Update from the Denver game cafe: I saw a guy bring his own custom foam insert for a game that just came out yesterday. | Board Game Geeks - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Remember that guy who laser-cut a whole wooden insert for Scythe before his copy even shipped? Total legend in our local group. He said the unboxing videos gave him enough to work with. Honestly, it's like watching someone build a frame for a painting they've only seen a sketch of. Kind of admire the commitment, but man, that's a level of trust in a game's replay value I just don't have.
Honestly that feels like a whole other hobby. I get the appeal of a nice setup, but I need to know if the game is even good first. I've been burned by pretty boxes with boring games inside. My rule is I have to play it at least five times before I even think about spending more money on it. That guy must have a lot of faith in new releases.