D&D General What do you want in a game space?

[RoughCoronet0]

Miniatures, maps, large table space, and lots of dice!


Side note, I almost read the title as “What do you want in a space game?” And was about to go on about wanting cool alien races until I started reading the responses.

 

[steeldragons]

Must have
Paper, pencil, eraser, d4-6-8-10-12-20 dice.

Like to have
Prewritten adventure and notes, PHB, MM, DMG (and/or appropriate/needed reference materials), laptop (for access to SRDs), gaming table with suitable space for everyone's papers/notebooks/dice/and computers, plus room for food and drink (if not individual cupholders), good lighting, space to walk around said table, dry-erase battlemats (possible built in to table) and dry-erase markers for drawing out terrain/areas, mini's are completely optional but enjoyed/do make things easier (especially large numbers of foes or elaborate terrain/multiple foe scenarios).

Would like to have but don't...
I, personally, really don't have anything beyond paper/pencils, a laptop, two sets of dice, base books (albeit for a few different systems and editions), and a laptop (to look things up). Soooo, pretty much all of the above and the addition of a "game room" to put it all in, plus:
Enough seats, preferably individual chairs, with arms that have wide seats and cushioned backs. Nobody crammed into anywhere. Nobody up against a wall. You should feel like you could take a nap if other players are taking too long on their turn.
Ample shelving for the myriad books, binders, and boxes of all imaginable miniatures.
Projector & screen (built into gaming table or not) - holographic (when the technology gets there) would be nice.
Ample outlets and charging ports (preferably built into the table, but ya know, power strips are fine).
A sideboard for laying out snacks/food (large enough to accommodate multiple pizza boxes).
Dedicated fridge within the same room for beverages (and/with ice maker).
I'm sure technology will make something else necessary before too long.

 

[Malmuria]

When playing in person, I have:
rulebook, notebook/index cards/binder, pen/pencil, dice, and a large enough table for the game itself.
speakers/music system nearby for playing music
space for the food and drinks that everyone brought
a cat that wanders in and out, to much fanfare.

 

[Lanefan]

What do I want in a game space (that I don't already have)?

Flexibility, and more space. Ideally I'd have a space flexible enough to handle a one-player game and a ten-player game with equal ease and comfort.

A large table, and by large I don't just mean long. Table manufacturers always equate bigger with longer, rather than longer AND wider; resulting in tables where if the DM's at one end she needs a foghorn to be heard by the player at the other end.

Lots of shelves. lots and lots of shelves. When in doubt, add more shelves.

A second room with equal comforts, for times when the party is split etc.

 

[Shiroiken]

Good bandwidth

I've been playing over VTT for a few years, and that's definitely a necessity! When I ran games IRL, I think a whiteboard was probably the only thing I really needed beyond the basics. Minis and such are nice, but I'm far too poor for that.

 

[aco175]

I like having a side table for the DM and maybe some for the players for food and drinks. Right now, we play at the local Legion hall after Boy Scouts on a 6ft round table and there are plenty of side tables. The seats are fine enough for 3-4 hours and the light is bright enough to see things. Although I am at the age that I need readers for some of the adventure writing so the bright light is fine to me.

 

[pogre]

I'd be curious to see people tell me what their game space thoughts are for when they run D&D as a DM:

What are your must haves?

What are the things you have, don't really need, but sure enjoy having?

What are the things you wish you had, but don't?

Must haves: dice, pencils, paper, and rules.

Things I have, don't really need, but sure enjoy having:
A dedicated gaming room.
Two large gaming tables.
A ton of painted miniatures.
A lot of terrain - Dwarven Forge, Hirst Arts, Miniature Building Authority, custom builds, etc.
Six very comfortable, adjustable chairs.
Lots of outlets and charging stations.
Spell cards, spell templates, monster cards, DM screens, all of the books in easy reach.
Gaming mats.

Things you wish you had, but don't:
For the game playing experience I cannot think of anything. However, for the hobby overall I wish I had a place with adequate ventilation to set up my airbrush and a 3d resin printer.

 

[FangTheDelectable]

I'd be curious to see people tell me what their game space thoughts are for when they run D&D as a DM:

What are your must haves?

Fridge

 

[Blue]

Has anyone ever seen the old HGTV show "While You Were Out"? A bit less than two decades ago, my wife organized a surprise game room for me while I was away at a gaming convention. Basically a whole bunch of friends came over and redid a room we had. We had a bunch of friends who all became homeowners around the same time and we would help each other out on projects frequently.

My ideal gaming space has a large table for play with enough space for a battlemap and people to have their character sheets. And enough room to walk around it to get out of the room. Plenty of natural light for during the day. Bookcases to store gaming supplies (and books). Themed decor - sponged "parchment" walls, candle sconces, appropriate lighting fixtures. Isolated from parts of the house we want to keep quiet like kids bedrooms.

And I've got it. My wife rocks.

With things that have changed in the last two decades, an embedded screen or a overhead mounted downward projector would be nice.

 

[Ibrandul]

During the lockdowns my 5e group started playing outside on my backyard deck, since that was considered COVID-safer than playing inside. And I absolutely love it—it's by far my favorite way to play an RPG. So what I want in a game space has changed completely, and now consists in sunshine, mild temperatures, and not too strong a breeze.