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bartmetz
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Need advice on game tables

by bartmetz Fri Jul 01, 2022 10:14 pm

Well now that I have a good video game room with the everdrives for my systems, I think it's time to look into making a family game room.
I have a buddy making me an arcade cabinet with mame so I'm good on that but I need help figuring out on what type of gaming activity I should choose. For now I can only do one. It's a toss up between air hockey, fooseball, or pool table.
I don't know anything or any good brands or the pro or cons of these. I just want something easy pick up and play method. Any help would be great. Thanks
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MrPopo
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Re: Need advice on game tables

by MrPopo Sat Jul 02, 2022 12:22 am

Pool needs a lot of space around it; the other two are both smaller tables and don't need as much space around. Air hockey only lets you do 1v1, while foosball can handle 2v2.
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Ziggy587
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Re: Need advice on game tables

by Ziggy587 Sat Jul 02, 2022 8:35 am

You can get a 7 foot pool table, but I would advise against it. I once got a 7 foot pool table for my home, but it always felt very awkward to use compared to the standard 8 foot table. Like a kid's toy version of the real thing. I ended up getting rid of it. It may be a good choice if you have young children, but I wouldn't recommend it for adults. If I had room for an 8 foot table, that would be my first choice personally.

Air hockey tables also come in different sizes. I don't know what the "official" size is, if there is such a thing. The larger ones I've used at arcades are always a blast. The smaller ones I've used at people's houses can be a little limiting. I find that the puck flies off the table way more on the smaller tables versus the larger ones. Just like the 7 versus 8 foot pool table, a smaller air hockey table might be fun for children but not so much for adults. But even a larger air hockey table I don't think is as large as an 8 foot pool table. So if space is an issue for an 8 foot pool table, you might still be able to get a larger air hockey table.

Foosball would take up the least amount of space. And like Popo said, you have 2v2 play. So this is your best option if your limited with space.

Typically billiards is 1v1, but there are games suited for 3 or more players. Cutthroat is meant to be played with 3 people. Each player is assigned 5 balls (1 through 5, 6 through 10, 11 through 15). Your goal is to sink other people's balls. If all of your balls are off the table, you lose and are out of the game. It's meant for 3 players with 5 balls each, but I've played it a few times with 4 players. Three people having 4 balls each and one person having only 3 balls (to be fair we would assign the best player with 3 balls). It's a little more crazy and unbalanced with 4 people, but it's still great fun. And it's a total blast with 3 people. It's probably the most fun I've had with friends shooting pool.
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Anapan
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Re: Need advice on game tables

by Anapan Tue Jul 05, 2022 2:26 pm

I travel a lot (always) for work, and if my job is more than a week, I get an air bnb so I can cook and live like a human. I don't play physical games often or well, but I often have game rooms, and often have large groups of co-workers over. Even the hotels I stay at have game rooms sometimes, so a small gathering is expected at least a couple of times per job even I don't host it.
#1 game is poker or other gamble played with a nice poker-chip set and good playing cards
#2 is dice, tho this is recent years and I think regional
#3 is pool. Only 8-ball, always popular, tho some are very particular about maintenance.
#4 is darts. Small and easily implemented, it only needs a strip of gaffers tape onn the f)oor

In descending order the rest that are often available. Most aren't played.
Air hockey
Foozeball
Ping-pong
Never board games - those are only family things.
If a hot-tub is available, it's often enjoyed.

If I could afford it, I'd love to have a physical Pong table.
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Limewater
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Re: Need advice on game tables

by Limewater Tue Jul 05, 2022 3:55 pm

If you don't have a particular game in mind, I would advise against getting a dedicated table. They're expensive, take up a ton of space, and any good-quality table is going to essentially be a uni-tasker.

If you have young children you'll be giving up valuable floor space, and you'll have to constantly worry about them climbing on top of it and messing it up. And table games tend to be pretty noisy, limiting the hours in which you can play them.

There are some really nice gaming tables out there that can be used for anything from poker to Warhammer to DnD campaigns, but it doesn't sound like those are the kinds of games you were thinking of.
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