Gaming table advice

[Nellisir]

The clear desk protectors they sell at office supply stores can take both wet and dry erase markers. You can also look at heavy duty clear plastic (ie 12 mil) at Home Depot or the like.

 

[Aurora]

Build a normal table, then put the whiteboard up on 6" blocks on said table, so you end up with two layers...one for the map, minis, etc., and another for papers, drinks, pens, etc. You'll need 5 blocks; one for each corner, and one for the middle...

Lanefan

Damn, that sounds really cool. If I were building a table, I'd do that.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

Coolest. Gaming Set-up. Evar.

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=122099&page=1&pp=40

We actually did this, inspired by this thread.

 

[Frost]

I've been toying around with this kind of stuff too... Basically have the same ideas as those already stated. However, I hope to build in cup holders that can serve as, well, cup holders but also as dice holders. I think the key is to have some shelves or such beneath to house books, etc.

Here is a useful source for alternatives to white board material (as the "real" stuff can be rather expensive):

http://rumkin.com/reference/whiteboard/

This guy who make the link above was doing the same (building a D&D table) and tried various sources for a white board/dry erase surface.

The tile board mentioned in that link has been mentioned several places over the web as a cheap alternative to buying whiteboard material.

Another good source is Craig's List... put up a wanted ad and you can probably get a white board on the cheap. I used Craig's List to get a folding table, folding chairs, and white boards for very cheap. I highly recommend it.

Whenever I finally make mine, I'm going to use folding legs so I can put the table away when not in use. Something to keep in mind if you need the room when not gaming in it.

 

[Frost]

When I bought my house, the previous owner left behind two 4'x8' sheets of white tile board. I acquired a fairly large table (used) for free along the way. I placed a sheet of said tile board on the table and using a red "Sharpie" laid out a 1/2" grid with a 1" border. Dry erase worked on the tile board, but bled into the grid and discoloured it, cleaning the board further faded and thickened the lines of the grid.

Does anyone know an ink or paint that wouldn't have this bleeding problem? I gridded off an old white board (actually just dotted where the lines would cross) using an industrial strength sharpie. The grid has faded quite a bit just from using an eraser.

Thoughts?

 

[DethStryke]

Essential idea:

http://www.elephantstaircase.com/wiki/index.php?title=DIYDryEraseBoard

with purchase from:

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pr...SPlastic&category_name=21314&product_id=10477

Put down large sheets of white gridded presentation graph paper under it and you can cover the whole table for less than 100 bucks at 4'x8' after shipping. I have a table that size that used to be a train layout table for railroad hobbyists which I'm doing this to. Another group I'm in does this very same thing on his dining room table, which we have great fun with the dry erase markers on.

 

[Frost]

Thanks, DethStryke. That link is an excellent resource. Sounds like acrylic is the way to go other than tile board.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Our setup is a pretty large whiteboard (enough to fit 2 people per side) with a projector mounted in the ceiling that can bounce off a mirror and shine down on the whiteboard for electronic maps.

It works well.

DS

 

[DethStryke]

Thanks, DethStryke. That link is an excellent resource. Sounds like acrylic is the way to go other than tile board.

You're welcome!

I like the acrylic because most of the suggestions above will work with it. You can throw your own pre-made maps and graphics under it and write all over that without ruining the original. Even the projector image will show up provided you have a nice white page under the acrylic.

In my experience, it also cleans up and wipes off better over time.

 

[Frost]

You what, DethStryke, I had a change of heart. Mainly because of my budget, I went with the tileboard instead. Sure, it will stain a bit. I know this first hand because I'm using to leftover pieces at moment. However, unless one is a bit obsessive about it, it's not so bad. I mean, it's not going to be pristine white, but it will get the job done. My gaming table consists of two "handmade" folding tables I picked up from Craig's List (see http://www.flickr.com/photos/-frost-/ if you're curious).

Besides, I just bought a 4 x 8 piece of tileboard for $11. Acrylic in that size would be nearly 4 times as much. I'm simply going to score the grid onto the tileboard with an Exacto knife. That solves my gridding problem.

However, when I finally do have a budget for my dream table, I certainly will go the way of acrylic. It does seem cleaner and more useful (e.g., your comments about sliding the maps underneath).