Here is something I wonder about. This game seems to require quite a bit of standing and leaning. I personally find standing around and leaning over a table much more exhausting than walking; my back and legs are more tired after a game of X-wing than after a couple of hours of walking.

Do any of you sit to play? Can you reach the board? Are some table heights noticeably worse than others? Does your local game shop have good table heights? Do any of you play a couple of games and then have a back ache?

I always sit down to play. Mid game is a bit of up and down but that's about it (I mostly play in houses with friends though). You need to be OK with your opponent moving your ships when they cross the threshold however.

I can't sit while playing (both the trouble of reaching to move pieces but also my general level of anxiety at a tourney needs me to pace a bit!).

As such the only advice I've got is to be sure to use good back posture when it isn't your move, and keep your knees bent slightly! Then yes it's a lot of leaning over the board. I'm lucky, my FLGS has pretty tall gaming tables (and I'm about 6' so I'm bending over most tables by default).

If you've got room you can keep things limber with a few squats or walking around the table a couple times, and taking a seat between matches.

One thing I also make sure it do when I'm travelling for a tourney is I bring a yoga mat to stand on. My feet used to be throbbing sore by the time of Game 5 or 6 at Regionals events, but that's a lone-gone concern! I forget which podcast gave me the idea but I didn't come up with it on my own (and I am FOREVER grateful for the idea).

When organising a trip to Sc or something i dont care about rewards, costs or anything but CHAIRS! Then it usually comes down to me standing whole game then after whole day i have to smile to my wife with "massage my back?" question so yea its not just you.

As for the tables, i like low ones, around 10cm below waist. Even i have to lean a bit more, minis are easier to move then.

My back doesn't suffer (yet), but my knees are murdered after a full day. I don't sit except between matches, maybe.

I'm up and down with games. If I'm being smart, I sit as much as possible. Pretty much up when I need to do something and when I'm waiting on my opponent, I'm sitting.

I play standing with a chair near-by. I might use that chair to take the Captain position.

I might sit down some times when it is my opponent turn to activate or shoot, but I usually find myself too much invested in the game to sit down.

If you have the option, counter height tables are the best. Far less bending over than standard table height. I find bar height a little too tall though.

I am not exactly old, but I am taller than average, and my knees don't like long periods of standing up. I sit to play when I can, and when I can't, I find low tables very difficult.

My favourite venue so far (shout out to Big Orbit Cards) has tables about 3.5ish feet high and tall stools to sit on. Super comfortable, and still with plenty of room to lean over and get to the stuff on the far side.

Played for 5 hours Saturday and Sunday morning felt like someone used me as a tackling dummy. At 6' and 64 years playing standing up is a pain, pun intended. Some Aleve and ThermaCare heat wraps help a lot.

Most of the home games are played sitting so Saturday's game was a very rude awakening.

I'm only 41 (and in pretty good shape) and have the same problem. I always sit unless I have to stand. If I didn't do that, I'd be exhausted before 3rd round.

Sit as much as you can. I have a bad back. I sit unless I need to stand to reach something.

When I'm playing at home, my playing table is about 3ft tall (I think it's 37.5in including the top). Makes for a decidedly more comfortable game, having it at that height. Lower tables can be make moving things in the middle a bit easier, for sure, but I've never found the taller ones that intrusive to movement, while they can absolutely be back savers.

When I'm off playing at a store, I've taken to wearing a pair of my hiking boots for comfort. It makes a shocking difference in how I feel both during, and after, five or six hours of standing around. It's one of those things that struck me one day after a tournament where I thought "I didn't feel this bad after a five hour parade march, what's going on? Oh yeah, footwear...". Ever since then I've had decidedly less pain in both my knees and my back (my knees are destroyed as it is, so this is a big relief).

I'd definitely recommend having a look at your footwear choice for it, if you're leaving an event in pain. The boots worked for me, but you don't have to wear full on hiking boots to get better support.

I just bought a counter-top height table. Problem solved.

I thought it was just me that suffered from X-Wing back. My local store has chairs and I sit as much as I can to minimise the the pain the next day. I stand to move the ships though, if you don't I causes more knocks and bumps then normal.

PS I'm 25 so "old" I am not, I just have a crap spine.

PSS I'm also 6ft 5in so its a long way down to a table

An adjustable height chair/stool might help. I've been ok for x wing, but this thing is magical when using a telescope: http://flylib.com/books/3/311/1/html/2/images/0596100604/figs/astronomyhks_0435.jpg

Back and neck pain is generally indicative of poor core strength. Some sit ups and roller work will help as will making an active attempt at improving your posture.

Oooph! I hear ya! I did bring some bar stools for use at my local game store. They are tall enough that I can see what's going on without having to stand.

I've got a bad ankle and had 5 ankle surgeries. I've been in crutches and boots and all sorts of stuff. Even now that I'm "fixed", it hurts when I stand too much. My ankle is usually horribly swollen on Fridays. I've really got to tell myself to sit down when playing. I just get to see so much better when standing.

I'll agree - keeping good posture is key to not having a crap back by the end of the day but it can get really difficult when you have to lean over tables all the time to move. I'll say any Store Championship that doesn't have chairs available is borderline criminal - they're just too necessary to not be wrecked for the next few days.

I'm not nearly as experience as some of the others in this thread (28 years, exercise regularly, etc.) and doing back-to-back X-wing and Armada tournaments messed me up for four days. I've been trying to just stretch before and after rounds as a way to keep limber, as well as bending the knees as you stand. Even just spacing one foot behind the other can help spread your weight around and take the load off of your back.

Good topic!

Side benefit to keeping good posture and not craning your neck over the playing field: psyching your opponent out. I try to limit head and neck movement and just shift my gaze - it creeps people out and saves my neck.

I'm a big fat guy. So I sit down to play. I stand up if I need to to reach, but I'm perfectly willing to let my opponent move my ships if they're way over on their side of the board.

I find I have to stand after the first couple of turns, otherwise I just can't see arcs and angles well.

My lower back was an issue at tournys (being a tall, heavy guy), but since I've started a yoga/exercise program it's gotten better. The back of the legs is the next thing though, but that's more 'being used' sore than painful sore. I guess I have been stretching and tensing them for 8ish hours, so it makes sense.

As of yesterday I made a decision that any tourney longer than 3 rounds, will be ignored by me. My back hurts to much...

Yoga has made a big difference in what I have been capable of when dealing with tabletop games of all kinds in the last few years. And don't discount the importance of water to help keep your system flushed of the toxins that can build up when you are standing a lot.

I generally spend most of the time standing. I am 69. The key for me is good shoes and socks for support. The type of floor is also important. Carpet is usually best, if it has a good base. Tile over cement with no padding in between is the worst. Good foot support, cushions the back.