"I need a new game mat!" Topic

We are in a golden age of mats. Easy to store, easy to carry, cheap to buy and hard wearing. Just the thing for the man/woman on the move. It is alos easy to make your own from the various materials available.

Apologies for the empty posts above, something went wrong when I was posting……

So yes, I need a new game mat, and I'm tossing up between a Deepcut, or a Cigar Box …. I like the colour of the Cigar Box slightly more, but on the other hand the the Deepcut is vinyl rather than cloth… but not having used either, I'm wondering which would be better…

Thoughts and opinions?

I like the Cigar Box ones. As you say, they are colorful, and I like the cloth because I can put my bare foam hills under them for elevations. Can't do that with vinyl.

But I am leaning towards a deep cut for a Frostgrave mat.

Deepcut supply vinyl, cloth or mousepad material for their mats.

and their mousepad ones are fantastic

People tell me this or that mat is "hard-wearing." I'll be more impressed when I start seeing worn-out mats in flea markets.
Brushes wear out. Paints dry out and every now and then a die shows its age. But troops and terrain are for as long as you want them to be.

I don't own any of the newer mat types but have the old Geo-hex mat. My friend has a vinyl mat not sure from whom but it is a bit glossy and reflects the lights.

I saw that Cigar Box is going to have a kick-starter for mats printed on both sides of the cloth.

I have handled most of the mats discussed here. i would expect the mats mentioned to last about 360 games (wow accurate). this is probably a lifetime for older gamers!? Tiny mats and deep cut seem to be made of an identical material. i use the viscose/polyester sheet type mats. they do not flow over stuff underneath very well but the texture and print is visually appealing. i would add the caveat that this is not the sort of material you would want clothes made out of (fire and sweat). The cigar mats are lovely in terms of texture and physical flow. they are more expensive though (that might not be a criterion though). the tiny mats fold up and un-fold really well. Using the same space as a couple of DVDs. I often ,make my own mats for shows and specific games.
The old green games workshop mat is also superb, nice to touch too.

The tiny mats make great seascape, desert etc too.

I have 6 tiny games mats, 1 deep cut, 3 GW, 8 homemade and no cigar ons. alos some older terrain guy? and others.

A subjective subject, Hope i have added to the conversation. If you disagree with my comments then apologies.

I have a lot of cigar box mats. Very nice, light, easy to store, no wrinkles. They are having their kickstart up by August 1st.

Matthew

got a few from this guy. Very happy with them.

pworkwargames.com/en

I think that the base line would be that vinyl is easier to wipe clean in case something is spilled. Cloth mats can probably be washed, you'd need to check with the manufacturer. Beyond that the comments above will help.

Cigar box for me. Have two. Work very well.

I'm still very happy with the Eco Rug from Lowes in the US. Spray with a lighter green, looks great. For $20 USD you get 8' x 6', which I used to cover all but one foot on end of the ping-pong table, with an extra piece I an use to cover that end, and a bit extra to experiment with.

Lays flat, seems very durable.

andy

I have a number of Deepcut Mats – 3 of their cloth ones and 2 of the vinyl ones and they are all very good quality and look good on the table.

Mike

Cigar Box. Why? You can put foam underneath and make hills that way. Can't do that with mousepad mats. And I did spill on one of my Cigar Box mats…put it in the washer/dryer. Looks good as new.

I also own Deep Cut, Gamematz, F.A.T. mats, The Terrain Guy mats, Zuzzy mats and felt mats from the fabric store. I still think Cigar Box is the most versatile.

Cigar Box Plush are machine washable too – never tried it though.

bottom line: cigar box. I have 7 of them. folds easy, washable and in a pinch makes a comfortable blanket

Has anyone defended their purchase of Cigar Box mats to their non-gaming spouse using the argument, "Hey. It doubles as a blanket throw?"

FYI, I am serious.

Thanks to everyone for your comments- I'm going to go with the Cigar Box grassland – Its ordered and on its way!

Thanks to everyone for your comments- I'm going to go with the Cigar Box grassland – Its ordered and on its way!

…hmm, try to ask them if you can wait for the Kickstarter… they will release reversible mats (e.g: grassland + winter, grassland + desert, etc…)