I only realised how big theSecretlab Magnus Pro XLis when the box arrived at my front door. It took two delivery men to drag it into my hallway, where they promptly left it for me to figure out how to move up two flights of stairs. First, I had to unpack it.
The 1.8m-long desk is safely packaged, ensuring no damage or dents leave impact craters in the steel worktop while en route to your home. While I’ve always dreamed of owning a moon-themedWarhammerboard, I don’t want my mouse crashing into the Tycho Crater when I’m trying to execute a Lictor inSpace Marine 2.
Unpacking is tricky, thanks to the weight. I would recommend a minimum of two people for carrying and assembling the Magnus Pro XL, but three or four would be ideal. I say this as someone who usually ignores any such instructions and sets about building wardrobes, storage units, and desk chairs by myself because I’m a titan of the DIY world. Be careful with this one.
Strong As An Astartes And Steady As A Vindicare Assassin
This weight has its advantages when the desk is assembled and upright. The Magnus Pro XL is sturdy and level no matter up nor down, and the motorised ascent and descent are equally steady. I’d wager you could have a Buckaroo-style teetering tower of Space Marines on your desktop and it wouldn’t topple.
I’ve been using a standing desk for years, but Secretlab has perfected the design. Cable management trays are standard fare, but including magnets to clamp cables to the steel desk? A masterstroke. The integrated power column, rendering my former system of an extension lead strapped to a desk leg with the strongest double-sided tape I could find useless? Genius. But the pièce de résistance is the PC mount, essentially a hook which cradles your PC tower and hoiks it up when your desk goes up, then gently lowers it down when your desk goes down. Is it worth the £79 add-on fee? It’s essentially a piece of metal that attaches to your desk. But it’s a piece of metal that keeps your cables from pulling themselves out every time you want to stretch your legs.
In The Grim Darkness Of The 41st Millennium, There Is Only Desk
You’ll notice I haven’t talked about the Warhammer 40K trappings yet. That’s because I wanted to get the desk stuff out of the way. Truth be told, I didn’t really want to talk about all those boring things, but I was so impressed that it felt egregious to leave them out. Because what sold me on this desk was the Warhammer 40K Magpad desk mat.
Sure, I like the servo skull adorning the cable management bits and bobs, but it’s the desk mat that looks truly impressive. Any 40K fan will be able to identify this grimdark map of our galaxy, featuring notable systems and, of course, holy Terra at its centre. So I did the only thing that I could possibly think to do with a massive map of the 40K universe: I played a game on it.
At first, I just wanted to use it as a slightly strange battlefield to play a regular game of 40K on. I could square it as some roleplaying exercise where my opponent and I are two rival commanders on the bridges of our respective ships, watching the battle unfold overlaid on a map of the system. But the size didn’t work. The Secretlab Magnus Pro XL is approximately 80” by 30”, far too narrow for a pitched battle and a far cry from the significantly more square 60” x 44” recommended for most games.
However, I could play a campaign on it. So, a friend and I placed representative units on different planetary sectors. We played a modified (read: simplified) version of Risk, and when our troops met, we played a battle. While we didn’t battle on the desk itself, the grander strategy element brought a strong narrative hook to proceedings. I wasn’t just a Magos looking for archeotech on anAeldari Exoditestronghold, this system was a key flagstone in the empire I was trying to build.
The narrative battles were great fun and, although the campaign isn’t over, I can already feel a second coming on. The rules could use some tweaking and I desperately need to get my hands on some old Battlefleet Gothic kits to use as pawns on our grand board.
Whether you want to use your desk as a workspace or an enormous campaign board, Secretlab has you covered. My setup, were it not sent for review purposes by the manufacturer, would have set me back around £1,300. It’s an eye-watering amount, a similar price to a Warlord Titan, Games Workshop’s largest and most expensive kit. But if I were to choose between the two… Who am I kidding, it’d be the Titan. But thisisthe best standing desk I’ve ever used and the breathtaking 40K facade takes it to the next level.
