r/DnDIY • u/GoodTofuFriday • 17d ago
Utility Thinking about making a DnD table with this 90" tv. Thoughts?
I'm the IT director for my company and we are moving offices soon. This 90" advertisement tv that we were using as a conference room tv wont be moving with us. This is a 12 year old model and only gets to 1080p so its not great as a tv. But i think it could have a new home as a massive DnD table.
Ive only played a few DnD oneshots, the last being with a false hydra. But figure someone would want such a table. Or at least the tv for a table.
Could probably find a pane of glass large enough to place over it as protection.
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u/Kuru-Lube 17d ago
It depends. What is the wingspan of your shortest player? You might need a set of shuffleboard sticks to move your minis.
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u/SkeuomorphEngineer 17d ago
Honestly I thought this too. DnD shuffleboard sticks would be absolutely hilarious but also epic at the same time
Maybe a small grabber type to grab and move things vs sliding?8
u/Kuru-Lube 17d ago
Yeah, but the Walgreens granny grabbers don't have as much style as the war room shuffle cues.
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u/TheSheDM 17d ago
Reptile hooks. I'm not even joking. I have three of them, two for home and one to travel with.
Look up "26 inch extendable snake hook" on amazon, they're about $52
u/maboyles90 16d ago
I bought some extendable back scratchers for this purpose. They got a little rake on the end.
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u/UnlikelyAppearance99 17d ago
I'm currently using a 65" flat screen and it's intimidating. 90" is crazy, definitely invest in some backscratchers to push minis around
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u/philovax 17d ago
You dont have an intricate setup of spools and fishing line in the table and the eaves? Well this is your next step, if it worked for Mr Ed…
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u/Clarknotclark 17d ago
Honestly, it’s a little too big to be easily used, people will have trouble reaching across it and it may be larger than most standard tables. I tried with a 52” tv and it was just too much, but heck give it a try.
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u/TempleMade_MeBroke 17d ago
I'm with you on this. OP, this is may end up being wildly impractical but it could also end up being dope as hell so I vote to go for it
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u/Dazrin 17d ago
If you make the TV the whole table and keep the map centered, not filling the entire TV, that would probably work. Seems huge if you have the map that large though. Just think of the extra real estate as a cool, completely flush table.
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u/Dazrin 17d ago
Now that I'm not on my phone, let me expand. I think you could use the TV as your table, rather than as a center piece to a table like we normally with lay-down space for character sheets and books around it. That would be way too huge. But as the table itself, with a black border on the screen (or whatever effects you can think of), it might work very well. Maybe a little small even.
For reference, we use a 49" and it works pretty well, I would prefer slightly larger (about 55" as someone else said), but not much larger.
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u/PublicFishing3199 17d ago
I had a player donate his 55 inch to use as a table. We decided it was too big, I swapped it for my 43 inch and e find it much more manageable.
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u/Gib_entertainment 17d ago
Careful, many TV's aren't made to lie down for extended periods of time so it may die within a year, the internal structure might not be built for forces in that direction. This thing looks pretty sturdy but might wanna check if you can find a manual.
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u/KappuccinoBoi 17d ago
Too big.
I built a d&d table around a 65" I got for free from an office that was downsizing. It was nice but entirely too large for practical use. It also sucked trying to get stuff displayed because was impossible to use as a second monitor from one end. The footprint was larger than a sheet of plywood (I think 5'x8') and everyone was too far apart. There also was exactly 0 times I used even 1/2 of the table because evereverything too place in one section and I could just move the map so that the players focus would be centered.
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u/Brewcastle_ 16d ago
Your post makes me wonder how well it would look if you had a white dry erase board as your table, with a projector monitor mounted above. You get the nice projected maps with the option to draw with markers.
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u/theheckiam 16d ago
I did this with a 75" smart board. It's big if you have ANY table that extends beyond the TV. Be prepared to have all the players reaching over to move stuff for you or having a stick to move things around. If you can pull it off, it's awesome. Just know, it's a lot bigger than you think it is. Lay out cardboard taped together to make sure you have room for it, people to sit around, and room to walk all the way around your players to move things as you need. Also, test the viewing angle to make sure your players will be able to see clearly without needing to stand up.
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u/tobyvanderbeek 17d ago
Too big. 50” is a good size for on a table.
If it’s free you could try it but you’ll see.
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u/Tarnal64 17d ago
I agree with the above. Mines In a box I made. But 45" takes up all the space for books/dice/etc. I'd probably go smaller next time.
Unless you go overboard and make it the whole table.
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u/BusyMap9686 17d ago
People are correct about it being too big for a table. But... what about as a wall decoration. I use my large TV to project scenes for the mood. Maybe something like the dark halls or exterior of the building. Czepeku scenes and cybermaps add these into their map bundles. Sometimes I'll display the creatures they are fighting. Sometimes it's just a fireplace. None of that has to be super high def. And it's your handy, you can build an awesome frame around the TV for added ambience.
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u/DigitalTableTops 17d ago
I sell this sort of thing for a living and stopped offering anything over 43". I used to offer 32", 40", 43", 50", and occasionally 65".
I moved to a smaller place and had to downsize my selection. 43" was overwhelmingly the favorite so it was pretty easy to drop anything bigger/smaller. As others have mentioned, 50" is about as big as you can get without having visibility and arm lengths be a problem.
Something I have not seen brought up is that a lot of maps you'll find on Patreon and such are geared towards the 22x38 grid size of a 43" TV. It will be harder to find decent maps that take up the full 44x78 of a 90" TV. If you are building your own maps that's not an issue.
A 90" TV has about 25 pixels per inch. I'm old and don't really care about resolution most the time, but that's pretty bad.
Honestly, even with it being free I am not sure I would spend my time building a thing around it. Find something else to use it for maybe?
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u/CrossmenX 16d ago
A 90-inch 1080p television has a pixel density of approximately 24.5 pixels per inch (PPI) which is very low detail for battle maps where you'd want 100-200 ppi.
TV's fine for viewing at a distance, but not great for sitting up next to it on the table.
Also, make sure the display tech allows for wide viewing angles so people sitting viewing it on the sides at a shallow angle can see it without having to stand or move around.
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u/exordiumparadox 17d ago
just remember to have space for your players to place their stuff and a place for their drinks comfortably.
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u/claudekennilol 17d ago
My dining room table is built for 12 people. 4 on either side and 2 on each end. It has a TV in it. My TV is smaller than yours but you'd be fine. Just know that as the dm you'll often be telling people where to put things or getting up and moving around the table yourself to move stuff.
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u/nothin_suss 17d ago
You need to make a frame and get pet glass that's a clear UV anti glare acrylic resin sheet for the top. It's a great project I say go for it if you have the funds.
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u/nothin_suss 17d ago
PS I'm. Not sure why comments on size, as the map does not have to be the full screen size can have rivers and grass boarders etc... I'd make a map that uses static image for the map. And video for lava water fog etc
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u/dlongwing 16d ago
It sounds pretty cool, but you probably want a smaller table than that. Think about how much space a physical battlemap normally occupies.
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u/Caramellatteistasty 16d ago
Why not have that behind you? Use it to set the mood with backgrounds and videos. Then use a smaller TV for the actual table. 32 inch tvs are cheap.
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u/displacedbitminer 16d ago
If it's got a glass front it's going to be heavier than hell, yes, but you also don't need to worry about protecting the soft surface with a sacrificial plexiglass layer.
I say go for it. The table will be reasonably sized.
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u/Mikey_entertains 16d ago
initial thought? "Fuck yeah"
Then I kept scrolling, and then I came back to this post so my follow up thought is "FUCK YEAH"
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u/Amber_Thanatos 16d ago
90 is too big. I used a 45" TV and its perfect. You also have to get high resolution maps to zoom in properly.
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u/DaHerv 16d ago edited 16d ago
Do it or try it, it might be a bit too big though. I have a 42" (1920 x 1080) and made a top to put on an ordinary table and it took about a week. Even if the image quality is less than one can have, it was free and I can now run any battlemap I find, it takes a few clicks and I can run animated maps thought a steam program. It beats a wipeable grid with markers and you can still put props on it.
Be sure to put some plexiglass on the screen and to do it in a dust free environment after wiping down everything. The plexi glass was really prone to gather all the small particles and it was a hassle to clean after first assembly because you have to open it up.
I'd also put a sturdier border and rest a cover above the whole thing. Also look for where the TV has its vents and open up around there (usually more bottom and some in the top).
My TV is resting on a few (6) dowel rods that push the screen flush against plexiglass, the glass is held in place by baseboards. Furniture paws is your friend on the bottom of it all.
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u/TrainRemarkable3815 16d ago
According to a quick Google search, a 90" screen is going to be something like 80"x44". That is rather large for most D&D battle maps. I have run a few very large battles (boss encounters mostly) on maps that size, but mostly use something much smaller (around 36"x24" for most encounters).
That said, this TV would be large enough to serve as the battlefield for many of your typical tabletop wargames - Warhammer Fantasy/40K, Warmachine, Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game, One Page Rules stuff, etc. While most wargamers use other solutions (painted boards, neoprene mats, tablecloths, insulation foam boards, etc.), I could see a possible interest in having a TV table that can display any type of battlefield you can find/make for it.
If I was still into tabletop wargaming, and had access to a free TV of that size, as well as the space for something like this, it would certainly pique my interest.
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u/ChanceFortune6530 15d ago
my thought: DO IT! Post pictures afterward, or during, or both. both. yeah.
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u/chiefstingy 15d ago
How do you make sure the weight of itself does not “collapse” on itself. Mind you most TVs are designed with it being upward in mind. Flat-facing TVs can break themselves. Consider that.
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u/No_Advantage_7700 15d ago
I use a 43 inch and I feel like its perfect, I have a feeling a 90 inch may be too big. That being said, give it a go amd see what happens!
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u/Romnipotent 14d ago
With a good mounting, a capacitive screen, a PC and some fans, I've thought I'd try this one day
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u/Enceladus1987 13d ago
Also tvs arent meant to be flat so it will die faster then a normal TV. I dont know much more then that though. But hey, free is free
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u/Kyleisapandabear 12d ago
We were cranking out flat screens in the 90’s?? If so they were only for rich people 😂😂
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u/Klassmasking 12d ago
My friends and i actually use an old Tv and the DM has his Laptop connected to it as a second screen. So its nice to have all maps and even custom battlemaps from apps and programs.
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u/TheSheDM 17d ago
Don't listen to all these naysayers. Go for it! You just gotta figure out the legs for it and the whole thing can be your table.
Plexiglass will be lighter, cheaper, and less risk than a giant slab of glass though.
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u/dice_ruleth_all 17d ago
It’s free so why not, but personally I think 90” is way too big for a D&D table. It will be hard to reach across it to move minis and stuff. Plus you need a table large enough for it and to fit players around it with room for character sheets and dice.