Reducing clutter at the table?

[DM_Jeff]

Put the battle map and other important game-related stuff on a raised section in the center of a large table, leaving the lowered edges for books and various clutter that such tables accumulate.

THIS! Picture

-DM Jeff

 

[Hejdun]

THIS! Picture

-DM Jeff

Nice idea (since I have 4 cats, I'd have 4 times the potential), but how do you keep the cat from scratching you when you place your PHB on top of it?

 

[D'karr]

Nice idea (since I have 4 cats, I'd have 4 times the potential), but how do you keep the cat from scratching you when you place your PHB on top of it?

He would be cat-napping...

 

[jgsugden]

The right table is the right answer.

Of course, which table is the right table depends upon your players.

I have designed (but not yet built) an RPG table that will someday rock the world. It features:

* A lockable raised round robin int he center of the table for the battle mat.
* Clear edges with shelves beneath to allow players to place reference materials below the play surface.
* A unique angular design that allows players to reach an optimal amount of play space while still maintaining enough space for character sheets, dice, pencils, calculators and books.
* Storage containers for each person (enough to hold 10 D&D manuals and an assortment of miniatures).
* Drink holders.
* Design suited to upgrading to allow monitors to replace the gameboard, or the transparent storage shelves - to bring the games into the next decade.

I estimate the initial design will run me about $500. However, sadly, I don't think I'll have an opportunity to make it for a few years yet.

 

[MadLordOfMilk]

As awesome as having a raised area in the middle of the table would be, my group rotates what houses we play at and even at times where in those houses we play. It'd be an awesome idea, but given how much variance we have in where we play it's not too viable an option.

Get people table trays to sit next to them that they can use fior their own personal space.

Have you tried snack trays or smaller tables behind your players for stuff to put on to keep the table clear?

Having tried this at our latest game session, it was awesome. The extra space as a DM was a godsend. I had my laptop on a stool next to me, with my binder and dice behind my screen. I also got most of what I needed as far as monster stats, "flavor text", etc. into one Word document on my laptop, which helped a bunch.

Our DM keeps his stuff and laptop on a separate table.

We use a Fiery Dragon battlemat, some Dungeon Tiles, and sheets from Character Builder. We'll soon be using the condition markers and action tokens from Fiery Dragon's Battlebox.

Those markers and tokens would be exactly why I've been trying to figure out how to clear table space Well, among other various reasons, but those are what pushed me to the point of saying "OK, how can we get this table less cluttered"

Thanks for the ideas, guys! Even just having the table feel less cluttered and having things more open just gave a better atmosphere to the game, IMO.

 

[blargney the second]

Since 4th came out we've been playing at fairly small tables. There are a few things I've managed to do as a player to reduce my own clutter footprint:

1) Make my character sheets a single side of a single sheet of paper.
2) Rather than putting my char sheet on the table, I put it on a clipboard.
3) Keep food and drink off the table through any means possible - ledges, shelves, lap, etc.
4) Keep only the books that we'll need for that session in one spot that's easily accessible to all players.

-blarg

 

[MadLordOfMilk]

@Blargney:
How'd you manage to get a character sheet on one side of a single sheet of paper? Do you have a PDF or something I might be able to check out?

Also, I like the clipboard idea!

 

[Leatherhead]

If you are extremely cramped for space, get a projector or hook your laptop up to a TV and use that as the battle mat.

 

[blargney the second]

@Blargney:
How'd you manage to get a character sheet on one side of a single sheet of paper? Do you have a PDF or something I might be able to check out?

Also, I like the clipboard idea!

I did my sheets up in Word. I just made them for my own use, so they're ugly as sin. Functionality killed form and left its stuff in the gutter.

The pdf and the doc files attached are identical - except of course for the fact that you can edit the doc!
-blarg

 

[CharlesRyan]

* A lockable raised round robin int he center of the table for the battle mat.

Wow, I like this idea!

I have a pretty big battlemat, but I mostly end up using just a portion of it--cause I can't really reach the whole thing. So even if the turntable was smaller than my current gaming table, it would still probably yield more useable space. Combine that with the lazy susan being raised above the table surface, letting the players put their books/character sheets/dice/assorted junk below it, and this is pure win!

I bet you could get a lazy susan mechanism fairly cheaply at Home Depot or whatever, and combine it with a round tabletop and some sort of base. Trim your battlemat to fit, and I bet you get to this solution for less than $50.

And the best thing is, you could do this with no other special work on your table. Build the thing, keep it in a closet, and take it out and put it on the dining room table for game night.

Excuse me, I need to make a trip to the hardware store . . . .