Table Sprawl- The Line Must Be Drawn Here!

Picard and the Line Must Be Drawn

"They invade our space, and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds, and we fall back. Not again! The line must be drawn here! This far, no farther! And I will make them pay for what they’ve done!" - Cpt. Jean-Luc Picard.

Picard was my Captain of choice growing up, so whenever a trend in the boardgaming space pushes my buttons, I take the Picard route. However, one thing has finally pushed me to my limit, and that’s table sprawl!

The Table Sprawl Problem

For most of my life, when you wanted to play a game, you grabbed the game and plopped it down on the closest and most convenient four-sided object and gave it a play. That could be a coffee table, a picnic table, a folding table, or whatever, and said four-sided object’s dimensions never entered into the mental equation.

Increasingly over the last decade, whether a game will fit on your table is an important part of any new game discussion.

High Frontier and Table Size

When I built my own gaming space a few years back, the size of my table was an absolute factor based on one game. High Frontier 4 All. You may be asking yourself, “self…how does one pack the solar system onto a gaming table?” Well, I’m glad you asked, and the answer is, “just barely.”

The game’s board is 900mm x 600mm. If you’re like me and don’t know what a millimeter is, that’s about 35.5” x 23.5”. Now, if you’re a borderline lunatic, also like me, and wanted to go with the larger neoprene mat, you’re looking at 1350mm x 900mm, or a little over 53” x 35.5”.

This meant that I needed a table with a 6’ x 4’ play area, something similar to this Kingswood table. Choosing that size also meant I could play a full game of Warhammer when the mood struck me, so win-win! [The joke was actually on me… to accommodate the game I actually need to include at least two side tables for player boards as well.] 

At that time, some of my friends laughed at my choice of such a behemoth table. However, time has been very kind to that choice, as more and more often, games are extending their tendrils farther and farther across my hulking table towards and even over the edges.

Speakeasy and Player Boards

One of my favorite designers, Vital Lacerda, recently released a new game, Speakeasy, and this game’s main board and side boards stretch across approximately 1300mm (51”) of table space and the main board’s width is 500mm (~20”). This doesn’t sound bad until you take into account the huge player boards that would sit on either side of the game board in a typical 4-player setup. Those boards add another 212mm each (~8.5”), so the total width needed to simply fit the game board and player boards comes to a whopping 37”. I’m rounding, so it may be somewhere between 36 and 37, but that’s still A LOT.

I’m not picking on Vital. Again, he’s one of my favorite designers, but having received this game recently, it’s at the top of my mind.

Designers and publishers… the line must be drawn HERE, NO FARTHER!!!

I am NOT going to upgrade my table again. I don’t want any more games that are bigger than this, and in fact, I want a little room to breathe on my table once everything is set up.

Most 4-person dining room tables are between 48-60” long and 30-36” wide. Sure, some folks “can” have bigger tables, but this shouldn’t be the expectation to play board games. Let 2026 be the year that games achieved perfection, not when they couldn’t add anything more, but when they couldn’t take anything else away… and the required table space reflects that.

I’m actually working on a game design myself, and table sprawl is a consideration I’m giving serious thought as I look at board design, potential side boards, etc. My goal is that the game will fit onto a 36” square table. Based on my current design pace, I’ll let you know if I succeed sometime in 2030.

If You’re Considering Getting a Gaming Table…

Ok, if you’ve made it this far, you’re probably thinking about your own table and considering whether it fits the bill. Well, if not, I have a few recommendations based on my own experience shopping for a table, using one, and playing games that have a massive sprawl.

First, a caveat- if you don’t have the space, scale my recommendations accordingly.

1. If you have room for a 6’ x 4’, go ahead and get it. 3’ wide tables can be fine, but the incremental cost vs. the gained playable space is worth it, to me.
2. Purpose-built gaming tables offer added value that may make it worthwhile.
   1. First, these tables offer tons of accessories that can add convenience and free up table space. Cupholders are a no-brainer, to me. As someone who lost a copy of Viticulture, ironically to a glass of wine, let me tell you the value of peace of mind is there. I’ve spoken about bit trays before, and whether you’re using silicone muffin cups or purpose-made accessory trays, an organized game table is a happy game table.
   2. Tables with a playing well keep bits, chits, pieces, and dice from finding their way onto the floor and into the dog’s mouth or stabbed into the bottom of your feet.
   3. Covers (or toppers) that protect against spills leaking through let you walk away from games without abandoning the table’s other uses.
3. Invest in a few TV trays for cost-effective side tables that can be easily stored.
4. Don’t forget about chairs. Your rear end will thank you for it.

I haven’t regretted getting a gaming table. It’s made me want to play my games more often and has made my house a social hub. Whatever you decide, I hope you enjoy playing your [reasonably-sized] games.