Game Mat Advice

[thebinmann]

I have seen Hotz mats which are lovely but they are folded when shipped, or shipping is more expensive than the mat when rolled. I was wondering if any European shops stock them or what alternatives there might be, or even if some one had one they no longer use....

Otherwise I wondered what alternatives there might be...

And finally I wondered if they are really worth it?

[Tommy20]

First off, they are made of very thin felt that lies flat even after being stored folded.  So don't feel you need to have it delivered rolled.

Second, I don't think you will find them in a shop, as they are made to order.  This also means that they can take a long time to arrive.  Especially when the orders have stacked up, it can take months to receive your mat.

Finally, and I will probably be in the minority here, I do not believe they are worth the expense.  The artwork is not of the quality I expected given the cost of the mats.  I ordered a two-sided mat, with different art on each side, and both sides disappointed.  Templates had apparently been mislaid, so that parts of the artwork did not line up correctly, and some markings appeared to have been hand-drawn (badly) with a magic marker.  Finally, some of the printing bled through to the other side.  Overall, it was a sloppy product.  If I had it to do over again, I would not buy from Hotz.

[joroas]

I use a Mat o' war from Antenociti.

There is one here:

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=35151.0

[thebinmann]

Thanks for the advice
Sorry to hear that Tommy

Thakns joroas

[doublenot7]

I have a few Hotz mats, they have been received both rolled and folded.  Honestly there is no difference when you receive the product.  I like mine.  One is a spatial mat with no grid and the other is European field with hexes.  They are both good quality mats and the grid is crisp, clean, and aligned.  Are they expensive for felt?  A bit but you can certainly spend more on other manufacturers.  You can spend less also and I have but I found those inferior to Hotz.  I cannot speak to a double sided mat and honestly it just sounds like a bad idea anyway.

[Brian Smaller]

You could always get the iron out and give the mat a going over if it is creased.

[sepoy1857]

The best I've ever seen anywhere (a bit pricey, but worth it); I have the Winter Mat and the Green Steppe Mat. They are in UK. Outstanding, quick service as well. http://www.terrainmat.com/

[richarDISNEY]

They take FOREVER to arrive.
IMO, not worth the wait. 
I have one. Forgot I ordered it because it took so long.  Later I bought some Zuzzy mats and made one of my own.
THEN it arrived...  As I said, I totally forgot I ordered it.
Felt seemed pretty thin for me too boot.
IMO...

[warrenpeace]

I recommend faux suede upholstery cloth. I got some of this from a fabric store, and it is one of the best surfaces that I've played on. It lies flat, and drapes well over anything you might want to put under it. The back is normal cloth and the other side is the faux suede surface, which looks very organic on the miniatures table. It is washable, so you don't have to worry about it getting marked or stained. I've cleaned blue ink off of one of mine.

The faux suede can be brushed around in different directions to reflect the light differently. I roll mine up. It stores well that way. It does not need to be sprayed or treated with anything as with felt. It generally costs about 3 times what untreated felt costs per yard, but I think the investment was worth it. This stuff comes in a variety of colors. You should be able to find sand, tan, and reddish colors which would be good for Old West terrain.

[number9]

I use micro suede as well. I have it in three different colors straight from a local upholstery shop. A couple things about it worth mentioning:

It has a very uniform appearance, even with the nap brushed in different directions. Depending on the length of the nap it will indent in a visible way where you leave your hands, leading to funny patterns in the surface of the cloth. Generally I use a cheap adhesive lint roller and smooth these out before a game. Helps with the cat hair too.

It is a great thickness for draping but it has no stretch to it. Laying it over hills is a bit tricky as it can bunch and wrinkle depending on how you are doing it. A little practice and patience usually works this problem out though. It also is prone to fraying along the cut edge. I just folded the seam over and ran it through the wife's sewing machine, but you could probably live with unfinished if you want to keep at it with a pair of sharp scissors.

The back side of my pieces are satin-like which makes it a bit slippery. I fix this by pinning it down to my foam baseboard, but if you just lay it across a finished wooden table, it may shift and slide more than you like.

It is *very* durable, and washes well if it gets dirty. The higher end stuff comes stain resistant and liquid will bead on the surface so you can blot it up.

Overall I love it. I'll be experimenting with paint on it at some point, and perhaps a little glue and flock as well to see how that holds up to use and storage.

couple of pics if it helps, from far and close:

[Nighthawk]

I agree with Tommy. They realy aren't worth the expense. What I do is use a felt mat that you can get from any fabric shop. Lay it out on the table then use scenic peices. IMHO this makes for a more interesting game. I know Eric of Hotz mats. He is a really nice guy. But I find the cost for what the mats are to be far to high. I do have one of his mats. But I never use it. However, I do recomend that you do use something. IMO a table with nothing on it is very un-inspiring