Top 10 Game Room Essentials 

I don't have a game room, we play in our living room, and there's always a guy who switches on the TV and don't pay attention to the game. And when it's his turn, he has no idea what's happening and takes a long time. It pisses me off so much, especially when I'm explaining the rules. Definitely agree with Zee here, no TV!

I took an old 3'x4' cork board, took the frame off, laid down a corduroy piece of fabric, and reattached the frame to create a portable table top. The older board is heavy, but it is solid. I put this on top of our kitchen table and it gives more inches around the table for game space. It is a great solution for improving your current table.

Can you do a video showing around the room you are in?

100% with Tom when it comes to phones around the gaming table. The worst offenders are the ones who use their phones when I try to TEACH THEM THE RULES.

I'm not sure if a top ten format was the best for this list since you guys agreed for the most part. I wonder if a video specific to setting up a game room, including a list of all that stuff you covered, might be a better fit for the topic.

I'll only agree with Sam on the charging station if the charging station is at least 10 feet away from the table. I get very twitchy when people are texting/watching videos/playing other games on their phones while we are supposed to be playing a game. Otherwise they need to be on the other side of the room.

I agree with Sam about having a variety of games, but you can 'get' that variety by asking others attending to bring some games that might bring said variety.

I was skeptic of Sam's #1 because it was so obvious, but yeah. I think the "diverse" aspect is pretty relevant if you're gonna bother to have a gaming room you should have a number of different types. Like he said, short games, light-hearted games, easy to learn games for new players, then ofc your 4 hour beasts, heavy strategy, super rich theme etc etc. for those who want a more involved experience. I even think I agree with him making it #1 after presenting his case haha

Thanks guys...you've just 'made' me go out and buy a new shelving unit to tidy my boardgame collection...why do I keep watching your videos you keep costing me so much money...you also 'made' me buy the whole of the Tannhauser collection...

Perfect timing on this list, guys. I'm buying a house this week and a game room is high on the list. Some great ideas here, thanks

Good points. I think I have most covered. My garage is being converted into my gameroom: 2 Kallax shelves for my games, some decorative wall posters, for now a normal table, but saving up for a gaming table with vault, plenty of power outlets, dice tower, dice trays, so many dice, a tablet for those games with an app, a radio, mini fridge, good lighting (adjustable), 2 small windows for fresh air, airco unit for heating/cooling, plenty of natural light from the entrance (door and window with matte glass), I need to get some decent chairs, and I even have an attached toilet. And a permanent setup space for my videos! A dream come true.

The top thing for me is a good large table top. I made one myself 6feet by 4feet for UK£90 last year. MDF base, batons and skirting board for the structure to give the raised bar around the edge, that I *love*, some wadding on the MDF base and then everything covered with velveteen material that I got from a curtain making store. It is in two halves, and goes on my dining room table. Takes 90 seconds to rearrange my room and we are gaming. I also agree with the folding side tables and half those exact same ones that you showed.

As was mentioned on the Spellslingers series - if your surface is tricky and you need to pick up a card, rather than slide it to the edge of the table or use your nails, hold a second card and slide it underneath to pick it up.

Zee needs to go on tabletopaudio (dot com). It's amazing when I play any thematic games. It enhances the boardgaming experience rather than distract away from it.

You guys killed It on Tom's #5 the Snacks Stash. I was laughing out loud!

That was a fun discussion! And it got me thinking about how I could turn the largely unused spare bedroom in my house into a dedicated gaming room -- it has a built-in bookcase, even -- if it weren't for the fact I"m going to be moving away in a couple of months. Well, timing is everything!

Agree with Tom...I almost would rather no phones allowed be the rule instead of having a place for people to charge them. Can't stand phones while trying to do pretty much anything else that is none phone related.

Games weigh more than books? If you stack your shelf full of books, it will definitely have more weight. Games also have empty space in their box, books don't.

I agree with Tom…having a plastic container of different dice, me poles, Monopoly pieces… helps. Great shelves are a must.

When it comes to games to have in the gaming room as a basic set up. I recommend having a selection of games that are minimum 3 player with a few of those being up to 5 or 6 and a few that can go up to ~11 players to accommodate what ever number of guests you end up finding yourself hosting. In that have a selection of cooperative (board or card), two classic card decks, a dice set or two for pure dice games (maybe more for larger crowds depending on the type of game), and tried and true party games that are good intros for new people - be it new to your home or new to gaming. When it comes to sound, If the conversation dies when everyone is looking at their cards or figuring out their strategy, it is nice to have background filler that can only be heard when it gets dead quiet, and even then its fairly quiet. I have put together a playlist of "Epic Background" music that consists of what essentially is a soundtrack playlist that is either instrumental or has choral that works great for this. Good standbys for this are by the artists Globus, Immediate, and Apocalyptica. Otherwise, like what others have said here, I enjoy tabletopaudio - albeit slightly louder than what I've said because it sets the mood.

I had lawnchairs in my old gamestore and they were constantly getting broken. Kids would lean back in them and the back legs would shatter sending the kids across the room.

Thanks for this video guys! Definitely made me laugh in some parts of this video.

In regards to the side tables, We once were playing Atlantic storm (out of print game) and someone spilled a bottle of beer right on the cards. Somehow we were able to clean its up and there was no actual noticeable damage. But that's a hard to find game. You don't want to spill beer on that one.

I'm thinking the obvious addition to all this talk of posters, shelves, tables, fridges and all is "A wife willing to let you dedicate a room in your house to gaming and fill it with such geeky stuff" 😆

In case others are curious too, you can setup check simple light diffuser by putting wax paper over your light bulbs. It really helps. Also I found LEDs bulbs help with glare.

Something I think that should have been amended to Tom's "Extra pieces and dice" would be pens, pencils, and paper. They're helpful for keeping score, tracking life/damage, or for any game that requires you to write (because typically the pencils the game comes with are terrible). While not specifically a "board game piece", I think having a couple good pens/pencils and some pads of paper around can be really handy.

Seems like the dice tower Xmas bonus should be Kallax shelves? Maybe a kickstarter stretch goal?

I live in an apartment and keep my games in the hall closet. Most of this list is out of my scope. We play in a small dining room on a normal wood table. It connects to the kitchen and is near the living room. What is something (at least one thing small thing) that would provide the most drastic improvement on our gaming experience at home???

#1 Oxygen. Come on Sam!

Folding "TV Dinner" Tables, as Sam mentioned, is a great one. I use the ones I have for keeping drinks & other such things, along with holding the game manual, FAQs, etc if needed. I'm always terrified of something getting spilled. Even better, there are such tables with adjustable height, so you can actually slide them partially under the table when you don't want them all the way out.

I agree 100% with Sam! A side-table is a great idea (unless you have cupholders built into your table)!. I can tell you from experience that it royally sucks when somebody spills a drink over your hard-to-find special edition and very expensive promo/expansion items!

Two top 10?! It's just Christmas again. Also nice topic!

Chair to table height ratio is very important especially for shorter and taller people (me). If Zee had a higher / booster seat he wouldn't have the shoulder shrug issue.

I'm surprised that "door" didn't make the list. How else are you going to "shut the door!" Another great list, guys! :)

Tom, I'm in desperate need of shelving and took your suggestion, but the KALLAX series shelves on the Ikea website seem to have no back to them, instead they are open on both the front and back sides... am I overlooking something or do they not sell the style you have in the video anymore? Thanks and I love your videos!

I'm so glad they have the links to the different spots in the video. Turned this 50 min monstrosity to less than 10 minutes. Almost down to 5

All my gaming meetups happen at a local brewery. Plenty of drinks and snacks on hand, tables that are easy to pull together and split apart. Granted there are televisions on every wall, but they're all muted.

I usually bring my own extension cord when gaming at a friend's place ^^ but we usually just use our phones for bordgamegeek rule-checking and stuff like that and the OCCASIONAL text message.

Really good advice. I like this video a lot!

My family always wants the TV on when we play games... I no longer play games with them

I love Zee's reaction to Sam's number 1. worth the whole episode.

You guys shouldn't stop doing top 10s, it's awesome :(

Talking about Wall decor; I wouldn't mind a nice artsy poster with first bump and Tom laughing in the middle @8:21

Can't... laugh.. any mooore! :))) It started with Wi-Fi troll, then not too attached bathroom sketch, followed by "good night" honey in an armor suit and finally the stuff catching butt :D You guys (and especially Zee) are on fire today :)

You guys should do a top 10 board game boards. It could be about the best artwork on a board, or even the shape of the board too. There are a lot of cool boards out there and a lot of bad ones. I would be very interested in the ones that you consider the best! Thanks, I love you guys keep up the good work.

Can I just add one that I figured you guys would mention .... whiteboard/mini whiteboards. Whether you use them to score or for portions of the game than need writing/memory aids .... just a must!!

You guys should REALLY do a Microgames Top Ten! I didn't see one but I would really like to see a games list with "pocket" games.

39:40-ish I picture the robot from Big Hero 6 knocking all of the books over when he is trying to get past the bed! XD lol

I'm wondering if the difference between Zee and Tom/Sam not liking and liking the table is the height at which they are sitting, relative to the table. Looking at the video, Tom and Sam are sitting with their elbows more-or-less straight down onto the raised lip, whereas Zee's, being slightly shorter than them, have to be a little more splayed - this will put his natural elbow-swing at a different angle, which could be why it's less comfortable for him. Zee, try boosting your sitting height a bit, just to see if that makes a difference to the confort of using the table (I'm not mocking you for being short(er), I'm a stunty git, myself, but looking at the video I could see there's a difference in the latent vertical level of your shoulders, compared the other 2, and also this manifests in the angle that your arms rest on the table)

Totally agree with these, but especially Sam's number one, as obvious a choice as it may have been (truth be told I was expecting it to be everybody's number one..). My collection's at around 120 games right now, and I've made sure I've got at least 1-2 games to cater to; every sensible player group size, every mainstream genre of game, various levels of intensity, and a few from various themes to ensure nobody is left wanting more. I don't want to spoil people for choice (because I know from experience with video games - having too much choice leaves you with being so indecisive you end up playing none of them) but forcing somebody to play a genre of game, or a game too complex (or too simple) for them, is something I never ever want to do.

Sam is right on the charging station. The people I play games with NEED to be able to check their email because they are always on call from work. Tom doesn't have that kind of a job, so I don't think he understands that need.

Yeah, Tom, you're right. I bought this thing for half my monthly income, and owning it has literally saved my life, and it's one of the most popular things to steal, and I've frequently made use of it in games, and some games even call for it now, but I'm totally okay with leaving it in a different room out of sight because you're worried I might be a little rude. "A charging station" can be as simple as putting a chair next to an outlet. If it's across the room from where people are sitting, nobody worth playing with is going to get up and check it unless it actually rings, which is not a particularly common occurrence for most people, since non-business, non-emergency communication is usually in text. If they do, hey, great litmus test for uninviting people from future gatherings!

you can get one of those felt roll-ups that are for taking jigsaws off the table without messing them up. they are very cheap and excellent for card games

Thank you Tom for saying music (sound system) directly after Zee so that he could say that lyric free music could be ok.

I agree with Sam. Most phones need charging by evening time so why not have charging available to your guests while they are playing.

Melodice is a great website that matches music to specific games!

Tom I agree your extras wall is a dream. We like tweaking games somewhat so having a bunch of stuff to be able to add is a real cool thing. In our case yeah it would be top 10 but I can see how like think it was Zee who said ya don't need cause games come with pieces. So yeah i agree with ya the wall of extras a must lol great vid guys.

I agree with Zee on the music/tv for the most part - I'm a music teacher and its really hard for me to hear background music and not be distracted by it, especially pop and/or classical music. However, if the music enhances the theme of the game as Tom says then I'm on board (pun intended). I also would never watch TV during a gaming event unless there was a sporting event on and I wanted it muted but watchable. For example my game group is all in the same fantasy football league so while gaming on Sundays after church we will mute football as we game.

The only reason I can see a phone charging station in room would be a good idea, is if the person with the phone requires it for work purposes (but still on the other side of room away from non-work related distraction). Otherwise I all for having a No Phone gaming room.

If i was going to make a game room i would certainly include a TV with a vcr. I have a small collection of old VCR games.

Game room essentials: #1 - people to play the games. (drops the microphone)

you guys need to make a top 10 replayible games , or like most variability. that's a really important aspect of a game for me.

Bless Sam for talking about adequate furniture for all body types because, while I agree with Zee that heat makes me leave places really quickly, I'm even less comfortable in a space if I can't even exist in it without feeling cramped or on lookout so I don't break stuff.

Having a good selection of games at your game room is a good thing, but not a necessity! In my gaming groups I'm usually the one with most of the games, so unless I know we're playing a game the host owns I'm going to bring a couple of games with me. Granted, I enjoy hosting game sessions myself more but unfortunately it's not always possible. The thing that the game room really needs the most is seats and a good table. Having a small table is the thing that really cuts the variance of games. If there's a small table I can't bring my heavier games even if we wanted to play them.

Agree 100% with Tom... Smartphones ruin board games and RPGs. I make my players turn them off unless they're expecting an important call or put them upstairs (our game room is in our basement).

I think putting a charging station out of reach of the table is a great Idea. If it's nice enough guests would feel inclined to use it, and if it's in the room then they don't feel inclined to leave and check every few minutes.

that intro was LIT FIRE

I have two tables. One big for more epic games and smaller one 80/80 cm and 35cm high. That small table is perfect for small games, "pillow" gaming (RPG for example). I use it as well for X Wing where table is a space limit and you see everything on spot. It is easy to take outside to garden and play on fresh air while sitting on a blanket or grass. I will add as well that floor heating is perfect as I hate to play with my feet getting colder and colder each minute. Overall I am for Zee list - as that is true that you may play on the floor (many times I did) but if light is wrong...it is not good to play at all.

Agree with Sam here, people will use the phone at the table if it isn't plugged in, if you set a station somewhere apart from the gaming table it won't keep people from their phone but it keeps them from using it at the table.

Sam, in case you can't change the type of lighting you use on your game room, how about using some sort of diffuser? Oh, and about the chairs... _Armless_ chairs are the best. Especially if you have a small space in between the table and the wall/shelves. Extra dice are important. We use them all the time. Counters are helpful too. I'm with Tom here. 32:20 - We need(ed) a picture of that wall. ~49:20 - GAMERS?! Not all the time! I don't want them to live in my gaming room!

Completely agree with Zee on no TV in the game room, but I disagree regarding music. I always want music going in the background!

I think alternate monetary units, dice and some paper and pens would be good for a game room. But not the 4th most essential item. It'd probably be my number 10.

I am using Billy but that is because I have more books than games. Billy is only 29 cm deep. Older flat games like Risk is sticking out quite a bit (meaning it has insufficient support). The Kallax series is 39 cm which obviously is much more space for the games, but too deep for most books.

loved this top ten list! i know this will make Sam and tom mad but could you do a top ten solo games?

A few Top Ten List Ideas: Top Ten Counters - Be it number wheel, dice, sliders, sand timers, or anything else. Top Ten Drinks & Snacks Top Ten Game Room Rules

I guess my take on the phone issue is....why would they need to charge a phone if they weren't using it to the point of obnoxiousness? Or they didn't charge their phone when they should have....which is not my problem. I always have my phone with me when gaming....and can honestly say I have never needed to do an "emergency charge"....I just don't use my phone much while gaming.

There is a yellow, Vizier meeple missing from my Five Tribes game. Tom, is it on your shelf?

On the matter of tables ... Tom did you see the 3 different table-makers in Spiel ? Have you got an opinion on those ? How do they compare to yours ?

Does anyone have suggestions for basic, versatile supplies? I'm really confused as to why this Top 10 List didn't include much in the way of supplies, and then that the comments here don't seem to suggest them either... For example, shallow/small bowls for holding players' pieces while playing a game (so they're not in messy piles, easy to pick up), extra dice, poker chips, sand timers, small pads of paper, stock of pens or pencils, extra wooden pawns/meeples, and a deck of regular playing cards come immediately to mind, but I'd like to know what else would come in handy to have on hand (not extra duplicates of specific game pieces, but basic supplies that might be pulled in to any number of games to make gameplay go more smoothly). A couple other thoughts: If someone owns a tablet, that's easier for looking up game rules online than on the small screen of a smartphone. I always have a digital camera on hand to take photos of the players and the board (an actual camera gives a better feel than people using smartphones to take photos).

I agree with Sam's charging station idea, although I also agree with Tom that phones can be annoying. Most of my gaming group consists of Mom's that need to be able to be connected if needed. What I do is I'll set up a charger across the room on the counter so a phone can be charged and is within hearing range BUT it's owner can't be using the phone as we are playing. I'm ok with people responding to text or catching calls if they need to but I don't allow phone surfing.

Totally with Sam on the phone charger. I travel a fair distance on public transportation and my phone is often close to flat when I arrive. It is good hospitality. People will just use their phone until it goes flat. I tend to carry a charging bank to use in emergencies too.

We have a semi-habit/custom of playing themed music very softly in the background. As Tom indicated, it is nice to enhance the theme and improve the experience. Kinda like elevator music.

This is most hilarious top 10 on dice tower so far. :D

I would say a 'Game Room Essential' or really something essential for hosting in the first place would be hosting skills. Prepare the game beforehand (really important for those who play D&D, Pathfinder, etc). Make sure you have a plan when it comes to food (Ex telling people to chip in for pizza beforehand or have something prepared). Make sure the room is tidy (Bathrooms too!). If you have children and they're not participating in the session then make sure that they're taken care of. Any pets are out of the way. Have other activities prepared if something goes wrong, and make sure your guests know what is going on and that you know what's going on with them! The most put together game room can be ruined by a bad host. The dingiest game room can be saved by a great host.

You guys are spot on! I also agree that there should be NO televisions in the game room! You should be focused on the game. Tom has a point as well with the cell phones/ charging station.

My game room practically all of this (which is great). Plus it has a wine fridge (even better!).

+Sam Healey I wonder if one of the reasons You picked 'games' for number one is simply that without a decent game collection it is not worthwhile to invest in room dedicated to gaming. One'd better spend money to expand the collection itself.

I agree with Sam that a wide, diverse collection is very important. Sometimes when my friends come over during week we don't have enough time to play an epic long game so I have a couple of filler and light games. And during weekend when there's more time we pull out heavier games. Also i managed to get my mom into hobby so i got some games that i can play with her and won't be too hard or too geeky for her.

Sam's No. 5: Side Tables - Great, especially for clumsy people like me ;-D I actually flooded a boardgame once and soaked some cardboard pieces in juice. Thanks to the good quality of the pieces and the help of my fellow gamers the game wasn't ruined too much.

Guys, where can ai find pictures of game rooms? I am looking for sone inspiration, since I am just starting mine. I have around 50-60 games, an ok table and chairs for 6. I am buying ikea shelving soon, but I would appreciate cool ideas for decoration and organization :)

Betrayal at H'o't'Hill this weekend w/ some multi-hour ambient horror mixes playing in the background (Old City Leviathan by Atrium Carceri if you're interested). In full agreement that music can greatly enhance theme - also in full agreement that it can distract. TVs in particular destroy any meager concentration I have.

I like music in the background. Themed music. I have spaghetti western soundtracks for Bang , the Dice or Colt Express. Creepy music with wind howling for Dead Of Winter and so on.

Lighting is up there for me too. I am colorblind and bad lighting makes things much worse.

Totally agree with Zee on Sam's number 1, one's collection shouldn't be dictated by other's interests, if they really want to play a game, shouldn't they own it? The gamer room should be the way YOU want it to be. No need to waste money.

Sam: what you were trying to say is this. A clean tidy space is important because even if your space is super small, if its clean and tidy it will feel larger and spacious, and will feel "safe" to walk around in. Tom: I agree 100% with spare parts. I can't count how many times I've come across a missing die, pawn, pencil or money.

I gotta vote with Sam on #4. Off the phone but charging nearby. Some of us have to be available to family/work/whatever during a gaming session by phone.

Where do they live that air flow is so important?

Usually I don't agree with Tom, but on the phone thing, yes, I 100% agree; in my experience phones have singe-handedly ruined gaming. There's even a person that is just not invited to gaming because he's on the phone ALL the time and then never knows that it's his turn, or misses rules, and so on (among other reasons too though).

in our gaming shop (an mtg shop to be exact), we play board games. we do and really are cautious with players who smoke and those who have drinks. of course, we dont want our cards and our boardgames to be wet or may yet become an ash tray (accidentally). we can bear the noise though.

I agree with Tom, why do you need to charge it in the room if you’re not using it