Here's the situation: We live in a split up & down house. We're the "down" but share the basement with our upstairs neighbors. They have the attic, and I don't know if they are using that or not, but they really haven't made much use of the basement other than the laundry.
I have used gaming boards placed on the dining room table before. But that's not 100% ideal for a number of reasons -- though it's not completely bad, either. It just involves cleaning off the dining room table, making the boards small enough to carry up & down stairs, and then the actual carrying of all the boards, terrain, figures, etc. from the basement. So its a bit of a hassle. But simply making some new portable boards to fit in the dining room is still one option.
The other is to make use of an empty corner of the basement, which has a clear space of about 12' x 13'. The end of the 13' is open and adjacent to the laundry area. So my basement limits are that I could put a table as long as 12', and probably as wide as 6' (leaving 3' on either side for the players.) One short end would be against a wall, the other would be next to the laundry.
So looking at my options I can:
- 4x8 portable tabletop for the dining room.
- 4x8 table in basement, plywood with folding table legs.
- (2x) 4x6 tables in the basement, plywood with folding table legs.. I can use them together for as large as a 4x12 table or a 6x8 table.
- 4x8 all wood table in the basement.
- Larger (6x8? 5x10? 6x12?) all wood table in the basement.
#1 is the easiest and cheapest to build, but involves an effort that usually prevents games from going on here in the first place. Also, using the dining room table with boards on top is somewhat unstable. But at least we get to play in a more civilized part of the house.
#2 & #3 are fairly easy and inexpensive to put together, and will still remain portable. If I really wanted to, I may be able to temporarily bring those tables up to the living & dining rooms of the house if I wanted to.
#4 & #5 will involve more building and more expense, but the tables will be nicer, can incorporate storage, and although slightly portable, they are more sturdy. If/when we eventually move into a single home, I plan on trying to secure a permanent gaming space and this is the sort of table I would want for that. I have a couple of ideas on the exact design, but two are my own and a third would be to use the Drunken Dwarves "Ultimate Gaming Table" design (adjusted slightly.)
I hate to say it but the portable No1 version will probably be best, just encase you ever fall out with them upstairs!! Have a chat with them first though, they be be happy for you to set up a permanent table, you never know????????
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