Game Topper Features Breakdown and Review

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Күн бұрын

Jamie from The Secret Cabal Gaming Podcast gives an features breakdown and review of the Game Topper created by Game Toppers LLC that will be funding on Kickstarter on Wednesday September 20th, 2017.
To be clear, this is NOT a paid Kickstarter preview. We were provided with a Game Topper for the purposes of review.
For more information about the Game Topper check out their website at www.gametoppersllc.com.
For our audio podcasts, The Secret Cabal Gaming Podcast and our Role playing game show, Lords of the Dungeon, check out www.TheSecretCabal.com or iTunes.
If you would like to support The Secret Cabal, please check out our fundraiser at / thesecretcabal
Facebook: / thesecretcabal
Twitter: / thesecretcabal
Board Game Geek Forums: www.boardgamegeek.com/guild/1145

Пікірлер: 113

@jeffhayward7159 6 жыл бұрын

Production on all Secret Cabal just keeps getting better and better. Great job, guys.

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much Jeff!

@kenmacnabb2380 6 жыл бұрын

Amazing review, and I love the idea of a table topper rather than a high end board gaming table. I will definitely have to keep an eye out for this KickStarter.

@raymow9683 4 жыл бұрын

TY for your time on a thorough, fair & balanced review. Very helpful.

@ledbetter10 6 жыл бұрын

This was the best video I've seen on this yet and was super helpful for me to decide if I want to get one. Thanks Jamie!

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Awesome! So glad it was helpful :)

@talesofcardboard3986 6 жыл бұрын

Great video Jamie. As with your game reviews, informed, honest and supremely helpful. Thanks!

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! I really really appreciate that comment. Made my day.

@RollingSolo 6 жыл бұрын

Nice job Jamie! Looking forward to showing this off when I get my hands on it as well. Great idea and affordable. Burky did a great job with the design.

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Yeah he did a great job on this. Excellent work.

@richardtrout 6 жыл бұрын

Great review Jaime. Thought it was excellent how you helped pose the questions we should ask ourselves.

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Richard!

@HymnsAndRacketball 6 жыл бұрын

After Jaime was finished shaking the table with such firm precision and hard eyes, I felt I needed a cigarette.

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

I have that effect on people.

@HeatherHurst1979 6 жыл бұрын

ROFL

@devinhenderson6502 6 жыл бұрын

Lmao

@EclecticCamel 5 жыл бұрын

LMAO, omg.

@raymyers700 4 жыл бұрын

4:00 makes me laugh every time I see it.

@Monkeyshaman 6 жыл бұрын

The day Ikea starts making 6x4 tables they'll make a killing

@Whisperhollow 4 жыл бұрын

Currently Costco sells them for much cheaper than anything I could find at ikea. Costco had a 40"X60" with a leaf to expand to 40"X72" with six nice chairs for under $500 total. Perfect for the Holmes!

@Monkeyshaman 4 жыл бұрын

@@Whisperhollow Costco isn't a global operation and feet doesn't convert neatly into inches.

@Whisperhollow 4 жыл бұрын

@@Monkeyshaman costco is nation wide in the same country where "Game Toppers" are manufactured and one foot is precisely twelve inches.

@Monkeyshaman 4 жыл бұрын

@@Whisperhollow then it's easy to calculate how many inches is in 4ft 😉

@Whisperhollow 4 жыл бұрын

A four inch overlap of the topper on each side will not cause instability.

@Epicfailgaming001 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome review. Sweet product. Thanks for reviewing this.

@twenty-sidedturtle2107 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Jamie. This looks like a buy for me, the lip was a concern for me too. Also, the videos are looking great, keep them coming.

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks! So glad you're enjoying the vids!

@5h0rtr0und 6 жыл бұрын

The red cabal cobra looks amazing!

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jon. Burky asked me to design a mat that I can use in my videos. I wanted it to be simple and kinda lower profile. I also like the messy, grunge design style myself so I went with that texturing again.

@5h0rtr0und 6 жыл бұрын

Any chance you'll be making the mat available on its own? It'd go great with my cabal shirt even without the topper ;)

@manonfire4jc 3 жыл бұрын

Something no one seemed to mention was that this is a great solution for people who don't have the space for a permanent gaming table. Set up play your game and then store it in the toppers bag. I dig it. Maybe it's not for everyone, but I like it.

@Ry0kanzaki 6 жыл бұрын

Looks pretty cool, I'm already have my heart set on the TOUG though. This'll be a nice option for a lot of people.

@BrianLiles 6 жыл бұрын

Excellent review Jamie. My main concern was the overall height of the topper and you answered without me having to ask. It looks like a fantastic product and right in line with what I am looking for. Thanks for using my money wisely and shooting content I want to see! lol

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Awesome! Glad I'm on the right track Brian. Thank!

@TimGaastra 6 жыл бұрын

Great video, Jaime. Really nice job, and it helped me get interested in the product (though I was already completely interested and been following them for a couple months already. One thing though, that Static picture of you sitting at the table with your hands folded reminded me of the slow pan in The Shining where it focuses on Jack Nickolson's face in the photograph at the end. :)

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

REDRUM.

@Hakucho64 2 жыл бұрын

Nice balanced review, congrats!

@Bearpaw01 6 жыл бұрын

9:09; I like how Glory to Rome has a place of honor on a shelf nearly all to itself.

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Damn right. It belongs in a museum!

@thefelix7767 6 жыл бұрын

Excellent video. I had two questions about that table. One was the height, which was properly addressed. The other one is the distance between the support rails. Basically what's the smallest size a table can be to support this. From your video with the white folding table it seems like 30" is enough on the short side. What's the minimum for the long side?

@MrPBS 6 жыл бұрын

Interesting. Looks like something I could really use since I have no real game space and the changeable surface is terrific, so a big pluse for me as well as it's portability. Price will be the big factor for me. Thanks for the review Jamie.

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks John! Glad you found the review helpful!

@mikaelbrresen983 6 жыл бұрын

Awesome work...hoping your mats will be avalible during the kickstarter..and that Burky will ship to denmark...

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Not 100% sure on that yet. You might see it in there but we'll both have to wait to find out :) And yeah, I dont know anything about international shipping. It'll probably be pricey. Burky can answer that one.

@GameToppers 6 жыл бұрын

We are working hard on options. One way or another eventually, we will be world wide. Current numbers are very high to ship overseas in a quality packing solution.

@the13th 6 жыл бұрын

Really cool concept, not an option for me here in Aussie due to postage costs but an inspiring idea of something I could look at making maybe?

@DementedDistraction Жыл бұрын

This looks exactly like something I would need for my setup, but they're still bafflingly expensive - they approach the cost of an actual game table.💀

@christianmadcow3018 6 жыл бұрын

Cool Review. For non US People this will propably will be too expensive due to shipping Rates. But i have a similiar ideal in mind but Not the free Time realize it. Nice to See that that idea should work. The Cobra neopren should totally be a kickstarter Addon.

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

I agree! Thanks Christian

@seigram1587 6 жыл бұрын

I want to get this so badly

@jtsuno8079 5 жыл бұрын

I find the mat seems rather flimsy. Is it easy to take the folds out ? And once it is in place, does it move a lot ?

@JPWestmas 6 жыл бұрын

yeah I was going to get one of these but I need the 4 feet for miniatures games. I'm actually looking for a 5ft. x 5 ft. So I can put papers and tokens down but without putting them on the playable area.

@boardgameaddict1966 5 жыл бұрын

What game are you showing in the video?

@krishickman1306 6 жыл бұрын

Hey Jamie, I wanted to check in with you on the size vs. the games you play situation. I could see Massive Darkness in the background of one of your shots during this video. Have you tried playing that on the topper? I know it can hog a ton of space, especially with more players. If so, wondering how it held up space wise. Great review, can't wait to see more on the way!

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Hi Kris, Actually i have not tried that game on the Game Topper. I dont think it would be impossible. Might be a little cramped, but I think it would be fine.

@johnmalabanan1437 6 жыл бұрын

I guess we have different ideas of affordable, those prices lol. Might as well just build my own.

@jeffm2222 6 жыл бұрын

I've been shamelessly shilling this after I saw it at Dice Tower Con this year! I'm just not sure if I'll be able to back it. T_T

@LeoLewis 5 жыл бұрын

Crap... Now I know what Jamie looks like. Unsure if I can listen to podcast again. What should I do?

@HeatherHurst1979 6 жыл бұрын

Man, those mats are awesome! The red war cobra one is gorgeous. I want to buy one of those for our table at the very least :)

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Yeah I love it too! I'm not sure if they'll be available or not. Only Burky can spill it on that.

@GameToppers 6 жыл бұрын

We hear ya Heather. Jamie is a stud graphics guy and his design is eye popping for sure. Working on something if we can hit some goals in our campaign to make that available to everyone! I'm sure it will be a Cabalist favorite.

@HeatherHurst1979 6 жыл бұрын

That would be awesome. Even if not this specific one, it would be really cool if you sold the mats separately. Since the advertisements say you can swap them out I'm going to assume you probably will, but if not that definitely has appeal in my book!

@aaronrobbins1458 6 жыл бұрын

link to the product?

@danielnilsson430 6 жыл бұрын

Looks awesome. Until they mention shipping costs to Australia. I want that Cobra neoprene though...

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Yeah, international shipping would be really tough with something this large.

@igelkott255 6 жыл бұрын

How about selling just the metal parts, the rails and corner pieces for us doityourselfers??? It certainly would save a lot on shipping!

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Not a bad idea actually. Might also be good as replacement parts if you accidentally hit the thing with an ax or something.

@GameToppers 6 жыл бұрын

We did discuss it, and ended up deciding that the types of glues and process needed to make sure it performs right made us decide to go this route, but it might be worth exploring more. Thank you.

@Mackerachi 6 жыл бұрын

So when does the KS start? Monday or Sept. 20th? :P

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Oh sorry about that. It's next week, Wednesday the 20th. I originally had it starting on Monday but the date was being moved around and I edited the description incompletely.

@rictushep 6 жыл бұрын

Hi Jamie - great review. How difficult was it to get the mat to be smooth and stable after rolling it out? Given that you have to tuck it in on the sides, I’d worry that it would either be too hard to get the wrinkles out (if the bottom surface of the mat has too much friction with the table), or conversely that it would slip around on the table if it doesn’t have enough friction. Is there something that keeps it in place once you’ve got it tucked in?

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

It's not hard at all in fact. Neoprene doesnt slip around easily at all, the rubbery backing prevents that. I've never had it slip around while playing. Getting it into place isnt particularly hard either as If you just press down and pull, it'll inch into place easily.

@toomanybarts 6 жыл бұрын

I’m worried about creases in the middle or the mat curling up at the ends or corners - does the mat slot underneath anything to hold it down at the ends?

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

toomanybarts I have not yet experienced the rubbery neoprene curling up or getting any crease anywhere. It works just fine for me.

@user-ol7xj6qz7l 5 жыл бұрын

This misses the main point of a gaming table, which is to be able to pause games without putting them away...

@liamcage7208 3 жыл бұрын

As of 2020 these table toppers are horrendously expensive. I priced out one yesterday, If I actually decided to buy one my wife would divorce me, SHe'd get the house and I'd get the table, lol. >

@nickhayes1626 6 жыл бұрын

This looks amazing! Has anyone heard a possible price that we're looking at on these things?

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

They are up on KS now! www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461413365/game-toppers-quality-affordable-portable-gaming-ta

@nickhayes1626 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jamie!

@Zeonoir 6 жыл бұрын

As a cabinet maker, this hurts my eyes ^^ Some cool ideas to steal though, when i eventually build one of these.

@Awesome_Force 5 жыл бұрын

A topper is a good idea. I looked at custom gaming tables before and they were a few thousand dollars or more and I was like WTF!? I could build it myself for so much less. Now I think I'll just build a topper myself since I like to build stuff, but I'll just buy a $200 table from the store so it can be a normal dining table when I'm not gaming on it. But for my friends that aren't adept at building stuff, I'll recommend this since it seems like good quality and is affordable.

@JasonPX 6 жыл бұрын

I understand the reasoning behind the 3'x6' option as they want you to be able to add the mini-rails to each half section and be able to field two 3'x3' toppers; however, it will be a huge blunder if they don't have a 4'x6' option. Personally, I'd be fine with doing the same with the mini-rails and having two 4'x3' non-symmetrical mini toppers.

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Yeah me too, I get the reasons. But yeah, 4x6 of playable space is really important for bigger games.

@MrShooter72 6 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I am probably going to pick-up the Watson, as I find the 36 table width of the Holmes a bit narrow. However, with the Watson, I am still losing 2 inches of play space side to side and the length is identical to my current table. However, my current table is oval. So, I do gain the corner space and the benefit of the rails, but I would be all over a 72 inch by 48 inch option.

@Coophack6584 5 жыл бұрын

None for sale?

@GameToppers 6 жыл бұрын

Hey now Cabalists! I wanted to chime in briefly. We are live on Kickstarter now! www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461413365/game-toppers-quality-affordable-portable-gaming-ta?ref=popular It is going fabulously well. Join us for the fun! We have some very special things planned for you. Thanks everyone.

@ehamel70 6 жыл бұрын

You didn't mention that there will be a optional "arm rest" so that you can use just one of the two halves on a coffee table or what-not (unless they changed their minds about offering that).

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

The one I have can't do that. Maybe that's a smaller model? Not sure.

@ehamel70 6 жыл бұрын

Ahh, I watched an older video about these... they mentioned that feature or maybe it was only an idea he had. Either way this is a pretty cool item, thanks for sharing with us.

@GameToppers 6 жыл бұрын

For both our full tables we do have an accessory rail that will allow you to convert your half topper into a mini topper. so the "Watson" 38 x 60 can become a "Hudson" 30 x 38 or the "Holmes" 36 x 72 can become the "Lestrade" 36 x 36.

@ehamel70 6 жыл бұрын

Hah, I wasn't crazy... Lol.

@GameToppers 6 жыл бұрын

The Secret Cabal Gaming Podcast actually I do have an Accessory Rail that fits the Watson and Holmes Toppers that will turn half the Topper into a mini. If ya need one, I know a guy.

@tjblues69 6 жыл бұрын

Hey Jamie were you able to turn your into a coffee table model like Burke has talked about in other videos. I hope so because some of my friends don't have full size tables. Also you could use it in the comfort of the living room. Also thanks for all of the great content you guys put out. I'm hoping that a Lords of the Dungeon video is in the pipeline!

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoying our stuff. This model does not become a coffee table. I'm not sure if that's going to be a thing or not with other models. That's a question for Burky, the creator.

@GameToppers 6 жыл бұрын

@tjblues69 6 жыл бұрын

Board Game Theater Kevin Burkhardsmeier Thanks for making that clear. That is one of the main reasons I am going to back. I love the versatility of the GameTopper.

@mrpobear 6 жыл бұрын

Wow at those prices, I might as well just buy a wooden table and a mat. I like the product, but the price is just way too high.

@Ry0kanzaki 6 жыл бұрын

11:12 Ikea garbage!? Ikea is the lifebloood of most of our collections! lol

@Thesecretcabal 6 жыл бұрын

Oh believe me. I have plenty of their garbage in my house :)

@Jorthax 6 жыл бұрын

What was the game at 10:30?

@cristoloca 6 жыл бұрын

Nobody? I really like to know it 2

@Jorthax 6 жыл бұрын

I think it was Mare Nostrum.

@Beyondthebat89 Жыл бұрын

Was interested til I seen the price. For that much you can build your own or hell even buy one

@diamondmeeple 5 жыл бұрын

Of course the table get much higher.... you can see his arms elevated... this is not a problem? Let me discuss the benefits: a) The edges is there to stop the dice... well this can be fixed by using dice trays... b) You get a better surface .... well you can buy a big gaming mat only... c) You can protect the game with cupholders on the outside... well knocking those cupholders from underneath looked as dangerous as having the drinks at the table... its better to have smaller tables beside and/or behind the players. These tables can also hold snacks and similar.

@Thesecretcabal 5 жыл бұрын

Sure it does sit higher and there are pros and cons to the whole thing and thats why I presented all the information in the way I did - so you can see it from all angles and make a decision about it. This table is great for me and we all enjoy it, but it's not the right solution for everyone out there.

@diamondmeeple 5 жыл бұрын

The Secret Cabal Gaming Podcast I see several pokertables, some with normal table tops would be much better. Why? they feature great comfortable padding on the edges and nice cloth in the middle. Ok... the only real benefit I see is that some board game tables let you cover an unfinished games (deep enough with cover boards) and if you are a RPG gamer some feature DM screens that can be integrated. To me personally there is an added benefit with choosing pokertables, they are actually sold in my country (compared to the boardgames tables).

@diamondmeeple 5 жыл бұрын

The Secret Cabal Gaming Podcast www.pokerevents.no/collections/bord/products/homegame ($1066) and seperate small tables behind/at the side of players www.pokerevents.no/collections/bord/products/sidebord

@svensify 5 жыл бұрын

As expensive as most whole tables. Where is the sense of this? 😂

@EclecticCamel 5 жыл бұрын

Is this the mat you washed in the shower?

@Thesecretcabal 5 жыл бұрын

Haha, no not this one. This one is a "Watson" size which is 38" by 60". The one that I got in the shower with to clean it is the "Mycroft" size which is 48" x 72" (4' x 8'). The Mycroft mat is taller than me by over 2 feet!

@EclecticCamel 5 жыл бұрын

@@Thesecretcabal I can see the headlines now: "Man drowns in own shower cleaning giant game mat"