best battlemat?
- Thread starter alsih2o
- Start date
I looked around quite a bit, but just this weekend sprung for one of those chessex wet-erase jobs. It's a little over 2 feet by 2 feet, I got the 1 inch squares marked one, but they make double sided (with hexes and squares), and also much bigger ones. It's thick and sturdy, I have a couple friends who have owned one for a year or more and neither show signs of wearing out, and the one I got was about 14 dollars. Totally worth it.
BiggusGeekus@Work
Community Supporter
I go with the Chessex Battlemat. I got the fancy-schmancy kind with hexes on the back. I wargame sometimes and various wargames require hexes, so for me paying the extra couple of bucks for a mat I can use for other games was worth it.
Be careful. D&D requires 1-inch squares. The battlemat with the 1 1/2-inch squares looks VERY similar and wasn't marked as such at least in my FLGS. Its generally not the end of the world if someone gets the wrong scale, but since you have a branch industry in selling to scale clay models for terrain it would be a big deal.
Oh, and make sure you use the right kind of erasable markers. Using dry-erase on a wet-erase mat is very bad. Also, if you're drawing a diagram that's going to be on the mat for a long time, use blue or green. Red and black have a small tendency to stain if they're left on for several hours.
Be careful. D&D requires 1-inch squares. The battlemat with the 1 1/2-inch squares looks VERY similar and wasn't marked as such at least in my FLGS. Its generally not the end of the world if someone gets the wrong scale, but since you have a branch industry in selling to scale clay models for terrain it would be a big deal.
Oh, and make sure you use the right kind of erasable markers. Using dry-erase on a wet-erase mat is very bad. Also, if you're drawing a diagram that's going to be on the mat for a long time, use blue or green. Red and black have a small tendency to stain if they're left on for several hours.
Kid Charlemagne
I am the Very Model of a Modern Moderator
Beware the evil Sharpie! Be vigiliant, lest it's tricksy permananence find its way to besmear your lovely battlemat!
I'll throw in with the Chessex folks. I prefer the Chessex mats, as the marker seems to show up a little better than on the Crystal Caste.
That said, the difference is pretty minor. The Crystal Caste mats don't fade with repeated cleaning at all, while the Chessex mats fade very little. My Chessex mat has seen regular use for 4 or 5 years, and looks great.
If only someone would get a table big enough to handle the new 4' by 8' Chessex reversible mat....
I'll throw in with the Chessex folks. I prefer the Chessex mats, as the marker seems to show up a little better than on the Crystal Caste.
That said, the difference is pretty minor. The Crystal Caste mats don't fade with repeated cleaning at all, while the Chessex mats fade very little. My Chessex mat has seen regular use for 4 or 5 years, and looks great.
If only someone would get a table big enough to handle the new 4' by 8' Chessex reversible mat....
Storminator
First Post
Chessex wet-erase for me, very pleased with it.
And for wiping down a wet erase board, nothing beats baby wipes. Once with a baby wipe, once with a paper towel, instantly clean.
PS
And for wiping down a wet erase board, nothing beats baby wipes. Once with a baby wipe, once with a paper towel, instantly clean.
PS
Eye Tyrant
First Post
You've got one in the 3.5 DMG
Unless you are one that doesn't want to change to 3.5 or just hasn't yet, the new DMG has a good sized battle grid. Since I only had the Chessex hex mat and wanted to use squares with the revised rules, I decided to just have the battle grid from the DMG laminated... Cost me 5 bucks and works great. Plus one side is color and has corridors/rooms and the other side is a black/white grid...
Unless you are one that doesn't want to change to 3.5 or just hasn't yet, the new DMG has a good sized battle grid. Since I only had the Chessex hex mat and wanted to use squares with the revised rules, I decided to just have the battle grid from the DMG laminated... Cost me 5 bucks and works great. Plus one side is color and has corridors/rooms and the other side is a black/white grid...
MadScientist
First Post
Another word of warning. If you use dry erase boards at the gaming table, be very careful not to use dry-erase markers on your battlemap. I did that about a year ago and I still have many parts of the Sunless Citadel on my mega-mat!
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Aluvial
Explorer
I use a dry-erase battle map. My wife found one with a permanent 1" grid on it, when she comes home, I will see if I can find out where it came from.
It is 4' X 3', and I will never look back. I had the battle map for a while, but this thing really is the best I've seen.
I do recall it being a tad pricey, I'll ask her about that too.
How do you attach a picture? I will post one if it is possible.
Aluvial
It is 4' X 3', and I will never look back. I had the battle map for a while, but this thing really is the best I've seen.
I do recall it being a tad pricey, I'll ask her about that too.
How do you attach a picture? I will post one if it is possible.
Aluvial
