Here at Board Together we always knew we would have a games room. When we went house hunting it was on our ‘must have’ list. We did have to sacrifice our garage, but it has been worth it. After 5 years our games room has evolved. We now know what works and what you really do need for a nice area to play games.
Lighting
Do not underestimate the power of the light bulb. You can play for longer when you can see what you are doing. There is nothing worse than squinting at cards through gloom. My parents conservatory has thousands of fairy lights, it looks super pretty and works well for most situations. Try playing a boardgame at night and it becomes a nightmare, far too dark. Mike went for super, super bright LED bulbs from Ikea. We have lights on the wall and directly above the games table. The lampshades are a little low, there have been few dents in heads after playing Attack Wing. Gives us a giggle!
Chairs
Make ’em comfy ones. Seriously, no one wants to sit through an eight hour Twilight Imperium marathon with a dead leg or butt that has gone to sleep. When you see a chair you like in a shop, sit in it for a long time. Browse through our blog 😜, get on social media, play a game. Just take your time and at the end think ‘are you still comfy’? (Ikea has some horrible chairs. You sit in them and think wow, how nice. Give it 15-30mins and you are in pain when you get up. So it is worth checking)
Bonus tip, have a few cushions on standby, like these awesome Meeple ones!
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Table
Ours came from a Marks & Spencer boardroom (they were getting rid of it, we did not just walk out the shop with it!) This table is awesome. It starts out standard size, yet can fold out to become a monster that can hold Firefly – with the expansions included!! The picture shows one of the bigger boardgame boxes with one of the smaller ones. No problem with this table! It really is best to get the biggest table you can afford/fit into your games room.
Bonus tip, get some different table cloths to copy the geek chic tables on a budget. 😜We have a faux leather one that saves the table when we are painting or making a mess. Then we have a velvet type one when playing with cards, as it makes the cards easier to pick up. We also have one with cameo print that acts as ‘terrain’ when playing with miniatures – double sided with sand on one side and classic green on the other!
Game Storage
Billy or Kalax, ’nuff said. 😉
Ikea really is the way to go for most gamers. They offer enough choice to fit any games room/space.
Extras
We have a few handy bits and bobs lying around our games room. They get used more often than you think.
Card Holders
Pencils
Spare Dice/Tokens
Pack of Playing Cards
Drinks Coasters
Dice Tray
(this one has a velvet base, there are times you will really appreciate a quieter way of rolling dice)
Um. . . Someone To Play With
There may be solo games out there, but to be honest, this hobby is all about relaxing with chums. So more important than any games room essentials, break open a beer and have fun gaming wherever you are with friends.
Do you have any Games Room Essentials not on our list? Let us know in the comments below.
Our blog posts include affiliate links to Amazon, who share a small amount of revenue with us if you buy something through one of these links, which helps support us. We will always recommend the boardgames and products we enjoy playing and using — and of course you’re encouraged to use whatever retailer you prefer.
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