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Anne Freitas
United States
San Antonio
Texas
No one expects the Anne-ish Inquisition!!
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Geek Chic tables have been a topic of discussion recently, so I thought I would post my experience about it so I can refer people to it. (Paul-- thanks! It was a great idea!)
I first heard about Geek Chic in association with Board Game Geek Convention 2010. At first, I had no idea what they sold. I originally thought they were a nerdy clothing company. However, my perception was quickly corrected upon visiting their "booth" at BGG Con. Many of us were drooling over these tables, and suddenly my large purchases for the next few years were planned out. All the products were simply gorgeous and a simple mantra played over and over in my head: "They will be mine. Oh yes, they will be mine."
Before I continue, a little bit about who I am: I host a lot of game events at my house, and I have two cats. leaving game bits unattended is a bad idea. In retrospect, I was the ideal candidate for a geek chic table.
However, I have a budget, so in November of 2010, I put down my deposit on the hoplite. The emissary was too steep for me that year. I was advised at the time that their production queue was such that delivery wouldn't occur until the summer. Sure, no instant gratification, but hey, now that I had seen these tables, I figured the wait would be worth it. What helped seal the deal was talking with other con-goers who had geek chic tables and loved them. Also, they made a lot of customizations. In fact I got wind of a gentlemen requesting a crokinole holder for his board. I was also in the market for a crokinole stand, so I was able take advantage of that custom item and get one for myself.
And this is another really great aspect of Geek Chic: if it's game related, and they haven't built it yet, they are open to building it for you.
By about March the following year, I had paid off the rest of my table and the hoplite went into the production queue. This process is very low stress and thorough. They will send you a copy of your order so far, as well as sample photos. Then you'll have a conversation to go over your order. You can specify customizations for many aspects of your table: table height, vault depth, interior, number of cup holders, and much more. Once you finalize your choices, and finish paying, off you go into the queue.
During the process you will get a few emails with "baby pictures" of your table.
Finally as your table completes, you'll get handed off to Logistics who will give you estimates of when the two-man delivery crew will be in your city. They are very flexible about working with you. You will need to have someone present to receive the shipment. If you have scheduling conflicts, be sure to let them know ahead of time and they will find a way to work with you.
In my case, after having paid for the table in full @March of 2011, my table entered the production queue @ April, and delivery was estimated to be June-August. Well, delays translated in my table ultimately being delivered on the last day of August. This was one day before I was going out of town for the weekend.
Sure it was later than I expected, but when it arrived it was beautiful. The two men who delivered and assembled the table were very friendly and efficient. The table came in sever pieces that were well protected in a crate. Fully assembled, it was a solid, lovely piece of hardware.
Cons:
*Time: Expect to wait 7-9 months from deposit to delivery. That may improve depending on when you pay the table off in full and their current demand.
*Money: These tables aren't cheap .
Pros:
*Quality: These tables are beautiful!
*Customization: You get to choose a lot of features that make this table very unique to you.
*Service: The team that supports you is very friendly and knowledgeable.
I wish they had:a rail mount for holding nerf guns to deter cats from running up unto the table while in the midst of a game. Okay, I admit this is wisful thinking, but...
I had only left the room for a minute to get a beverage!
Tips:
1. Geek Chic publishes their convention tour on their site, and they are making more and more conventions each year. Often (and this has happened twice in a row at BGG con) they give discounts for making a purchase at the convention. But they also have promotions throughout the year on their site. You can save about 10% this way.
2. If you favor time over customization, they often have stock sales where they have demo merchandise,etc. You can save about 20% on a product this way.
3. Subscribe to their mailing list so you can keep apprised of their deals and goings on. They are not only informative, but rather amusing.
Sat Mar 10, 2012 10:02 pm
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Anne Freitas
United States
San Antonio
Texas
No one expects the Anne-ish Inquisition!!
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Board Gaming:
Mansions of Madness: I'll be running the demo for the game at my FLGS, Dragon's Lair next weekend. I love Cthulhu related games. I greet all Cthulhu-related gaming opportunities with a type of glee that should usually be reserved for cute, innocent things, like Santa Claus or puppies.
London: I finally have my copy. It is sleeved, sorted, and ready to rumble. The down side is that I didn't get the limited edition, and now I miss those cute wooden buildings. If anyone knows where they could be bought separately, please inform me. This is the second Wallace game I own in addition to Tinner's Trail. I got a play of Age of Industry under my belt a week ago, and I loved it.
Greed and Megacorps need to hit the table soon, too.
RPG-ing:
The latest incarnation of the Song of Ice and Fire RPG, as well as the pending HBO release of the Game of Thrones series has inspired me to want to go back and finish reading George RR Martin's books. Amazon has them for $5 a piece (two are a few dollars more).
I also need to finish reading Diaspora rules and help get my local friends to have a go at it. I'm ready to revel in the splendor of Fudge Dice.
Oh, and more Fiasco needs to happen.
Video Gaming:
Haven't had much time for this lately. But finishing FallOut:New Vegas, Assassin's Creed 2, and the upcoming Dragon Age 2 are on my list.
And as an aside, while I write this, it would be nice when blogging if I insert a geek link, it would automagically add it to an item. Though I suppose I could not bother adding both a geek link in the contest of my post and just add an item.
Outside of the Scope of Gaming:
My Denon 1705 is going down hill, only the front right speaker and rear left speaker and center channel work. I did some cabling swaps and the speakers definitely work, just not where they are connected to. Since the receiver is 6 years old, I'm wondering if I even want to repair it. I bought this receiver before I had so many items that required hdmi connections. Yes, I think I'll use this as an excuse to update my receiver. The Denon 3311 CI is calling to me.
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