What about modifying the underside of the top? If it’s thin, you might be able to put magnets underneath and attach magnets to the mat for fasteners.

Not sure how well that would work but magnets were the first thing I thought of. I’m interested in seeing what other people say too.

Large neoprene mats are heavy enough stay in place on a table, and I'd just roll it up when you're done. Large mats get expensive, so you might look into just covering a board with felt, it may be cheaper if you have the tools and are handy.

It really depends on the types of game-nights you host.

If its poker, blackjack etc. it might be a good idea to put some felt over the table with prints of where to put the chips, the cards, the dealer etc.

If you are also into old-school chess and checkers you might want to consider interchangeable tops (just cut out a piece of the table where you can put in the boards, kind of lile you can see in the picture)

hope that helps!

I used to do this. Depending on the game and size of the table it can be a good idea to have some additional side-table space available to offload some components to. Ideally it should be a similar height.