San Diego "ultimate game table"

We have been dreaming of getting ourselves one of these for a while now.  Inspired by several on the net, the group decided to spend a couple weekends (and a few hundred dollars) and build our own custom made table for RPGs and wargames.

Our goals:

• Table had to be the right size...big enough for 8-10 players but not so huge that it couldn't fit in a small garage (basicaly not larger than a ping pong table)
• Table had to be movable.  We wanted to be able to put it away on non-game days.
• Sturdy, low to the ground, and pedastle style.  The last thing you want to do when playing a game is knock a table leg with your foot and send half the minis flying.  We also wanted a table that was no more than 30" off the ground to both sit and reach comfortably.
• 3 discrete areas:  player game space (rule books, extra figs, cards and dice), food/bevarage space, and communal game area for a map and terrain.
• recessed game area to make it easier to see over dungeon walls and to cover up in progress games between sessions.

The desgin process actualy lasted a few years.  We knew it was going to be a  lots and lots of dollars in materials, and none of us are experienced wood workers in any sense of the word.  Plus there are a lot of design challenges to overcome even for the simplest of plans... and what we wanted to do wasn't going to be anywhere near simple if we wanted to satisfy all our goals.

Eventualy however, it became pretty obvious that we needed something more than a ratty ping 

pong table covered in plastic.  One of our group had become fairly handy with power tools (of which he actualy owned his own small collection) and we had been gaming out of another guy's garage for the better part of a year.  It was time to bite the bullet, and here was the initial design:

Top view of the table design.  With the leaf it make a 10 player oval, and without make a perfect octagon.  Players have shelf space, an individual area, and the terrain space is in a lower pit.

Underneath you can see that the 3/4 inch plywood is heavily braced with 2x4.  Maybe even a little over built;

Still better to be safe than sorry.

Each piece seperated out.  2

 end table top pieces, one leaf, and two pedastals.  Modular and movable.  Individual sections would be held to gether with carraige bolts.

We ended up making several modifications to the design, mostly on the top of the table.  We gave players a bit more vertical room for thir shelves, but we ended up cutting out every other corner to allow space for beverages, snacks, and dice rolling.  Also as we begun to build we knew we had to do something with the ugly pedastles....they were about as elegant as saw horses and didn't look like they could give us the footsie room needed for marathon sessions.

Unfortunatly, the final designs are in my other digital pants so I'll post them this weekend.  Next post will include all the action shots we took over the first weekend.