system like this, but I plan to keep it in mind if it seems helpful after setting up and playing a few games.
Thank you for the appreciation.
Mostly this is a sort of Enlightened Self Interest.
I do the research because I'm interested.
I share the research because I hope someone else finds it interesting or helpful.

I played both X-Wing and Net Runner for quite a while.
For Netrunner I had a big box of cards sorted by faction and then type.
For X-Wing I had a binder sorted by faction and then type.
I really liked the binder for being able to do a quick build.
Not nearly as messy as building out of a box.

BUT it is all personal preference. If someone can build a cars out of cards stored in a sock (a clean one please) and have fun doing it, then I'll support them.

Another thing I learned from playing Net Runner, X-Wing, and WarMachine is that for me it is much easier to put the cards you are using but not shuffling in some binder pages to keep them from floating around the table.

Sometimes I even cut up a binder page to make a strip or small block of pockets and put groupings of cards in those for reference during play. That even lets you use a wet or dry erase marker to check off damage. It stays on the binder strip, not on your card sleeves. And you can stick a reminder slip in if there is an errata on a card or some nuance/interaction you keep forgetting to use.
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Old 12-13-2020, 12:14 PM   #7
Parody
 
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Default Re: Uncle Albert's Catalog BINDER (Long Post)

Quote:
Originally Posted by JimTullis View Post
Can Someone tell me a good file host.
I thought I set the file to PUBLIC,
but DropBox is asking me to confirm people's access.
You want to Share the file, then Create a Link, then make sure the link is set to Anyone Can View. On Windows this looks like:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/44z0xpmog4...ws%29.png?dl=0

...but it's similar on the Web or other interfaces.

The file doesn't have to be in your Public folder or otherwise set to be public. For example:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ho9nh6j27t...%201x.pdf?dl=0

Alternatively, put the contents on Google Sheets or Office Online and share it from there.


ObTopic: I don't like using binders for cards.
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Last edited by Parody; 12-13-2020 at 12:43 PM.
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Old 12-13-2020, 08:32 PM   #8
JimTullis
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Default Re: Uncle Albert's Catalog BINDER (Long Post)

Thanks, Parody,
I updated the link. Hopefully it will work now.
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Old 12-15-2020, 01:34 PM   #9
Overload
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Default Re: Uncle Albert's Catalog BINDER (Long Post)

As an alternative to loose pages, Ultimate Guard makes a Mini American Flexxfolio. 20 pages, 18 slots/pockets per page. I don't have one in front of me to measure slot size, so I don't know if ours will fit. The Ultimate Guard web page says it was designed for X-Wing cards, and that the approx pocket size is 48 x 68,5 mm.
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Old 12-15-2020, 08:55 PM   #10
JimTullis
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Default Re: Uncle Albert's Catalog BINDER (Long Post)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Overload View Post
As an alternative to loose pages, Ultimate Guard makes a Mini American Flexxfolio. 20 pages, 18 slots/pockets per page. I don't have one in front of me to measure slot size, so I don't know if ours will fit. The Ultimate Guard web page says it was designed for X-Wing cards, and that the approx pocket size is 48 x 68,5 mm.
Unfortunately, the Car Wars cards are larger than the X-Wing 1st ed upgrade cards were. Anything that is advertised for X-Wing is probably going to be too small. I have a lot of experiencewith the X-Wing products. ;)

Mini European card sleeves are 70+mm tall. None of the side-load style pages from either Ultra Pro or Ultimate Guard will hold sleeved euro cards. The Ultimate Guard one might hold unsleeved, but when I tried it with their loose side-load sheets it was very tight and bowed the card a tiny bit.

Last edited by JimTullis; 12-15-2020 at 09:01 PM.
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