Has anybody heard of, or used Battleboards.co.uk products?

[Dantay VI]

Hi,

 

I have another topic running just now about gaming mats.

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/340595-gaming-mats-what-to-choose/?p=4913222

 

However I want to be a bit more specific with this thread.

 

I was really tempted to go for one by battleboards, however they are completely uinknown to me.

 

I can readily find other companies like deepcut studios, gamemat.eu & tablewar and see reviews etc, to get a feel for the product and what to expect.

 

But I can find almost nothing about battleboards and their battle mats.

 

Has anybody on here had any experience of their products and if so was it good, bad or indifferent?

 

This is not a witch hunt, I am genuinely interested and they are offering a supposedly premium product at a premium price, so Iwant to be sure that IF I invest in this product, it will be a sound one.

 

Many Thanks

 

Danny

Edited October 21, 2017 by Wolf_Priest _Dantay.

[Major_Gilbear]

Never heard of them before - they seem very new judging by the limited product range they currently have.

 

They do look very nice, but appear to be quite pricey compared to other similar products on the market.

[Dantay VI]

I know. I eventually got through to them and I asked about the difference in price and they said that the marginally higher cost is due to the quality of the product.

 

Thats why I was wondering if there was any feedback from anyone with actual experience of their  product

 

So, is vinyl as inferior/ as good as/ superior to mouse mat type game mats?

 

I guess I could be the guinea pig and buy te mat, see what the quality is like, but as it would be my first, I have nothing to judge it against apart from my friends spackled green table..

[Major_Gilbear]

Hmm, my main basis of comparison between PVC and mouse mat is seeing them in person at wargames shows.

 

Roughly-speaking, pros are:

 

PVC

Thinner/more lightweight

Cheaper

Usually a higher print resolution and print saturation (due to smoothness of surface)

More resistant to dinner medals (important if you have players who can't play a game without snacking messily)

Can be neatly trimmed to smaller sizes if you want (for example, halving an 8'x4' to make 2nr 4'x4's so you can have some flexibility in playing area).

 

Mouse mat

More crease-resistant than PVC

Matte surface (PVC is usually satin at best)

Still water/drinks-resistant (but insist on sugar/dairy-free drinks around the table)

Cushioned surface which is helpful if models get knocked over, and helps dice roll nicely/quietly

Models grip better to the play surface, especially if you put felt or velour on the bottom of the bases (same for terrain actually), which makes them more resistant to moving if you nudge the table.

 

 

For my purposes, I prefer mouse mats. But then I game at home, have lots of old metal models, don't eat whilst I play, and base the bottom of my figures and terrain with velour.

 

 

 

Edit:

 

You might find Mat-O-War interesting (if they are still around...). They are cheap, can be ironed of you need to, and take spray paints very well. They are a treated stiff felt-like material, and you can enhance both sides differently if you want to (for example, a green matt can be airbrushed to suit a swamp or jungle on one side, and to a fantasy grassy battlefield on the other). I have two of these, and they are clean, attractive, cheap, light, and can be trimmed easily.

Edited October 22, 2017 by Major_Gilbear

[Dantay VI]

Thank you for explaining the differences.

 

My preference would seem to be the mouse pad variant. Of which Battleboards will soon be releasing, however not sure of price (considering the pvc is £15 more than gamemat.eu and tablewar, I worked out I could get a game mat, some scenery and a pot or 2 of paint for the price of a battlemat, Iam almost scared to ask).

 

Sounds interesting. I'll look it up.

Edited October 22, 2017 by Wolf_Priest _Dantay.