Making A Custom Gaming Table

A chap named Jan-Oliver Ohloff from Germany has shown off some photographs of his fantastic new gaming table. It contains a 40-inch plasma TV and (apart from the actual TV) was built by hand. It cost around 400 euros ($450) in total - 100 euros for the used plasma TV, and 300 for the materials.

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There are also some photographs from the building process.

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[Azgara]

So I have done my own table much like this, it costed me a total of around 400$ to make, it was easy. I got A LCD TV on black friday. Here are some pics, if any questions go ahead and ask away.
http://imgur.com/a/cEJZr

 

[Veander]

I love these ideas. The overhead projector has a negative effect of forcing you to make the room kinda dark imo. But clearly it works for some. My question would be more about how to make the squares 1" on the display all the time (with the TV option).

 

[Yaarel]

Out of curiosity. Those of you playing on a digital map, which way do you use to conceal the parts of the map that the party hasnt seen yet?

 

[Azgara]

Out of curiosity. Those of you playing on a digital map, which way do you use to conceal the parts of the map that the party hasnt seen yet?

I use the program Maptools for this, it’s very easy. I run 2 instances of the program one is the GM side which is the GM/Laptop and the player/TV side, then the GM side start a server and player side connect to that server. You set the maps to have fog of war, as my players say go into a room I reveal that the players see. I as well use a hidden layer to set up where I like to have my enemy’s ahead of time, only the GM can see this hidden enemy’s or even traps.

As for making sure the squres are 1', you can ajust the size or the gride or zoom in or out to make them smaller or bigger.

 

[hollowheel]

I love these ideas. The overhead projector has a negative effect of forcing you to make the room kinda dark imo. But clearly it works for some. My question would be more about how to make the squares 1" on the display all the time (with the TV option).

You can calculate how many pixel's per inch your TV is, then make your maps fit that. Or if you're lazy like me (and use a program like Photoshop to run your maps), you can simply zoom in on the map until the scale is correct.

 

[hollowheel]

Out of curiosity. Those of you playing on a digital map, which way do you use to conceal the parts of the map that the party hasnt seen yet?

Usually, I have a separate black layer on top of the map (Photoshop). I then use a soft-edge eraser brush to "erase" the shadows. You have to know your map, but I find this is pretty quick and easy for me (with only occasional screw ups).

 

[Maul]

Out of curiosity. Those of you playing on a digital map, which way do you use to conceal the parts of the map that the party hasnt seen yet?

Use a Virtual Tabletop to present the maps. They usually have a fog-of-war feature.

D20 Pro
Fantasy Grounds
Skirmish VTT
Map Tools
Battlegrounds

Their all good in their own ways.

 

[Veander]

I'm assuming people just use a PC for this? I have an extra tower that I could just use. Hmm. ...!...

 

[Azgara]

I'm assuming people just use a PC for this? I have an extra tower that I could just use. Hmm. ...!...

As of right now I use a laptop, but I'm building a new system. So im going to take my current system and install it at the buttom of the table.

 

[bone_naga]

That's pretty cool. I made a custom game table as well. The TV stands up for normal use, then when it's gaming time it folds down to serve as a battlemap, and drawers slide out for storage of drinks and gaming material.

I typically use Maptool to project the map and use its Fog of War feature. Some players prefer using digital tokens. I still have a soft spot for minis so sometimes there is a mix of them on the map.

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