Hello!

Does any official document specify the minimum size of an M:tG gaming table? Some TOs always try to push the limits and here we, judges, should act as negotiators between TOs and players.

Thanks,

Milan Majercik

I do not believe any such restriction, nor document entailing such a restriction, exists. I would very much doubt it is logistically possible to make such a restriction, and even less possible to enforce it.

Player/judge feedback to a Tournament Organizer that says “look, these tables are too small” should be all that's needed. Player comfort should be a decent priority, and the fact that such a small matter (heh) should lose a TO customers should elicit some kind of change.

Yours,
Jack Doyle
L2, London, UK

With too small tables you might run into another problem. Usually there is an upper limit how many people you are allowed to have in a room regarding fire safety and so. And if you pack the players to tight, you might exceed that number.

Originally posted by Milan Majercik:

Some TOs always try to push the limits

Did you ask them what is a reason for this? Mabye they want to run events in their store only, and space is limited there. If it is a problem I would advice to find some friendly place (pub, restaurant or school) for bigger events (PRE or GPT). It is possible to play therer even without any fee, because you bring them a bunch of customers.
The best would be to speak honestly with the TO, and suggest other possibilities to improve standard of the events.

Confirming that there's no ‘O’fficial minimum.

However, there's a very real limit that TOs need to understand and respect: customers will not return to an uncomfortable situation.

This is one of my pet peeves: knowing where your role as a judge ends
and the role of a TO begins.

Certain things, like how many people to sit to a table, etc. are TO
responsibilities.

BUT, if something that is a TO responsibility makes game play
impossible, you may decide that this is not a tournament you can
effectively judge. When I was more active as a judge and TO, I used to
have an announcement list for the events I was going to judge in the
near future. Players would follow me from store to store, because they
knew they could depend on certain things when I was there.

If the play space is too small to arrange the battlefield correctly or
draft without getting everything messed up; that is the TO's
responsibility. But, I don't have to judge there. If you have a
reputation for making sure that players are treated well, you also get
a certain amount of leverage with local TOs.

Don't get emotional or threaten. Decide what your minimum requirements
are for an event you are willing to put your name to. If something
doesn't meet that requirement, politely inform the TO that you would
not be able to act as a judge without those minimums. Just because
something meets DCI standards does not mean that it has to meet yours.

Table player to size ratios vary, but there are some reasonably consistent number is case people wonder about reasonable expectations.

Typical table configurations (assuming tables 30" wide):
8-foot table = 6 to 8 players
6-foot table = 4 to 6 players

I noticed over the years that for the U.S., the northeast (Philadelphia, New York, Boston) TOs have 8 players per 8-foot table whereas the northwest (Portland, Seattle) has 6 players per 8-foot table. I believe the key here is that each player community has become accustomed to their local version of space.

A TO trying to fit more than a match every foot on a table is really pushing the limits. One match every 1.3 feet is almost universally comfortable. Anything more spacious than that is almost pure luxury.

For the sake of most of the world which doesn't use feet: :)

8 feet = 2.44 metres
6 feet = 1.83 metres
1.3 feet = 39 centimetres
30" = 0.76 metres