The Ultimate Guide to Gaming Tables – No Matter Your Budget
No matter what you play, here’s a look at all the gaming tables you’ve heard of and some you haven’t.
~A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy? – A. Einstein
Hello board gamers, miniatures fanatics, and CCG enthusiasts, Ryan here to address all of your furniture needs when it comes to gaming at home or at a club. One of the things that adults do when they hit a point of fulfilling all of their survival needs is they begin accumulating things that bring them joy and building spaces in which to contain those things.
No nerd’s study or living room is complete without a gaming table to sort out the intergalactic feuds of Warhammer or Star Wars Legion, or a table to delve deep into the dungeons of a D&D session. Much like a PC gamer agonizes over which video card to spend a paycheck on and what components are going to build the PC of their dreams, the tabletop gamer can certainly do the same when it comes to the humble table.
I wanted to explore some options, for anyone getting started to the most veteran Gygaxian looking to upgrade. I’ve got some ideas that can help you find a table that is going to be functional, beautiful, multi-purpose, or dedicated to your beloved hobbies.
Gaming Table Metrics
First, some things to look for:
Quality – Make sure whatever you’re buying is a quality product that is decently reviewed. Especially look for items that are reviewed by people that are engaging in your hobbies. Tables are generally purpose-built with certain weight restrictions and lateral movement limitations. Also to consider, is this the last table you’re going to buy for your hobby, or are you just starting and still figuring out if tabletop hobbies are for you?
Purpose – Is the table you’re looking at going to be functionally appropriate for your hobby? If you’re going to play Warhammer, is it large enough? Will it support boxes, tubs, whole armies, and of course Titans and Battlemechs with certainty? We’ve all seen someone drop a model but the last thing you want is the table to collapse and take a Warlord with it. If you want to see a grown man cry, a shattered Titan is probably going to do it. If you’re playing RPGs or board games do you need areas for rolling dice, cubbies, screens, or anything special?
Price – We all have budgets, is your table going to fit yours? Are you looking for a long-term solution for a lifetime of gaming or are you looking for something that is temporary or just allows you to put it up quickly and get a game in? If you’re keeping it long term is aesthetic important?
Portability – Do you need to take this on the road with you?
1. Table Toppers/Pop-up Tables $50-200
The table topper is an excellent choice for D&D players, epic board gamers, and tabletop generals that need 6ft x 4ft dimensions that are limited by space at homes that have small footprints. There are many options ranging from DIY to prefabricated solutions.
2. DIY Gaming Tables $50-10,000
If you’re handy, and have some basic home improvement tools such as a drill, electric screwdriver, and something like a miter box or chop saw there are plenty of plans out there online to make the process easy. For those without tools, hardware stores like Lowes and Home Depot can cut lumber for you for a nominal fee. Most plans that I have seen come with a cut sheet that you can take directly to the home improvement store and have the employees cut your lumber.
I’ve seen many awesome tables that are homemade creations, don’t fall into the trap of assuming that because a table is DIY it is lesser. Here are some potential upgrades to consider when planning and building your own gaming table: drink holders, bottle openers, LED mood lighting, and of course a Flatscreen monitor built into the table for reference pictures, maps, or short clips.
3. Just Use Your Dining Table Free (kind of)
Plenty of gamers have gotten their start on the dining room table. It’s familiar, stable, and tested. It’s been there for awkward holiday dinners with in-laws, minor operations, daily meals, and endless games of cards, board games, and if big enough, Warhammer. The thing about dining tables is that they see action almost every day. So unless you’re living alone it’s hard to keep a game up and going for an indefinite amount of time.
At some point, someone will come along and ask you to take down your nerd gear so they can eat or host a meal. At the very least get a tabletop play mat. If you’re playing Warhammer or other tabletop wargames there are many companies that print awesome neoprene mats with every conceivable ecosystem, space station, or hellscape on them to give your games that much more immersion. Your wives, girlfriends, mothers, and boyfriends will be grateful that their dining table isn’t getting scratched and dinged as you throw dice and push miniatures across their lovingly polished table.
4. IKEA Semi-DIY Tables $750
IKEA hacking has been around since I was in college in 2007 and well before that. It really amounts to taking an IKEA product and converting it for different uses. The most common one that I’ve seen is the 2 Kallax 2×4 and 1 Kallax 2×2 with a 2x solid wood table slabs fastened to the top. This is not only an EZ solution but also offers great storage under the table to hold board games, terrain, miniatures, books, etc.
2×4 Basics $250
2×4 Basics create a series of heavy-duty injection molded plastic legs that have slots in them for 2×4 lumber. While the original intent of these kits was to build a workbench, they make excellent tabletop wargame tables. They are slightly taller than your average table and incredibly stable. I think with the recommended lumber and plywood they can support close to 2000lbs. More than enough tolerance for even the largest collections.
This is the solution that I’ve opted to use for my home table. I got finish-grade plywood for the top and even stained it so it looked a bit nicer. On the second shelf, I didn’t go the full length of the table, I created a half shelf for army storage and a double-high shelf for terrain, plastic bins, and other stackables.
5. Multi-Purpose Tables $500-5000
There’s a variety of manufacturers out there who build tables with a sunken well in them that allows you to remove planks that make up the table to access a 4-6inch deep box. This is great for storing your flatter tabletop games, board games or dungeon crawls.
You can also save your spot by putting the planks over the inset tray on the table, eating, and then quickly going back to gaming by removing the table planks. I’ve seen varieties that come as a table topper, coffee table, or dining table. Your hobby will dictate how much space you need and this will determine if this solution is a reasonable one for your family.
6. Dedicated Gaming Table $250-10,000
The creme de la creme of gaming tables. Maybe you have a room, basement, attic space, or garage bay dedicated to your hobby and thus you can leave your terrain, games, and miniatures out for play whenever. Now a dedicated gaming table with a permanent presence is not only potentially very expensive but you have to consider the space as well.
If you are already tight for space a dedicated table that takes up 24-32 sqft is a large space investment that may not serve you well. You’re essentially putting a billiards table in your house. If you’re not actively gaming weekly or your group meets at a local store the chances that you’ll utilize a dedicated table is small.
However, if you are a frequent gamer with space, that has people tramping in and out of your home for RPGs, tabletop wargames or epic board games a big table is a smart purchase where you can make fond memories for years. The range here is big but I would say at minimum a DIY table built off the 2×4 basics is probably going to be around $250. From here the sky is the limit, maybe a custom solution to fit a certain space is a requirement, or maybe it needs to double as a dining table.
7. Whatever Table is on Facebook Marketplace $Good Hunting!
If you’re budget-conscious consider taking a look at some of the online classifieds. Consider looking up things like Boardroom Tables, Office Furniture, Drafting Tables, Dining Tables, and even the IKEA furniture you’d need to assemble your own solution.
Sometimes you’ll even score a purpose-built gaming table with a lot of work put into it. With so many offices transitioning to remote work now is a great time to pick up used quality furniture. Consider recycling a well-loved table or refinishing it yourself for added savings.
Joe Manganiello’s gamer dungeon is a goal!
Happy gaming, and shop till you drop!
