"Wings of War Game Mats" Topic

I should never cruise the internet when I'm bored.

To wit, I was surfing through theWarStore.com the other day and chance to land on Wings of War stuff. Neal is selling the game mats for $10 USD each below MSRP. In my estimation (or rationalization, if you prefer) that puts them in the 'affordable' range for an impulse purchase…so that's what I did; few days later they showed up on my door step.

I see descriptions of the material as like that of a mouse pad. That's is exactly what it is. To be a little more precise, it's that sort of heavy, thick, floppy black rubber topped by printed fabric. Yes, they weigh a ton. They also lay perfectly flat when unrolled and don't move around at all.

The graphic printed on the East and West halves line up perfectly even though one mat is an eighth of an inch larger than the other (the mat is bigger, not the graphic). The surface is typical mouse pad nylon type fabric. I'm sure that it's going to be easy to clean and tough as nails. The cards slip a little, less than on the felt I had been using, but more than on my flocked Geohex mat. All-in-all, I think it will be acceptable.

The true test came when I put planes on their stands. The stands simply melt away into the graphics and table looks absolutely fantastic!

The bottom line is that these mats, at -$20 MSRP for the pair from Neal at theWarStore.com and fast delivery, are a sound investment. Not to mention that purchase satisfied my "completionist" OCD by completing my collection of everything published for Wings of War…except for the WWII planes…which are next…

Does the Wings of War logo draw much attention to itself when you're actually using the mat for playing? I have to admit to not buying any so far because of the look of their logo when seeing the product in a picture.

I have to admit, that's a deal-breaker. If it was one small logo, in one corner, fine. But that size in two corners, no way. Come on, is it really necessary?

It's why I made my own Axis & Allies: War at Sea map (but at least the A&A map cheap paper and wasn't supposed to be 'deluxe').

The logo keeps me away as well. Even at the reduced price.

I felt that way when I looked at the mats, but after having used them for some games I find that you don't even see the logos once you start flying. The folks I game with don't seem to mind them and my biggest problem is to get folks to use the full playing surface – we usually wind up chasing each other over one half or the other!

I think that the logo effect is related to seeing pictures rather than real thing. When I saw pictures of the mats, the logos jumped out at me. I suppose it's because I saw the whole mat at one time and I was concentrating on the mat's appearance. In real life, however, I tend to concentrate on the planes and their relative positions. I also am really looking at the area of the mat where the planes are located which is rarely directly on top of a logo. If it really bothers you, I guess you could use that area to locate your control panel and decks.

To be honest, price was the constraint for me, not the logos. When I thought the price was reasonable, that's when I bought them.

Just had a thought regarding the logos. Would the material take colouring by something like a large marker? A suitable one might be available at Michael's or similiar store. A duller green or brown would go a long way, I think, to reducing the problem.

I just looked at The War Store and can only find the mats marked up at $29 USD FOR EACH ONE. Not quite $10 USD each as mentioned. At the former price I would bite his hand off. Am I just reading this all wrong, or was there some sort of special offer on?

Quote Sweet William:

"… only find the mats marked up at $29.00 USD USD FOR EACH ONE. Not quite $10.00 USD USD each as mentioned … Am I just reading this all wrong …"

Yup, you're reading it wrong. There was no mention of each mat costing 10 USD. It said:

"Neal is selling the game mats for $10.00 USD USD each below MSRP …"

Each mat 10 USD below MSRP. And later:

"The bottom line is that these mats, at -$20 MSRP …"

Get it now?

Cheers

"Not quite $10 USD USD each as mentioned"

I thought I took great care in making sure that the price could not be misinterpreted. Goes to show that gamers can read anything into anything, I suppose.

Sorry if you were mislead.

About the time I finish my mat, they come out with "official" mats. I actually think they are quite nice, but but it took me too long to paint mine to switch. I also kind of like how my mat turned out. Its supposed to be Fimes France a town mentioned in Rickenbacker's memoirs. If your curious check it out here: link

That is very impressive. Is it paper or fabric?

Thanks for clearing that up for me. Still a good price, but with postage and import duty to the U.K. I will have to think it over till nearer Christmas. The mat Skeeve produced is indeed just what I was looking for. I will have to look into something similar if I can't afford the official ones.

"…postage and import duty to the U.K…."

Here's an option on your side of the pond if you're looking for something "trenchy":
link

While the cost of their smallest (4'x4') is much greater than that of one WoW mat, the per-square-meter cost is about the same (if I did my math correctly, that is…).

If you are referring to the one I painted XRaysVision, thanks, its painted on felt. I used an additive I found at the craft store to make the paint better work on the fabric.