Terrain mats

[Stavros Banjo]

I keep drooling over these mats and wondered if anyone has seen one in the real world? If so, how robust are they?

I don't have room for a dedicated Old West gaming table & having to endure gunfights on my standard green flocked table is just so wrong. This looks like the ideal solution.

http://www.terrainmat.com/Gunfighter.html

[Lowtardog]

Not seen them in the flesh but with anything like this it still remains how they are looked after/stored which dictates the life of it.

I cant see what it is made of...felt?

[walktapus]

I have got one and seen several others recently.





They are great, but...

Do not fold them or there will be marks and they will wear out sooner. By the way, they arrive folded in a box through the post...

And they wear out too soon for my taste, loose their flocks and the black frame appears underneath.

I will save mine for demo games and hope it remains well for a few uses. But definitely not for everyday gaming...

The smaller terrain pieces are great though...

I cant see what it is made of...felt?

Not felt but a kind of plastic/rubber.

[Deathwing]

I was eyeing these too, but if it can't take a little rigorous playing then what's the point? :

[Stavros Banjo]

Thanks for the info, much appreciated. I think I'll give it a miss then as it looks like these are as fragile as every other mat I've used. Shame really as they do look good.

On the bright side though, the money I've saved on the mat can go towards another addition to the ever growing lead mountain.

[walktapus]

Do you know these mats, for Old West games ? I was told they are stronger.

http://www.hotzmats.com/mat_1-wild_west.html

Cheaper too...

[pixelgeek]

They are heavy felt and the patterns on them are screen printed onto the felt so its not likely to come off any time soon.

IIRC the matts are also sent rolled in a tube and not folded. He can print them with or without a hex grid of various sizes as well although, again IIRC< the Western matt is not available with a hex grid.

[Hammers]

Have you ever tried making a matt yourself? I have and it worked out a treat. And it is cheap.

I had to make a forrest board for a LotR Mirkwood game ( ...well the Hobbit really, you know the bit with the spiders) and bring it across the states for a convention. It had to have that dark, forboding look with the whole board covered in mossy boulders, dry leaves and fallen trees and branches.

I bought a large piece of burnt umbre synthetic felt and two cans of spray-on tacky glue (the kind you use for mounting photographs). A couple of passes with the cans and a layer of flock, coloured saw dust tea leaves, birch tree seeds, a new passs with the cans and another layer of lighter colored flock, repeat till satisfied. Vacuum the surplus flock and voila!

5 years later and the matt still looks OK since the glue stays tacky. And the areas that grow bald from old age and lack of vitamins are easily repaired.