Bandpass Firefly Board Game Table Review

Disclosure: Meeple Mountain received a free copy of this product in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This review is not intended to be an endorsement.

It’s not every day that you receive an email like this:

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Andy,

I hope this email finds you well. I am reaching out on behalf of a client of mine, Bandpass Design. They create modern board game furniture, and they’re inquiring to see if there are opportunities on Meeple Mountain for doing a review of their game table or for someone from your or our team to write up an article related to board game tables and enhancing the board game experience.

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After an admitted bit of skepticism, I determined that this was indeed the real deal, and that yes, Bandpass Design was interested in sending one of their high end board game tables, specifically The Firefly coffee table, for review. Join me on a journey of high end furniture acquisition, the pinnacle of board game accessories, and a realization that perhaps my living room needs to be larger.

The Discovery

In many cases, if you spend a bit more, you’ll have possessions that can last (witness the All-Clad cooking set I’ve had for 25 years). I’ve never been a “fine furniture” sort of person, being mostly content with Facebook marketplace finds, or $500 couches (that you end up regretting 2 years later when they start to fall apart). So when Bandpass Design reached out with this line of inquiry, I was hesitant but curious. Their products are definitely what I’d consider to be “fine furniture”, with 100% hardwoods, felt table coverings, brass inlays, and the sort of price tag that I would have trouble justifying.

I visited their website to do some research. They have a traditional dining room sized table called The Dresden which ranges in size from 6 seats all the way up to 8 seats, as well as a smaller card sized table called The Mimosa which seats 4. They also have a gorgeous display shelf called The Eolian. The Firefly table is their midline product and is approximately 3.5 feet wide and deep, and 20” tall. They offer walnut, cherry, white oak, and maple hardwood options, and I opted for walnut. After spending some time talking to my wife about it, I decided to take them up on their offer. For science, of course.

In addition to wood grain selection, I was asked which color felt insert I’d like, and after referencing the color of table they were sending (a relaxing medium brown walnut) I went with teal; although all the colors seemed to be an excellent choice. They acknowledged my choices and told me the next time I heard from them would be a shipping notification.

And that was the extent of the interactions I had until I received another email a few weeks later telling me that the table had shipped.

The Delivery

Amusingly, the email I received wasn’t your typical shipping notification email like you might get from UPS or Fedex. This was from an actual freighting company, who needed to schedule a delivery. In addition to their artistry and craftsmanship, Bandpass Design doesn’t mess around with the packing, as you’re about to find out.

I wrestled the crate inside and began unpacking, and unpacking, and even more unpacking. The Firefly table was wrapped in layers and layers of saran wrap for tightness, ¼” thick cardboard edging on every corner, and ¾” thick plywood for sturdiness. I think I could have stood on top of this crate and not caused a dent to the lid. This really shows the care that Bandpass Design takes with their product, making sure it looks the same in your living room as it did the day it left their factory floor.

After removing all the layers upon layers of packing material, I was in awe: the table was beautiful. Smooth and silky to the touch, with a warm and rich brown that I’d recognize as walnut even if I hadn’t picked it. The teal inlay went perfectly with the walnut coloring and the pattern on the material matched the wood grain very well.

And so now the only thing was to put the table through its paces.

The Due Diligence

In my original email to Bandpass Design I suggested that I could perhaps complete a review of The Firefly in a month. I should have realized it would take longer. A dining room table like their Dresden, serves primarily as a table for eating, and of course for gaming. But coffee tables are more than that. They’re not only the centerpiece of a living room or den, they serve as a footrest, homework station, ad hoc tv tray for when you want to watch a movie while you eat, temporary storage, and of course a gaming table. I couldn’t in good conscience skimp on the evaluation of a product like this.

I’m going to break down my review into a few different sections, all based on how my family used the Firefly table during the time we’ve had it in our living room. This is similar to how we approach other product reviews, like board game bags.

Functionality

First and foremost, when you purchase a Bandpass Design table, you’re doing so because you want a beautiful and functional piece of furniture; and the Firefly table most certainly fits that description. The top is 45 inches long by 43 inches wide flat, with enough room to do puzzles, eat a meal for 4 or more, or play games (a perfect fit for a Ticket to Ride sized board, or even large scale RPG games that require terrain). There is a 1-2 inch overhang on all sides, and two of the top ends have a subtle, attractive curve to them, providing a nice bit of visual interest, and an easy way to tell which end is which.

When you’re ready to use the main gaming surface, the top can be removed and set aside. Note that the top has 4 dowels protruding from the bottom, along with a strip of cork which helps protect the sides of the table, and lines up the top when it’s time to put the top back on.

The exterior of the table, once the lid is removed, is 41 inches square. The recessed area is 2.5 inches deep and 30 inches square, and covered in a “knoll fabric” which is listed on the Bandpass Design website as having a “moisture resistant barrier”, whose effectiveness I have thankfully not had to test.

Each edge of the table has a 5.5 inch shelf, which is great for personal player boards, cards, player pieces, etc. Additionally, each side of the table features two brass cup holder wells that are 3” deep and removable to make for easier cleanup of spills or condensation.

The recessed gaming area is just a bit too small for a game like Ticket to Ride (whose board is 31 inches long), but it’s ideal for any sort of game where pieces might be sliding or rolling around: dice games, dexterity games, or if you just want the focus of the game a bit lower than the tabletop.

Additionally, there are two full-width drawers on either end of the table. Each drawer has an interior dimension of 34.5 inches by 16.5 by 2 inches. They have an attractive brass handle, and a whisper close system which ensures they won’t slam shut.

Durability

Normally when you talk about the durability of furniture, you’re likely wanting to refer to years worth of use. For the purposes of this review, I obviously can’t take that long. However, the Firefly table has been our main coffee table for the past 3 months and I can say with certainty that this table is like a rock. My sons have climbed on it, stood on it, and used it for a bed while watching movies. And the table doesn’t budge, shake, shudder, shimmy, or any other “s” letter word that means “to move”. We’ve played games on this table, eaten at the table, and used it just like we would any other piece of furniture and it’s taken all of it with grace and poise.

The drawers don’t get as much use because we don’t tend to store things in the living room, but they do get opened every few days because my son likes to hide things there. And they’ve given us no reason to doubt their durability or usefulness.

My only potential critique of the durability is a small series of scratches we noticed on the top. But given that my sons also like to use the top as a Lego table, I’m not surprised. That combined with the fact that they occasionally stand on it likely means a piece was stepped on and dragged across the top. Disappointing, but our own fault.

Fit

If you asked a room full of people their idea of a coffee table, you’d likely get a room full of variations on the same theme, and each variation would be valid for that person. But each of them would almost certainly envision a table that “fits” within their space, be it living room, or den, or office. Keep in mind that fit here doesn’t just talk about the physical dimensions, it’s also referring to feel, color, shape, and even function.

The Firefly table looks amazing in my living room. The smooth milk chocolate walnut blends well with the dark browns of my couches, and contrasts nicely with the tan floor rug. With the top off, the brass cup holders pick up accents from candleholders and other metal inlays around the room, and the teal fabric on the gaming surface is an almost exact match for a painting we have over our fireplace.

Because we have an L shaped sectional, the Firefly nests neatly into the corners, giving “four cushion” access to people seated on the couch. Pull up a few chairs and you’ve got 6 or more people seated around the table.

The tabletop is a perfect height for its primary use (at least in our living room) of “coffee table”. It’s just a bit higher than our seating, which means you can easily put your feet “up” and your drinks “down” (always on coasters please and thank you).

The Determination

I focused on the positives of the Firefly table in the previous sections, but there are some negatives as well. I’m going to break these down into environmental and design issues: things that have nothing to do with the table are environmental, while design concerns have to do with the product itself.

Environmental

The primary issue for our living room is the size of the table. It’s larger than we envisioned, and because of the way the doors and windows in our living room are arranged, we’ve chosen to go with a roughly square main area bounded by a sectional couch on one side of the room, and a standard sofa with recliner on the opposite side. There’s already a fairly narrow avenue of entry on one corner, and because of the placement of the sectional, the Firefly table further narrows that walkway.

Additionally, because we have the Firefly nested into the corner of our sectional, only one of the drawers can be easily accessed. As mentioned earlier, this isn’t a concern for us because we don’t store things in our living room. But the square nature of the table lends itself so perfectly to a corner that it’s a shame that the second drawer isn’t available.

Design

The first issue we had with the design of the Firefly was the tabletop. Because it’s one large piece (and fairly heavy), the same surface that’s perfect for gaming is also cumbersome to remove and set aside. It would have been wonderful if the top had recessed hinges, allowing the top to fold in half, or thirds. I can almost guarantee this was an intentional choice to prevent spilled liquids from getting down into the gaming surface, but it still means that you have to deal with that large tabletop.

The internal gaming surface was another concern. The recessed area is great for smaller games, but as mentioned earlier, it’s just a bit too small for a Ticket to Ride sized board, which limits its effectiveness. Remember that a recessed, coverable surface isn’t just meant for playing games in the moment, it’s also great for storing an “in progress” game and coming back to later—just set the top on and return after dinner, or the next day. So it’s a shame they couldn’t have made it just a few inches larger. But again, I believe this was by choice so that each of the four sides could have room for recessed drink wells and a large area for individual player areas (cards, game pieces, etc.).

But for me, the biggest issue is comfort. The gaming surface of the Firefly, at 20 inches high, is over 10 inches lower than any of the other tables we might use for gaming in my house, 13 inches if you have the top off. That means you’re going to be doing an awful lot of leaning forward and down, and for me, at least, that’s a tough sell if I’m doing anything more than playing a shorter card game. Each time we used the Firefly for gaming, my shoulders and neck muscles were sore.

Final Thoughts

Bandpass Design have crafted a beautiful table that offers luxury and utility to anyone who purchases it. It has all the amenities you might expect from a high end gaming table, in a gorgeous and sturdy package. Price is definitely a concern, but I believe they know their audience: gamers who want quality craftsmanship and materials, and are willing to invest in a piece of furniture that will last decades. Even though size was an issue for me, I think The Firefly could actually be perfect for people with smaller spaces because then the table truly becomes the focal point of an entire living room or den.

If the thought of having an heirloom quality coffee table right now appeals to you then Bandpass Design’s Firefly table might just be your next best purchase.