What battlemat do you use? Which one is worth choosing?

[boriss283]

Hello. I am a user of paizo flip basic mat and recently, I decided to choose a new larger mat for myself and began to think what options do I have. I examined what are the options on the market and came to three main categories.

1. Foldable Mats.
2. Vinyl mats.
3. Wet erase mats (chessex).

I plan to systematically transfer the mat, so the vinyl version that needs to be carried in the tube is not suitable.And the main options, at the moment, are:
1. Purchase of two Paizo flip basic mats and combining them to reach 30"x48". I realy like mat size. But I'm not sure about the connection.
2. Purchase of one Paizo flip Bigger basic mat 27"x39". I would like a little bigger mat size, but not having connection like with 2 paizo flip basic mats sounds nice.
3. Buying wet erase chessex mat 34"x48". But i never used wet erase mats and most people say it is not realy comfortable.

What options can you offer? What mats do you use? (Remember using glued A4 sheets in a square, covered with tape.)

[KillianHawkeye]

In my group, we use the Chessex battle mats with wet-erase markers. We spread one out over a big table.

I don't see why anyone would say it's "uncomfortable"... it's just a flexible vinyl mat with a square and/or hex grid printed on it. Sometimes you get a little marker on your hands, but whatever.

The only thing to watch out for is to not leave anything written on them long-term. Take a picture if necessary, and erase at the end of the game session. Also, we sometimes find that certain marker colors are harder to get off, but I think it varies by marker brand.

[Kapow]

Some years ago I switched to PVC-tablecloth...
You can order them in nearly all sizes, you can use dry erase marker on them, they even exist with "grids" (checkered) - and you can't beat the price

[Imbalance]

Some years ago I switched to PVC-tablecloth...
You can order them in nearly all sizes, you can use dry erase marker on them, they even exist with "grids" (checkered) - and you can't beat the price

Wow, was just wondering about this. We have an old one that the Mrs. was ready to part ways with, but I think I'll upcycle it instead.

[Tanarii]

Some years ago I switched to PVC-tablecloth...
You can order them in nearly all sizes, you can use dry erase marker on them, they even exist with "grids" (checkered) - and you can't beat the price

Hey thanks. I currently prefer to avoid using mats. My biggest complaint is wet erase is a pain in the ass. Most of the time I need to clarify positioning to players I just do quick sketch on a small white board with dry erase. A dry erase mat would definitely be a superior option for when I really need to use the battle mat.

[RedMage125]

I switched to draft paper, and haven't looked back since. It allows me to make a few maps in advance when I need to, as well as draw just what I need to for smaller, incidental combats.
I get them from amazon in 3 packs of giant pads of draft paper pretty cheap.

[Slipperychicken]

I used to vocally support the huge chessex mat. After a few years of playing with it I realized it was bulky, rollng/unrolling was a pain, and the wet-erase was a lot of hassle

My group prefers the folding dry-erase ones now. Dry erase might get smudged or scuffed, but the ease of cleaning/changing it is a huge upside.

[Dohvak]

On amazon:
Dungeon-Interlocking-Role-Playing-Miniature-Tabletop/dp/B016H1B0RW (not enough posts to create links yet)

I use these interlocking dungeon tiles. packs away nicely, works with wet and dry erase, works with the new paint markers. I quit using mats because of space constraint. Also nice for little things like tracking initiative and damage on a separate tile - no need to buy something else or mark up my notes.

[dehro]

I've had a lot of mileage out of the Chessex map, the large one. I left it to my friends when I moved away.. they are still using it every week. just make sure you get the right markers.

[Aotrs Commander]

I made my own, the ARCS (Aotrs Reconfiguable Combat System).



It's basically an A1 plastic wallet with some coloured cardboard with a grid draw on it, that we write on with non-permenant markers or Crayola's dry-erase wax crayons.

Essentially, one day, it occured to me we'd been using nonpermenant markers on A4 plastic wallets for ages for writing on wargames record sheets, why not just apply it on a larger scale?

It's dirt-cheap; A1 plastic wallet was about a fiver, and I suspect the A1 cardboard for several colours came to less than another - you don't need thick card, since the wallt comes with one itself, so you just get some green/brown/grey (optionally blue/white) spend a few minutes with a ruler drawing lines and job's a good 'un.

Thusly:

Spoiler

Show

Best solution to floor plans we've ever had.

[LordCdrMilitant]

Hello. I am a user of paizo flip basic mat and recently, I decided to choose a new larger mat for myself and began to think what options do I have. I examined what are the options on the market and came to three main categories.

1. Foldable Mats.
2. Vinyl mats.
3. Wet erase mats (chessex).

I plan to systematically transfer the mat, so the vinyl version that needs to be carried in the tube is not suitable.And the main options, at the moment, are:
1. Purchase of two Paizo flip basic mats and combining them to reach 30"x48". I realy like mat size. But I'm not sure about the connection.
2. Purchase of one Paizo flip Bigger basic mat 27"x39". I would like a little bigger mat size, but not having connection like with 2 paizo flip basic mats sounds nice.
3. Buying wet erase chessex mat 34"x48". But i never used wet erase mats and most people say it is not realy comfortable.

What options can you offer? What mats do you use? (Remember using glued A4 sheets in a square, covered with tape.)

I use a measuring tape and some toy blocks [KEVA planks] on the tablecloth. Sometimes I also have a whiteboard and whiteboard markers too. Better than a gridded battlemat in my opinion.
It doesn't have the issue of diagonal movement and ranging, and it's very easy, so I'd always recommend it. Blocks are optional if they're too much more expensive than a cloth mat.

1" = 5' for D&D, or 1' = 1m for Dark Heresy. [technically, I think 1" ~ 2m on the figures, but the bases are 1" diameter so it's easy to think about]