[Ed. note: As promised, here's some follow up from last issue. Keep sending in your ideas.]

by Ric Van Dyke

I have always had a problem with keeping track of where counters should go in a counter tray. I would devise this great scheme to organize the counters and then after the game I wouldn't be able to remember the great plan. So I invented my counter tray layout sheet. It's very simple really; it's a gird of a counter tray, a 4 by 5 table which matches the counter trays sold by our favorite game company. First I normally write into the table with pencil. After a game or so I computerize it. So far I've only been doing the SCS titles. I've sent the ones I've computerized to Ernesto and he has posted them with the game rules. (I've got Afrika, SP11, and YK done. Ardennes I have currently as a two tray set up, working on making it one.)

On rolling the bones, I have a small glass (not plastic) juice glass that I use. I like to just pick it up, hand over the top, and ~ive it a good shake. I find that guys who like to throw the dice into the glass or bowl tend to have them come bouncing out, either ending up on the floor or crashing into a stack on the map. I've been thinking about the plastic dice-rolling box, but like most of us I seem to have some dice that are cursed and I'd like to be able to change out the dice.

by Dave Demko

Here's are more ideas for mobile gaming. Get a zippered pencil case, the kind kids use for school, and load it with dice, pencils, tweezers, an eraser or two, and a baggie of KT-X markers or counter sleds (if you use them). For series games, punch and clip several sheets of game markers and keep them in a separate counter tray. Then when you're going off to play, say, OCS, take along your OCS tray and you'll have plenty of markers.