The Game Table

[Mark]

Another thing to consider is if the corners should be rounded or squared off.

 

[Jdvn1]

I would just like to say that I - The_Universe's wife - has nothing to do with our not having an incredibly elaborate gaming table like we've been linked to. No no! It is our collective lack of that kind of money!

*shakes fist at her husband* Don't you blame me, honey! I would LOVE to have that kind of set up!

Then it's settled. Get a table that would serve as the framework for that sort of table, then fill it out as time goes on.

 

[Bront]

I found actualy that a Ping Pong table provides ample room for miniatures, wargames, or RPGs.

 

[IronWolf]

Coffee table for us... More because the seating is more comfortable in people's living rooms. Sometimes we juggle getting the Tact-Tiles to sit up on the table without falling off, but the comfy seating really makes for a nice relaxing game night.

 

[DethStryke]

I have a 4' x 8' wooden train layout table that the previous owners of my house sold to me for 10 bucks so they wouldn't have to move it. I was estatic. It was hand made in Wisconsin over 20+ years ago. I fell in love with it from the moment I saw it, piled high with tons of storage boxes in our walk through. hehehe

Train layout tables are good solid bases, but obviously finding a deal is the way to go with any table you decide on. I also found that comfortable chairs are hard to come by. In my experience, folding chairs are never the way to go. Stacking plastic patio type chairs from Target, with a chair pad in them, are super comfortable for hours at a time. I got them for eight dollars each, they don't break without really trying to and they are super easy to clean.

The ideal solution for a table set up when talking chairs is rolling office chairs though, imho.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

In both of the games I currently play regularly, there is no table per se. The players sit around on couches, chairs, or the floor, and if tables are used they're end tables or coffee tables for rolling dice and stashing books on, not gaming per se.

 

[Steve Jung]

IKEA Jokk kitchen table that sits in my living room. Food goes on TV tables and there's a coffee table behind one of the chairs for more space. Much better than in my old apartment where I only had room for a folding card table and a couple people had to sit on my bed.

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

Coffee table for us... More because the seating is more comfortable in people's living rooms. Sometimes we juggle getting the Tact-Tiles to sit up on the table without falling off, but the comfy seating really makes for a nice relaxing game night.

I second the comfortable seating/couches thing. However, we don't have any trouble with the mat b/c our coffee table is quite large (and very cool... but I can't quite describe it or find a picture online...). Plenty of space for our minis and other gaming accessories.

We also have a couple of TV-trays that are used for book sitting, dice rolling, and miniature painting during the session.

I generally find that the dining table and chairs = me getting uncomfortable after a couple of hours... then, I get up and start wandering around and stop paying attention. Though there are advantages to being able to sit around the mat and move your minis, etc...

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

I always have trouble with the big ole' table idea.

Plenty of room, but I can't reach the mini's I set out in the middle. I always have to get up, walk around, lean between my players, set up the minis, then go back to my seat.

Then I have the players move teh figs around as needed. Then the hiding creatures jump out & I have to get up, etc, etc, etc.

So I was figuring I could use a blackjack table (like you see in casinos). Round, arcing table allows the players to still sit around while allowing me access to the center of the table.

 

[Ashy]

We just moved from the dining room to the front room as our primary gaming area, but there was one big requirement: all of the gaming stuff had to vanish once gaming was over (you see, our front room is also our "visiting and entertaining space" ).

The solution was far simplier and cheaper than I had hoped. First, after some shopping around, I finally found (at Big Lots) some 2' x 4' tables for $20 each. I got three. These tables are then arranged to form a 4' x 6' rectangle which becomes the player's area. There is plenty of room for a battle mat in the center of the space as well as room for player books, sheets, dice, handouts, etc around the outer edge of the table. However, I still needed space for myself, as the DM - this was solved by snagging a 4' x 4' card table at Target ($30 - for some odd reason) which abutts one end of the 4' x 6' player table area. This gives me more than enough room for my laptop, DM screen, minis, speaker system (I use SFX and music in my games), a scanner (one of my group is an artist and constantly sketches during play - the scanner allows for me to quickly bring his pictures into play) and all of my other junk. A small coffee table (which lives in this room) holds some frequently used books and snacks for both DM and players. Also, this setup allows a perfect layout for me to make digital recordings of our sessions (I run a couple of stand mics out from my laptop and record everything that's said at the table - ). Chairs are brought in from the dining room, or there is ample space on the couch or a couple of living room chairs, so you can have your choice betweem comfy or non-comfy chairs.

The really great thing about this is that all of the tables and gear are folded up and tucked away at the end of the session, so my wife gets her front room back!

We love it and so did my pocketbook!

Now, I just need to find a cheap flatscreen monitor (which I will use as a part of my DM screen to show the players pics of creatures, handouts, etc.) and a digital map projection setup and I'll be golden!