RPGaDay2024 Day 28 - Great Gamer Gadget

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This isn't exactly a gadget, but it's something that I've had on my wish list since I saw it.

I've always wanted a gaming table, but have never really wanted to spend either the money or the space to have one. The nice ones can replace a dining room table, but they also cost several thousand dollars.

This table, the Gamefold table by Yarro Studios, is really just a folding table with special features.

Dual Purpose

The real value of gaming tables is that you have the game you're playing setup, but then can put a topper on it, so that you can use the space for meals and other home uses, in between games. This is really valuable for board games that either have a very long setup time, or games that have a long play time, and no "save game" feature to get you back to where you were. It's also valuable if you have a multi-session combat or dungeon exploration going on in a TTRPG, with miniatures that you don't want to have to photograph and setup for the next session. (It's also valuable for larger jigsaw puzzles and Lego builds, but I don't tend to do those.)

It's also true that the neoprene mat is really nice to play on, so if you're playing a card game or something similar, the gaming-surfaces can be used even if you don't need to save your game for later.

Just tonight, though, my wife and I were playing Dominion. We normally play one set of cards twice, to try different strategies with the same cards. We stopped after the first round with a new set of cards and had to put them away, after recording what we were playing with. With this, we could have just covered the cards up, to pick up the game tomorrow.

Attachments

Another nice feature of gaming tables is the ability to add attachments to the table. These are normally a place for drinks, laptops, books, dice, etc. which attach to tracks in the table. In the case of this product, it apparently have three tracks that can be used for different attachments, and universal attachment add-on devices which you can use to "mod" the table.

I have no educated opinion about the correct numbers of tracks, and don't have my head around which accessories I'd really use, but the ability to have them sounds really nice--and they are inexpensive enough of an add-on that I feel I could figure it out later without feeling I'd wasted money. Also, different events might very well have different accessories that you'd want to use: drink coasters for playing Uno or similar with family, and dice holders and personal tables for RPGs or more complex board games. Assuming I understand how the tracks work, it might be nice for something like shared resource pools---slide the "bank" to each player when they take their turn.

Portable

What I find really compelling about folding gaming tables is that they can be stored and moved as easily as generic folding tables. I don't 100% understand how that works with the tracks, toppers and accessories, but seeing videos of how easily the store was nice, as I have space where they could go. I like the idea of bringing a table to someone's house for a game night...and potentially leaving it there so we don't have to put it away before we can finish the game.

Why not Costco

In discussions of this table, people said that they'd paid significantly less than these prices, for sturdy tables from Costco. Those tables were also height-adjustable, portable and had a large surface area. and were definitely cheaper than the $250 for the base table. Because the GameFold tables haven't shipped yet, we can't really do a side-by-side comparison, but here are a few thoughts that aren't just from marketing material:

The raised lip around the table, which contains games, game pieces, dice and so on to the table. This also serves as the mount-point for the various accessories and is what the table toppers sit on. Costco tables do not have this, and creating one would require cost and the modding of the tables.

Two tables can be combined with an attachment, to form a 6'x5.5' gaming surface. I have some RPGs and a few board games that requires a LOT of space to play them effectively, so can see the value of this. And even for smaller games, a 3' playing area only allows 1.5 feet of table space per person if they are facing each other.

The materials they advertise as part of the preliminary plans are generally high quality, and the specs for the tables, shelves and such are impressive. They said that the table will support 400lbs and hopefully higher as they finalize the product. 

Not Marketing

In case it's not clear, I'm not advocating for this product. I've personally always thought game tables were a very cool concept, and this seems like a budget-friendly approach to getting one. However, it hasn't shipped yet, and while the company has a strong track record for other products, this one is a furniture project, and might have issues. These prices don't include shipping, so unless they start selling in retail locations, they are going to have another $60-100 in costs beyond the prices listed. Also, while not an expensive add-on, the neoprene mats are not included in the base cost...and for the full double-table set, with shipping, neoprene mats and a few extras, you'll quickly hit $1000. Less than the $2500+ or so for a quality wooden table of similar specs, but also not wood.

In any case, I look forward to the first hands-on reviews, to see if this is a must-have or a "maybe someday" as part of my gaming setup.


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