"battlemat that lies flat?" Topic

I'm looking for a space battle mat for x-wing. I've seen some of the maps that come rolled up in tubes and they seem to not lie fully flat on the table. Does anyone make ones that lie flat despite tube storage?

Ones I've seen lie flat just fine. Have to be sure they're rolled image side out; weight of mat tends to flatten the center bulge.

Doug

Corsec engineering orjust o buy a piece of black felt

Corsec for sure!! I have a 6x4 foot one and it does not crease up on folding and lays flat as a pancake. They also use hubble telescope imagery.

Mine is vinyl from a banner-printing company, Smartpress.

Here's a brief discussion on my blog:

link

I got the 18oz weight, and it lies flat very well, except for a small up-turn from whichever side was the inside of the roll. Even that lays flat after a few minutes. And because I had my mat printed on both side, that is not an issue if I put the side that was on the outside of the roll face-up.

Nice battlemat, Ivan DBA!

Thanks! Though I can't take too much credit, I just picked some good space images, then paid Smartpress to print it!! And another TMP member had the idea first.

It is a little more work than buying one of the off-the-shelf products, but the advantage is you then have a unique mat, and so far the vinyl has been durable--no scratches or wear after several games.

I almost let this one die again, but I was wondering about the banners. Most I've seen in person have 'puckered cells', almost like the dimples on a golf ball, but stretched.

Not with this map? I sure can't see any.

Doug

I have had very good results with vinyl mats as well. They lie flat within a few minutes of unrolling.

If you look at the Battlestars vs Basestars thread TMP link you can see some close up pictures of models on my mat.

You can see the slight dimple effect the beast mentions, but you have to keep in mind that the photos are extreme close ups and are enlarging the effect and the camera flash is accentuating it. In person, the effect is hardly noticable at all. My space mat has a subtle milky way pattern to it and is mostly dark blues and blacks. In a brighter, busier scene like ivan's you probably won't notice it all.

I play on my kitchen table, which makes X-Wing WAY too slick. I'd pull out my superior Corsec mat, which is a lush fabric, but its too big and has hexes. Wouldnt vinyl just be as slick? I'm tempted to get another Corsec mat, but he doesnt have 3x3 ones…