Firefly Board Game Case From Foam Core

I just found the Firefly board game a few months ago (LOVE IT!!) and, of course, bought a couple of expansions shortly after. But I ran into a problem, where do i put all of the new pieces and cards?? I did some searching online and found this:
https://theexpansionboard.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/firefly-storage-solution/

Only problem is that it didn't include any measurements or plans. I liked the idea so I went about making some detailed sketches and made my own. Hopefully this will help others.

**UPDATE: made a companion instructable for easier ship / card management. Take a look - Hand Holder for Firefly Board Game

Parts, Things and Tools

The foam core is just some display board. I bought two and decided to use the white.

I bought a special purpose tool for foam cutting but the blades are junk and started snagging on the foam after 4-5 12 inch long cuts. Then i tried using my exacto knife, which cut beautifully, but I couldn't cut a straight line. Needless to say my crafting skills leave much to be desired.

Not pictured is glue. With this being my first foam board crafting attempt I looked up what others use. Elmers, spray adhesive and hot glue seem to be the favorites.

I do however know my way around 3d software. The prettier drawing is a side view of both card holders. Since the width for both is 12" didn't see the need to clutter things with a front or top view. The pieces holder i left a little rough on purpose. I have seen others use small containers or ziplock baggies which work well also. I chose to use the Firefly box and just create a simple piece holder. Can use whatever you want, most important are the card holders for ease of setup.

Layout

Layout all of the pieces on your foam board. I add a little label to each piece that will be hidden from view when fully constructed so i can keep everything straight.

After everything is set cut the pieces out. This was my first time cutting foam core and the only thing i learned is that i am horrible at it so hopefully you will be better at it than me.

One measurement I realized I left out of the diagram but wrote about are the notches for the separators. I built this card holder with 0.75" of space for the deck and 0.5" of space for discards. So, for each of the 15 separators cut out a slightly smaller than 0.25" wide and 0.5" deep notch. Slightly smaller so the piece will grip and not flop around in the notch of the deck/discard separator.

Dry Fit

Since I have never made anything with foam core (and hadn't made this card holder before) I wanted to make sure everything would fit. I used long staples pushed thru with my fingers to set the pieces. I was fairly happy with the fit so on to my horrible glueing skills.

Bad Glueing Skills

I read a couple posts about the best way to join foam core pieces and the most popular were elmers white glue, spray glue, and hot glue. I had two of the three so I went with elmers first.

Held a couple of pieces by hand for about a half hour and they never dried enough for more work. They slipped a hair here and there. Then i tried hot glue. Ran a bead 12" long but it dried so fast that it wouldn't set flush against mating piece. Ended up finding a good mix between the two, run a bead of elmers then use hot glue in spots like a spot weld. This allowed the piece to set quickly but also bond strong and flush.

Grand Finale

All in all I am happy with the results. They don't have perfect corners or perfect seams or perfect cuts, but they work well. Not sure if I will make covers for the card holders, 50-50 on the fence if they need a cover or not. I don't have all of the expansion boards or packs yet. So far just Breaking Atmo, Esmerelda, and Pirates but I do plan on getting the rest. I believe this will setup will be able to hold them all. Once I run out of room I will make a money holder that will go in the box on the other side of the pieces but they work up in the horizontal card holder for now. I am not sure all of the boards will fit in the main box with the pieces holder as it is up to the lip of the original box now. Will see what changes to make when that bridge is crossed.

Although my crafting skills are lacking I hope others can follow and improve on this. It can also be easily adapted for others games that use multiple deck/discards.