Gaming Table (Setups)

[IvenBach]

My suggestion before you get going on it is to go to furniture stores and just look at the eye candy. Get ideas about what you like or think you may like. For me simplicity always trumps fancy. The bare minimum it should have an inset gaming area that can be covered by planks or some type of covering so you can keep it all set up and covered without having to take anything down. That's a big pet peve of mine setting up just to take it down. For any hinges or drawer handles/knobs go for the old dust-farting-librarian style handles. I have never heard of anything bad from them and when I was in school the handles had been there since 18## or so (joking) and they're still there (I'm guessing).

[IvenBach]

Gathering links to tables that I've thought had something I'd want in my own table. Now that I have a psuedo group coming together the idea of a gaming table is climbing my list of nice things I'd like to have. As much as I'd like something from geekchic I'd never dish out that much and would prefer a table I made myself (so long as it's done well).

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Game_Table_Plans - Side railing for dice seems a good idea.
http://handcannononline.com/blog/2012/01/23/how-to-build-a-folding-warmachine-table/ - Simplest so far and yet elegant.
http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/913660/home-built-gaming-table - Cost effective.
http://www.ultimategamingtable.org/ - Plastic sheet on top of grid.

I'll go through several iterations but doing the research and whatifs right now.

[IvenBach]

http://foldinggametable.blogspot.com/ - This has got to be the most elegant solution I've come across for a table. The drawers are just the right size for everything you need. My senses are becoming elevated to those of and the urge to build is rising, and this time I have I can do it with. YES!

Edit: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1374073278/folding-gaming-table-for-rpg-and-miniatures - I keep finding good stuff. This one's an active Kickstarter too!
Edit2: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/894415/finally-finished-the-family-game-table - I need to stop looking...

[Redav]

My suggestion before you get going on it is to go to furniture stores and just look at the eye candy. Get ideas about what you like or think you may like.

Yup, that's the plan. We've started looking into this as a concept but we're still not sure whether we'll have a go at it or not. I've found a mob on the other side of our city who started building gaming tables a few years ago; http://www.grottogaming.com.au/ I have no idea how good they actually are and while they they're no Geek Chic, they're still not cheap.

For me simplicity always trumps fancy.

Agreed. We'd probably try and style it to match our dinner table which is fairly a simple table (this unit is from the same line of furniture) with a chocolate stain finish.

The bare minimum it should have an inset gaming area that can be covered by planks or some type of covering so you can keep it all set up and covered without having to take anything down. That's a big pet peve of mine setting up just to take it down. For any hinges or drawer handles/knobs go for the old dust-farting-librarian style handles. I have never heard of anything bad from them and when I was in school the handles had been there since 18## or so (joking) and they're still there (I'm guessing).

I think our current idea is;
• square table (maybe 1500 mm x 1500 mm - I still need to check the size of the largest board / tile game we play which is possibly Rivers, Roads and Rails and I should check the largest Axis & Allies game I have - not that it's ever been played! I should also decide what size HQ board I'll print out too)
• sits eight players
• removable legs for transporting home / moving house
• recessed playing area
• felt or similar playing area
• rail system on the side for extras
• one slide out desk for a dungeon master
• cover

At the moment the only extras for the rail system we'd go for are;
• card / piece tray
• cup / mug holder
• small desk (maybe)

What are peoples thoughts on a table size? We're still living in a townhouse so we'd consider this when we move into a real house but this size might be driven by space availability. We sat at our table last night and pretended it was 1500 mm wide and it felt okay but that was without taking into account anything that might be sitting in the rail system. Also, if we had a 100 mm wide border to the recessed playing area, that makes that area 1300 mm x 1300 mm which I think might be fine as we're used to 900 mm x 1800 mm with our existing table which is too long for players sitting at the end to get involved so we just play down one end.

[Goblin-King]

Size depends a lot on what you plan to be playing.

If you play Warhammer, 40k or basically any other wargame you'll need 4' x 6'
If it's only for boardgaming I suggest you pick the one who requires the most space; spread it out on the floor in what you consider the optimal setup.
The board, cards, sheets, box for minis, snack bowls, drinks etc. etc.

Measure how much space that takes up. That'll be your minimum size.

[IvenBach]

If you have the chance to play at different locations then you can take measurements at each place you try. Work with what you'll be doing the most and go from there. I'll one day at meself a gaming table but I'll bide my time dreaming about them for now. Keep us informed as to how it goes.

[Jafazo]

My idea of the PERFECT gaming table/area is simpmy this...

A plastic folding table or two ($40each), 4 stools or comfortable folding chairs ($20each).

If you don't want to put anything away, just leave it all set up, otherwise, it saves TONS of space for alternative use. Throw in cheap $8 folding side tables for misc use and you have an easy to pack, effective and highly customizable gaming area for CHEAP.

[Anderas]

Cheap it is, but wobbly too. This is what refrains me from buying a foldable table.

I am thinking about 1200x1800, but already with 1200 mm i fear that it is difficult to reach the far end. If i read here that it should be even more... i don't know.
For me this is important right now. I will buy a table extra for gaming during the next month.

[knightkrawler]

I am thinking about 1200x1800, but already with 1200 mm i fear that it is difficult to reach the far end.

If you consider that for a boardgame, the gameboard will sit centrally, leaving space to the sides for the players' "personal stuff" (sheets, cards, beer - all three are none of your business!9 then you can reach the opposite end of the gameboard without too much effort. We tend to stand up to do hardly reachable stuff and some of us have the "hold your shirt against your belly with one hand"-move down to science.
1,20m x 1,80m is what GK dubbed 4'x6' and should be near perfect gaming table size for the reasons he gave.

[Anderas]

40k is the reason why i am thinking about a table with that size.

The problem is the market: I don't find a table of this size. Maybe I have to build it myself.