GameMastery Flip-Mats

I'm sure this topic has already been brought up but I can't use the search function, so can't find it.

I've read some positive product reviews about these Flip-Mats but incredibly couldn't find a single full fledged review or even a video showing how the flip-mats look and how well they work as a battle map. So I'm asking if anyone here has had any experience with them to please let me know what you thought about them. If you can manage it, a video would be greatly appreciated.

I actually found them a little small for our needs. We use Tactiles or a large roll up battle map instead.

I use both a Megamat and a Mondomat (4.5'x9') at my game table -- as well as a projector on a White 1" square Easel Pad of grid paper.

For most people the Mondomat is ultra overkill. It probably is for us too - but it fit my table nicely so I grabbed it.

From time to time the Megamat is not as large as I would like - but for most purposes - it's the "right" size.

The smallest vinyl mat, the Battlemat, is too small in my opinion. Other groups may have a different opinion.

I bought a Flip Mat at Gencon as part of Steel Sqwire's complete binder kit several years ago. We have used it when we move our game outside during the summer on the patio. It's a little small for general purposes, but for use for a single interior encounter or a small scale exterior encounter, it will serve.

Quality wise, the Flip Mat is nice but the creases can interfere. It folds up extremely well for transportation in a binder, which is perhaps its greatest strength.

It accomodates both wet and dry erase.

Overall, I like the product for some uses. If my game hosting moved around a lot, it would certainly be more convenient (except my game doesn't move. We play in a gaming room reserved for that purpose here). I might use it in the car for some backseat DMing on the way to GenCon (in fact - this August is probably the next time I will actually use my Flipmat for that exact purpose)

But for everyday use during a session? No. It's still too small for that purpose and a Megamat would serve you much better in the long run. I have had mine for...14 years? Something like that. The previous one I had, I destroyed trying to clean it with nail polish remover. (Hint: Don't do something stupid like that. Ever!)

If you wanted to try something else fairly cheaply, I could also recommend Gaming Paper. You can see the product with videos at Gaming Paper

For some purposes, gamgingpaper would serve well. I still think a Megamat or a Mondomat are FAR better products at a better overall value over the life of the prodcut - plus they cushion die rolls nicely so you aren't chasing dice across the floor.

That said, some people just don't have the $100 to drop on a Mondomat or the $30 to drop on a Megamat - but they do have $4 for gaming paper.

Verdict: Get a Chessex Megamat. If you take reasonable care of it - you'll still be using it 15 years from now.

I bought one sort of on a whim to see how it compared to my Chessex Megamat. The Megamat is the far superior product, even with it's deficiencies. The creases on the Flipmat never go away and are extremely annoying. They make drawing lines on the mat quite a chore. The fact that it folds up means that it will never lay flat. It also has some bizarre interactions with markers. Some markers just refuse to erase cleanly from the mat. If you use 4 colors of markers on a mat, you'll inevitably get one color that's a hassle to get off. As in, scrub as hard as you can for 20 minutes with a wire brush hard. Water, alcohol, windex, nothing at all helps bring it up. Eventually with enough elbow grease you'll get it off, but it's a far more annoying chore than cleaning up the mess of the wet erase markers on the Megamat.

All the Flipmat is is a gridded sheet of thick paper with a "scene" permanently laid out on it, that has been laminated and folded. Nothing more, nothing less. I would only really recommend it if you couldn't bring along a Megamat for some reason.

I have the ship. I've used it in special circumstances and it has served well, but for general purposes I use a big vinyl mat.

I have tried gaming paper recently with great success, I'm going to use that as much as possible in the future... which reminds me I need to order some.

I DM quite a bit on the road and find the flip mat to be very good for travel. Folds up to the size of my books, can write on it with just about any marker, and cheap enough that if it get's damaged. I don't think they make them any more, but my first flip mat had 1" squares on one side, and 1" hex on the other. I LOVE that and would like another but I don't think it's made any more. I bought a second flip mat so I could have many maps prepared.

Edit: To those who say it will never lay flat... I say I need to post a photo of mine. They lay perfectly flat. You need to backfold them and they get better with age.

darjr said:

I have the ship. I've used it in special circumstances and it has served well, but for general purposes I use a big vinyl mat.

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I agree on the specific use element completely. There are some pre-printed Flip-Mat scenes - the Inn and the Ship for sure (some people may also like some others) - which have significant value-in-use because of the background on the Flip-Mat.

At the relative cheapness of the Flip-Mat - I'm very much in favor of grabbing those specific versions of the Flip-Mat.

Steel_Wind said:

I bought a Flip Mat at Gencon as part of Steel Sqwire's complete binder kit several years ago. We have used it when we move our game outside during the summer on the patio. It's a little small for general purposes, but for use for a single interior encounter or a small scale exterior encounter, it will serve.

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I find it lacks for the large encounters, or for mapping entire dungeon levels, but otherwise is fine. If you need the entire top of your typical dining room table, it will fall short. If you don't, it will work fine.

It accomodates both wet and dry erase.

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And permanent as well. I saw the claim made and tested it. It cleaned off fine. I wouldn't recommend doing it without testing the marker and mat first, but it does seem to work.

After a couple of permanent marker accidents in the past with my megamats, I find this the strongest advantages of the flip-mats.

But for everyday use during a session? No. It's still too small for that purpose and a Megamat would serve you much better in the long run. I have had mine for...14 years? Something like that. The previous one I had, I destroyed trying to clean it with nail polish remover. (Hint: Don't do something stupid like that. Ever!)

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I have had one of my megamats since the mid-80s and it is better than it was during the end of that decade (as some of the stains, and permanent marker mistakes have faded to being unnoticeable). I do recommend them highly.

However, one advantage of the flip mats is taking advantage of the one side being preprinted. In particular, if your characters frequent a specific location and you'll want to use that area on a semi-regular basis, that can work great. For example, if your party is travelling about on ship, grab the ship mat and use that as their ship. If they frequent an adventurer's tavern where there are frequent encounters, one of the tavern maps can work great.

Thank you all for your replies. I have a much better idea of what to do now.

What originally drew me to Flip-Mats was the low price and the versatility of markers. But I think going for a Chessex Mat and probably some gaming paper would be better as the price increase isn't that much of a big deal for me, and I don't need the portability of the Flip-Mats either. Unfortunately the table I'll be gaming on is about 3 inches too short for that Chessex Megamat, but It'll fit two Battlemats (maybe I'll tape them together?).

The edges of the mat drape over table corners no problem. Only thing to watch is that if enough of it does it will tend to want to pull the rest of the mat off the table.