When the time for combat comes in an RPG the Game Master must decide whether they want to run it using the theater of the mind or on the table with a map or battle grid. While I usually use the former option, there&#;s something to be said for the latter. I&#;ve come to enjoy a good set piece battle every now and again with the wide variety of flip-mats, battlemats, tiles and other accessories made available to gaming groups these days. A good battle map inspires Dungeon Masters into plotting out interesting combats with bad guys taking advantage of the terrain. They also inspire players by using things on the grid in unusual ways beyond just grinding down the main bad guy. Loke Battlemats sent along a sampler of their products for me to check out. I like collecting these sorts of products to have on hand when I need a &#;standing set&#; for an upcoming battle. Are they worth picking up when in-person gaming becomes safe again?The Big Book of Battle Mats Volume II are spiral bound books that come in Big (12&#; x 9&#;) and Giant (12&#; x 16&#;) sizes. Each book in the series features a map on one page with two themed maps on every full spread. The pages are laminated to allow for wet and dry erase markers to be used during battles. The binding allows the book to lay flat, which allows for an expanded map across two pages that can be initially laid out or revealed should the melee spill into the area. Maps are built with a central entrance and exit to allow maps from different books a way to easily connect with other books.The other main format of the battlemat books are spiral bound 24&#;x24&#; books that look a little like a double album from your parent&#;s basement. They share the same laminate coating and feel a little sturdier while at the same time just as transportable as the Big books for Dungeon Masters who run away games. I got advanced copies of their Towns & Taverns series in this format.This set was my favorite out of the Loke Battlemats that I own. The square maps felt much more versatile and customizable. They hit the right spot between a big set piece on their own and being able to be plugged together for a bigger experience. Even using the same map with different pages could change the feel from a cozy bar where plans for plotting against a lich are whispered to a gigantic rollicking inn just aching for a big old tavern brawl.The company has also expanded into other genres. Most battlemats are for fantasy gaming, leaving players of science fiction games scrounging for grid options. The Giant Book of Sci-Fi Battle Mats (and its little Big brother ) offer plenty of loading bays, spaceports and other locations for your rebels to battle against evil space empires. The company also offers cyberpunk options for tables that want to throw down with themed street gangs in their favorite dark future worlds with or without magic mixed in.I&#;m glad to see options for multiple genres, but the futuristic mats highlighted my main criticism across all the Loke Battlemats I checked out for this review. The external maps are great but the interior ones feel a bit empty. Other battle maps of taverns and marketplaces have food on the tables and piles of gold scattered through different corners. One of the things I love as a Dungeon Master is watching a player squint at the map and then on their turn pick up one of the objects shown and use it in an unusual way. I still much prefer using a pre-built map to forcing players to decode my dry-erase chicken scratch, but it&#;s something I hope the company considers for their next series of maps.In the meantime, they&#;ve offered an interesting stop gap. Add-on sets like Town Trimmings full of tables, chairs and other set decoration. These sets are vinyl stickers that peel off, stick to the pages, and then stick elsewhere. Peeling and storing the stickers can be a bit of a hassle, but I ended up tucking them into the pages of the books as a decent solution. They can turn an empty road into a street market in a few minutes and offer a nice visual moment when a player pushes a cart and it actually moves rather than having a marker arrow drawn to indicate the player&#;s action. It also triggered a sense memory of playing with Colorforms as a kid and gave me a bit of joy realizing I still get to do that with friends and family.If you use a lot of grid combat in your games, Loke Battlemats are an excellent way to build a flexible collection quickly and cheaply. Even if you don&#;t, having a book handy can inspire the Dungeon Master to think about an epic set piece combat that&#;s not tied to a specific storyline.
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garhkal wrote: &#;If you mean full, 3D terrain, it is beautiful, but it gets in the way. Setup is even more egregious, as well! I had one basic set of Dwarven Forge, gifted to me. I later sold it, unused: I realized that to have enough to do what I wanted with it, I would need to buy around 5-7 Basic Sets, and add expansions to it! That would require a 2nd mortgage on the house... After my divorce settlement was finalized. Happily married, working to keep it that way.Tue Jul 11, 5:58 pm
That is why i''ve been tempted to get into dungeon tiles/wiz-lock tiles and such.That is why i''ve been tempted to get into dungeon tiles/wiz-lock tiles and such.
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garhkal wrote: &#;Not to side track the discussion, but here are some points to ponder about table designs...Tue Jul 11, 5:58 pm
If i ever get to make my own table, i'll have a mondo-mat centered on it too....If i ever get to make my own table, i'll have a mondo-mat centered on it too....
If you mean full, 3D terrain, it is beautiful, but it gets in the way. Setup is even more egregious, as well! I had one basic set of Dwarven Forge, gifted to me. I later sold it, unused: I realized that to have enough to do what I wanted with it, I would need to buy around 5-7 Basic Sets, and add expansions to it! That would require a 2nd mortgage on the house... After my divorce settlement was finalized.Happily married, working to keep it that way.Not to side track the discussion, but here are some points to ponder about table designs... 4" game well in the top, sounds great, but I recommend against them: complicates the table design and cost; making a removable covering is complex, expensive, and you likely will tire of adding/removing it -- they're heavy, they are very cumbersome, and they take up a lot of storage space when not covering the tabletop.I came up with the design concepts for both tables linked to in the photos. I gave up on the game well design, choosing the flat-top design for my own table, shown below. Very happy I changed my design preference! Not a fan of game wells, after using them for a couple of years. This also lowered the price of my personal table, by a few thousand Dollars: no removable topper pieces; no fold-down drawer covers -- a lot less Hickory wood required. Hickory is harder than Oak; it takes stain of any color, so if you want it to look like Cherry, Purpleheart, Wenge, or Padauk, just stain it appropriately.Pull-out drawers beneath the top, playing surface are amazing, but they're more used during miniatures games, than they will be in RPG sessions; many players forget they are there, so they often go unused; players/DM's will need to open/close them often -- very often, and this impinges upon their use.An option to consider, carefully (due to added expense), is an electronic lift system . If you play miniatures games on it , this is an absolutely joyful option! Second view, showing the control panel -- note that the height is continuously adjustable, so you can set it at any height, within its range, and leave it there.If you make a table 5+ feet by 8+ feet, you will need to reinforce the underside of the topper, to avoid flexing ! My carpenter did not account for this, so I had to screw in sections of square steel sign posts to the underside to provide support, making the top flat again, six months after it was delivered! The sign posts have kept it flat, properly supported, for a couple of years, now. My table is solid Hickory, with the top being 1-inch thick; the drawer understructures did not go all the way across, so they did not properly support the top, to prevent it flexing under its own weight.A custom table, even if you make it yourself, is a tremendous investment. Make sure to consider all of the options, carefully, before you pull the trigger. Cheers!