I mean, if your actual furniture (bed, tables etc) are top notch and you really want to pay a few grand for a impressive permanent fixture in your playspace, go for it, though there are so many other game accessories I'd invest in before I even got to a game table center piece (sustainable "green" minis, books, art books for reference, fancy die etc.). And really after that, on the infrastructure front, I'd probably invest in some sort of cool book case/display case for all that before I went to table land (I happen to be DIY remodeling my current space and making my own shelving system on that front is at the back end of the project, basically installing some shelving from materials reclaimed from some old furniture and also refurbishing some old curio cabinets).
There's some threads on here critiquing the Wyrmwood(?) design as well as folks doing more DIY stuff with like an integrated monitor for virtual maps space etc at a much lower price point if you're handy. I've seen Wyrmwood dice boxes, and they seem neat, but I prefer dice bags where I can carry 2-3 sets of D&D dice (or multiple d6s or d10s if I'm playing a different rule set). While I've seen the ads, I've yet to come across anyone who actually has "the" table, though I'm in the sort of geography where when the world returns to more freedom to play in person, I wouldn't be surprised if I come across someone.
If I were to buy a "game table" it'd probably have to double as my "desk" or "living room coffee table" and that would be the role it'd occupy more often so would have to be as much if not more functional in that department than "game table." So going back to my own space issues, a "game wall" is one thing but a piece of central furniture whose primary function is gaming, that's a little too much mental real estate in my living space).
The Jasper (from boardgametables.com) looks almost worth it, not as expensive as wyrmwood, only about $1,300 if you get the convertible one.
The main advantage is that it converts to a full dining room table. Can leave the map with any short tokens under the table top until you get play again.
Some people buy sports cars or yachts. Some buy an expensive home cinema system. Some have a bar installed in their den. Some people spend tons of money collecting nicnacs. I have a bunch of boardgames going unplayed on my shelves because I wanted them even though I'm very unlikely to play them with my friends.
"Money wasted" is pretty relative. If something's worth it to you and you can afford it, go for it. If someone else splurges on something you'd never in a million years buy yourself and they're not doing anyone any harm, let them.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
There are people who spend tens of thousands of dollars on DwarvenForge, miniatures, and other accessories. For someone in that category, a good table is probably a reasonable purchase, alongside a home extension to safely store all of those accessories. For everyone else, there are a lot of practical, and cost-effective, alternatives to solve any particular problem.
If I had a spare $1000 to spend on D&D supplies, I'd probably opt for a better ambiance lighting/sound system and modular quality-of-life resources. Prioritizing gameplay experience, and versatility. Once I had checked everything else off my list, I'd consider a custom table (Maybe a set of chairs with under-seat storage for dice/minis/character sheets/etc... and electrodes to zap the players when they roll a Natural 1.)
If I was in the market for a new dining table regardless, then sure. I might spend a few hundred more on a high-quality multi-purpose table. Good furniture is a worthwhile investment.
I have a geek chic table, (they went under after they went on shark tank, but some people made a new company called band pass). Short version is I really like it.
Its a beautiful table, and I use it in my dining room. Like the one you describe, It’s got wooden planks I can remove and then have the gaming surface underneath. The game surface is about 2.5 inches recessed, so if I need to end a session mid-fight, I can just pop the planks on top and leave it until people come back. Its got a wet erase plastic on top of a 1-inch grid, so I can just draw buildings and dungeons as the players go. The players also liked it, because they could keep notes on the table, like tracking their hp or spell slots and such.
The complaint would be it’s too big. The game surface is 4x6 feet. I’ve never run a combat that used that much space, going back to 3.5 edition when I got it — and I’ve tried. Usually one player has to tell another where to move their mini, because they’re, like 4 feet away from the fight. Another down side it the way the planks come up, you tilt them up, and the lift them out. So if there’s any little crumbs or dust on them, you end up basically shaking them onto the game surface, and I like to think I keep a clean house.
Also, it’s really, really hard to find tablecloths for it, but that could just be the size.
I have not played on any of these. Usually, when I look at Wyrmwood's sites, I just get distracted by the entire idea of customized Carcassone meeples. I didn't think there was enough Carcassone in the galaxy that anyone needed custom meeples, but who am I...
I have played card heavy games on felt, and I enjoy the fancy way cards slide across it. I can't imagine a single D&D-related advantage. I play with little kids a lot and even they don't throw their dice off the table-edge often enough that I ever considered a lowered gaming surface.
I think the ideal candidate for an expensive gaming table would be someone with a fair amount of money, but not a lot of space. For the sort of grognard who already has a table in an isolated part of their home that will go undisturbed for an entire week; any old table will do for them. If you can walk away with a bunch of minis out and the kids won't bump the table and the dog won't eat them, you're good. This is where I live: on the end of the spectrum where space is at less of a premium than cash.
That said, I think Memnosyne has it right. If you're in the market for a piece of furniture anyway, some of these are lovely pieces of furniture. The Jasper seems to be priced in a much more modular fashion than the Wyrmwood. You can spring for the table and then if it's seeing a lot of use, you can start adding the piano bench chairs and magnetic dice cups.
Some people buy sports cars or yachts. Some buy an expensive home cinema system. Some have a bar installed in their den. Some people spend tons of money collecting nicnacs. I have a bunch of boardgames going unplayed on my shelves because I wanted them even though I'm very unlikely to play them with my friends.
"Money wasted" is pretty relative. If something's worth it to you and you can afford it, go for it. If someone else splurges on something you'd never in a million years buy yourself and they're not doing anyone any harm, let them.
Pretty much this. It's a luxury item. I wouldn't buy one, but I also am never going to buy a new car when I can get a used one of the same make and model from two years ago for half the price. Just depends on what your financial goals are and what brings you happiness.
I do think they're cool though. I would not complain if someone in my group got one. :)
I think you could do a lot by making "bracket" extensions for a regular table that would enhance things. A simple bracket device could include a spot for your drink, a spot for your dice, a dice tray for rolling dice and a spot for a mini or two. It could "clip" onto the side of the table and be out of the way to view the center of the table. Then you can pull up an empty chair between two players and set a PHB and other "note" type resources for the players to share. You can even set snack bowls on chairs around the perimeter. So there are plenty of things you can do before you get to spending a thousand dollars.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
I put together a nice gaming table that suits my needs for less than two hundred dollars. I used a glass tabletop from IKEA which has a “Hex Graph” pattern and set it atop a large long & wide Computer table. I provide dice trays made from some old Cigar boxes I lined with chamois (Car polishing) cloth so folks don’t have to roll on the glass.
If I was in the market for a new dining table regardless, then sure. I might spend a few hundred more on a high-quality multi-purpose table. Good furniture is a worthwhile investment.
That's an excellent point. A solid-wood piece of furniture, well-made and well-looked-after, will last for decades. You should be planning to will it to your heirs.
It also means that you probably should not be putting any technology into your custom table.
Today, a LCD TV is state of the art. 10 years from now, people will look at your table and say, "Not OLED? What are you, a caveman?". 10 years after that, AR may make the idea of a table redundant.
If I was in the market for a new dining table regardless, then sure. I might spend a few hundred more on a high-quality multi-purpose table. Good furniture is a worthwhile investment.
That's an excellent point. A solid-wood piece of furniture, well-made and well-looked-after, will last for decades. You should be planning to will it to your heirs.
It also means that you probably should not be putting any technology into your custom table.
Today, a LCD TV is state of the art. 10 years from now, people will look at your table and say, "Not OLED? What are you, a caveman?". 10 years after that, AR may make the idea of a table redundant.
I do plan on willing it to my heir, but my kid doesn’t play D&D. It’s my greatest shame.
Is there any real advantage to using those expensive gaming tables, or is it just money wasted?
Would love to hear from someone that actually has played on one.
They're sort of cool, but they don't come anywhere near justifying their price tags.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I mean, if your actual furniture (bed, tables etc) are top notch and you really want to pay a few grand for a impressive permanent fixture in your playspace, go for it, though there are so many other game accessories I'd invest in before I even got to a game table center piece (sustainable "green" minis, books, art books for reference, fancy die etc.). And really after that, on the infrastructure front, I'd probably invest in some sort of cool book case/display case for all that before I went to table land (I happen to be DIY remodeling my current space and making my own shelving system on that front is at the back end of the project, basically installing some shelving from materials reclaimed from some old furniture and also refurbishing some old curio cabinets).
There's some threads on here critiquing the Wyrmwood(?) design as well as folks doing more DIY stuff with like an integrated monitor for virtual maps space etc at a much lower price point if you're handy. I've seen Wyrmwood dice boxes, and they seem neat, but I prefer dice bags where I can carry 2-3 sets of D&D dice (or multiple d6s or d10s if I'm playing a different rule set). While I've seen the ads, I've yet to come across anyone who actually has "the" table, though I'm in the sort of geography where when the world returns to more freedom to play in person, I wouldn't be surprised if I come across someone.
If I were to buy a "game table" it'd probably have to double as my "desk" or "living room coffee table" and that would be the role it'd occupy more often so would have to be as much if not more functional in that department than "game table." So going back to my own space issues, a "game wall" is one thing but a piece of central furniture whose primary function is gaming, that's a little too much mental real estate in my living space).
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
The Jasper (from boardgametables.com) looks almost worth it, not as expensive as wyrmwood, only about $1,300 if you get the convertible one.
The main advantage is that it converts to a full dining room table. Can leave the map with any short tokens under the table top until you get play again.
Still on the fence, it's more than a grand.
Some people buy sports cars or yachts. Some buy an expensive home cinema system. Some have a bar installed in their den. Some people spend tons of money collecting nicnacs. I have a bunch of boardgames going unplayed on my shelves because I wanted them even though I'm very unlikely to play them with my friends.
"Money wasted" is pretty relative. If something's worth it to you and you can afford it, go for it. If someone else splurges on something you'd never in a million years buy yourself and they're not doing anyone any harm, let them.
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
There are people who spend tens of thousands of dollars on DwarvenForge, miniatures, and other accessories. For someone in that category, a good table is probably a reasonable purchase, alongside a home extension to safely store all of those accessories. For everyone else, there are a lot of practical, and cost-effective, alternatives to solve any particular problem.
If I had a spare $1000 to spend on D&D supplies, I'd probably opt for a better ambiance lighting/sound system and modular quality-of-life resources. Prioritizing gameplay experience, and versatility. Once I had checked everything else off my list, I'd consider a custom table (Maybe a set of chairs with under-seat storage for dice/minis/character sheets/etc... and electrodes to zap the players when they roll a Natural 1.)
If I was in the market for a new dining table regardless, then sure. I might spend a few hundred more on a high-quality multi-purpose table. Good furniture is a worthwhile investment.
I have a geek chic table, (they went under after they went on shark tank, but some people made a new company called band pass). Short version is I really like it.
Its a beautiful table, and I use it in my dining room. Like the one you describe, It’s got wooden planks I can remove and then have the gaming surface underneath. The game surface is about 2.5 inches recessed, so if I need to end a session mid-fight, I can just pop the planks on top and leave it until people come back. Its got a wet erase plastic on top of a 1-inch grid, so I can just draw buildings and dungeons as the players go. The players also liked it, because they could keep notes on the table, like tracking their hp or spell slots and such.
The complaint would be it’s too big. The game surface is 4x6 feet. I’ve never run a combat that used that much space, going back to 3.5 edition when I got it — and I’ve tried. Usually one player has to tell another where to move their mini, because they’re, like 4 feet away from the fight. Another down side it the way the planks come up, you tilt them up, and the lift them out. So if there’s any little crumbs or dust on them, you end up basically shaking them onto the game surface, and I like to think I keep a clean house.
Also, it’s really, really hard to find tablecloths for it, but that could just be the size.
I have not played on any of these. Usually, when I look at Wyrmwood's sites, I just get distracted by the entire idea of customized Carcassone meeples. I didn't think there was enough Carcassone in the galaxy that anyone needed custom meeples, but who am I...
I have played card heavy games on felt, and I enjoy the fancy way cards slide across it. I can't imagine a single D&D-related advantage. I play with little kids a lot and even they don't throw their dice off the table-edge often enough that I ever considered a lowered gaming surface.
I think the ideal candidate for an expensive gaming table would be someone with a fair amount of money, but not a lot of space. For the sort of grognard who already has a table in an isolated part of their home that will go undisturbed for an entire week; any old table will do for them. If you can walk away with a bunch of minis out and the kids won't bump the table and the dog won't eat them, you're good. This is where I live: on the end of the spectrum where space is at less of a premium than cash.
That said, I think Memnosyne has it right. If you're in the market for a piece of furniture anyway, some of these are lovely pieces of furniture. The Jasper seems to be priced in a much more modular fashion than the Wyrmwood. You can spring for the table and then if it's seeing a lot of use, you can start adding the piano bench chairs and magnetic dice cups.
Pretty much this. It's a luxury item. I wouldn't buy one, but I also am never going to buy a new car when I can get a used one of the same make and model from two years ago for half the price. Just depends on what your financial goals are and what brings you happiness.
I do think they're cool though. I would not complain if someone in my group got one. :)
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
I think you could do a lot by making "bracket" extensions for a regular table that would enhance things. A simple bracket device could include a spot for your drink, a spot for your dice, a dice tray for rolling dice and a spot for a mini or two. It could "clip" onto the side of the table and be out of the way to view the center of the table. Then you can pull up an empty chair between two players and set a PHB and other "note" type resources for the players to share. You can even set snack bowls on chairs around the perimeter. So there are plenty of things you can do before you get to spending a thousand dollars.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
I put together a nice gaming table that suits my needs for less than two hundred dollars. I used a glass tabletop from IKEA which has a “Hex Graph” pattern and set it atop a large long & wide Computer table. I provide dice trays made from some old Cigar boxes I lined with chamois (Car polishing) cloth so folks don’t have to roll on the glass.
That's an excellent point. A solid-wood piece of furniture, well-made and well-looked-after, will last for decades. You should be planning to will it to your heirs.
It also means that you probably should not be putting any technology into your custom table.
Today, a LCD TV is state of the art. 10 years from now, people will look at your table and say, "Not OLED? What are you, a caveman?". 10 years after that, AR may make the idea of a table redundant.
I do plan on willing it to my heir, but my kid doesn’t play D&D. It’s my greatest shame.
Xalthu. Kids can be disinherited. Tell them they have to reach at least 14th level if they want to inherit anything.
Well, let's not do anything rash. I assume the kid plays Pathfinder or something.
Pathfinder I could live with. I’m ok with alternative lifestyles. But no, no ttrpg of any sort.
now that is a rebellious kid not gaming I feel for you Xalthu
Maybe CCGs? Sometimes if played right they can be a gateway game to TTRPGs, not that I'd push...
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.