Coolest. Gaming Set-up. Evar.

[jhunton]

WOW THATS SOME TABLE.

 

[WampusCat43]

That's what I was told about plasmas as well. A pity, since they're so cheap these days.

One thing I've noticed since switching to this setup (and this may have been mentioned before) - You can get to the point where you spend a lot of time finding just the right map for an upcoming encounter, or changing the encounter to fit a map you have. It's either that or create the map yourself, which can never be as good as some of the stuff on cartographers, for instance. I think I've spoiled my players already.

 

[Radiating Gnome]

Yeah, that's an easy trap to fall into.

At the moment, our group is running Into the Unknown (one of the very earliest 1e adventures) with it'sold school blue & white very simple map -- and we're using scanned versions of those maps (with their 10' squares) on the TV screen we play on. And it's fine. Sure, more realistic maps are nice, but the TV makes it faster and easier to make quick ad hoc maps, too, if you've got any facility with the tools at all.

So, do your best to not feel limited by nice maps -- but take advantage of them when you can.

-rg

 

[Nytmare]

One thing I've noticed since switching to this setup (and this may have been mentioned before) - You can get to the point where you spend a lot of time finding just the right map for an upcoming encounter, or changing the encounter to fit a map you have. It's either that or create the map yourself, which can never be as good as some of the stuff on cartographers, for instance. I think I've spoiled my players already.

Remember, although it's no guarantee that you're going to find someone to do it, that a lot of people at the Cartographers' Guild are hobbyist cartographers who enjoy making maps for the challenge of making them. If nothing else, they might be able to point you in the right direction towards something that fits what you're looking for, or teach you a really simple trick to get the look you want.

Also, I always thought the "don't lay plasma screens flat" was because (especially during shipping) you might inadvertently let the weight of the TV rest on the fragile screen. They're meant to ship with all the styrofoam protecting the ends and corners, and there's not much there structurally to prevent the thing from snapping itself in half. Are there any TV pros out there who can answer that?

 

[jcayer]

Have you considered just using your family room TV? We moved to the couch, family room TV and use Maptools with tokens. The players each has a cheap laser pointer. As a group, there is a wireless mouse so they can direct with the laser pointer, or move their token themselves
.
We've tried half a dozen different options including mounting a projector from the ceiling down to the table, projecting on the wall, I even started build a table like the one by Cyderak. It didn't work for us. As I don't have a dedicated space, always having to assemble and disassemble stuff took too long and was generally a pain in the butt.

Moving to the family room setup, I put a small folding table near the TV for me(I'm GM), and they all spread out on the couch, coffee table, and tray table if they want. I've got my laptop and there is an old PC hooked up to the TV. Dead simple and like I said, no setup/take down. Plus, the computer is convenient for streaming, etc.

 

[Nytmare]

Dead simple and like I said, no setup/take down. Plus, the computer is convenient for streaming, etc.

After having one for the last 15 years, I can't imagine not having a dedicated game room. It's the first thing I look for when I'm scoping out a new place to live...

Though I'm happy you found a setup that works, I secretly mourn for you.

 

[Radiating Gnome]

After having one for the last 15 years, I can't imagine not having a dedicated game room. It's the first thing I look for when I'm scoping out a new place to live...

Same here. I had the realtor trained to look for good game rooms in potential houses. And in the house we've been in for just about a year now, I have a main floor game room -- no more basement dwelling!

-rg

 

[FickleGM]

I love the idea of using the main TV with Maptools.

 

[Nellisir]

I haven't heard from the guy in months, so I don't know that it's going to happen, though. And this idea needs a lot of refinement -- you would want some sort of mechanism that would let the straps be raised and lowered in sync. And there would be an insert that would cover the TV hole. But the strap idea seemed like a great idea to me before I really started looking at the TVs -- I was imagining a much less flat and uniform back, on that needed a very forgiving cradle to rest in.

-rg

I don't think I'd go with straps; generally those would be fixed on one side and have some kind of ratchet on the other, so the tv is going to sag and then slide as you're lowering it. I'd look at a solid cradle with some kind of threaded rod mechanism at the four corners; you probably won't get simultaneous vertical control, but you're only going a few inches, so it shouldn't be a big deal. For the cradle, I'd do something solid with a soft insert to really support the tv, but still allow venting. You might want to look at Rockler for possible mechanisms, starting with router table supplies and working out from there. They probably have boards & forums that you could ask on as well.

 

[JDragon]

I don't think I'd go with straps; generally those would be fixed on one side and have some kind of ratchet on the other, so the tv is going to sag and then slide as you're lowering it. I'd look at a solid cradle with some kind of threaded rod mechanism at the four corners; you probably won't get simultaneous vertical control, but you're only going a few inches, so it shouldn't be a big deal. For the cradle, I'd do something solid with a soft insert to really support the tv, but still allow venting. You might want to look at Rockler for possible mechanisms, starting with router table supplies and working out from there. They probably have boards & forums that you could ask on as well.

One of my players suggested picking up a wall mount for the specific TV you are using and then use it in conjunction with a threaded rod mechanism to adjust the height.

I expect it will depend on which TV I end up getting on how exactly I set it up.