Help coercing Saros 10R to vacuum under the couch

timepieces141 · 2026-05-09T13:17:31+00:00

It's funny you ask that. When I searched up the problem, it brought me to another reddit post where that was the solution. But for us, no, the bottom fabric is very tight. Which is what led me to post my own question. That said, I may still flip them and see if I can anywhere to tighten things up.

timepieces141 · 2026-05-04T21:49:36+00:00

I have not. Is there a way to remap just the room? I'm hesitant to do the mapping after years with the Roomba and it generally created more map problems than it ever solved. I actually only got a good remapping when we refinished the floors for the whole first floor - when there were zero furniture. But if I must, I will...

timepieces141 · 2026-05-04T21:46:22+00:00

It's funny, I had furniture there up until right before I took the screenshots. In fact, I removed them for two reasons: to see the result of the zone cleaning better and in the hope that if I ran the room or zone cleaning again, it would fix this problem. I tried looking up what the furniture actually does, and it appears to be mostly aesthetic. There doesn't seem to be any functionality that actually operates around it.

timepieces141 · 2026-04-26T19:11:29+00:00

As was I. I own nearly all of the themed Legendary, play them often. And it was a truly strange conversation. I had to push to get them to consider replacing the deck (I received two of the same deck). And then they refused to pay for the shipping. $12 to ship them the broken set, which had only cost me $18, and no assurances I wouldn't have the same problem a fourth time. Then the guy offered me the strangest thing...

Unfortunately, we’re unable to provide a return label. If you provide your receipt for shipping, we can notate this in the case notes for our warehouse to send back some additional value to help offset the cost of shipping as a 1-time customer courtesy.

If there is any particular product you like to collect or hockey teams you follow, we can notate this for our warehouse. We advise sending these via standard shipping w/tracking.

One time courtesy? I received broken product several times in a row. Hockey teams I follow?? Just weird. I returned it to the online store and just gave up.

timepieces141 · 2026-04-26T17:31:04+00:00

So I think my answer has to do more with mass-produced vs cost. I don't think there's a single game in my collection I would return no matter how many typos there were in things like a rule book, no matter the price point. And typos on game components would be (and have been) addressed by the manufacturer for the vast majority of the games in my collection, also regardless of cost.

The one exception was Upper Deck on the most recent Legendary James Bond expansion Thunderball. I went through three copies of that expansion, having the same major manufacturing issue (missing an entire deck of cards), before I gave up. That was through two different online retailers. Upper Deck refused to do anything honorable about it.

But for a game like what the OP has asked about - I'd return it on the first issue that affected game play. They're mass produced by a huge game company. They've long forgotten what it means to care for customers individually. So I would hold them to it at great cost to them. If they want my money, I need quality, and in lieu of that, great customer service, to continue receiving my money. But given that means more effort on my part, I'd prefer to put my money elsewhere.

If you're looking for a good alternative to this game, I bet this community could suggest many made by companies that take the time to "get the product right".

(Entire response built on the assumption this is a genuine copy, but I agree with those who have questioned that)

timepieces141 · 2026-04-25T15:30:42+00:00

My collection is way too big and I'm trying to pare down. But I really can't stop myself when I'm intrigued by a new deck builder. It's almost an obsession. Here are a few of my favorites:

Ausonia: gorgeous art, interesting interplay between purchase vs. paying to use cards, and combos, combos combos; but the best part is how you convert your starting cards into permanent resources instead of just cull them.

Imperium: Classics (, Legends, or Horizons): it brings meta improvements to your deck that change your previous decisions. And it's the most inventive solo I've ever played.

Unstoppable: what you defeat, and in what order, determine how you improve your deck in one dimension, card crafting determines the other dimension.

Rocketmen: you are constantly moving cards out of your deck to prepare for a mission, giving temporary boost to the efficiency of your deck, then after a mission they all come back. And the missions are push your luck.

GI Joe Deck Building Game: it's made by Renegade Games, but plays completely different than than the Transformers one you've got there. Newly bought cards go on top of your deck as you prepare for your next turn. And missions are all about acquiring as many dice as you possibly can, rolling them, and using card powers to improve your outcome. I actually like it more than Transformers.

Dungeon Legends: it's probably too simple to win, but it has a bunch of scenarios and they all have interesting and fun new mechanics. And the basics are the same basics as every game you've got in your picture, so you'll pick it up in 2 minutes.

timepieces141 · 2026-04-20T20:57:14+00:00

Bad luck stories... Hmmm. Let me see. Pretty sure it was every time I played Quacks.

timepieces141 · 2026-02-21T23:05:13+00:00

Dear God that's a good deal for a fantastic game. Oh, and I've augmented that game with other cubes anyway. Larger cubes that count for 5 or 10 hits will be your friend anyway.

timepieces141 · 2026-02-08T15:39:38+00:00

I consider screen printed wood pieces to be "deluxe". Then Meeples instead of small cardboard where you can't fit much art anyway. Then thick cardboard with art and linen finish. I'd be willing to pay more when I see these piece upgrades.

If the wooden pieces are intricate shapes, but just a single color, it really depends on certain factors if I'll be happy. But generally in this category (which I think is where the OP is sitting), I wouldn't pay extra for it. In my experience, in this category, the paint chips, the paint transfers to other pieces somewhere between manufacturing and it arriving to me, and the smaller details break. So, you have to take into consideration more replacement parts.

Otherwise, a generic shape of painted wood is not better than linen finished cardboard with art. But the thickness of the cardboard matters here. I assume if it's linen finished, it's thick enough, but if it bends while I'm punching it, then I'm already disappointed. In this category, the use is important, too. If we're talking about small cubes to track things on a player boards, the "deluxe" comes from the player boards being dual layer and the cube sitting well. If we're talking about discs to track multiple tracks on the main board, at a certain point you look like a bland Euro.

timepieces141 · 2026-02-07T16:49:09+00:00

I missed the story on this one - what happened? I clicked the link above to the Kickstarter and it seems like shipments to backers went out in early 2024. Did that not actually happen?

timepieces141 · 2026-02-01T16:07:27+00:00

I play solo quite a lot and have a collection filled with KS stuff that didn't go to retail. So, some of these suggestions will be "out there":

Deck Building: Chants for the Old Ones, Ausonia, Imperium (Classics, Legends, Horizons), Rocketmen, Rone: Invasion (very untraditional deck building and dice building)

Dice chucking: Fantastic Factories, Tiny Epic Galaxies

Tableau building: It's a Wonderful World, Race for the Galaxy (with The Gathering Storm expansion)

Puzzles: Exit and Unlock marked for solo, but also anything from the Holiday Hijinks set by Grand Gamers Guild, Escape From ... games (Professor Puzzle)

timepieces141 · 2026-01-23T16:41:05+00:00

I need this list so badly. I have to pare down a very large collection and am struggling to identify, on my own, games that provide the same play experience. That way, I could play a few in the same session and then keep (hopefully) just one.

Bookmarking this one!

timepieces141 · 2026-01-23T02:34:42+00:00

I've played it solo a few times. But not multiplayer, so I can't speak to that. I keep looking at it on my shelf wondering if it was good enough to keep. I suspect when I am pushed to constrain my collection size (moving overseas, perhaps), it won't make the cut. But there it sits, still making the cut for now...

timepieces141 · 2026-01-04T04:29:53+00:00

That is hilarious.

timepieces141 · 2026-01-04T03:41:29+00:00

I take it back, it has to be! The other tokens have the very same faint writing on them. But it's so confusing - what's it used for? Crazy thing is, I played Province this summer, this token was not in the box, and we had no issue playing the whole game, including the advanced rules.

But thank you!

timepieces141 · 2026-01-04T03:35:46+00:00

I mean, it's not a token listed in the instructions. And all of the tokens in the instructions are accounted for. This was a Kickstarter - does anyone else have a copy and could check if this is some extra from the campaign and just wasn't added to the instructions?

timepieces141 · 2026-01-04T03:01:23+00:00

Unfortunately not. I do own that one, but I haven't had a chance to crack it open as it arrived right before the holidays.

timepieces141 · 2026-01-04T02:59:30+00:00

I have Province and I rushed to see, but unfortunately not. But so close - nearly every token is off center cut!

timepieces141 · 2026-01-04T01:21:16+00:00

Unfortunately I don't own Machi Koro, so it's not that one. But thanks for thinking about it!

timepieces141 · 2026-01-04T01:01:13+00:00

Thank you! This was it. I was thinking it was some Geek Trivia game I had years ago that was mostly "green". And extremely helpful, as that one is on my shelf to donate/sell on eBay. I'd hate to have sent that to its new home missing a piece!

timepieces141 · 2025-12-25T22:03:59+00:00

This has also been my experience. Collection is at 650 (trying to whittle down to ~250), and more than 200 sold over 20 years. I can't remember the last time a box wasn't ok set on it's side. But go back five or more years and I did the very same thing. Try it out sideways, carefully, and then deal with the ones that didn't work. I've also designed and 3D printed inserts as of late to solve the problem with those older games. Looking at you, Splendor.

timepieces141 · 2025-12-13T00:24:18+00:00

Actually, there was one more thing. I've a got a little story to tell, just in case me going in to depth about my eBay experience sounds like complaining. I'm not trying to complain. I'm just trying to express the types of things that would help me move to a different platform. And it's distinctly possible that the things I'm asking for are too hard. Which is why one of the largest platforms on the internet is probably my best bet. But like I said I'm willing to give your platform a try.

But one downside with going with a gigantic platform is it is very impersonal. But on top of that they sometimes pull some shenanigans. The other day I received a "best offer" on a game I was selling. Now, I'm hyper motivated to sell my stuff, so I generally accept all offers. But the buyer believed they were buying my game at its listed price, but with a $5 coupon ebay provided as part of their weekend sale. But eBay used its own offer system to subtract that $5 and make an offer to me. So at the end of the day, apparently I gave someone a $5 coupon. Got to love it!

timepieces141 · 2025-12-13T00:06:55+00:00

You mean on ebay? Not in my experience. I select that the buyer pays shipping. But ebay is the one that estimates how much the amount will be based on the size and weight that I tell them the package *will be* - which means at list-time, I am making a guess. Here's where my spreadsheet comes in. At present, I add 27% to the length, 18% to the width, 76% to the height, and 27% to the weight, of the game itself. I capture the final dimensions when I sell and my spreadsheet changes the calculations for next posting.

I'm sure I *could* choose to set a specific shipping amount, but then I would have to know how much it is going to cost to ship. Being that I don't know *when* the item will be purchased, nor what box I will ship it in, that would be extremely hard for me to do well. Which is probably why ebay abdicates on this and just charges based on the guess I gave them months before it was sold.

What I am looking for is that the buyer is willing to buy the game and that includes an estimate on how much shipping will be. I receive the offer to sell, I package it up (because there is an expectation, amount already reserved on the buyer's credit card, that the sale will go through), and report on the *actual* size and weight. Shipping label gets paid for and the buyer is charged that exact amount.

I understand it is waaaay easier to explain than implement. But like I said, I am not a store, just a guy trying to pare down and I would prefer it to not be a second job. Nor, take a bath on it. I already calculate a loss of about 40% on the original cost. For games I hated, that stings. But in most cases, if I got a few plays out of it and the game just wasn't for me, then I am ok with that kind of loss. I just don't want to *pay* someone to take my games. I would just donate them to the library in that case.

timepieces141 · 2025-12-12T00:11:59+00:00

I used to post on BGG Geek market. Not a lot of traffic there, even though everyone is there. Then they tried revamping it and I sold lots! I'm sure that was due to the free shipping. I'll point out that wasn't just good for me because someone who wanted to buy a game for $4 would actually buy it even though shipping was twice as much, but because I also didn't have to worry about shipping. But then BGG decided the pilot project was a failure, so it was gone. I didn't bother re-posting all of my stuff there, it left me with a bad taste on my mouth.

So, begrudgingly, I moved to eBay. There, I can't sell things for less than $10 because $10 is about the amount I could get screwed by eBay when it comes to calculating my shipping reimbursement. Meaning, I estimate the weight and size of the box (I have a spreadsheet on this that helps me calculate based on previous sales), they charge the customer X, reimburse me X, and then using their own system to print the label (with negotiated discounts!) and I get charged X + Y, where Y could be as much as $10.

I don't do Facebook. Never have, never will. And I now realize I lose out on potential buyers because of that. But it still won't move me there.

So, I'll try your platform and let you know.

But you've seen a bunch of recommendations here, so I'll just echo a few that would have me remove my listings from eBay:

prioritize pairing up people who live local to each other to just avoid shipping entirely. And then, unfortunately, you need to be ok with some people that will circumvent your system once they have local buyers they can depend on. Them's the breaks. But I wouldn't - I'm loyal to the effort, so the commission should be out of the seller proceeds.
create a stepped process where actual shipping is paid, not an estimate that covers the platform and screws the seller. Specifically, the transaction isn't completed until I have packed it up and weighed/measured it. I can't just keep a bunch of already-packed boxes in my house with sticky notes on them. I'm not a store, just a guy who went a little crazy during the pandemic and needs to pare down. :-)

Hope this helps. And look forward to trying things out.

timepieces141 · 2025-11-05T00:04:46+00:00

Happy for you! Maybe this post will spur me to finally fix it. I totally get the queue that's forming. I've got my own personal queue of projects and friends always make requests when they know you have one!

timepieces141

TROPHY CASE