Which battlemat to get?

[msd]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Very helpful...think I will probably go with the 9 piece set as it sounds like 4x3 is unlikely to be needed that often.

-m

 

[Wrathamon]

Combat mats by Crystal Caste use Dry Erase markers only

Ooopps I meant Wet Erase

 

[Eye Tyrant]

I just laminated the battle grid that came in my DMG... One side is black and white, the other is color... Vis a Vis overhead markers work great, though we do have to use a spray bottle of water. Cost me about 5$.

 

[jester47]

Anyone know if the tactile guys are going to be at Gencon?

Aaron.

 

[Wrathamon]

If you had to pick between mats which would you pick thou?

Chessex or Crystal caste?

battle vs combat?

which comes out on top?

 

[Droogie]

I will mention one gripe about the tact-tiles : The grid lines are a bit thick. You have to use thick markers to get your maps to show up- thin markers, esp. lighter colored ones, are hard to see.

I wish the grid lines were gray, just a few shades darker than the tile itself. Or better yet, instead of thick and thin lines, how about thin and dotted lines?

Anyway, other than that, its a great product. Before tact-tiles, we just used a grid map in a poster frame. The plexi-glass would take (low-odor) dry erase markers just fine, although you would need some dry-erase board cleaner if you left your maps on for more than a day.

 

[Droogie]

If you had to pick between mats which would you pick thou?

Chessex or Crystal caste?

battle vs combat?

which comes out on top?

I'd say chessex is better. The ink tends to bead up or smear on Crystal Caste.

Battle Mat. Get the biggest mat you can afford.

 

[Demon Gnome]

Tact-Tiles

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.bc-products.net/Index.html

These are great. My group of some 17+ years just started using them (based on a bunch of glowing ENWorld reviews) and were instantly and unanimously sold. Dry-erase, modular, solid, wonderful. If you're willing to spend the money, these are a great way to go. I'll be purchasing another set soon.

We use these as well and they have been worth every penny. Originally we used a large sheet of 1" graph paper under a large sheet of clear plexiglass with dry-erase markers. Which worked well for as long as we used em, though eventually some of the colors tend to leave 'after-images' on the plaxiglass. We switched to the tiles a few months ago and love them!

 

[Tom]

I pre-draw all my dungeons. If you use the foam spacers, the drawing can be transported virtually intact (you may have to do a little touch up). The foam spacers kind of grip the tiles and don't allow them to slide and thereby "wipe" the surface.

Also, if you allow the drawing to dry for a day or more, it becomes much more difficult to wipe off. This is because of the dry-erase ink, not the surface. According to BC, the dry erase ink has an oil like substance in it, that when it dries out completely becomes sticky. But a little windex lifts it right off.

Tom

Any of you Tact-Tiles users have experience pre-drawing major encounter areas then transporting to a game location? Since these are stackable and easily transportable, that would be pretty handy, but does the dry-erase wipe off to easily?

Thanks in advance!

~ Old One

 

[Tom]

I will mention one gripe about the tact-tiles : The grid lines are a bit thick. You have to use thick markers to get your maps to show up- thin markers, esp. lighter colored ones, are hard to see.

I wish the grid lines were gray, just a few shades darker than the tile itself. Or better yet, instead of thick and thin lines, how about thin and dotted lines?

Anyway, other than that, its a great product. Before tact-tiles, we just used a grid map in a poster frame. The plexi-glass would take (low-odor) dry erase markers just fine, although you would need some dry-erase board cleaner if you left your maps on for more than a day.

Haven't noticed the thicker lines to be a problem, but I usually use chisel tip markers. The grid line color is a brownish orange, and even if you mark with a brown or orange marker, there still seems to be plenty of contrast. A lighter colored line on top of the grid lines can be more difficult to see than darker lines, I usually use darker lines on the grid and lighter colors when drawing on the gray. The gray colored tile is good for lighter colored markers.

If the grid lines were a darker gray, it could pose a contrast problem for the darker color markers.

They said dotted lines could be done, just not easily repeatable. The dot size has a tendency to grow. They may end up making dotted lines in the future, but they wanted to start with something more assured.