Throughout this review, you’ll hear from Red, a Bugbear who can get you things, and his friend Andy Dufang. Their little tale is my nod to The Shawshank Redemption, set within the prison walls of Kulbak in the World of Ulos.
They called me Red. Bugbear. Rust-colored fur. If you needed something in Kulbak, I could get it, for a price. My friend Andy Dufang, a quiet little kobold, only wanted a poster.
Life in Kulbak is messy, but your game box doesn’t have to be. I printed BoardGameMeta’s insert for Lockup: A Roll Player Tale, and here’s a closer look at the print, its unique details, and why I love it.
Inside This Post
- What is Lockup: A Roll Player Tale
- The Insert: BoardGameMeta's Lockup w/Expansions
- Why I Love this Lockup Insert
- Final Thoughts
What is Lockup: A Roll Player Tale
Kulbak had its routines. Roll call, chow hall, lights out. You learned where to send your muscle and when to post a lookout. Andy learned all that too. He just paid more attention to the walls.
Lockup: A Roll Player Tale is a competitive worker placement game for 1–5 players set in the fantasy prison of Kulbak. You lead a crew of captured minions, sending them around the prison to gather resources, craft contraband, and recruit fellow inmates while keeping the guards’ suspicion under control. Over six rounds, you compete to build the strongest reputation and earn a chance to fight for your freedom in King Taron’s colosseum.
The Insert: BoardGameMeta's Lockup w/Expansions
Andy liked everything in its place. Scrap, iron, little bits of contraband. Said a fellow shouldn’t waste his life looking for things. Considering where we lived, I admired his optimism.
I actually had printed out a different insert at first, but it was always bugging me in the back of my mind that there was this really solid, stylish insert from BoardGameMeta that was recently released. I finally printed it this month.
BoardGameMeta's Lockup w/Expansions game insert does not accommodate sleeved cards, but it's a small price to pay for how pleased I am with it. (I did manage to sleeve the Solo Guard cards.)
A Closer Look
The poster was Rita Hayworg. Lady orc. Black dress. Tusks you could hang a coat on. Andy put her on his cell wall. I figured even a kobold needed something worth looking at.
Here is how the insert fits in the box, from top layer to bottom.
Print Details
He worked a little each night, alone in his cell. Careful hands, quiet scraping. I thought he was crafting another compartment for our contraband. Funny how a sound becomes part of the place.
I chose to print the parts that go on the table in Bambu Lab PLA Basic in Dark Gray. This color best matches the game's included Player Tile trays, which are themselves a clever design. For the parts that stay in the box, I chose Bambu Lab PLA Basic in Indigo Purple, which complements the game’s colors nicely.
The insert takes about 630 grams of filament and costs about $10 USD for me. Total time to print is under 16 hours on a modern printer.
Expansion Coverage
I asked Andy what he’d do if he needed more room. He glanced at Rita and said he was working on it. I assumed he meant storage.
First of all, I was pleased to see that this insert accommodates the official deluxe acrylic tokens for the player tiles. Each player tray has room for these deluxe tokens, as well as for the expansion's components: the extra Player Seek tiles and the Lantern tokens, as well as the extra cards.
The large box spacer has built-in wells for the 9 Tunnel Markers. There's an extra tray for the new loot tokens.
Why I Love this Lockup Insert
There was comfort in finding everything where it belonged. Andy understood that. Though looking back, he was less interested in putting things away than getting one particular thing out.
What sets this insert apart for me is how many of its storage pieces also serve a purpose during play. BoardGameMeta approaches it like an architect. The Goal cards aren't only stored separately in their own container; they also double as a smart-looking Goal display to be used in-game.
The player trays could've just been a little box to dump the player pieces in, but they're elaborately designed to hold each piece in its place snugly. They look stylish and start the game with a flourish as I hand them out to players.
All the small card trays can be pulled out of a little cabinet they're stored in and used around the game board. Although you can't see it here, these card trays have a little finger hold on the very bottom so you can easily grab the cards. I had just printed some card trays out yesterday from another designer, and while the trays were deluxe and sturdy, that little opening on the bottom just makes a world of difference when pulling out all the cards.
The resource trays do more than separate the tokens; the tops jut out over the board, so you can pull the token tray right up to your game board, with plenty of room to scoop out your resources and not have them get in the way of the score trackers.
Final Thoughts
When Andy disappeared, the guards pulled down Rita and found his handiwork. He’d gone through the sewers. I still think about that little kobold sometimes. Mostly when it rains, and whenever somebody asks me for a poster.
BoardGameMeta's inserts are always a delight. No lid-lift, handles vertical storage, and just look darn good.
What I love most about this insert is that its thoughtful design carries over from storage to the table. The player trays, goal display, and resource trays make it feel like part of the game, rather than just something that lives in the box.
How about you? Do you have a favorite insert designer that adds thoughtful little touches that elevate the game's presence on the table? Maybe it makes it faster to get your game set up? I'd love to hear about them!
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