Taking Initiative

Arcanium started with a question: “Is there really nothing out there that fits what I’m looking for?”

In 2020, one of my best friends and I were playing in separate Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, which, until that point, had been played in-person on a weekly basis. So when the pandemic started, we transitioned to online remote play. As the lockdowns continued, our weekly D&D sessions became a refuge, a much needed escape from the doom and gloom of it all. But while we were grateful to have these digital respites, we also lamented how we’d taken in-person play for granted, and wondered when we’d be able to sit around a table again. 

There’s just something magical about heading out with a bag full of dice, notebooks, and minis, picking a spot to sit in your friend’s dining room, and nibbling at the ever-growing mountain of snacks on the counter as you all plot your next move against the villain. 

And whether it was D&D sessions, board game nights, dinner parties, or wine tastings, a lot of people - most of us, even - mourned the one thing all those activities had in common: in-person interaction. We even saw the effects of this carry over into the way people spent their money. If we’re going to spend more time at home, we might as well invest in a nicer space. And when the lockdowns do end - when we get to entertain again, we’ll do it right. 

From 2020 to 2022, there was unprecedented demand for home furniture. Vacation savings turned into impromptu home offices and renos. Office workers were moving away from cities and filling larger homes with higher quality furnishings. People were investing in their living spaces. 

I was in the same boat. In late 2020 I was moving to a bigger space, and getting something I didn’t have before: a dining room. I wanted a board game table. And back then, there was a growing trend of companies making just that. But in designing my new space, I was set on a mid-century modern, Scandinavian style, and couldn’t find anything that fit the bill. “Why isn’t there a board game table that looks like this?” I thought, clicking through the slick solid wood dining tables from places like Article and Design Within Reach. 

I griped to Ben about this, and a couple days later, he showed me a render he’d made of a table. It looked awesome, with raked legs and an overhanging table top that evoked the style of a MCM Danish dining piece while retaining the functionality of a dedicated board game table.

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I saw that render and thought it was amazing. I wanted it. I would’ve paid quite a bit of money to have it. These thoughts turned into “well if I want it, and we can make this, maybe other people will want it too,” which turned into “let’s see where it goes,” which turned into Arcanium.