As a DM for two Dungeons & Dragons groups at our FLGS (Favorite Local Gaming Store), I have a challenge that many DMs who run a game in their home don’t have: how do I transport all of my cool game stuff to another place in a way where it’s still remain decently organized? I started off with one of those board game backpacks, which was okay to start off, but it certainly put limits on things like 3D-printed scenery or just how many books I could bring. Since we do 3D printing, I think it’s fair to say we want the ability to use the things we take the time to print and paint. (Plus, the kiddos I DM for love it.)
My solution came from a source I didn’t expect. A reel popped up on my Facebook feed of a woman with a modular tool storage box (with wheels) that she was using to transport all of her crafting supplies when she and her friends got together to do crafting parties. While I watched her put a number of 12×12 scrapbook paper pads in the bottom section, it clicked in my head that D&D books are smaller than 12×12, so if she could fit scrapbook pads in there, I could put gaming books into that space. As I watched her pour beads and little bits into containers designed for screws or nails, I realized I could put minis and scatter terrain in those spots.
“Do you know how much DM stuff I could put in that?” I asked my husband. “I want one.”
The one I purchased, which is the same one from the video, is a Husky brand Rolling System that retails for $99.98—no one ever called our hobby cheap—with a Small Parts Organizer (which retails for $36.98) added on. I tend to unclip it into two parts when putting it in and out of my SUV, but that’s mostly because the bottom section with the book is heavy. Since I first brought my rig to the gaming store, it’s been admired a number of times by other D&D players, and I’ve discovered a lot of Warhammer players use similar things to haul their not-insignificant gear to events.
Here’s what my rig currently holds:
Top Layer
This was the section that was intended for small bits like screws, nails, and bolts. The little containers are great for minis and the scatter terrain. I have a container for the minis for each group, a container with a handful of generic humanoid thugs, and containers left over for NPCs for each group. I also have the little clips I add to my Stat Trackers to note various conditions, the minis I use for certain spell effects, the little 1-inch circles I use for NPCs I don’t have minis for (they’re in a little jar), a bag of mini dice, and containers I can add scatter terrain and such into. Sometimes I pull the containers if I just want to put an entire larger jar of terrain pieces in. It works so nicely and, with my rig right by me, reaching for a mini or such is super quick.
Drawer Layer
The drawers are the Small Parts Organizer. You could use the dividers in it for more minis and such if you wanted, but I use mostly them for other things. One drawer holds pencils, expo markers, and erasers with extra character sheets, a few extra folders, and my Arcknight spell effects. Since I DM for kids who get wiggly, I often keep blank paper, some coloring sheets, and twistable Crayola colored pencils in the second drawer for them.
Middle Layer
This is the optional layer I sometimes clip out if I don’t need it. It usually gets used for large terrain pieces or those special sessions when I bring something like a bag of candy in to celebrate a birthday or the group’s anniversary. As I print more, I feel the odds are high that it getting unclipped will go down more and more. It’s really the whatever-I-need-it-to-be layer.
Bottom Layer
This layer is the reason I can bring far more stuff than I used to. When I had the backpack, I could bring the books for each campaign, a Player Handbook, and a Dungeon Master Guide as far as big books were concerned. I did also have my Roll & Play book, my pens, the collapsible dice trays, and my notebooks for each campaign, but I hold way more now. I have been able to add my entire Stat Tracker box, a bag of larger dice, a larger bag for my pens that holds highlighters and some sticky notes as well, a Pathfinder Flip-Map, three of the Battle Map Books, two of the Game Master’s Guide Books, and a copy of One-Hit Wonders.
Sometimes that ability to carry more has been really useful. I had a day with two players out, two more who had to send a cancelation while I was en route to the store, and I was down to two players. Some DMs would have to cancel, but thanks to the fact I have that rig, I pulled out the One-Shot Wonders, grabbed the relevant Stat Trackers, and in under five minutes I was ready to go for the kids that were there.
I’m not going to lie, I dropped some money down on my rig, but it keeps me organized and lets me bring enough of my gear that helps me to run a super fun and flowing game that it’s really worth it to me. Whenever I’m planning at home, I’ve been known to wheel my rig into whatever room I want to work in and I just have everything I need right there at my side. It’s basically like having a DM Bag of Holding to back up my gameplay.
Note: Home Depot and Husky were not involved in sponsoring this article in any way. Some of the books that live in my rig were part of reviews I have written previously where copies were sent to me.
