Gaming Terrain

[Blank]

Does anyone know where I can find good gaming mats? I don't necessarily need buildings and pieces, but I'd like to find a couple 3' by 3' mats. Maybe one green for grass and another tan-ish, for desert purposes.

I figured this would be simple solutions before I dive into building a full game table.

Thanks.

[Major_Gilbear]

Try Eric Hotz's website maybe?

http://www.hotzmats.com/

Or you could get some felt and a few cans of spraypaint (or a friend with an airbrush) and make some of your own!

[Angus Khan]

try eric hotz's website maybe?

http://www.hotzmats.com/

or you could get some felt and a few cans of spraypaint (or a friend with an airbrush) and make some of your own!

+1

[Heldrak]

You might also want to look at the textured rubber gaming mats from Zuzzy:

http://www.zuzzy.com/

[Peterdita]

My buddy has some zuzzy mats and they are pretty cool.

[Tauboy]

I went for a Mat-O-War mat (in Beige)

these are great as you can over spray them with paint to customise it

so all did was get a 4 x 4 mat and marked one side of the mat 6" in to create a 3 x 3 area

so I can play a small game on one side of the mat and use the other for bigger games

http://matowar.com/catalog/index.php

[SuicideCommando]

You might also want to look at the textured rubber gaming mats from Zuzzy:

http://www.zuzzy.com/

I got one of these, a 4'x4', but you can get 3'x3'

They are well done and decently priced, but you have to wait a while to receive it (mine took about a month) and deal with pretty much no communication whatsoever even if you contact them.

[GreenRiveter]

I carry all of my Malifaux stuff in an aluminum case, and needed something that would easily fold into it. I went with a piece of brownish tan felt from a fabric shop. I got enough to make two 3x3 mats for $3.00.

It lays perfectly flat, and looks great. Played a couple games with it, and it keeps the terrain from slipping around, and is solid enough you don't have a problem with mini's standing on it. I'm going to experiment with misting watered down bleach to get a dusty/varied look. I'll post pics soon if it works.

[macgowan]

More than $20 for a hotz mat??? No thanks. Maybe if I played a hex-based game, but their sizes are completely off for Malifaux.

GreenRiveter & Major Gilbear said it. Get a yard of felt and dust it with spray paint if you want to vary the color. Holds up for several years, and when it finally starts pilling you can just flip it over.

[jmp_mydog]

More than $20 for a hotz mat??? No thanks. Maybe if I played a hex-based game, but their sizes are completely off for Malifaux.

GreenRiveter & Major Gilbear said it. Get a yard of felt and dust it with spray paint if you want to vary the color. Holds up for several years, and when it finally starts pilling you can just flip it over.

If you mist the felt with thinned down white glue you get the same effect as "anti-pill coating".

[cptkremmen]

If you mist the felt with thinned down white glue you get the same effect as "anti-pill coating".

I'm going to experiment with misting watered down bleach to get a dusty/varied look.

I am very interested in these ideas, can anyone elaborate on ways to make a piece of plain tan felt look more convincing?

Ta

Andy

[Blank]

I carry all of my Malifaux stuff in an aluminum case, and needed something that would easily fold into it. I went with a piece of brownish tan felt from a fabric shop. I got enough to make two 3x3 mats for $3.00.

It lays perfectly flat, and looks great. Played a couple games with it, and it keeps the terrain from slipping around, and is solid enough you don't have a problem with mini's standing on it. I'm going to experiment with misting watered down bleach to get a dusty/varied look. I'll post pics soon if it works.

Please, do! I think I have decided to go with some basic felt since it is so cheap and still looks great. All I really have to make is terrain pieces, which, in my opinion, is the best part of terrain.

If you mist the felt with thinned down white glue you get the same effect as "anti-pill coating".

What exactly is "anti-pill coating"?

[U.S. Male]

I think it's anti-pile coating. That's to prevent when you take a piece of felt, or anything soft and fuzzy, then rub it a bunch. Pieces start to clump together and form little dingle berries.

[WookieeGunner]

Correct. The little dingle berries are often called "pills".

[GreenRiveter]

Well, bleach doesn't affect 100% synthetic felt, so that option is out. I waited for a couple hours after spraying pure bleach onto it before I looked it up online, lol.

I'll have to go the paint route. I'm going to mix acrylic craft paint, water and acrylic flow improver and give it a misting. Hopefully the thinned paint will act like a wash and disperse unevenly over the felt. I like the starting color, a dark brown, just looking to give it a bit of variation.

[GreenRiveter]

Apparently I bought the indestructible kind of felt that doesn't hold any kind of external pigment. The wash went right through the felt and puddled under it, then refused to dry for a few hours until I lifted it and hung on a chair. So, I need to apply the paint straight from the bottle and hope it doesn't turn into a crusty mess. This has been a learning experience, but I will persevere! Might have to go with a spray paint to get the proper coverage.

[Griffsnog]

Apparently I bought the indestructible kind of felt that doesn't hold any kind of external pigment. The wash went right through the felt and puddled under it, then refused to dry for a few hours until I lifted it and hung on a chair. So, I need to apply the paint straight from the bottle and hope it doesn't turn into a crusty mess. This has been a learning experience, but I will persevere! Might have to go with a spray paint to get the proper coverage.

Don't use any tempra paint (thats the big bottle of brown in the GW scenery painting kit). If you use any model paints or even house pants that use latex as a bonder it will be fine. Most hobby paints tend to be acrylic though so I would recommend Liquitex, you can get it at an art store but make sure you get your colors in "concentrated" and not "Soft bodied". The concentrated will be more expensive but its worth it, you might even be able to get away with their cheaper line I think its called "Basic".

also anyone with pilling felt could make a small investment into a pill remover

http://www.sourcingmap.com/classical-elegant-engraved-palace-pocket-watch-brass-p-13375.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=froogle&utm_campaign=usfroogle

[JoeB]

Go to Jo-Ann fabrics and buy a piece couple pieces of felt in whatever color you want.

[GreenRiveter]

Go to Jo-Ann fabrics and buy a piece couple pieces of felt in whatever color you want.

That I did, but felt is very plain, it is just a big solid color. I'm trying to add variation to look more like dirt. I'm going to mist spray paint onto it tomorrow. The felt is reddish brown, so a lighter tone of brown spray, maybe cream, should add a nice highlight.