Preface
I don't often write reviews, but I felt like this would be worthwhile since there's so little info out there on this company. I didn't receive any compensation for this, nor do I have any type of stake in the company or its owners. I'm just a guy who really enjoys his table.
Background
Our family had been using a 1st generation Allplay Jasper for several years. While it did its job of keeping heavy setup games ready to play in the vault while allowing us to have dinner on the toppers, it left a lot to be desired. Our two year old recently started drinking out of open cups leading to spills on a near daily basis. This quickly led to slightly damp Speakeasy then moderately soggy Gloomhaven. The breaking point was a completely drenched and ultimately unrepairable playerboard from Primal: The Awakening.
To that end, we decided to bite the bullet and upgrade.
The Competition
I knew I wanted certain features:
- Inner and outer magnetic rail
- Storage solution for toppers and accessories
- Good seal between toppers
- Dark hardwood with no stain (color on outside is the same as color on inside)
We looked at literally every boardgame table manufacturer in the US and had contacted several local woodworkers (SoCal area). The woodworkers all laughed at our budget ($5k - $8k). Of the companies we looked at, three stood out:
- Wyrmwood
- This was the first one we saw due to social media marketing. It checked all of the boxes and had a great price point. Then I dug into the company… and did not like what I found. The constant reports of months-late deliveries was the first red flag. The shady business practices seen on Wyrmlife was the death knell that fully turned us off from supporting them.
- UniquelyGeek
- We liked their the design of The Earl and appreciated the communication with Justin. The cost was definitely higher than Wyrmwood, but they had some glowing reviews on Reddit and BGG that made it the frontrunner for a while. Their 2K Polyurethane coating sounded nice and durable - exactly what we'd need with our toddler.
- Styx Furniture
- This had the most risk because there weren't any reviews on it. At first glance, the tables looked like carbon copies of the Wyrmwood tables. That was acceptable, as I would have taken a Wyrmwood that could be delivered on time and without the shady business practices. What ended up really swaying me was their youtube channel, which showed off some really unique and interesting features that made their tables stand out. Tabby herself was also a big selling point. Her social media shows her constant drive to learn and grow as a craftsperson and her attention to detail really showed in her emails. We felt like we were in good hands with her.
- As counterintuitive as it is, I also appreciated that Styx is a smaller operation - run entirely by Tabby with some assistance from her husband. Larger factories like Wrymwood and Uniquely Geek are much more prone to quality issues due to the volume of tables and the number of different workers who might do different processes. But at Styx, Tabby does it all so quality is likely to be more consistent throughout. And at this price point, we decided we wanted something built by a dedicated craftsperson rather than something churned out en masse by a factory line.
The Process
Tabby is extremely responsive. We had a long list of questions and requests, which she answered quickly and thoroughly. Pricing is publicly available on their storefront, so you know what you're getting upfront.
The Delivery
We started communication on Jan 14 and placed an order on Jan 21. We received our table on March 12. She originally quoted 6 - 8 weeks, so delivery was right on time.
Everything came flat packed via Fedex. All of the pieces were well padded and were manageable enough sizes for me to bring all of them from up our condo's narrow staircase.
The Assembly
Assembly was extremely quick and easy. Tabby left several handwritten notes to help and even did a lot of pre-assembly. The dowels on the leg joints fit in clean line-to-line fits – neither too tight, nor too lose. Each topper also came with pre-selected shims, which optimized the fit of the spring mechanism. This confirmed that the table had been previously fully assembled and tested before shipping.
We appreciated the small extras such as the included furniture blanket to make sure we didn't scratch the table while assembling and the extra long T-handle allen key.
Notable Features
- Veneer Toppers. This was our biggest hesitation upfront, but ended up becoming a major selling point. To me, veneer always screamed "cheap". Wasn't all "good" furniture solid wood? But the more I looked into it, the more I grew to accept it. One of the biggest complaints I saw about boardgame tables was warped toppers. Solid wood breathes and expands with humidity, which can change drastically by region and season.
Particle board(5/3/26: Tabby from Styx has correctedin the comments below that it is aircraft grade plywood, not particle board like I originally posted) is much more dimensionally stable, which is apparently why some high end furniture makers use this process. The veneers used are also quite thick at ⅛", which allows them to be sanded. - Spring loaded topper seals. Most tables will always have some clearance to allow the toppers to be removed. This creates areas where liquid can seep into your game vault. If you leave long setup games under the table for week-long periods, this is a problem. Styx uses a set of spring loaded plungers that constantly push the toppers together, closing those gaps. Removing the toppers requires you to give the toppers a slight push in to relieve those springs before removing the toppers. This is an amazing system that has held up well against multiple spills so far. You really need to see this in action to get it.
- Magnetic under-table accessory storage. We live in a 950sq ft condo, so we don't exactly have a ton of extra space for storing accessories.
- Velvet playsurface. Hydrophobic padded with closed cell neoprene.
- Easily repairable coating. Can be sanded and spot repaired. Varnish and Polyurethane require major sanding, chemical strip of the coat, and proper spray equipment to fix.
Durability
As of this review, we've had our table for 2 months. We've had numerous spills, several large family get togethers (where this was the main dining table), and countless dinners / coloring sessions / crafting projects / work from home days. We've had 7 game nights in the vault (Gloomhaven, Speakeasy, Primal, Dune: Uprising, Windmill Valley) and around 10 games of Marvel Champions on the toppers.
Everything has held up well, especially the topper seals.
The Accessories
- Although it wasn't an official accessory, she was able to give us mug holders. The cup holders are good quality and hold everything from a water bottle to my wife's massively oversized tumbler.
- We ended up using the extra box shelf way more than we thought we would.
- The topper cube is 100% necessary.
The Cost
We ordered directly through her website, which came with a promo that gave $50 of each of the first 8 accessories added. That added up to a considerable amount. Our full order was:
- Game Table - Rectangle (Black Walnut)
- Toppers (No Dining Extension)
- 4x Large Cup Holders
- 2x Mug Holders
- 1x Leaf Tree (Topper storage)
- 1x Leaf Wall
- 1x Box Shelf
- 2x Card Organizers
With shipping, we paid a bit over $7k for ours.
TL;DR
Our table from Styx was everything we wanted from a boardgame table and more. Communication and on-time delivery were on point. It assembled easily and is comfortable to play on. The spring loaded topper seal, dual rail system, and magnetic accessory storage are truly game changing for us. Definitely worthwhile if you're in the market and have the budget.