Friday, January 3, 2014

Friday Rucht Hour: Man Cave Mission #1

Happy New Year everyone! 

My buddy Nick just got a new place and with it, a tremendous new man-cave. His priorities being in the right place, he and his dad built a new gaming table as soon as they could. Here's their result….


The whole table is approximately four feet wide and eight feet long. It's the perfect size to have two side-by-side Warmachine games running at the same time. Those familiar with Mik's own man-table may be familiar with these dimensions. I'll get into detail later as to why it's a tad longer and wider than 4' x 8'. 

Now, right away, you'll note that the table is high. Much higher than a dining room table. It assumes that if you're at the table, you'll be standing up. I love that, because when we play wargames, people are almost always standing. When you play, you're not stooping over and killing your back. So, if you guys are thinking about making your own gaming table, consider making it a bit taller than usual. Another side-benefit from its above normal height is that later, Nick can add rolling drawers on the bottom for peoples' books, dice, or even minis. These can be added without worrying if the drawers will run into people's knees if they are sitting at a chair at the table. 

The one downfall I saw with the higher table was that it was more difficult for me to lean over the table to measure or see templates on the field. So, there is that to consider. 


Perhaps the best feature of the table, for me, was this nice touch. A rim! They used a series of 1" x 2" planks to make a small rim all the way around the table so that your minis won't fall off. It's even better for dice! No more running after dice because some of them get knocked off of the table. 


Here's a view of the legs of the table. 



Another nice feature - these blocks have bolts that screw into the table above. So, the table top is secured to the base, but you can take the top off of the table for easier transport. Later, if Nick wants to have different table tops with perhaps different colors or semi-permanent terrain, he can do that. 



The first game on the table! The big, pink disc in the middle is a scenario objective. 


Here's some of Nick's terrain, now properly placed. He's finally got a space large enough to set it out and view it. 




All for now, guys. Look forwards to more terrain talk. As you demanded! 


2 comments:

  1. No comments!?!?!

    That's a heck of a table. Free form or did they use plans of some sort, and if the latter where do we find said plans? Good looking terrain on that table too.

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  2. It was definitely planned. Nick is an engineer, so every aspect was cut and built to specification and design. The height was especially important to him and it's a very high table, but as I said above - I kind of like it. The rim around the edge of the table though was just pure genius.

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