Frugal Game Table Creation in Ten Minutes

Among the many odd jobs I’ve had over the years, I worked at a blood bank for a while. One day I saw a donation table was being thrown out and decided I’d keep it. It’s a custom design, with a narrow length on wheels and with pull out boards and shallow drawers. I’ve had it for close to ten years in my office where it's been accumulating old computer equipment and not living up to its potential. After hatching the webcam plan, I decided to convert it into a game table. The old thing will get to see a little more blood before it's retired.

So how to make a game table in ten minutes? This stuff.

Before and after pics...

I wish it wasn't quite so narrow, but I might be able to help that by just painting the pull out flat panels as well. I made a test sketch of a dungeon from Knockspell #3. I see using this more for quick sketches than drawing complete maps, and building interiors would work especially well.

It's probably a little cheaper than a battlemat, although you'll have to bust out the ruler for distance measurements. I might put some thin lined hexes or squares on it with paint or fine point white sharpies. You could paint a very large area with one quart - the can says about a hundred square feet. Plus you'll have something the kids can play with and can use for other games or practice their math skills on. I recommend using foam sponges for laying down the paint - coarser brushes may leave slightly raised streaking.