D&D 5E Any DMs ever use Tact-Tiles?

[Ceylin]

I saw these on kickstarter -- https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/804836187/tact-tiles-modular-wet-and-dry-erase-gaming-surfac

Looks like they had a run of them about ~10 years ago. Did anyone ever use any and like them? Wondering if they are actually nice to have or not.

 

[Savage Wombat]

I like mine. They're still quite usable, if a little scratched and stained. The ability to take tiles off one end and move them to the other can be quite handy.

 

[Storminator]

I got my set in the first run, and use them constantly. Last Friday was the most recent.

Love 'em. The original run was solid and well made. By now they're a little scratched and they've taken some permanent marker stains I can't get off. I used to DM at another player's house, and they travel a lot better than a rolled up mat (which I also have).

I've pledged for the new kickstarter to get some more.

PS

 

[MerricB]

When they first came out, I would have killed for a set of them. These days, the Basic Flipmat from Paizo pretty much meets my needs. The Tact-tiles now seem somewhat bulky.

(And I have Wizards' D&D Dungeon Tiles for wilderness and Dwarven Forge's terrain for more visually-appearing dungeons and caverns).

Cheers!

 

[SteveC]

I've used these since they first came out, and they're fantastic.

The thing I enjoy most about them is being able to draw out different maps before the game and keep them ready to do. The flexibility is incredible.

When I ran War of the Burning Sky, the first scene is a tavern, which I drew out for the group. At a certain point it gets attacked, and the entire thing goes up in flames. I had a second copy of the map with those details ready to go. That doesn't sound like much, but the group really enjoyed the quick transition.

If you have your flip mat out, and the group decides to do something different, it's erase the whole thing and start over. Tiles? Just grab a new one. And of course if the group decides to go back to somewhere you've drawn already, you can just put the tile back, as opposed to having to re-draw everything again.

The second thing is how you can simply detach one of the tiles and either put in a pre-drawn map or just draw in the direction your group is going. Once again, flexibility is incredible. If you've ever had the GM start drawing a map on a particular side of a battlemap, you knew which way the encounter was going to flow. With the tiles, the action can flow in whatever direction you want, and seems more natural.

Finally, the older set has seen near constant use by me or other GMs in our group for about 10 years, and is still in good shape.

So yes, they're expensive, but I'd say they're definitely worth it.

 

[TerraDave]

I have, and am a big fan.

the only real alternative is Gaming Paper (the blank kind). This makes it a little easier to do stuff in advance (though you can also do that with tact-tiles) and resuse, and still is very flexibible, though not quite as much as tact-tiles. Gaming paper can feel a little wastefull though, tact-tiles are very sustainable.

 

[Boarstorm]

I'm looking forward to play with them. I've backed at a high-ish level, and I'm hoping the Kickstarter succeeds because they seem incredibly useful.

 

[Agamon]

I love mine, I haven't used a mat when using minis in years.

 

[KarinsDad]

I've used mine for many years.

However, they never came out with a hex version (TMK) and I will be using hexes for 5E.

So, I have been looking for my hex maps (which are missing in my last move).

I plan to use a plastic acrylic sheet over them to protect them. Alternatively if I cannot find them, I might go with the Basic Flipmat that MerricB suggested.


My preference is to get an acrylic sheet with the hexes already built in so that I can put any map (even one with squares) on it. Not quite sure how to manage that yet unless I build myself one with permanent ink on the bottom side. Hmmm.

 

[ephemeron]

However, they never came out with a hex version (TMK) and I will be using hexes for 5E.

Hexes are one of the stretch goals for the Kickstarter -- if they reach $200K. Right now they're at about $66K with 11 days to go.

Personally, I have a mild case of Tact-Tiles envy, but they just won't fit into my budget. That Paizo Flip-Mat is less versatile than a set of Tact-Tiles, but it's a little more area than an Economy Set of Tact-Tiles for a fraction of the price.