I live in a small apartment that is a  bit oddly shaped. What  does everyone else do for tables who live in small places? I know theater of the mind is a good option but I prefer mats and miniatures (plus I spent a lot of money them lol)

Thanks for the input

I used a foldable table way back when. Alternatively, reserve the actual table for battlemats and the like and minimize the player's allocated space. They don't need to have their books, snacks, notepads, dice tower etc on the table - maybe a small dice tray and (if they're careful with it) a drink, everything else can go under their seat or on a side table somewhere. Prioritize, only what has to go on the table gets to go on the table.

I used to game with a group that played around a square coffee table. It was probably 3’x3’ and there were 6 of us. 

There is/was a kickstarter for a raised area which can be put on top of a normal table - so the map and miniatures go on this higher "mini-table" and underneath (on the main table) can be placed your character sheets, tablets, drinks, food, etc.

Enworld just had a post about book - and board game-style battlemats that might be useful.

https://www.enworld.org/threads/mapping-it-all-out-with-help.682005/

When I had a small circle table, the table was for the game (map, mini, ect) and each player got a folding tv tray for their dice,char sheet ect.

Quote from Farling >>

There is/was a kickstarter for a raised area which can be put on top of a normal table - so the map and miniatures go on this higher "mini-table" and underneath (on the main table) can be placed your character sheets, tablets, drinks, food, etc.

I got myself a folding table for camping, cut off the legs, and added battery operated LED lights underneath. That table can sit on top of another table, so you can have your character sheets on the 'ground level' and battlemap on the '1st floor'.

Quote from Xalthu >>

Enworld just had a post about book - and board game-style battlemats that might be useful.

https://www.enworld.org/threads/mapping-it-all-out-with-help.682005/

 

There are also additional ideas in the comments of the article. it's a good read.

I just didn't host when I lived in a small place. I still don't except in rare cases, but now it's because my place is not that close to everyone else.

It can't hurt to ask the group if anyone else would like to host. Worst case, no one offers and you can go with some of the other suggestions here.

Yeah, sort of with scatterbraind, if you were doing theater of the mind, visual aids less sophisticated than battle maps (sketch work and the like), a small apartment can work.  But if you want to do battle maps and miniatures etc. a lot of these solutions are going to sort of make a "shrine" of the setting and the added respect/consideration that needs to be granted to the table top (everyone has to be egg shelly because of knocking, risk of spills etc) it would actually become physically uncomfortable for some if not all players (especially if you have any large statured or framed players).  So honestly, if a intensive miniature play is essential to your game, the group devising a larger space is probably in order than compromising within the small space.  I can fit five comfortably around my 3'x6' table.  We do theater of the mind with some visual aids and a lot of prop type documents, no miniatures and the table gets pretty dense.  Food and drink are handled in a different room there's just too much hardcopy and electronics on the table to risk someone not able to hold onto their Mountain and/or Tullamore Dew.

I don't know if you watch Deerstalker's One for All, but when I'm playing with 2-3 players my set up is actually a lot like that.  I got an L shaped couch with knee level coffee table.  I allow beverages in that set up ... and I don't know why I guess I have inconsistent venue thinking.