Post by brokentoy on Nov 11, 2013 8:05:16 GMT
I've been looking for the 'perfect' battlemat for many years now, but most stuff I could find was not suiting my needs.
What I am looking for in a battlemat to call it acceptable:
I have high standards. Sue me.
I finally found what I was looking for. At the dollar store, no less. It's called woven placemats; they are made of flexible plastic, and are meant to be eaten on and washed, so pretty much indestructible. I got four of those (a grand total of 4$ plus canadian taxes). Bonus: it's pre-cut.
They were bright yellow, which is cool but not for a mat. So I primed them with krylon black spray primer and colored them with acrylics. That's it. Seriously, it couldn't get simpler than that! Results are only limited by your painting ability, and yes, they remain flexible despite the paint. Make sure to prime; the woven texture has a lot of creases and holes, which has it behave like woven fabric (easy to do loose folds and roll for storage), but the plastic won't let acrylic stick on its own.
Being 12x18 inches, they are very standard and can be put in multiple configurations.
With 4 of them you can make: 12x18, 18x24, 18x36 and 24x36 play areas, all in one pack.
Some pictures
24x36 area.
Of course, you know me. I had to make something ingenious with them. So... they are double-sided.
Water area. Could also be a spaceship and asteroids with some imagination.
Forest encounter. Uh-oh.
The placemats can be found at dollar stores (Dollarama).
They were bright yellow before painting!
- Resin terrain: Expensive, stiff, complex to carry.
- Paper: Meh. It'll be destroyed in no time. Mostly where it folds. Expensive to buy, hard to make.
- Fabric: Somewhat expensive. Won't stay flat and is hell-bent on keeping fold lines. Enough said...
- Custom-printed Vynil: Expensive. Usually too thin.
- Fabric + Caulk: messy and stinks a lot before curing.
What I am looking for in a battlemat to call it acceptable:
- Inexpensive.
- Does not look cheap.
- Easy to make/replace.
- Indestructible.
- Foldable and flexible, like fabric.
- Lightweight.
- STAYS. FLAT.
I have high standards. Sue me.
I finally found what I was looking for. At the dollar store, no less. It's called woven placemats; they are made of flexible plastic, and are meant to be eaten on and washed, so pretty much indestructible. I got four of those (a grand total of 4$ plus canadian taxes). Bonus: it's pre-cut.
They were bright yellow, which is cool but not for a mat. So I primed them with krylon black spray primer and colored them with acrylics. That's it. Seriously, it couldn't get simpler than that! Results are only limited by your painting ability, and yes, they remain flexible despite the paint. Make sure to prime; the woven texture has a lot of creases and holes, which has it behave like woven fabric (easy to do loose folds and roll for storage), but the plastic won't let acrylic stick on its own.
Being 12x18 inches, they are very standard and can be put in multiple configurations.
With 4 of them you can make: 12x18, 18x24, 18x36 and 24x36 play areas, all in one pack.
Some pictures
24x36 area.
Of course, you know me. I had to make something ingenious with them. So... they are double-sided.
Water area. Could also be a spaceship and asteroids with some imagination.
Forest encounter. Uh-oh.
The placemats can be found at dollar stores (Dollarama).
They were bright yellow before painting!
Cheers!
Cheers!