I started hosting a 6 player game in my 15’X11’ basement room of my house back in December. It was an ideal situation because the room wasn’t being used for anything and it had its own bathroom and kitchen downstairs away from my wife and 5 pets.
When we first got started I had a piece of 6’X3’1/2" ply board on milk creates. but I found that the table size was not the only issue, it was the entire playing area. Things like where players placed their unit trays, paper money, beverages, charts and not to mention where to roll their dice, all became compounding problems (and what a mess after a 9 hour game). Another space issue that people don’t think about until they they do a trial game, is how often players reposition themselves around the table, for better viewing angles, collecting pieces and using the bathroom. the days of classic where everyone sat in one chair in front of their power are definitely over, and its all about maneuverability now. A common request was…. “excuse me, but can I get by you there?”.
So… I took the time to not only design and build a table that would hold everything (and I mean everything), but I also had to plan my setup so that everyone was comfortable and had space to move. I built (2) 4’X4" pieces that could easily sit on my 6’X3’ pool table (raising the playing surface significantly). I purchase 6 simple, short, and wooden bar stools on sale for $12 each (a real steal). I placed a comfortable love seat against the far wall if people wanted to relax and sit on something other than their bar stool between turns. other than the table, stools, and love seat, the rest of the room is empty which allows more space for repositioning around fellow players.
The table has everything on it, I screwed 2’X4’ boards around the plywood edges so players could lean their elbows on them. the remaining dimensions can compensate for the game board in the middle and all the unit trays lining its edges including trays for chips, extra facilities, dice and all the roundels for each player. At each end of the table I built a dice tray for rolling with laminated battle boards stapled to the table close to the dice trays. The biggest thing I noticed was how everything was contained on the table and after a 9 hour game, all that was needed was gathering up the pop cans and beer bottles. It made me feel better about the possibility of losing or damaging pieces and after a long game, I could just turn out the lights and walk away.
If you are going to host a 5-6 player game of A&A Global on a regular basis, my advice is to make some small improvements to the playing area between each game. I understand that I am fortunate to own a house with a basement room, and that everyone doesn’t have that option, but I would also do what needed to be done even if I was back in my basement bachelor apartment (I would just get rid of the fridge and stove and order pizza forever).
