Initial thoughts on the impending Puppet Wars

[ThePandaDirector]

I thought I'd start a new thread for this, since I will hopefully be able to contrast it with another thread when I get my copy of Puppet Wars.

Check out Wyrd Chronicles 5 for a good look at Puppet Wars: Unstitched.

So after all this time and all the back-and-forth that's gone on behind open and closed doors, I can't help but feel a little underwhelmed now it's finally on its way.

The models are amazing, let's just accept that right now. Seems the bases are all the same colour, which I don't really mind, but some might feel differently. However, on the frames you can see quite a lot of parts, some of which look very small too (seperate pins and gears). What with the trouble people are having with the Malifaux plastics I'm worried how casual gamers will deal with these. I'm half expecting the reply to be that the models are notably larger than Malifaux so the parts aren't that small... but surely that can't be the case after what was previously discussed

The box looks sturdy... congrats I suppose. It shows some of the models, but doesn't say how many you get of each. It also doesn't show the counters or tokens. We also don't know if they've resized the stat cards because they're not shown either. I'm hoping they'll be better pictures on the website and for webstores, but for those who discover it at retail, it's a bit of an illogical obstacle.

I see the cards are the same. While I can read them fine I know quite a few did complain about their legibility. Plus I thought the point of adding Viktoria was to open it up to 3-player games, but only 2 decks are supplied. I mean it's no problem for me, I'm drowning in bloody fate decks, but it's a missed opportunity.

As for the article describing the game, it sounds like they've just gone with what was in the public playtest, which makes me wonder how much of the players' feedback they've actually implemented. I'm a fan of most of the changes to the core rules, such as the animation card and attaching upgrades, but if the puppets have been reduced to meaningless stat lines with one dull action/ability (if they're lucky), then there is little chance of me pushing this game without the addition of major house rules.

Now I suppose these criticisms are somewhat nitpicky, but it's harder to ignore them when you've been following it for so long. Even so, I really hope that, with the gorgeous plastics and more accessible price tag, more people pick this game up. I want it to be as successful as any majorly supported boardgame/wargame. Even if I don't like the rules, I want more beautiful puppets and to see what crazy expansions Wyrd can come up with.

The more I think about it though, the more I feel like this game would have been better if pawns were unique. That way they could have included all wave one puppets (including Marcus, Pandora, Lucius and Teddy) and allowed for up to 5 players right out of the box. I say this mostly because I want to see new models and don't want the second half of wave one to slow things down. Hopefully the first expansion comes out soon though.

Anyway, I love Puppet Wars and always will, but since this is Wyrd's second attempt at this I suppose I feel a little more anxious than I would like to. But hopefully it will continue to kick stuffing for many years to come =]

Edited April 2, 2013 by ThePandaDirector

[Omenbringer]

Definately agree about the dumbing down of the individual puppets. Though as long as some of the ridiculous combos that were available during the Public Playtest are gone it wont be to bad (still not a fan of some of those core rule changes).

I'll reserve judgement until after I've read the final rules changes but I still think the game is facing a bit of an uphill battle in the market. The packaging is much better but still a bit vague on what you actually get (easily fixable) and is still pretty pricy (despite what you get).

[sssk]

I'm reserving judgement too.

At present, I think simplified rules will work well for what I'll* be doing with Puppet Wars, which is having a break between games of Malifaux, and having games with non-malifauxers (indeed, non-wargamers probably).

It would seem that they've missed a trick having Vik in there with no extra puppet deck, but I guess extra puppet deck = more expensive start up price. Then, if you're having 3 masters and 3 fate decks, why not just push both up to 4, and you can play a full game (to the max!) out of the box... but it would also be a good £15 (what's that, $20-$25?) more, and it sounds like they were trying to keep costs down.

Regardless of what comes out, I can't wait to get my hands on it.

*Note: this is my view for how I specifically want to use it. I know others want something more complex and intricate.

[Jewomie]

Well, i am actually quite looking forward to this.

I'll give a disclaimer that i never played the original puppet wars release and don't even know anyone personally who ever picked it up. So obviously you and i are coming from entirely different places here. but it is what it is. =]

With puppet wars, i'm looking forward to getting a taste of the Malifaux without all the set up and space required by the tabletop game. Also, a lot of people i know are board game fans, but not tabletop games and this could be some nice middle ground for when i can't make it to the LGS.

This is also why i am quite excited for Showdown, but that is a matter for a different thread. =]

long rant short, I understand why some would be upset with the rule changes, but i am in the excited for puppet wars camp.

[Dracomax]

I've always been vaguely interested in Puppet wars, but the price, plus my malifaux addiction kept me from it. now I might have to pick this up, when and if I can afford it.

[Hugor]

Still on the fence about this (more of a money thing than anything else since I already have the original), but just saw that it is only $56.25 on Miniature Market, which is a decent discount from the MSRP. Had to catch myself from getting it right now, but I am more tempted.

I personally think for what the game was originally meant for, the changes probably fix this. I really like several of the changes (Animation Flip is taken into the hand, and then a card is selected for Animation; Upgrades can be picked up form the board, not just the workbenches; Less text and abilities on each puppet). I think for the most part, as they mentioned in the Chronicles, with the way it was, while it had some differences, it could be as complex as a smaller game of Malifaux, and hopefully now I will be able to get more people into the game, and when I need something more complex, I can always play Malifaux. So, we will see. I'd like to see some more images of what comes in the box (specifically stat cards, tokens, and counters).

http://www.miniaturemarket.com/wyrpw011.html

[ThePandaDirector]

@Hugor: It's the same on the Warstore. I'm guessing it might be Wyrd's way of giving the game a boost at launch and enticing those who own the previous edition.

@Jewomie and Sssk: Honestly i hope you love the stuffing out of this game. Whatever I say below doesn't change that this game will always rock =]

I am beginning to wonder what Wyrd find so hard about designing packaging. It really isn't that hard. But at least they're showing us the physical models this time. Still can't believe we have to wait till someone buys the Malifaux models before we know what they actually look like.

I don't think there's anything about the PW box which is anywhere near as eye catching as these, or any other boardgames. The little narrative blurp mentions an Austringer, Belle, Nurse and Death Marshal, none of whom are pictured. Plus they really aught to commission Melvin to do art of puppets fighting and with upgrades attached, plus change the logo so it doesn't potentially imply Colette and the Hanged are in the box.

While I am blown away by the models and can't wait to get them, I feel their design is completely counter intuitive to the game's (apparent) target audience. There seems to be five parts to Silurid, maybe six to Razorspine Rattler (including individual gears), and these are supposed to be half the size of a Malifaux mini. How the Hell are non-gamers supposed to build these, when even experienced hobbyists might struggle?

So for that reason it starts to feel like it's more aimed at wargamers for them to buy and assemble, so they can play with casual and non-gamers, and play 3-4 games in the time it'd take to play a single game of Malifaux. But then isn't that what Showdown and EBO are for? And as for being a portable miniature game that can be used as a gateway for non-gamers, for reasons above and below it doesn't seem to do a good job, unless it's job is to highlight how superior Malifaux is (which it isn't imo).

One of the criticisms of the old PW was that it was Malixaux-lite (note: most people who said this never played the game), so Wyrd's solution to this is to... lighten the game even more. Despite a few tweaks this is still the same game as the old PW, so if it was Malifaux-lite then it is Malifaux-lite now, just with extra "lite". I also think there are lots of ways to make a game play faster and smoother without dumming it down. Plus, if I want a character-driven, narrative game with tabletop complexity, I'll play Malifaux. Changing Puppet Wars won't change that, it will only change whether or not I ever want to play Puppet Wars.

As for simplifying the puppets. The old puppets were actually pretty simple, and most just had overly convoluted and busy cards. I support less text on the cards, but I want to see puppets become more unique, not less. If there are half a dozen puppets with nothing more than a statline and Ranged 2, there's no point in Wyrd producing six different models when they all do the same thing (Death Marshal and Convict Gunslinger indicated this in the Beta). If Wyrd were afraid the huge potenial variety of puppet abilities/actions would be too overwhelming, then all they had to do was include a Puppedex breaking down each puppet while also supplying some much needed fluff to make them more relatable to players (we want emotional connections with our short lived stuffed friends).

What I want to see more than anything is the full range of puppet artwork translated into miniatures, with each puppet being easy to read, but also unique and capable of being used in different ways. If puppets are mostly just statlines then there is no point in buying lots of different models. I also think now that triple pawns get in the way of this being viable too (think of the storage).

People have noted that $75 is a bit much. It is a bit much for 44 models that play out mostly the same. One might be faster, one might be tougher, but the variety of gameplay will be gone, and you might not bother dropping potentially another $75 to get an expansion.

However, I would gladly pay $80-$100 for a proper Puppet Wars experience. At least 50 puppets - 5 masters, 15 sidekicks (incl. Lucius and Rusty Alyce as a Tome), and 30 unique pawns (incl. 5 Teddies each with their relevant suit modelled on their belly). Plus 5 new Puppet Decks that everyone can read, a Patten Book with Puppedex, quick painting guide, party games and advanced rules. A limited edition set could replace the Puppet Decks with 5 Showdown decks represnting each Master Puppet, plus perhaps some EBO cards to represent puppets as good/bad toys. Some product crossoer would certainly be a good thing and add a lot more value to the box, which itself would be bigger, more impressive and blow the competetion out of the water. After that you can do expansions and start adding tons more unique and awesome puppets =D

So while I'm holding out hope that Wyrd have changed the game since the Beta and that they find a swift and effective solution to the other issues, I can't help but foresee them making the same mistakes twice. Would they get a third chance? Probably not.

[sssk]

I absolutely agree with packaging comments. Same (if not more so) with multi part puppets. It strikes me that the game would reach a far larger audience if it was basically "play out of the box". I'm thinking 1 piece (maybe 2 part for dynamics) models in faction coloured plastic. Then wargamers could paint them if they wanted, and board gamers could just use them as is.

Admitedly this is jumping on my general dislike for the new "super-multi-part" models (complex for very little benefit), but i think it's a fair observation. If i'd known the new puppets were super multi part i doubt i would have been quite so supportive of them.

As much as i hate to be selfish, that's not something i need to worry about, i'll buy the game all the same, and therefore my friends won't need to worry about assembling the models etc, but i think it'll be a deciding point in a lot of potential players.

Anyway, i don't want to post a post of pure negativity, so let's end with this:

I'm dead excited to introduce some none wargamers to the world of puppetry. I find the game great fun, and i look forward to seeing what the new game does.

...and if wyrd would release a set of updated cards, so i can use the 2 sets of puppet wars i already have, that'd be grand

[Omenbringer]

I'll give a disclaimer that i never played the original puppet wars release and don't even know anyone personally who ever picked it up. So obviously you and i are coming from entirely different places here. but it is what it is. =]

Having never played the original is an advantage since you wont have a point of reference (this is great for those who didn't buy in to the first edition). In other words you wont know what your missing.

With puppet wars, i'm looking forward to getting a taste of the Malifaux without all the set up and space required by the tabletop game. Also, a lot of people i know are board game fans, but not tabletop games and this could be some nice middle ground for when i can't make it to the LGS.

The games are really very different and share a very small amount of concepts, it definitely wont be "Malifaux Lite" (though I am hoping that it might provide some additional content that will allow the Puppets to be utilized in Malifaux as well).

[Pierowmaniac]

Im really happy from the description given in the chronicles.

I got Puppet wars about a year ago and was disopointed with the game compexity for what I was hoping to get (a board game/light mini game) which I was hoping I could at least play with my partner and other non-gamer family. I played 1 1/2 game with my partner (she gave up with the complexity) and 2 proper games before deciding I would stick with Malifaux for when I wanted my gamer fix.

Anyway I'll give the new rules a go and hopefully find it light enough to stick with this time round

[yetischool]

I agree with most of what is said here...However.....I didn't mind the complexity of the original game. I will be keeping my old cards and rules...that's for sure.

And there is just something SO perfect about the original metal models. There is a charm about them that just doesn't translate to plastic. I'll be keeping them as well.

I'm really just worried that the game won't receive the attention it deserves. Here it is almost released and there is not a whisper about it on the facebook page, twitter or anything but the blurp in Chronicles. I'm worried that a lack of buzz around the re-release is going to have it dead on arrival.

[xKoBiEx]

Unfortunately, I can't find any way to disagree with yetischool regarding the status of Unstitched. The only talk that I hear about it is from people with the original or people who pledged the Through the Breach Kickstarter and are stringent followers of all things Wyrd.

Unstitched is going to be a no-brainer purchase for me as I am a Neverborn player with a Collodi crew and just waiting for an excuse to take Zoraida and her puppet box. I like that the models fit well as Voodoo Doll representations and Wicked Doll alts. While I have the original metals, and this is where yetischool and I differ in opinion, I love the plastics. To me, plastics are way better as I like conversions and the smaller weight of your transport case is an added bonus.

[CowInAPie]

Hey all, I'm new to the forums here, but I found out about Wyrd through Puppet Wars: Unstitched, and after reading this thread, thought I should give my 2 cents. I am primarily a board gamer (as you were all discussing this game is targeted towards), and found the idea of owning a hex-based miniatures game to be fun, and enjoyed the theme a lot (It reminded me of Maximo when you fight the Voodoo Man). However, even after researching and knowing it would be miniatures, I pulled the trigger.

When it finally came, I had some P3 super glue and a x-acto knife with me, ready to begin. I started with Seamus and a gunslinger, promptly causing stress marks on Seamus' leg and popping off one the pins in the gunslinger's head. I put it away for a few weeks as I ordered some P3 clippers for the sprus (The only others I had encountered up till them where from TI3, which I could twist out).

After getting the clippers the task was super easy (Although I do have clip marks still, oh well), but some models where a massive pain to put together, mainly the Death Marshal. I wasn't sure how you guys normally put these things together as I fumbled with each one for 10+ minutes each. I finally got them together, but they have white marks on the chest were the glue was (Same for a nurse's face that I over-glued, only takes once to learn!).

In the end of this 3 month event I was relieved and am going to get another play in this weekend (I played it once without all of the mini's to pick from, big mistake!), and will give a battle report, but I wanted to say that while the miniatures look fantastic, some look less than stellar due to the white marks from glue/stress and have small cracks at the seams that I can't ignore since I put them together. I can't wait for the expansion however, and really enjoy the game none-the-less, but that's my perspective on this game (and I'm not sure most board gamers will have the patience or time to deal with making the models and the end result). If I can find a way to take detailed pictures of my minis, I'll post some to highlight the nuances I mentioned. Until then, happy gaming!

[Omenbringer]

...and I'm not sure most board gamers will have the patience or time to deal with making the models and the end result).

I think this is one of the reasons Super Dungeon Explore began selling the expansions per-assembled. I know I had some troubles with that games plastics during assembly.

I have yet to put my Puppetwars Unstitched models together (as I have everything in the old metal version) but am planning on using plastic specific glue rather than superglue. It should help smooth and blend some of those connections.

I'd also be interested to hear your thoughts on the game since you are "primarily a board gamer" coming to the game rather than a miniatures gamer going to it.

[Clousseau]

@CowInAPie - to avoid white marks from the glue us a liquid plastic glue rather than superglue. Its easier to use as well.

For any small gaps I used a pre-mixed fine model filler, but I understand that liquid green stuff also works well.

Check out Wyrd Chronicles (6 or 7) for a great article on painting the puppets.

[CowInAPie]

@Clousseau - I bought the P3 Superglue as it came from a miniatures company (Privateer Press, not to promote any one company though), so I figured it would work well. Now that I know, when I get the expansion I will search for a plastics glue (That's the kind that melts the plastic slightly, like plastic cement, yes?).

I don't plan on using green stuff unless I actually go to paint the models, as they look fine (Minus a few specific ones, mainly one nurse and the missing pin), and I have read the Chronicles, as in 6 they mention green stuff and tips on using it. Thank you for the information however.

@Omenbringer - I played it once before finishing the Razorspines, Death Marshals, Silurids, and Guild Austringers, and was pleased with the game, but not that I had Lady Justice with no 1 cost figures (I couldn't draft any Death Marshals), and thusly lost. I plan on playing it more this weekend, and with Vassal hopefully can find others interested online.

I bought it to fill the desire to have a tactical miniatures battle game without the hassle of points, armies, terrain, measuring, etc. and it has the potential, but it takes more than one game to form an opinion. Having said that though, I do have some opinions.

1: It is very short and has insignificant set-up time, so + in my book (Short is relative, as I count 1 hour to be short).

2: Allows for drafting, so when I'm wish others we can draft to counter each other, and if I convince others to buy it, we can hit the field with set teams. I like this.

3: Multiple pawns makes drafting more fun and not imbalanced to whomever got the slightly more powerful pawns.

4: Having rules in the rulebook that don't cover things in the game. Yes, this is a miniatures game at heart, with planned expansions, I understand that, but it's annoying to learn rules about stuff like 'nails', 'molasses', 'firecrackers', etc. and not even be able to include them.

5: This isn't about the play of the game, but what it includes.

I dislike them not including any tokens to differentiate between players pieces. Sure masters and sidekicks are unique, but with pawns we used dice to match them to cards and keep track of stitches. I'm going to purchase buttons to cover this. This is a negative to me. Each extra thing I need to purchase that isn't included right from the box adds more to the relatively high cost of the game.

These are just me nit-picking things, as I really liked the theme and idea of the game, so it's worth it to me, just frustrating to spend more time and money putting together models that I end up nitpicking later.

[juggernaut]

Hello!

I too joined the bandwagon of crazed voodoo puppets about a month ago, bought the game from one guy who got freaked out by the amount of work he needed to assemble the game, and sold it to me for 12$, everything was NOS.

I'm a miniature war-gamer (hordes) and a board gamer, so this game was right up my ally. I have extensive experience assembling and painting miniatures, so I had the entire game assembled after several hours (about 10 hours, including mold lines cleaning, assemble and GS. used superglue BTW) and was ready to rumble. A great game! loving it so much I bough small packs of buttons and stuff to make terrain.

By this time , I have Lady J, Seamus, Betty Noir and 3 executioners fully painted, I will upload pics as soon as the forum will let me :-).

Played my first games as soon as the models were assembled, and managed to play over a dozen games so far, especially because of the misaki problem I wrote on a different thread (Misaki problem = one minute game).

Edited December 27, 2013 by juggernaut

[Omenbringer]

@Omenbringer - I played it once before finishing the Razorspines, Death Marshals, Silurids, and Guild Austringers, and was pleased with the game, but not that I had Lady Justice with no 1 cost figures (I couldn't draft any Death Marshals), and thusly lost. I plan on playing it more this weekend, and with Vassal hopefully can find others interested online.

Not having Suited Pawns/ Sidekicks does make it a bit more difficult to pull off successful animations.

4: Having rules in the rulebook that don't cover things in the game. Yes, this is a miniatures game at heart, with planned expansions, I understand that, but it's annoying to learn rules about stuff like 'nails', 'molasses', 'firecrackers', etc. and not even be able to include them.

Those used to be included in the original rules, not sure why they didn't make the transition. If you do want to play with them (it may require some modifications for the Unstitched) then the rules (from the first version of the game) are:

Nails: Nails tokens must be placed in Unoccupied spaces at the start of the game. They may never be picked up or removed. During Resolve the Turn phase at the end of the turn, any Puppets Occupying s Space with Nails suffer 1 Rip.

Molasses: Molasses tokens must be placed in unoccupied spaces at the start of the game. They may never be picked up or removed. A puppet which moves onto a space containing molasses token immediately ends its move, and may not make any more moves during this animation.

Firecrackers!: This is an item token. Firecrackers!tokens must be placed in unoccupied non-workbench spaces at the start of the game. Any puppet which moves into or is placed onto a space with Firecrackers! token may choose to Sticky Fingers (0). Any puppet carrying a Firecracker! token gains the action:

Blown to Pieces (o+Tear apart this puppet and remove from the game 1 Firecrackers! token carried by this Puppet)

: Rg: 0 Effect: All adjacent Puppets suffer one Rip. If this puppet is on a workbench space, remove the Workbench from the Game.

Another great optional rule is for using Terraclips for the board instead of the supplied Hex board. You may need to "house rule" a few things but it is an absolute blast. One of my favorites was an "exploration" game where each Puppet Master began in its own room (3x 3 with two doors) and then wondered around the house looking for the other Puppet Army (placing a new tile each time a door is opened. House rules covered movement up stairs, opening and closing doors as well as tile placement once doors were opened.

5: This isn't about the play of the game, but what it includes.

I dislike them not including any tokens to differentiate between players pieces. Sure masters and sidekicks are unique, but with pawns we used dice to match them to cards and keep track of stitches. I'm going to purchase buttons to cover this. This is a negative to me. Each extra thing I need to purchase that isn't included right from the box adds more to the relatively high cost of the game.

Buttons are a great (and fluffy) way of recording Rips on puppets. You should be able to purchase a tub of all the buttons you could ever need for a few dollars.

As for differentiating players pieces I would suggest purchasing some of the Transparent 30mm Bases that Wyrd produces. You can place the 25mm solid black bases the Puppets come on inside the lip of the 30mm transparent bases. If you want to make them a bit more secure (so that when you pick up the Puppets they dont fall off the transparent base) use either "blutack" or for a more permanent solution Rare Earth Magnets. Another option (and probably the cheapest) is to get some colored felt and cut it into circles just a bit bigger than the underlying bases.

These are just me nit-picking things, as I really liked the theme and idea of the game, so it's worth it to me, just frustrating to spend more time and money putting together models that I end up nitpicking later.

Well if it helps increase the games value, the Puppets are considered "legal proxies" for Malifaux (as long as mounted on the correctly sized base). You'll have enough for a starting Seamus and Lady Justice crew with just what is in the Unstitched box. All that is needed after that is a Mini Rulebook and the appropriate Arsenal Decks.

[CowInAPie]

@ Omenbringer - Sorry for the late response, but I was able to get in another game this prior weekend. It was pretty fun, as expected, however, getting to the differentiation part when we've both drafted the same (or multiples) pawns, was awkward with the buttons. I only had small ones to cover the cards, so we had to slip them onto the bases which would easily slip back off when moved. If I end up purchasing extra card decks for multi-player games, I will purchase the clear bases as well for the four different players. My question is, would the 25mm bases fit perfectly into the 30mm ones? I've never messed with this kind of thing before, so I'm a complete novice at this kind of thing.

The three tokens were included as optional rules, and I hope that Wyrd includes actual tokens in the expansion (On thicker cardboard too, please), or I may end up figuring out a relatively cheap and neat way of making some myself.

I've looked at Terraclips, and thought it was really cool, even if just for Puppet Wars. It's vastly outside of my price range and carrying capacity as I go to my board gaming group, and extra stuff to cart around isn't my fancy. Also the price for how much it would be used is also a turn off (for me, I still think they look awesome).

Finally, about legal proxies. Thanks. I've looked into Malifaux and other miniature games, but never found the hobby aspect to be exciting to do or the associated cost with keeping up with not only forces, but also creating battlefields (My imagination fuel is always at empty it feels). If I ever find a group that plays Malifaux, I'll definitely take the time to try it out and get my feet wet.

[Omenbringer]

My question is, would the 25mm bases fit perfectly into the 30mm ones? I've never messed with this kind of thing before, so I'm a complete novice at this kind of thing.

They will fit neatly into the 30mm bases however I would recommend attaching some Rare Earth Magnets underneath both the Bases. In this way you can easily change bases without worrying about things falling apart during play.

The three tokens were included as optional rules, and I hope that Wyrd includes actual tokens in the expansion (On thicker cardboard too, please), or I may end up figuring out a relatively cheap and neat way of making some myself.

Ratty had some printable ones on his site here.

I've looked at Terraclips, and thought it was really cool, even if just for Puppet Wars. It's vastly outside of my price range and carrying capacity as I go to my board gaming group, and extra stuff to cart around isn't my fancy. Also the price for how much it would be used is also a turn off (for me, I still think they look awesome).

You shouldn't need more than a single Buildings of Malifaux set plus connectors. They also dont take up much room for transport, I have 9 sets plus 7 connectors in two 3 gallon plastic bins with room for another 2-3 sets. You might be able to find them for a discount online though the Buildings set doesn't usually hit the discount bins.

Finally, about legal proxies. Thanks. I've looked into Malifaux and other miniature games, but never found the hobby aspect to be exciting to do or the associated cost with keeping up with not only forces, but also creating battlefields (My imagination fuel is always at empty it feels). If I ever find a group that plays Malifaux, I'll definitely take the time to try it out and get my feet wet.

Fair enough, Malifaux is deceptively "low in cost". Of course with a Terraclips set (the buildings) for Puppet Wars you'd be a long way toward engaging battlefields for Malifaux and its little men (though it wont completely cover a 3' x 3' table, the buildings are fine standalone on a Textured Wallpaper base).

[i_was_like_you]

Another option (and probably the cheapest) is to get some colored felt and cut it into circles just a bit bigger than the underlying bases.

Self adhesive felt pads for under table and chair legs do come in 25mm size, a couple colors, and can be found at Dollar Tree and hardware stores / sections.

Craft stores do sell self adhesive felt sheets, as well.

Depending on the size of rare earth magnets you might want to use, craft stores and hardware stores sell a few different sizes, but KDR Magnetics dot com sells a wide range of sizes in bulk.