Battle Mat's [Archive] - Wizards Community

Battle Mat's [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Ruinous
04-16-04, 01:35 PM Is there any particular battle mat any of you would recomend, i was looking at the "tact-tiles" thing thats advertised in one of the Dragon mags. Does anyone have any experience with it, whats it like?
TheGreenGriffon
04-16-04, 02:02 PM The battlemap sold by the good people at The Crystal Caste (http://www.crystalcaste.com) is a good one. Its doublesided and is a beige like color. It even comes with a free marker for it.

The map coems in some different sizes for large combat scenarios and the site even sells replacement markers. This is also a great place to get dice and other gaming stuff.

Check it out.
kliate
04-16-04, 02:08 PM Lately my battle mats have been Excel spreadsheets + Marker for walls, landmarks, buildings, etc., and they've been working pretty well.

I set the cell column width to 12.29 and the height to 72.00, and then set the borders to make a printable grid. In the end, I have 7x10 1-inch squares that fit a page with 0.75" side margins and 0.5" top margins. If you need a larger grid, you can always trim the margins and tape from the back.

So far I've done a dungeon and a mountain thorpe this way, so if you have the time and are looking for a pretty cost-efficient way to get a battle mat, thats my recommendation.

EDIT: On a side note, it's also a convenient way to make a 'behind the screen' map with your notes on it, like pre-rolled dungeon encounters, traps and other tricks (like my maze of mirrors in the shrine to Vecna...that's going to be fun!)
MattMart
04-16-04, 02:42 PM I use a 2'x3' dry erase board with marker board tape for grid lines...
Stormweaver
04-16-04, 03:25 PM We used to have a plexiglass sheet with lines marked with a permanent marker under the sheet. We used dry erasable markers for terrain, spell effect, etc... Now we use a vynil battlemat. Vinylk battlemat are easy to store bot the plexiglass is going to last longer.
Capt. Pixel
04-16-04, 09:17 PM We use the vinyl mats with a sheet of acetate over the mat. (The result of decades of playing experience. :rolleyes: )

The acetate cleans up easier than the vinyl, and, if we get the wrong kind of markers, we don't accidentally permanently mark the vinyl mat. (this has happened and it cost us an entire mat as a result.)

Also, if we end the session in the middle of a battle, we just make notes on the acetate, roll it up and stash it 'til the next game session. The vinyl map is then available for another game session with a fresh acetate cover and we can play several games simultaneously. :cool:

(Someday I'd like to take a 4x8 plywood, glue a paper grid to one side and then paint over that with clear polyurethane.)
bitnine
04-16-04, 09:28 PM Hm. I'll check the brand, but for xmas one year I got one of my friends a dry-erase battle mat with a grid on one side and hex on the other. It's served us quite well, I must say.
king_of_evil007
04-16-04, 09:45 PM I'm using the Battle Map that came with the D&D Adventures (starter set?) thingie (exactly like the one in the back of the 3.5 DMG) with also the D&D Minis battlemap when more space is needed.
PaladinSix
04-17-04, 03:13 AM Battle mats are great, but in my experience, its only a matter of time before they get something permanent spilled on them, or someone mistakenly uses a permanent marker.

As an alternative, I picked up (at OfficeDepot, I think) a 2'x3' pad of graph paper with 1 inch squares, fifty pages in the pad. It's cheap, easily replaceable, and best of all, you can draw up maps in advance. For that epic battle in the BBEGs lair, or a particular section of dungeon or whatever, just flip to the right page and you are ready to go. If necessary, you can tear out a map and save it to use again later, if the PCs go back to the same place.
Nyvinyd
04-17-04, 03:17 AM I bought 2 D&D minis entry packs, and ripped the map out of the back of the DMG 3.5e. Kinkos then took my 24 dollars to laminate them all, and I was satisfied with the trade. Vis-a-vis markers work quite well on them, and I very much enjoy them.

As an alternative, you can use an inch-based system and not care about the grid.
Ruinous
04-17-04, 05:09 AM I've been using a graph paper pad, but i found it restictive and difficult to work with.
MinusInnocence
04-17-04, 07:58 AM Those interlocking, hard-vinyl sheets in the recent issue of Dragon seem incredibly expensive. You're referring to the ones Salvatore endorsed right? I dunno if I would ever be willing to pay that much for something like a battlegrid.

I have a mat about as big as my dining room table with hexes, and a smaller Crystal Caste with opposable hex/squares. The square side was the unfortunate victim of an errant permanent marker, but we still use it sometimes. (Substituting different colors can work fine).

Really, it's up to personal opinion. Some people don't use mats at all and simply use random objects for terrain (stacking books and placing a blanket or something similar over them can simulate hills, and a maze of paper cups can work as a forest in a pinch). "Winging it" isn't the end of the world if everyone in the group can agree on what one inch is - of course, if you have any experience with wargames, you probably prefer using a measuring tape. No harm, no foul.
UZI
04-17-04, 08:23 AM I use an etched whiteboard (24" by 18"). If someone hits it with a permanent marker, you color over it with dry-erase, and it invariably comes right off (I actually tried greating a grid with permanent before I realized the dry-erase dissolves the permanent :eek: , that's why I started etching).

If this one gets destroyed, I may go for the acetate overlays, as I like the idea of rolling up, or rolling out the playing field.
airhead
04-17-04, 04:46 PM Originally posted by PaladinSix
Battle mats are great, but in my experience, its only a matter of time before they get something permanent spilled on them, or someone mistakenly uses a permanent marker...

I have been using a Chessix Mega Mat for nearly 20 years. I did use a permanent marker on it (on purpose - numbers 1-30 up the side margin for initiative.) I would not trade it for the world - well maybe for a mondo mat.

I also have recently purchased a tac-tile set. This stuff is great. You can keep the party in the center of the table as you go through a dungeon crawl. The only drawback I have against this set is it is a little pricey. Not as bad as dwarven forge, but that is a horse of a different color.
Silverblade The Enchanter
04-18-04, 11:02 AM 2x3 sheet of hardboard, painted flat tan, deep lines scored/painted red, covered with plastic film.

Works fine :)
And have 2 battlemats if ever need.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Ruinous 04-16-04, 01:35 PM	Is there any particular battle mat any of you would recomend, i was looking at the "tact-tiles" thing thats advertised in one of the Dragon mags. Does anyone have any experience with it, whats it like?
TheGreenGriffon 04-16-04, 02:02 PM	The battlemap sold by the good people at The Crystal Caste (http://www.crystalcaste.com) is a good one. Its doublesided and is a beige like color. It even comes with a free marker for it. The map coems in some different sizes for large combat scenarios and the site even sells replacement markers. This is also a great place to get dice and other gaming stuff. Check it out.
kliate 04-16-04, 02:08 PM	Lately my battle mats have been Excel spreadsheets + Marker for walls, landmarks, buildings, etc., and they've been working pretty well. I set the cell column width to 12.29 and the height to 72.00, and then set the borders to make a printable grid. In the end, I have 7x10 1-inch squares that fit a page with 0.75" side margins and 0.5" top margins. If you need a larger grid, you can always trim the margins and tape from the back. So far I've done a dungeon and a mountain thorpe this way, so if you have the time and are looking for a pretty cost-efficient way to get a battle mat, thats my recommendation. EDIT: On a side note, it's also a convenient way to make a 'behind the screen' map with your notes on it, like pre-rolled dungeon encounters, traps and other tricks (like my maze of mirrors in the shrine to Vecna...that's going to be fun!)
MattMart 04-16-04, 02:42 PM	I use a 2'x3' dry erase board with marker board tape for grid lines...
Stormweaver 04-16-04, 03:25 PM	We used to have a plexiglass sheet with lines marked with a permanent marker under the sheet. We used dry erasable markers for terrain, spell effect, etc... Now we use a vynil battlemat. Vinylk battlemat are easy to store bot the plexiglass is going to last longer.
Capt. Pixel 04-16-04, 09:17 PM	We use the vinyl mats with a sheet of acetate over the mat. (The result of decades of playing experience. :rolleyes: ) The acetate cleans up easier than the vinyl, and, if we get the wrong kind of markers, we don't accidentally permanently mark the vinyl mat. (this has happened and it cost us an entire mat as a result.) Also, if we end the session in the middle of a battle, we just make notes on the acetate, roll it up and stash it 'til the next game session. The vinyl map is then available for another game session with a fresh acetate cover and we can play several games simultaneously. :cool: (Someday I'd like to take a 4x8 plywood, glue a paper grid to one side and then paint over that with clear polyurethane.)
bitnine 04-16-04, 09:28 PM	Hm. I'll check the brand, but for xmas one year I got one of my friends a dry-erase battle mat with a grid on one side and hex on the other. It's served us quite well, I must say.
king_of_evil007 04-16-04, 09:45 PM	I'm using the Battle Map that came with the D&D Adventures (starter set?) thingie (exactly like the one in the back of the 3.5 DMG) with also the D&D Minis battlemap when more space is needed.
PaladinSix 04-17-04, 03:13 AM	Battle mats are great, but in my experience, its only a matter of time before they get something permanent spilled on them, or someone mistakenly uses a permanent marker. As an alternative, I picked up (at OfficeDepot, I think) a 2'x3' pad of graph paper with 1 inch squares, fifty pages in the pad. It's cheap, easily replaceable, and best of all, you can draw up maps in advance. For that epic battle in the BBEGs lair, or a particular section of dungeon or whatever, just flip to the right page and you are ready to go. If necessary, you can tear out a map and save it to use again later, if the PCs go back to the same place.
Nyvinyd 04-17-04, 03:17 AM	I bought 2 D&D minis entry packs, and ripped the map out of the back of the DMG 3.5e. Kinkos then took my 24 dollars to laminate them all, and I was satisfied with the trade. Vis-a-vis markers work quite well on them, and I very much enjoy them. As an alternative, you can use an inch-based system and not care about the grid.
Ruinous 04-17-04, 05:09 AM	I've been using a graph paper pad, but i found it restictive and difficult to work with.
MinusInnocence 04-17-04, 07:58 AM	Those interlocking, hard-vinyl sheets in the recent issue of Dragon seem incredibly expensive. You're referring to the ones Salvatore endorsed right? I dunno if I would ever be willing to pay that much for something like a battlegrid. I have a mat about as big as my dining room table with hexes, and a smaller Crystal Caste with opposable hex/squares. The square side was the unfortunate victim of an errant permanent marker, but we still use it sometimes. (Substituting different colors can work fine). Really, it's up to personal opinion. Some people don't use mats at all and simply use random objects for terrain (stacking books and placing a blanket or something similar over them can simulate hills, and a maze of paper cups can work as a forest in a pinch). "Winging it" isn't the end of the world if everyone in the group can agree on what one inch is - of course, if you have any experience with wargames, you probably prefer using a measuring tape. No harm, no foul.
UZI 04-17-04, 08:23 AM	I use an etched whiteboard (24" by 18"). If someone hits it with a permanent marker, you color over it with dry-erase, and it invariably comes right off (I actually tried greating a grid with permanent before I realized the dry-erase dissolves the permanent :eek: , that's why I started etching). If this one gets destroyed, I may go for the acetate overlays, as I like the idea of rolling up, or rolling out the playing field.
airhead 04-17-04, 04:46 PM	Originally posted by PaladinSix Battle mats are great, but in my experience, its only a matter of time before they get something permanent spilled on them, or someone mistakenly uses a permanent marker... I have been using a Chessix Mega Mat for nearly 20 years. I did use a permanent marker on it (on purpose - numbers 1-30 up the side margin for initiative.) I would not trade it for the world - well maybe for a mondo mat. I also have recently purchased a tac-tile set. This stuff is great. You can keep the party in the center of the table as you go through a dungeon crawl. The only drawback I have against this set is it is a little pricey. Not as bad as dwarven forge, but that is a horse of a different color.
Silverblade The Enchanter 04-18-04, 11:02 AM	2x3 sheet of hardboard, painted flat tan, deep lines scored/painted red, covered with plastic film. Works fine :) And have 2 battlemats if ever need.