CARD CADDY: ORGANIZATION THAT WON'T KILL YOUR WALLET
The Card Caddy is a handy case that doubles as a discard tray from Narrows Hill Games. The caddy, which holds a standard deck of cards, retails for $5.99.
That's a good price, but is it worth parting with your money? It depends.
WHY YOU MIGHT LIKE CARD CADDY:
Here the Card Caddy is separate, so you can put a deck in the middle ... like in Sheriff of Nottingham.
This little box is sturdy. And if you hate having cards slide around, it will keep them straight for you.
The Card Caddy will keep your discard piles from getting too jumbled, at least at first.
I think it works best with a game like Sheriff of Nottingham, which requires two discard piles where you need to see every card. Obviously, the whole deck won't fit in the Card Caddy, though, so you likely won't use it for transporting, despite its design.
Here the two sides are attached, which is what the Caddy is designed for.
The two sides slide together to create more stability. The draw deck goes on one side, discards on the other.
Here it is with the cards from Thieves.
If you're a neat freak, the Card Caddy may give you some sanity.
If you travel with small card games, the Card Caddy will keep your games from getting beaten up, though it does have a hole in the middle, so don't go packing it with knives or anything like that. (Why would you do that? I don't know. But just in case.)
The price is obviously excellent, so if you know a gamer who needs a gift, this could be a good fit.
Where the Card Caddy is most likely to shine is in its next project, which offers two new sizes, double- and triple-decker, plus a scoring track with pegs and accessory boxes that snap on. There's an option for a coin that snaps into the hole in the middle, too, providing extra protection and something to toss to determine first player. Take that, youngest person at the table.
This may be an excellent development for collectible card game and trading card game players. They can take the deck or decks they want and leave the rest at home. I'm not sure, since I'm not involved in either. Any Magic players out there care to weigh in?
I haven't seen any of those additional products, so I can't speak to them, but the Kickstarter campaign will be launching soon if you're interested.
WHY YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE CARD CADDY:
In its current form, Card Caddy doesn't hold very many cards.
The Card Caddy won't hold micro-deck builder Flip City.
As you can see above, I couldn't get even close to all the cards in Flip City in the Card Caddy. And Flip City isn't a big game. I did get it to hold Thieves. Barely. Here it is next to the game box.
The Card Caddy is smaller — and tougher — than the game box.
The Card Caddy is smaller than the Thieves box by a bit. It's tougher than cardboard, obviously, so it might be good for travel.
But it won't fit the rules, so all you rules lawyers (no judgment; it takes one to know one) better like memorization. You can't put the gems in either, but since they just track the rounds won, that's easily remedied with almost anything. Including a pen and paper.
It's also a bit tough to open with a full deck inside, since the easiest way to slide it open is using the holes in the middle. That said, it's not impossible and gets easier with practice.
MY CONCLUSIONS
I think the Card Caddy is a solid design, and I can't imagine it breaking except under the most extreme stress. I know this personally because my 3- and 4-year-old got hold of it. (They really like the bright blue and putting a drumstick through the middle to twirl it, so be warned, parents of preschoolers.) They're the most destructive (and adorable) people I know, and it shows no wear from their exploits.
If it seems like something you'd like to have, it's a good product. And the add-ons that are coming look like it will be even more useful.
I don't see the need for it for myself. I do travel with games occasionally, but I usually take enough that they get their own bag ... or, for New Year's Eve, their own suitcase. Why, yes, I do need help. And because I'm a rules freak, I can't imagine traveling without the rules, even for a game I'm sure I know how to play.
Oddly enough, despite being obsessive with rules, I'm not a neat freak, so messy card piles and discard piles don't bother me. If they do bother you, a Card Caddy may be the perfect accessory for your game nights.
Full disclosure: I got a Card Caddy from Narrows Hill Games to review. I wasn't required to write a positive review. These are my honest opinions.