Board games are fun. Whether you prefer simple roll-and-move party games, deck-building titles, or complex adventure games that can go on for long periods, there’s something satisfying about gathering around a table with friends and indulging in good, old analog play. Problem is, many modern games can get messy, with multiple card decks, giant maps, dozens of character tokens, character sheets, and all sorts of accessories. Suffice to say, they can clutter a desk in short order. If you find yourself dealing with that during game nights with friends, you might want to check out Level Up.
A modular board game platform, it raises your main board a few inches above the desk, giving you more room on the table surface for all the cards, tiles, tokens, and whatever else you’re using to play the game. Not to mention, of course, all the beer you’re chugging, all the pizza you’re drinking, and whatever else you’re stuffing in your face as you evade robots, battle barbarians, or get chased by a killer shark.
The Level Up is, basically, an elevated surface that sits on top of your game table, allowing you to put the main board on a separate surface from the rest of the desk. It comes in five sizes, 3 x 2 feet, 3 x 3 feet, 3 x 4 feet, 4 x 6 feet, and 4 x 8 feet, so you only need to buy the size of platform you need, depending on the kind of games you play. According to the outfit, the smallest one (3 x 2 feet) should handle most classic board games (including D&D and other miniature-based RPGs), making it the default choice if you don’t have any specific special needs, while the square platform (3 x 3 feet) is large enough to accommodate larger-than-usual game boards like Star Wars: Armada and Frostgrave.
If you play Battletech, Necromunda, or Morhein, they recommend getting the 3 x 4 feet platform, while those who partake in Warhammer 40K and similar large-scale wargames are the sole market for the bigger platforms (4 x 6 feet and 4 x 8 feet). If you’ve ever played those games, you know how wild and crowded the boards can get, so you need as big a surface as available.
The Level Up is designed as a modular platform made up of 12-inch tiles with interlocking edges that you can snap together easily. That means, the platform can be collapsed when not in use, allowing you to stash it in a shelf for neatly putting away when not in use and squeezing in a backpack with your board games to play at someone else’s home. Features include reinforced rib support that allow each tile to support up to 11 pounds (it won’t collapse when your cat jumps on to the platform), high-strength metal legs for durable function, and built-in grids in the surface to guide boards and decks into neatly lining up.
The Level Up is now available for preorder, with a September ship date. Price starts at $69.