I backed this kickstarter because of the logo. It is very discrete and will allow me to easily remember where I got it, for those inevitable questions when others see it.

The current offerings are amazing, excellent work! Here's another suggestion, how about sea/undersea? I'm thinking something where you can see the sea floor, with light ripples from waves. If its done right, it could be dual use for boat games and undersea games like DeepWars. Something like this, but top down view:

She's got a turkey avatar. Don't listen to her!

(Actually it's a very good suggestion )

Condor, thank you very much!

Heh. 10 pages in and we're still talking about the logo.

Reece – do a redesign. Put the logos everywhere, but make it so they only appear under a black light. That way the people who really hate the logo won’t see them, but they’ll always know that the logos are right there, staring at them invisibly! It’ll drive ‘em nuts.

Yeah,
It's a shame that the logos there.
These mats have a distinct advantage over the four other boards I've already pledged for this year.

No seams!
These look Perfect for batreps!

But what's not good for batreps is logos...

I know they're not bothered about my business...
But I'd buy at least one without logo if they change their mind.
I'd be able to review it against it's competition, where I think it could really shine.

Panic...

Panic, didn't you get a vinyl mat that had a 3x3 box in a red line? Which is just as noticeable as this logo...

 Reecius wrote:
@Yak

The guys have been going till like 5am on designs, they are actually very labor intensive to make them as detailed as they are. So, if possible, I promise that I will get those sketches up ASAP but it may not happen. We're at maximum burn right now.

We would love your support, thanks for considering our project.

The barren wasteland is indeed beautiful! Great job!

I know you have twenty bazillion suggestions for more mat designs post-KS, but if you haven't gotten this suggestion yet I thought I'd throw it out there: A 'grassy plains 2' mat that has at least one river on it with clearly designated fords. Because those modular rivers you buy always bug me that they're essentially 'above ground' (because they have to be), and I would totally trade-off losing modularity for nice looking rivers that aren't sitting on top of the table.


And as for showing off the urban 2 road design, I was assuming your design guys wouldn't have any time to knock out anything before the end of the KS. But I'm assuming you discussed with them your ideas of what you were looking for on the diagonal layout (like how the roads will be laid out compared to the urban 1 mat) that you could essentially share with us (or me privately). Like if you can just tell me that you're taking the road design from urban 1 and just essentially tweaking it 45 degrees so that the 'long' roads run perfectly diagonal all the way across the table and the 'short' roads butt into the long roads but then stop (do not go all the way across the table exactly like in urban 1) then that's pretty much all the info I need to know.


Finally, whether I end up backing the KS or not, you have made me strongly consider getting rid of my massive collection of foam modular tiles and instead picking up 2 or 3 of these. I'm definitely liking this option (a printed mat) for ease of storage and transport (as well as looking great) over plastic (or foam) modular tiles. It would totally cut down on the storage space required for my terrain.

Finally, whether I end up backing the KS or not, you have made me strongly consider getting rid of my massive collection of foam modular tiles and instead picking up 2 or 3 of these. I'm definitely liking this option (a printed mat) for ease of storage and transport (as well as looking great) over plastic (or foam) modular tiles. It would totally cut down on the storage space required for my terrain.

I second Yak's notion - I have tons of terrain and some modular stuff I made - and while cool - a set of well made printed mats that look really good and are easy to store and transport- thats a very good find indeed.

Love most of the design so far, keep it up!!!

I will admit however, I don't care for the wasteland design, but that is just a personal expectation thing (I was expecting less like what appears to just be a lot of brown dirt, and more something like tatooine)

Now, how to squeeze a couple of these into my already overspent holiday budget....

Yeah,

 Alfndrate wrote:
Panic, didn't you get a vinyl mat that had a 3x3 box in a red line? Which is just as noticeable as this logo...

i requested the 3x3 box to mark out the xwing play area.
Outside the 3x3 box is space for game cards and tokens.

The difference was I requested a change in th design and the vendor took the idea and made the change.
The 3x3 box is now feature anyone can ask for.

Panic....

Panic,
You are being perfectly rational, but it is time to drop this since it was decided weeks ago. There is listening to feedback, and then there is implementing said feedback. Reece and the guys are on a really short timetable that doesn't allow them to incorporate your particular feedback without delaying the project MONTHS. At which point, they made a business decision to not include your feedback, and to continue production at full speed. I'm sure that they looked into incorporating the logos on the back, but it was not feasible in some way.
Did they lose you as a customer? Yes.
Did they lose other customers who agree with you? Yes.
But it is a business decision that will serve the majority of their clients in the fastest amount of time, while maintaining both the quality and price point that they are aiming at. They are fine with that decision.
As Spock said, "The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few".

 Panic wrote:
Yeah,

 Alfndrate wrote:
Panic, didn't you get a vinyl mat that had a 3x3 box in a red line? Which is just as noticeable as this logo...

i requested the 3x3 box to mark out the xwing play area.
Outside the 3x3 box is space for game cards and tokens.

The difference was I requested a change in th design and the vendor took the idea and made the change.
The 3x3 box is now feature anyone can ask for.

Panic....

But the red line is just as jarring for me as this logo is to you. Sure, your red box is a feature and I can choose to not get it if I dislike it, but the difference is that Tablewar and Frontline Gaming have a brand to grow. These aren't Snow fields playmat, this is the Frontline/Tablewar Alpine playmat, and if these mats are fantastic, durable, easy to use/store, etc... then people will want these mats because when they see that Frontline/Tablewar logo, they see quality.

Okay, we're DONE with the logo talk. Seriously. Feedback has been given, acknowledged, and discussed unto death. And then discussed some more.

No more.

@HBMC

Next mat: just a giant Frontline Gaming! hahaha I bet it is our best seller!

@Yak

Yes, the mats are super practical. That was one of our goals. It's the same reason we only make tiered hills, not sloping hills, for our events. While sloped hills look better, they are so difficult to actually play on. We want products that are primarily fun to play on, and then look as awesome as possible, subordinate to our primary goal.

Glad you like the barren Wasteland mat, thanks! I love it, the upclose detail is amazing! It will work for 40K, FoW, Fantasy, etc. It is going to sell really well and be used for a lot of gamers, I think.

As for rivers, that is a possibility. We have had, as you noted, literally hundreds of requests for designs. We are trying to prioritize based on volume of feedback and what we think will sell well.

Thanks for the support, buddy!

@Davethepak

No worries, man, we know not everyone will like every design! Thanks for the support and glad you do like some of them!

@Anpu-adom & Alfindrate & Gymnogyps

Glad you like the mats, and thanks for the encouragement!

As for a water themed mat, we have gotten a pretty significant amount of requests for a water themed mat so that is a distinct possibility!

 yakface wrote:
And as for showing off the urban 2 road design, I was assuming your design guys wouldn't have any time to knock out anything before the end of the KS. But I'm assuming you discussed with them your ideas of what you were looking for on the diagonal layout (like how the roads will be laid out compared to the urban 1 mat) that you could essentially share with us (or me privately). Like if you can just tell me that you're taking the road design from urban 1 and just essentially tweaking it 45 degrees so that the 'long' roads run perfectly diagonal all the way across the table and the 'short' roads butt into the long roads but then stop (do not go all the way across the table exactly like in urban 1) then that's pretty much all the info I need to know.

Any chance you could describe what you're planning here, Reecius? Obviously with just a few days left folks are going to have to pledge for that one "on faith", which is fine and common to KS when you've shown so many other excellent designs, but just a brief idea of what you're planning with it would be helpful. All that is known right now is that the streets are diagonal... but if you plan to have more smaller streets, or the exact same width streets as on the other urban mat, etc would be helpful.

@Reecius
Sorry is this has been asked before, but is there anything being done to combat peeling/fraying?
For example, Razer does this with their mouse pads to prevent fraying:
http://i.imgur.com/CAWfPPN.jpg
I am really interested and want to pledge, but I am concerned about the durability of the edges. Can you comment about what you have done to ensure the durability of the edges?
thx!

@RiTides and Yak

Yeah, sorry guys, I blew past a few points, didn't I?

We are planning angled streets and they may tile with the other mats but that isn't certain. All I know with certainty is that it will mach the aesthetic of the existing mat. The roads I do not think will just be turned, it actually isn't that easy to alter the images.

Beyond that, honestly I can't give you much more as the designers are focused on more immediate issues. The design is gong to be a WIP after funding I can say as of now with almost total certainty. The clock is ticking too fast.

Shoot us sketches of your ideas, too! If you want to of course. We will take them into consideration.

As for a Grassy Plains with rivers on it, that could be possible but the downside is that the river is always there. I do not know if that would be super popular, but I could be wrong. We have been talking about modular rivers (and other features) but that leaves you with the same issue of it being 'above' the ground.

We will see about that one though, it is a good idea.

@spud387

Yes, the fraying issue is something we addressed right away and also concerned us.

I will say point blank that a very minor amount of fraying over time will occur, there is no way to stop it. We could have stitched the exterior to reduce the fraying but it looked terrible. The solution was worse than the problem!

On the plus side, we looked long and hard at old mats from this manufacturer (years old) and the fraying I would say in the worst cases was no more than 2mm? It was extremely minor. So if you look for it, it is noticeable, but no product is indestructible. Properly cared for, these will last as long as you want and will look great. If you treat them poorly and beat them up, they will wear faster. That said, looking at the product with extreme scrutiny, they met our quality standards.

Very excited to see what you come up with for the diagonal roads, but I must say the more I look at it and think of my current terrain collection, the more excited I am for the Urban Combat mat as is.

These are looking fantastic Reecius! I'm in for a 4x4 Alpine mat. I've always wanted a snow themed board for Warmachine and skirmish gaming, this is a great way to accomplish that!

Thanks, guys!

Yeah, there is a lot of excitement for the Space Mat and the second Urban mat, so we are really looking forward to it!

I think we will gt a surge at the end and see us hit those goals!

@Pox

Yeah, 4x4's should be done in the next day or two!

@Thread

I will have prototypes of Alpine and Urban Combat in my hands today! Super excited, expect pics and bat reps soon!

@Reecius

Thanks for the quick response. I understand no product will last forever, I was looking to see if that aspect had been considered as I've had cheapo pads fall apart on me in months and others last me years. I really like this idea and I hope it turns out well. Pledged for a 4x4 mat.

The Barren wasteland looks so good I want to increase my pledge $90 and get it as an add on.

Just found this and pledged right away. This is exactly what I was looking for, very excited

@Spud

Thanks! And yeah, didn't mean to condescend or anything, it's just that we sometimes get customers with really unrealistic expectations. Hope you enjoy your mat!

@Darth

Sweet! Yeah, the Barren Wasteland is my favorite. We just got the Urban in the show from China today! Everyone is really digging it so far!

@guinness707

Thanks for the support and glad you are excited for it!

Well, we got the ‘Urban Combat’ prototype and it looks SWEET! Everyone at the shop was super excited to see it come out of the box and everyone said they really liked it! You can still get in on the action with our KickStarter!

Check it out for yourself. The flares look like they actually glow in real life, it’s really cool! The detail on this thing is nuts, the cracks in the streets, the tire marks, etc. all make such a cool gaming environment to play on! It makes a game so much more engaging than playing on felt or cloth.

Looks nice. If I were you guys, I'd be showcasing it with some photos showing things like wrecked & burnt-out cars and barricades blocking line of sight on the roads. Much easier for people to visualise ways they can block LOS on those roads when they can see a pic.

Glad you like it!

The central strip for buildings is offset from the other two allowing you to disrupt LoS that way (which is the way most games are played).

And as for burn-out cars, well, we would if we have any to use in the shop! haha

I will grab some barricades though to toss in the streets, that is a good idea.

Here here, I am in favor of frontline putting out a bunch of batreps...for mat selling purposes of course

I do agree you might want to clutter up that map so the firing lane dissenters can have some examples of blocked firing lanes that look good.

Is there a building on your logo in these pictures?

Bat reps in bound! Count on that.

And no, the logo is there, uncovered. It is just so small you can't see it...just like we've been saying! haha

I can see a way to tile that with a angled mat it would need a additional street linking the straight streets to the angled streets. It is kind of hard to draw it without auto cad or similar though. It would need to be a road wide with the sidewalk on one side to match the straight road pattern and the other side to match the angled road pattern. We have several intersections here in Portland like that .

wow, I gotta say for $100 those tables are amazing! Would totally get one if I had the money.... maybe after xmas

also, is there any "insurance" on these sort of like battlefoam has on their bags?

Looks quite nice. The original picture didn't do it justice.

 Reecius wrote:
Glad you like it!

The central strip for buildings is offset from the other two allowing you to disrupt LoS that way (which is the way most games are played).

And as for burn-out cars, well, we would if we have any to use in the shop! haha

I will grab some barricades though to toss in the streets, that is a good idea.

I picked up a few cheap 1:48 cars at a department store/Toys R Us to do that with (and parked cars) awhile back. Pretty cheap and they're easy to make look the part - and a great way to block LOS in a natural looking way on a board like yours. I've also picked up a couple of cheap toy Semi-trailer rigs from one of those discount stores that sells random cheap Chinese junk. Send someone down to the mall with $20 to grab some stuff for your photos!

Me and a friend are very interested in purchasing one of these mats for funtime at work on a Friday afternoon

One thought, would it be potentially possible to develop a double sided version (Grass/City or whatever)?

So rather than purchasing 2 you get 2 different mat styles in one.
I think that would boost the value of your product without adding too much additional cost to the product as most of this is shipping.

 L0rdF1end wrote:
Me and a friend are very interested in purchasing one of these mats for funtime at work on a Friday afternoon

One thought, would it be potentially possible to develop a double sided version (Grass/City or whatever)?

So rather than purchasing 2 you get 2 different mat styles in one.
I think that would boost the value of your product without adding too much additional cost to the product as most of this is shipping.

Of course, this might require an entirely different manufacturing process or even capital machinery to pull off. The printing being on both sides could also cause other side effects (warping etc). Could be like saying that chroming the inside of a pipe is just as easy as chroming the outside.

 L0rdF1end wrote:
Me and a friend are very interested in purchasing one of these mats for funtime at work on a Friday afternoon

One thought, would it be potentially possible to develop a double sided version (Grass/City or whatever)?

So rather than purchasing 2 you get 2 different mat styles in one.
I think that would boost the value of your product without adding too much additional cost to the product as most of this is shipping.

Admittedly, double sided would be cool, but the back is what makes it non-slip. If you printed on both sides, you'd loose that non-slip. Having played on a variety of surfaces, this mat being non-slip is a pretty big deal. If you want something double-sided, but don't care about quality, I recommend Bannersonthecheap.com

PS, this suggestion was discussed a long time ago on this thread, so I don't think we need to discuss it anymore.

Glad you like it guys! It came out very nice and so far, everyone that has come in and seen it has been wowed by it.

Double sided does not work so well for a lot of reasons. As stated, it loses it's grip, the machines are not designed to make them that way and honestly, I don't even know if it is possible to do without developing an entirely new process. And, the side on the table/ground/what have you is likely to get very dirty.

Not a bad idea at all though, it is just not something I know enough about to give an informed answer to.

If I have time to get some cool cars to put on the mats I will but I doubt it, we are so busy right now. And, a Camero might look a bit out of place in the 41st millennium =)

Any chance to see the angled street mat BEFORE it is unlocked and BEFORE the kickstarter is over?
Might be relevant to some of us, just saying

Any estimate on when an Alpine battle report might be posted?

@Kroothawk

I can say now for 100% certain it will not be done before funding, honestly, we probably won't even have a sketch. We are absolutely slammed getting the 4x4's done at the quality level we require. The set backs with production through off our very tight schedule.

But, it will look like the Urban now, to give you at least an idea of the aesthetic.

It will be done shortly after funding though. We were trying to appease the requests for the new mats from those who were pledging and will get to them, but not before funding.

@Eldarian

Not presently, I am inundated with Emails at the moment, trying to get through them and also trying to get a game filmed on it and Urban but simply have not had time.

I will do so as soon as time allows!

This is what these bad boys come in! A protective, draw-string closed sleeve that sits in a cardboard box.

And yes, the second picture is my sexy face, don't be alarmed if you find yourself curiously aroused! Kidding of course, I just look dumb in the pic, but the mat sleeves are awesome and will keep your mat carefully protected and clean! Plus, save the box and it will also help to protect the mat. It also has a sticker on the end showing you which mat is inside.

-Reece

Would it not make more sense to roll them on the 4' edge?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Maybe you have, and my sense of perspective is about a bottle of wine out...

@Eggs

They are 4' tall, rolled to be as short as possible.

You must be a giant!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Kidding. I'm drunk. Ignore me and I'll go away.

 Reecius wrote:

If I have time to get some cool cars to put on the mats I will but I doubt it, we are so busy right now. And, a Camero might look a bit out of place in the 41st millennium =)

Wrong way to think of it - not everything is in the 41st millennium - and these are just urban streets, after all - and the purpose of photos is to stir people's imaginations -

Perhaps take these into consideration for images for the retail site, since it's too late for KS now:
* Modern Troops against Moderns/Zombies/Mars Attacks/etc using modern 1:48 toy cars, etc.
* WW2 troops (Bolt Action) and/or DUST Tactics using older-model toy cars.

The 4×4′s Images are up and looking boss! These are great for Malifaux, Warmachine, Hordes and any game played on a 4×4′ surface! Check out our KickStarter! We’re in the final stretch, here! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/819121569/frontline-gaming-and-tablewartm-megamattm




Automatically Appended Next Post:
@Eggs

Haha, all good, dude!

@Azazelx

Yes, of course you can use them for games other than 40K and we did think about that for sure. I was just making the joke because this is a predominantly 40K site is all. But good suggestions, thanks!

Space theme made it!!! Less than 48 hours to go!
Congrats Reese!

PS... you may want to alter the title on the first post to reflect the short time remaining, Reese.

Thanks, Anpu! And good suggestion, I forgot to do that. Change made.

Alpine mat in action!

*Final product may appear slightly different than in images.

I have to say that Alpine mat looks fantastic.

Thanks! Yeah, I was SO pleased with it when I opened it up! The production run actually looks better than this prototype, too. But it makes for such a nice, snow themed game, really awesome.

 Azazelx wrote:
I have to say that Alpine mat looks fantastic.

Man, definitely agreed! By far my favorite shown so far, and not something that I've seen the like of in any other product.

Thanks, guys! We are super happy with how it came out.

Either Reecius's Sexy Face or the Alpine Mat in action actually got me to pledge (4x4, for Warmahordes). Well played.

On the fence for the urban mat but with the timing ending right before Christmas will likely have to wait until these are available for direct purchase.

angryboy2k wrote:Either Reecius's Sexy Face or the Alpine Mat in action actually got me to pledge (4x4, for Warmahordes). Well played.

For me, it was definitely the Alpine mat in action

...oh, and pledged for it. Well done, Reecius and company!!

I pledged for this because I've been basing my armies in a snow scheme recently with plans to create a new table.

I was cautiously optimistic but wasn't sure how it would translate to a 2D mat.

Wow! That looks fantastic (and that's a low res version?)
February can't get here soon enough!

Would most people reading this consider the rocky parts of the apline mat difficult terrain that doesn't provide cover (little rocks jutting out) or just melted snow patches with only a visual but no in-game effect?

I consider it the latter, warboss. I'd plan to have separate raised rocks- I think these mats look best when I think of the terrain as sunken rather than raised.

Thanks so much for the support, guys! Glad you all like the mats, we worked super hard on this for a long time, glad to see it paying off!

@angryboy2K

Haha, either way, you get an awesome mat to play on!

@ghostmaker

You can purchase them directly from Frontline Gaming in March most likely as all of the first run have been purchased I believe.

@RiTides

Thanks! Glad you pledged!

Ah, man. I finished my painting up my Ice/Snow Zuzzy mat like a month or two ago, or I'd be all over that Alpine Mat. I searched for one of those for YEARS.

So I guess that means I'm only going to pledge for 3 Mats, instead of 4.

The secret mat is now unlocked.

Just backed these guys! I'm currently deployed to the desert but man this will be awesome to game on when I get back! I'm totally stoked for this project to get more and more popular....
BTW, I watch you guys on the Frontline gaming BATREPS on youtube. Frankie personally isn't my kind of player (competitive, though I understand and still enjoy watching him pwn) and man do I enjoy seeing all of those beautifully painted models
To say the least, I really enjoy Frontline Gaming and hope to someday visit to play a game of 40K....GO MEGA MAT!

Mr. Raynor

($100 backed and waiting for the Urban mat)

@Savage Robby

Haha, we don't mind that problem!

@Kroothawk

Yes, and we are going to do our best to get a sketch up of angled streets, but may not be able to before funding.

@Malik_Raynor

Wow, thanks for the kind words! Much appreciated.

We hope the mats are just what you were looking for and you enjoy playing on them!

Reece

Reecius!!!

I'm watching this project grow before my eyes I wish I had better communications with my fellow wargamers back at my Air Force base in England. They will absolutely love this MegaMat....

I just finished watching the Frankie vs InControl match posted yesterday. Those damn Heldrakes at the end....I joined the Haterdrakes club with you guys LOL

Again, good luck with your project and don't stop coming up with amazing ideas...maybe there are buildings in the future

Mr. Raynor

Yeah, hahaha, Drakes are a pain! If it weren't for the fact that Chaos in general struggles, I would hate the dang things even more!

Thanks for the kind words, we really appreciate it. Also, that is awesome that you told your friends about it, too!

Check it out, Space Mats!

So the angled urban streets are... cobblestone?

That's not the "Urban 2" design, it's just the 4x4 Urban afaik.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
So the angled urban streets are... cobblestone?

I think that's just showing that the Urban Combat 4x4 was unlocked, I don't think it's a render of the future "Urban Combat 2"...??

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
So the angled urban streets are... cobblestone?

I'm guessing the 4x4 urban is aimed at being accessible for Warmachine.

Once the company is up and running in full I'm sure they'll eventually come out with a Sci-fi urban 4x4 as well for things like infinity.

Well, with hours to go it looks like an early version of the urban 2 mat has been posted:




Big thanks for you guys busting your butts to get that image up before time expires, but sadly I can tell it will not meet my needs.

I still plan on being a customer at some point for some of the other mats once you get the product fully up and running, but a good diagonal urban mat was the only thing that I was dying to get my grubby paws on.

Your initial urban mat design nailed many of the important elements, so it gave me a lot of hope that you were basically just going to convert that into a diagonal format and be done with it, but that didn't happen.

What the urban 1 mat does oh so right is to keep the roads to a bare minimum, leaving the vast majority of the mat space as 'open' area where you can feel great about putting buildings (or no buildings) as you see fit. And what you totally nailed in the Urban 1 mat was that you left the all-important 'dead center' of the mat as not being a road, because that area is really crucial to have a nice big piece of terrain there.

Looking at the urban 2 design, it seems like the desire to create a tileable design got you to throw out those important points you nailed on the urban 1 design. All of a sudden, the % of the table covered by roads (where you don't want to put buildings on) has shot up tremendously from the urban 1 design, and crucially the 'dead center' of the table now has a massive road round-about meaning you won't be able to put a big LOS blocking piece of terrain there ever unless you want it to be sitting over a bunch of roads.

I understand why you want the mats to be tileable...its certainly a nice desirable bonus, but it shouldn't come at the cost of degrading how well the mat works in a stand-alone format, and honestly it does (at least for me).

I'm assuming it is too late to reconsider this one, but I really hope you do. Just take the road design you guys nailed from the urban combat 1 mat and turn it diagonally and you'll have a total winner. It may not be tileable, but it will be the best damn way to play an urban combat game on a 4x6 table.


----


But anyway, congrats on what looks to be an amazing finish to the KS! I can't wait to see what you guys do in the future once this whole thing is up and running for reals.

I actually love urban 2's layout assuming it'd later be detailed like urban 1. But I'm sticking with my Alpine!

 RiTides wrote:
I actually love urban 2's layout but I'm sticking with my Alpine!

Actually yeah the Alpine is amazing. I know I'll want the grassy plains and Alpine mats eventually anyway, and since I want to support Reece's KS I've gone ahead and jumped onboard for those two.

I'll just have to wait and hope there will eventually be an urban mat that fits what I'm looking for.

I don't know, yak, I think you can still get the same LOS blocking effect with the urban 2 mat. Put one building north of the roundabout, and then two directly south, and in a standard 12" in deployment, you'll still have that center fire lane completely blocked. There won't be a piece in the dead center, but the middle would still be blocked.

 Ozymandias wrote:
I don't know, yak, I think you can still get the same LOS blocking effect with the urban 2 mat. Put one building north of the roundabout, and then two directly south, and in a standard 12" in deployment, you'll still have that center fire lane completely blocked. There won't be a piece in the dead center, but the middle would still be blocked.

Hey, if it works for you, then by all means buy, buy, buy!

But I personally believe that it is absolutely essential to have the biggest building in the dead center of an urban table. Hell, that was even a deployment 'rule' in GW's cityfight/Cities of Death for good reason.

Plus I really did fall in love with the aesthetic touches of the urban 1 mat..the style of the roads, the skid marks, the flares, etc. Although this appears to be quite a WIP, it does look like they're going with much more of a 'time agnostic' feel for the urban 2 mat, which is totally understandable and their absolute right to do so. But it just doesn't work for me.

So I'll just have to be happy with my Alpine and Grassland mats!

I agree with the "less roads" argument. A mat should enhance the look without too many restrictions. Urban Mat 2 has very strict restrictions where buildings may go at all, esp. as the mat is non-modular. A main diagonal road with one road going south and one elsewhere going north plus lots of concrete/asphalt floor with urban rubble and maybe markings would be much better. Being tileable is only a bonus if using just one is good as well.

Holy smokes you fellas are hard to please!

But seriously, thanks for the feedback, we appreciate it and are listening (as you can tell). Doug and the art team were burning the midnight oil to get these out to you, I am really proud of how hard they worked to get this done.

Urban Combat 2 is a WIP, that is just to show you all what we were thinking.

Urban Comabt 4x4' is aimed at both Warmachine and other games too, so it couldn't be too hi-tech.

Thanks for the feedback and support, everyone! It helps make this project a success.

Urban Combat 2 will end up detailed just like Urban Combat 1, right? I.e. slightly more high tech than the 4x4.

Reece, I don't think you have to worry about this being a success, it already is!

I can't wait to see the line continue to grow and develop. Hopefully once you guys get rolling we'll see more designs and sizes, here's a request already for a 3' x 3' board for Malifaux!

@RiTides

Yes, it will match the aesthetic of Urban Combat 2 4x6'!

As you all requested, we put up a rough design idea to show what direction we were going.

@Ozzy

Thanks, dude! We actually are already talking to Malifaux, one of the game devs was at the shop a few days back with some studio mins and we snapped some photos on the mats.

We're going to probably re-purpose the 4x4' mats to work with Malifaux. We have some really good ideas for how to make that work!

Awesome! I think if you just shaved off 6" off each side it would still look great!

 Reecius wrote:
Holy smokes you fellas are hard to please!

I'm fine with the street layout. I just wish there were more logos.

Actually, I do kinda agree with Yak. There are a lot more roads on that initial layout.

@Ozzy

We are talking about something like that =)

@HBMC

We'll look at changes, it isn't set yet.

Only two hours to go and you guys are so close to 100K!!!
Any last minute goal stretch for hitting 100K???

Please look into creating some buildings that will fit perfectly into the Urban 1 MegaMat....I would like to be to just slap the mat down and put the terrian where it should be! The possibilities...

Mr. Raynor

What is stopping you from putting a huge pile of ruins / rubble in the center of the board if you want it dead center of Urban2? A collapsed building right across the road would look pretty cool IMO. Buildings/Walls can and do fall "over" often during Wars. We will not make you sign an agreement to keep our roads clean of terrain Yak. That said, please Parallel Park your Rhinos and Chimeras.

Also, if you layout the roads side-by-side between Urban (4x6) and Urban2 (4x6), Urban2's roads would only be slightly longer.



We played around with many standard table setups of around 20-30% terrain with most being Ruins and found we could make a huge variety of table looks, feels & LOS with all the Urban Mats. Now this is taking into consideration that we are using GW ruins with a variety of floor heights and wall lengths. Everyone will see this as we all get these Mats and start posting photos of our tables in-action. I CAN NOT WAIT!!!



I do want to thank all of you for all the great feedback and support guys. I wish I could have been on here more to interact, I have just been swamped with development of everything, but I have been getting updates from Reecius so know that the Dev. team has been getting your feedback.

I really hope as these Mats get out there to you guys we see an inspired creative surge in terrain pieces for these Mats. That was at least our hopes when designing these. We worked really hard to get out a wide variety of Mats to you guys so you can pick the one that best fits your gaming needs. They are ready to go with the terrain you have and maybe help you to get a couple new and exciting pieces done as well. These Mats are the foundation of your gaming table and experience and I can't wait to see what you guys do with them.

Your support has inspired me and the rest of the team and we hope these Mats inspire you and your gaming experience as well.


cheers,
Doug

100k passed! Congratulations!

$100,000!!!

BOOM!!

Super exciting, thanks so much for the support!

@Malik_Raynor

We did it! Haha, awesome!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Thanks, Kroothawk!

@Dugg

You are a badass for getting all of that work, done, buddy! Thanks for working so hard.

4x6' Space Mega Mat!

Ooh, I quite like that 4x6 space one. Resisted adding that so far as then I'd be committing myself to starting firestorm armada

Nice one! Yeah, Firestorm, X-Wing, BFG, there are actually a lot of games that use these!

I've been following this thread and the kickstarter since the beginning, trying to justify the money because these look so awesome, and I decided to suck it up and I'll figure out how to pay it off later, wanted to show some support for what looks to be a great product. I'm super excited to play a game on the mat, it honestly makes me more excited that I just came back to the hobby.

On another note, Reecius I think you handled all the differing opinions as well as anyone could, congrats to you and the rest of the team for having a super successful kickstarter. I hope the line continues to grow after the launch!

@Jangular

Thanks so much, that was really nice of you to say! We appreciate the support and hope you have a lot of fun using the Mega Mats! Also, welcome back to the hobby.

Yeah, taking criticism isn't always easy and I know that while people want to help it sometimes hits a nerve. In the end though, I think this was a good KickStarter and we feel very happy with how it went!

Finished at 105k, congrats. Already submitted my address survey.

Thanks! Wow, that was so exciting!

Thanks for the feedback, support and everything, much appreciated!

Congrats, guys! Sorry couldn't back this in the end due to Christmas and Int'l shipping costs. Hope to see these at local retail before too long. I'd get one of those space mats and an arctic one.

Thanks! No worries, we understand folks can't always pitch in.

Here's a victory shot from the store, celebrating the successful KS! Thanks again everyone!

Are you guys going to be doing another production run? Id like to get my hands on one of the city fight mats. But cant seem to find it available to purchase anywhere.

The kickstarter only finished a couple of weeks ago. They have to fulfil backer pledges before releasing it via retail.

Just wanted to say I got my Mat today. It looks awesome, I'm very happy with it and can't wait to play some games on it

Must be nice... my tracker still shows no movement.

 gregor_xenos wrote:
Must be nice... my tracker still shows no movement.

No worries... the xenomorphs will get to you sooner or later.

 gregor_xenos wrote:
Must be nice... my tracker still shows no movement.

Ditto

I stand corrected, departed tonight, but will arrive too late to be of use this weekend (which was the plan)

 FeindusMaximus wrote:

 gregor_xenos wrote:
Must be nice... my tracker still shows no movement.

Ditto

I stand corrected, departed tonight, but will arrive too late to be of use this weekend (which was the plan)

Yep, same here. Slated for delivery on the 25th. I know they had a tournament during all this, but somehow that doesn't make it any better....
Really hope the mat is worth it. That's 2 tournaments down that It wont be used. As a Logistics manager, Its always been my policy to ship as soon as the item is manufactured or received. Tends to lead to future business... FLG is not impressing me so far.

Glad I'm not the only one, although its kind of a bummer. My tracking number was issued Monday, and I was all excited - Estimate Due Date 2/21, then ... nothing all week. Seems strange.

I'm supposed to receive mine Monday. I agree the delay was a bummer; seeing folks enjoy them at the event in pics was cool and all, but a little less so since most of us were still waiting on them. Hope the product impresses!

I still haven't received any sort of notice for mine shipping! Am I doing something wrong?

I've not received any sort of notice for mine either.

I think the flags are telling the tale.

Frankie said in the newest podcast that international shipments are going out this coming week and the next.

There is an issue with the post office limiting how many they are able to ship each day.

I got my alpine mat today, and man, I'm quite impressed!

However, I'm actually thinking of using it as a "display mat" which would mean I'd want to cut off a 2' x 4' section to use for that (leaving me a 4' x 4' section remaining for gaming with).

This is the portion I'd use for the display (yes, the logo is there, but it's the best looking part of the mat )



Does anyone have tips on cutting this? It's basically mousepad material, but I heard concerns about edges fraying. I was thinking of taking it to Kinko's or Staples and asking them about cutting it. Thoughts?

They look really good, I'll have to wait till they hit retail but I am sure I will buy one. Get thee to the antipodes!

Also I cannot believe the logo was such a big deal to some people , I'm sure it breaks the immersion less than the light bulb above your head or the foot of space around the table. Mountains out of mole hills people.

Actually it's a bummer for me because it's on the wrong edge for my display setup- I.e. as in the pic above on the left edge, instead of along the bottom. However, it blends in so much better on the alpine than on the other mats, so I'm happy about that

My wife and I want to order one, but we can wait.

Bullockist wrote:
They look really good, I'll have to wait till they hit retail but I am sure I will buy one. Get thee to the antipodes!

Also I cannot believe the logo was such a big deal to some people , I'm sure it breaks the immersion less than the light bulb above your head or the foot of space around the table. Mountains out of mole hills people.

Just imagine! Different people looking for different things than you! How very dare they...

Hey now, just agree to disagree! I ended up halfway between on the camps, and with anything as polarizing as this I think that's about right. The logo is not ideal, but not horrible either... it just is what it is!

No tips on cutting mousepad material / mending the edge afterwards?

I shouldn't have come back into this thread. So jealous of everyone who has their mat.

LOGO-GATE!

Woot! Just checked my tracking number. It moved!


Due here Friday. Color me excited.

 RiTides wrote:
No tips on cutting mousepad material / mending the edge afterwards?

I've never attempted to cut through a mouse pad, but this link may help: http://www.t-shirtforums.com/dye-sublimation/t146384.html

 RiTides wrote:
Hey now, just agree to disagree! I ended up halfway between on the camps, and with anything as polarizing as this I think that's about right. The logo is not ideal, but not horrible either... it just is what it is!

No tips on cutting mousepad material / mending the edge afterwards?

Do you really need a display mat ASAP? Because I'm sure down the road once they get all their orders fulfilled, etc, that a display mat might be something they end up making (I have absolutely no knowledge of something like this in the works, but I figure if there are enough interested people then it will certainly happen).

Got mine in today! I got to play on one a couple weeks back and I was super excited for mine. It looks fantastic. Awesome idea. The only thing I'm bummed about is that I didn't do this first!

Arrrrgh! That table looks great though.

Finally got my map

That's one hell of a LoS blocker Looks great.

Are any International backers getting their tracking info yet?

 FeindusMaximus wrote:
Finally got my map

Hows about some info on how you made the mushroom cloud? Those would be great LoS blockers on my tournament tables, and don't look too expensive to make either.

 gregor_xenos wrote:

 FeindusMaximus wrote:
Finally got my map

Hows about some info on how you made the mushroom cloud? Those would be great LoS blockers on my tournament tables, and don't look too expensive to make either.

This friend of mine makes them.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/bb-dawg/m.html?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEFSXS%3AMESOI&LH_Complete=1&rt=nc

Ping and ask him. I know he had a tutorial somewere in hte internet, but I can't seem to find it.

So how do you guys like the mouse pad texture? It seemed like an interesting idea when I first read it during the KS.

 gregor_xenos wrote:

 FeindusMaximus wrote:

 gregor_xenos wrote:
Must be nice... my tracker still shows no movement.

Ditto

I stand corrected, departed tonight, but will arrive too late to be of use this weekend (which was the plan)

Yep, same here. Slated for delivery on the 25th. I know they had a tournament during all this, but somehow that doesn't make it any better....
Really hope the mat is worth it. That's 2 tournaments down that It wont be used. As a Logistics manager, Its always been my policy to ship as soon as the item is manufactured or received. Tends to lead to future business... FLG is not impressing me so far.

The customer service desk must love you at the local Walmart.

 Kimchi Gamer wrote:

 gregor_xenos wrote:

 FeindusMaximus wrote:

 gregor_xenos wrote:
Must be nice... my tracker still shows no movement.

Ditto

I stand corrected, departed tonight, but will arrive too late to be of use this weekend (which was the plan)

Yep, same here. Slated for delivery on the 25th. I know they had a tournament during all this, but somehow that doesn't make it any better....
Really hope the mat is worth it. That's 2 tournaments down that It wont be used. As a Logistics manager, Its always been my policy to ship as soon as the item is manufactured or received. Tends to lead to future business... FLG is not impressing me so far.

The customer service desk must love you at the local Walmart.

Ok "Richard Cranium", but I prefer the target.

 Kimchi Gamer wrote:

 gregor_xenos wrote:

 FeindusMaximus wrote:

 gregor_xenos wrote:
Must be nice... my tracker still shows no movement.

Ditto

I stand corrected, departed tonight, but will arrive too late to be of use this weekend (which was the plan)

Yep, same here. Slated for delivery on the 25th. I know they had a tournament during all this, but somehow that doesn't make it any better....
Really hope the mat is worth it. That's 2 tournaments down that It wont be used. As a Logistics manager, Its always been my policy to ship as soon as the item is manufactured or received. Tends to lead to future business... FLG is not impressing me so far.

The customer service desk must love you at the local Walmart.

....and the Gortons fishermen do to. (Yes, I realize that comment had nothing to do with the above posts. Kinda like yours.)
If Walmart ( your example) sold me a rain check for something that was delivered to them in November and didn't bother to get it to me until the end of December; your damn skippy they would be showing me some love. Donkey Fedora

ON TOPIC
I have finally received my mat, and look forward to using it..... On the last Saturday of March.

I see the cityfight mats are all gone at their store


Any thought of another run of the various "Cityfight"type mats all three of them looked great

The standard parallel streets 4'x6'
The angled streets 4'x6'
And the 4'x4' Angled streets

 yakface wrote:

 RiTides wrote:
Hey now, just agree to disagree! I ended up halfway between on the camps, and with anything as polarizing as this I think that's about right. The logo is not ideal, but not horrible either... it just is what it is!

No tips on cutting mousepad material / mending the edge afterwards?

Do you really need a display mat ASAP? Because I'm sure down the road once they get all their orders fulfilled, etc, that a display mat might be something they end up making (I have absolutely no knowledge of something like this in the works, but I figure if there are enough interested people then it will certainly happen).

Yeah, for Adepticon

I took it to FedEx / Kinkos, they cut it for free and I bought a tube to hold it (although I had to cut the tube to size myself) and voila! Aprroximately 2' x 4' display mat for our Adepticon team that fits in my luggage

Aw c'mon, really? 15 pages in and people are still talking about the fething logo?


Reece - I want my giant logo mat now!!!

And that's all you got out of all the great posts on the last few pages, including pics of a number of mats in the wild? You're actually causing a problem that isn't there!

Oh jeez - really, the logo issue. Seriously. My mat turned up a week ago, 6x4. It is very good quality and the logo is small and discreet. It doesn't detract from the mat in any shape or form. This mat is worth every penny and looks great on the table.

And the reason why I like the logo. Senile ol'bastard here cannot remember who he bought it off and I want to get another one.

On Topic, anyone know if they do a sea one. Need one for Pirates of Spanish Main.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 warboss wrote:
So how do you guys like the mouse pad texture? It seemed like an interesting idea when I first read it during the KS.

I like it. It really grips model bases well. The fact it rolls up and stores so easy with no crease is an added bonus. Call me impressed - I think they did some impressive work bring this to market.

I also have to say communication was great and the mat turned up in a reasonable amount of time. So, all in all, as far as I am concerned a big "well done".

I agree about the texture- I am much more impressed with the feel / finish than I thought I'd be!

Have any international backers gotten tracking info yet?

I'm not sure if I'm considered an international buyer. I live in England at a USAF base and my address is from New York's Port. I still havent received any information about anything concerning my mat. I even emailed them with no reply about 2 weeks ago. Hopefully, I'm just one of the rare cases :(

 RiTides wrote:
I agree about the texture- I am much more impressed with the feel / finish than I thought I'd be!

Played 5 games on these mats at the LVO. The thing I like most about the texture is that rolling dice on them is so much nicer than rolling on hard tables with a thin felt sheet over them! The die rolls well, but not as prone to flying off the table. These mats are amazing, logos or no, and to be honest I didn't even know about the logo until right now when I read HBMC comment.

Malik_Raynor wrote:
I'm not sure if I'm considered an international buyer. I live in England at a USAF base and my address is from New York's Port. I still havent received any information about anything concerning my mat. I even emailed them with no reply about 2 weeks ago. Hopefully, I'm just one of the rare cases :(

I don't think you're alone on the communication front, unfortunately... that's definitely an area they could improve.

Overwatch, that is great to hear!

Hey guys, all the Domestics shipped AHEAD of schedule or on time.

The only mats that are behind schedule are the international shipments as we hit unforseen issues with the shipping companies, not because of anything FLG did.

And you guys, we totally understand some folks are impatient to get their mats but holy smokes, lol, compare us to other KickStarters, we are MILES ahead of most of them. We will ship internationals 1 week late. We jumped through hoops to try and avoid that, but in the grand scheme of things that is hardly a disaster.

@RiTides

How has communication been an issue for you, I am curious? We answer every single email we get, and every phone call, as well as go out of our way to communicate what is going on through the KickStarter, our podcast and FLG's site.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

 pongo50 wrote:
I see the cityfight mats are all gone at their store

Yes, and as it says on the product description, they will be restocked in April.

Oh, and here are some awesome pics of people enjoying their mats!

And here are some reviews from very happy customers: http://billsravingrant.blogspot.com/2014/02/frontline-gamings-tablewar-mats-awesome.html?showComment=1393190979764#c791816274361251953


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Malik_Raynor wrote:
I'm not sure if I'm considered an international buyer. I live in England at a USAF base and my address is from New York's Port. I still havent received any information about anything concerning my mat. I even emailed them with no reply about 2 weeks ago. Hopefully, I'm just one of the rare cases :(

You definitely are, we answer every email we get.

What email address did you send it to? Did you try calling the store? We are very responsive.

And while an Air Base overseas is considered to be a part of the USA, your order was likely processed as an international order, and categorized as such. We have consistently updated our site, the podcast and the KS site to let people know what's going on with orders.

That said, your mat will be en route ASAP, we had to work through some issues with international shipping that came up in the middle of the process.

 Reecius wrote:
@RiTides

How has communication been an issue for you, I am curious? We answer every single email we get, and every phone call, as well as go out of our way to communicate what is going on through the KickStarter, our podcast and FLG's site.

Hey Reecius, I'm actually a satisfied customer, and posted a picture of my mat above and also elsewhere on the forum, and will be using it for a display mat at AdeptiCon! Did you see those posts in this thread?

I also did not say I personally had any communication issues- I have seen similar statements posted in the comments section on KS and was quoting a poster here who said he hadn't been replied to in two weeks.

This seems to contradict your above statement... quoting the relevant post from above:

Malik_Raynor wrote:
I'm not sure if I'm considered an international buyer. I live in England at a USAF base and my address is from New York's Port. I still havent received any information about anything concerning my mat. I even emailed them with no reply about 2 weeks ago. Hopefully, I'm just one of the rare cases :(

My saying that's an area you could improve on is hardly a scathing criticism, and for you to immediately reply that you answer every email without addressing the poster who says his email went unanswered is a little curious! I.e., rather than address my comment, you could mention that his email has been replied to now, or got lost in the shuffle, etc. (Edit: Although I see you did address it in a subsequent automatically appended post now, so that's good )

Constructive criticism ≠ barn burning . The communication on this campaign is about middle of the road from the 30+ campaigns I've backed... not super fast, but all relevant info is given. So again, a point of constructive criticism from following the comments on the KS page and ones here, such as the above which I quoted in my original post.

I'm very happy with the product, and look forward to seeing future designs and/or just picking up some of the existing ones I didn't get, if the need arises

I wasn't mad, sorry if it came across that way, I was just trying to address the issue. And I did respond to Malik, haha, reread my post.

And I do not know what happened with Malik_Raynor, that is why I was following up with him about how ht attempted to contact us so that I could find the source of the breakdown in communication and fix it. Maybe it was user error on his part, an email that bounced to the spam folder, maybe we just flat out missed it, who knows? I was trying to gather more information to resolve the issue.

But I am very glad you are satisfied with your purchase, that is great.

Yeah, I saw that you addressed his post after I typed mine, my bad there!

Also getting a headache from trying to paint 150 grubs in time for AdeptiCon, so excuse any crankiness on my part as a paint induced haze please

No worries, the feedback is appreciated =)

See you at Adpeticon!

Hate to be a total fanboi, but I was 100% happy with this KS. The communication was more than adequate, shipping time was pretty damn good if not spot on (compared to say Reaper who are still awesome and dare I say Defiance, AoW etc etc) and the product was 100% exactly as described.

So yes, I am very happy - I wish other companies were like this.

So, Reecius, having sucked up :-D is there any chance of a sea mat for navel games? Or darker earth matt with more dirt than grass?

The snow one looks way better than I first thought it would.

I replied on the Kickstarter Message Page option not the comments section. Trust me not an user error...I work the communications help desk in the Air Force, I'm actually in charge it lol! Ummm I'm not mad either but my wife told me if you don't ship it a certain way to APO boxes then it will take FOREVER to get to us :/ Did you send it priority? If you sent it international then I will never get it as the military PO is not an international address you ship too

I'm just curious which route you took as I'm currently deployed and can't call. Also, we move in 4 months so don't want the shipment to get lost!

**Just realized that in the Kickstarter Message Option it is going to TableWar. Not sure if you guys communicate together but I don't have access to your website from work or in the dorms as I'm in a country that doesnt allow it (I know weird) but anyways...I can PM you my APO address Mr. Reecius. Let me know if I can be of any assistance **

 fullheadofhair wrote:

 warboss wrote:
So how do you guys like the mouse pad texture? It seemed like an interesting idea when I first read it during the KS.

I like it. It really grips model bases well. The fact it rolls up and stores so easy with no crease is an added bonus. Call me impressed - I think they did some impressive work bring this to market.

Cool, thanks for the info. I might get in on the next KS if depending on the designs.

Frontline and TableWar are fairly connected, and the Kickstarter creator is "TableWar", so messaging them through Kickstarter should be sending the message to the right place.

You might try a private message to Reecius on here just in case (just click the "PM" button under his post). APO shipping is definitely something worth making sure about! I haven't had a problem shipping to them previously, but it definitely should be considered a domestic shipment (since the military are who take it the rest of the way, afaik).

@Full Head of Hair

Thanks so much for the kind words! Much appreciated. And yes, we have actually gotten a lot of requests for a sea mat, which surprised me as I didn't think that the market for that theme was that big. But we are talking about it for the next run of designs.

@HMBC

Thanks! Alpine and Barren Wasteland are our favorites.

@Malik

Yeah, Todd answers email on the KS page, but I am surprised he is usually 100% on the ball. But, I do not know exactly how your mat was shipped, we sent out 1,300 orders so it is not something I know off of the top of my head, unfortunately.

But, please email Frankie at Orders@FrontlineGaming.org and he will get you sorted out. He handles all of the logistics of shipping and customer service in that regard. We will get you hooked up, it sounds like your situation is a bit unique and as such more prone to have some kind of error at some stage. We will get it sorted.

As RiTides pointed out, the more you take any system out of the box, the more likely for a mistake to be made.

@Warboss

We won't be doing another KickStarter, actually, we sell them on our site at Frontline Gaming: http://www.frontlinegaming.org/product-category/gaming-mats/

We are currently low on stock, but will be getting fully restocked with additional designs in April!

Thanks for the help....I sent Mr. Frankie an email

You're welcome!

Got my mat a little while ago. We've mostly been playing some Kill Team games on it so far This thing is a pleasure to play a game on. Dice roll great on it and it's nice to be able to slide large models around for more accurate movement. Still working on basing my armies to match it. I'll have to post a Battle Report once I get a sizable amount completed.

Pics:

Wow, that terrain matches the mat really well!

Reecius, any idea when these will be available? Also, any progress on a 3' x 3' for Malifaux?

The entire range of mats are now up for pre-order! They will ship at the end of April!

http://www.frontlinegaming.org/product-category/gaming-mats/

 Reecius wrote:
The entire range of mats are now up for pre-order! They will ship at the end of April!

http://www.frontlinegaming.org/product-category/gaming-mats/

Is there a final hi-rez shot of the Urban Mat 2 design somewhere? The thumbnail pic on the site is super-small.

From what I see it looks like the Urban Mat 2 is a little more generic and less sci-fi themed than version #1, and I just want to confirm that is the case…because I really like the sci-fi look/theme of Urban Mat 1 (just not the directions of the roads, as you well know).

Already a happy customer with my first two mats, just hoping the Urban Mat 2 thumbnail is like a WIP shot and the real version looks much more similar to the Urban Mat 1 (in its sci-fi details, etc).

Hi Reecius,

Are you going to have a presence at Adepticon?

Thanks

plc

Very interested in a couple of these. Two questions:

Are there better photos of the second urban mat? I liked the first but I want the urban make for Infinity, but it was a little too 'battle damaged'.

What do you charge for international shipping? I couldn't find it.

@Yak

It is more generic looking as we got a lot of push back on the design of UC1. However, UC1 sold like flippin hot cakes and is by far the most popular mat.

We went with the feedback and made UC2 more generic looking, but it is a really cool design and will make for a great layout. It isn't an exact match to UC1 though, just to be clear. It does tile with itself and UC1 and UC4x4' though.

Glad you like your first mats!

@PLC

We will be there but I am Rules judging this year. We won't have a booth at Adepticon, but we will have mats to check out in person!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
@Loki

International shipping estimates are on the product descriptions, just click on the mat image to see them. It varies a lot based on the number of mats you order and where you live.

UC2

When I get mine, I'm telling the family that it's a large format mouse pad.

 Ifurita wrote:
When I get mine, I'm telling the family that it's a large format mouse pad.

I did that!

Our mouse pad had been fraying at the edges for months now and my fiancé actually called to mention that we should get a new mousepad the DAY my mega mats had arrived (and were sitting in their boxes).

So I told her (joking, of course) that I had bought a 4x6 foot replacement mousepad, and she should open it up if she didn't believe me. Obviously she figured out they were for my gaming, but the fact that they *are* essentially giant mouse pads gave her a bit of a pause.

Too funny.

Congratz on your engagement, Yak! That's awesome, lol, the giant mousepad is a wedding gift! =P

 Reecius wrote:
@Yak

It is more generic looking as we got a lot of push back on the design of UC1. However, UC1 sold like flippin hot cakes and is by far the most popular mat.

We went with the feedback and made UC2 more generic looking, but it is a really cool design and will make for a great layout. It isn't an exact match to UC1 though, just to be clear. It does tile with itself and UC1 and UC4x4' though.

Lol, the major feedback was to make it slant not generic!!

I am very happy with my Alpine, though- it's going to be the display for our team tourney team at AdeptiCon

On some of the other forums we got feedback to make the city more generic with less details like the flares, etc. So, we combined both. In the future we can punch up UC2 to make it match UC1 if we want to.

I look forward to your review, that will be very interesting to read!

Whoops, I edited that line out of my post above as I didn't want to divert any focus from the mats here

I certainly will be making a review and comparison post when I get all of the other gaming surfaces I'm waiting on, though... one of the best parts of this one, other than the quality, was that it actually arrived on time! So it beat out everything else that I had ordered ahead of it

No worries, I know everyone is aware of competing products =)

We're not afraid of the comparison at all, in fact, we welcome it! We are very confident people will see the quality of our mats.

And yeah, haha, we do what we say we will do with rare exception. We got our KS done on time, on budget and that says a lot. I hate to sound like I am bragging, as I am not, but looking around at the crazy stuff other KSs have going on with major delays, not delivering the products they say they will, outright stealing from their backers, etc. we are really proud to already be into our second product run and planning 3 and 4 with happy customers to show for our efforts and a cool product.

But any way, glad you like your mat! That is awesome to hear.

Are there UK stockists? I like the idea and I like the price, but adding the shipping takes it out of my budget. If you had a UK distributor I would be likely to bite?

 Reecius wrote:
We got our KS done on time, on budget and that says a lot. I hate to sound like I am bragging, as I am not, but looking around at the crazy stuff other KSs have going on with major delays, not delivering the products they say they will, outright stealing from their backers, etc. we are really proud to already be into our second product run and planning 3 and 4 with happy customers to show for our efforts and a cool product.

Brag away, I'm thrilled that I backed this and I'm very happy with the mat I received. Looking forward to the next ones.

@Reecius: Any idea when the Kickstarter 4x4 mats are getting shipped out?

It was in the most recent KS update.

@Dendarien

End of April, no later than the first week of May!

Thanks, Janthkin.

Check the mats out at Adepticon if you will be there!

Hey everyone, the entire range is now up for order, in stock and ready to ship! http://www.frontlinegaming.org/product-category/gaming-mats/

Does that mean all the Kickstarter mats have already shipped?

They are shipping as I type this! All of them will be out by the first week of May.

Are new orders being held until the Kickstarter backers' items ship?

You guys might get some blow back if " Random Guy Joe" places an order today and gets his mat before someone who ponied up money 4 months ago receives their mat.

Will these mats be able to be bought from a shop placed inside the EU? Like Wayland or some such. The only thing keeping me from only 4 is the damn toll wall between the US and EU...

@Dark Traveler777

All of the KS mats are going out on schedule! The second wave of KS pledges are going out now and some people already have theirs and have been shooting us pics.

@Gorlack

As of now, we do not have EU distribution set up. We are working on that though, as I type that. Hopefully soon.

Well then I hope to shop with you soon I'm still kicking myself for not getting in on the kickstarter, but I was just really skeptical about if it was even anything I wanted... But after seeing the batreps from you guys I've been sold on them and now I can't live without at least 4!

The mats are really fantastic. I've been using them in my photoshoots.

 Dr Mathias wrote:
The mats are really fantastic. I've been using them in my photoshoots.

Wow, that's excellent Matthias! The extra bits of flock really bring it to life in the photo (although I think they're just sitting there, it really does make the mat feel no longer 2D). Very nice!

I think it's the giant toad. Everything looks more alive when there's a giant toad involved, presumably by comparison.

Oh, right, topic - I received my shipment notification late last week, so I expect the mat will show up tonight or tomorrow.

I just checked my UPS tracking number and it was generated on the 24th (Thursday) but UPS is saying the package hasn't been received.

Oh, UPS, don't tease me!

That can happen if a company is basically preparing a package for shipment but hasn't actually handed it off to UPS yet.

Lol about the toad, Janthkin should've known you'd like that!

That toad is legendary! hahaha

Received my 'Barren Wastelands' today, looks good.

It's looks darker and more brown than I expected though, so you may want to adjust the image you use for advertising to more accurately match what the product looks like.

@Dr. Mathias

Well, there are a lot of reasons for that. Don't forget you are looking at a computer screen that is back lit, the mat is not. Also, the settings on you computer may be altered. Lastly, there is some slight variation in color form mat to mat. Each machine has its own quirks and prints slightly different colors than another like machine and also slightly different between each mat as ink levels change, etc.

In short, it isn't a perfect science, but we appreciate the feedback. And we are very glad to hear you like your mat!

I think Dr Mathias meant that mat in particular, as he had received another of yours previously (see the pic at the top of this page) which was a match to the images, presumably viewed on the same machine (which implies it is not a monitor issue).

That's useful to know, Mathias- any chance of a pic, maybe with a few of the same models you showed in the above photo?

Don't forget you are looking at a computer screen that is back lit, the mat is not. Also, the settings on you computer may be altered. Lastly, there is some slight variation in color form mat to mat. Each machine has its own quirks and prints slightly different colors than another like machine and also slightly different between each mat as ink levels change, etc.

I'm a graphic designer working across a couple different displays, I'm confident they're calibrated correctly. Variation from mat to mat I can understand, as well as monitor light vs. physical print. I'm just thinking it would be best for marketing purposes if the screen image is closer to reality (you can tweak screen image easier than the product at this point). No big issue and I might be the only person who cares, I have a bunch of terrain that matches the monitor image but not the actual mat so much. Still a great product it just means I need to make some new hills

For what its worth this was the best run Kickstarter I've back so far, and I've backed twenty or so. I'm guessing you guys had a majority of the work done in advance, and the good communication makes a huge difference.

 RiTides wrote:
I think Dr Mathias meant that mat in particular, as he had received another of yours previously (see the pic at the top of this page) which was a match to the images, presumably viewed on the same machine (which implies it is not a monitor issue).

That's useful to know, Mathias- any chance of a pic, maybe with a few of the same models you showed in the above photo?

Well I think the grassy plains is darker than the advertising image as well

It will be a few days until I can set up to shoot again, but I'll see what I can do.

I commented about the darkness either here, or in the Kickstarter comments as well. It is noticeable. Its not awful, in fact, I really like the mat, but it is definitely much darker.


Did I catch a rumor of a Dropzone Commander gaming mat? I pulled my Urban I mat out for a game of DZC, but the scale is too far off. I'd love to see the diagonal urban mat done in 10mm for Dropzone. That would rock.

Here's a pic with the same figures as in the earlier image. Light balance is set at 3200k, taken under tungsten lights. I didn't mess with saturation although it sure looks like I did. I'm not sure my earlier statement about it being significantly darker is accurate, although I think it is certainly more red/warm toned than the yellowish I expected. The important thing is that the color of the figures are pretty much spot on and match the other pic, so they should give a good baseline. I didn't notice that this mat has what appear to be vehicle tracks until I laid it out.



Here's the Tablewar pic:



Like I said before I really like these mats and they will get some use. I think it's a quality product and I'm glad I backed the KS. I should have gotten a couple others

If you're taking suggestions a nice Egyptian colored desert mat would be fab

That is a big difference. Your mat looks more like it should represent Martian terrain while the Table War picture looks more like a mundane desert found here on earth.

(There are plenty of reddish deserts to be found on earth....)

Ugh.

Not even remotely what I was saying, but thanks. Dr. Mathias' mat looks red. Like Red Planet red, not like the Mojave Desert brown of the stock photo. Better?

If I had known that they looked like that (btw that looks exactly like the desert in Utah/Nevada) then I would have picked that, I really like that coloring. Do all the mats have that slightly reddish color?

edit: BTW the desert out in Utah is often used for Mars movies.

@DrMathias - That is an interesting photo I do not know about your lighting though, 3200k might be to warm. That red does not get punched up like that under normal lighting, that I have seen. How close are your flashes and what kind of post producing did you use? I am just curious. I will photograph it myself and see what I come up with but your photo of Barren seems to really draw out more of the red were that's are a deeper brown/red.

btw I love the photos your doing, very cool stuff.

 Dugg wrote:
@DrMathias - That is an interesting photo I do not know about your lighting though, 3200k might be to warm. That red does not get punched up like that under normal lighting, that I have seen. How close are your flashes and what kind of post producing did you use? I am just curious. I will photograph it myself and see what I come up with but your photo of Barren seems to really draw out more of the red were that's are a deeper brown/red.

btw I love the photos your doing, very cool stuff.

Hi, I'll do another set up, and shoot under incandescent and then tungsten again. I used umbrellas to reflect light back, so it's not direct light. No flash or post production other than increase exposure by one stop. It is possible my bulbs are old and need to be replaced and that could produce a color cast.
I'm happy to try to get as accurate a shot as possible- the mats will certainly look different if photographed under fluorescent light or daylight.

I'll try to find my nuetral 50% gray card, should have done that from the start.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Okay, took another set today. Two lamps direct light, 500 watt, 3200K. I have a 50% gray card so that I could set desaturated gray with no color cast, and a piece of white Styrofoam to set the white point. I did the same thing for both mats. The second image may not have the correct exposure, it looks a little dark. I should mention that the first image looked 100% the same when the Dakka gallery uploader offered the 'optimized' image, so I think everything is set right in terms of color balance.

I'm starting to think that my camera emphasizes reds to some extent, so while the image is on the red side I don't think the mat appeared that red under the lights, at least to my eyes.





The mats are definitely going to look much brighter in situations with more lighting, like your average game store for example.

I just need to get some games on these now!!!

Yeah, there is minor variation from mat to mat, we can't do anything about it, honestly. Bear in mind too (as stated), the images you see here have differences is lighting, angle, etc. That make them look different. At the end of the day, what matters is that you are happy with your purchase. And Dr. Mathias, glad you like yours and thanks for the compliments on the well run Kickstarter! We busted our asses to hit all of our deadlines and goals.

You did great, I wish more Kickstarters had the same level of communication, quality and timeliness. There would be far fewer grumpy threads on Dakka

man when I can afford it I am so going to order one of these for my jungle themed board. I always thought that a board should tell a story as well as provide cover, (after all, the two forces are fighting for a reason, right? ) and this would look fantastic with my jungle trees, and aztec temples. I'm looking at the grassy plains 4x4.

@dr. Mathias

Super happy yo hear you like it! And yeah, I agree, there are a lot of ambitious Kickstarter launches that fall short, unfortunately. It is very difficult to do it correctly, but following through on your word is critical.

@raven

Glad you like it! They do make for a much more immersive play experience. You'll enjoy yours when you get it!

Unrelated to the coloring issue, but how are people storing their mats?

I thought I could use the bag that the mat came in for storage, specifically hanging from a hook in my garage, but the bag tore when I was tightening the draw strings so hanging it never came about. I have tried leaning the rolled up and bagged mat in a corner but the mat has a tendency to fold over and bend in half--causing me concern of the graphics eventually suffering damage from creasing.

Aside from laying the rolled mat on the ground does anyone have a decent storage solution?

Mine are currently laying on the ground. I have the same problem with my older Sabol mats, and my Zuzzy mats. Right now those are all stored in the cardboard shipping tubes.

My wife has some containers she uses for wrapping paper - I was going to look into one of those, and see if they're long enough for all that mats. Failing that, I'll see if the Container Store extra-long underbed boxes will work.

Otherwise, I'll probably get a nice sturdy tallish shipping box, take the top off, and store all my mats in that box in a corner standing up (but supported by the corner).

Flat, under my bed.

EDIT: I mean to say rolled in the original bag and box, then laid horizontally.

I don't have a little game going on under the bed as my original response implies

Dr Mathias, thanks for the pics and all the photography nerd talk, that is awesome . Also thanks to Dugg for directly commenting on the coloring and looking at that with you. Both of those were very helpful!

I bought a cardboard tube to store my mat in. The bag just doesn't seem very practical to me, as the long mat tends to bend within it. The cardboard tube is great and I'm very happy with it! I got it at a FedEx / Kinko's, but I also had them cut my mat down (which seems like it can be done easily with a razor, by the way, they just have a nice straight edge to do it with). So, I'm not sure if a full-length mat would fit in the cardboard tubes they have there.

Edit: I also cut the cardboard tube to be the correct length, which was easy enough. They usually have removable plastic end caps which still fit on fine if you cut it. I also glued one end cap to the tube to be permanently on, and left the other removable- keeps the heavy mat from knocking off the bottom cap this way.

Cardboard tube or PVC pipe.

Good ideas. I'll head over to a UPS or FedEx store and see about grabbing a cardboard shipping tube.

 DarkTraveler777 wrote:
Unrelated to the coloring issue, but how are people storing their mats?

I thought I could use the bag that the mat came in for storage, specifically hanging from a hook in my garage, but the bag tore when I was tightening the draw strings so hanging it never came about. I have tried leaning the rolled up and bagged mat in a corner but the mat has a tendency to fold over and bend in half--causing me concern of the graphics eventually suffering damage from creasing.

Aside from laying the rolled mat on the ground does anyone have a decent storage solution?

I was about to toss out the box the mat came in when I noticed that it was starting to sag in the bag standing up in a corner...so I just kept the individual boxes and keep them stored in them.

Just to copy over the comments from the KS section here- it doesn't seem to be variation in the mats, but rather that all wasteland mats are darker than the image.

Shouldn't be an issue really- just good for people to note who are considering it, and TableWar to note for their images of the art for it.

David Smith 7 days ago
Mine turned up today thanks, very nice but the Wasteland is a lot darker than the sandy desert I was expecting

Dale Murchie 6 days ago
My Wasteland arrived in the UK today. As David Smith said below, the Wasteland is a touch darker than I was expecting (planned to used it for wild west) but it still looks great and can double for alien landscapes too. Really fine product! Good work! (off to look at your website for another maybe ;-) )

Very cool. I might just have to get a couple or four.

I'm a sad panda right now, my mat is at the german customs office and I need to pay customs tax to get my mat.
Well I contacted tablewar about this, lets see how to solve this :/

Big thanks to Frankie at Frontline who worked with me to get two mats to New Zealand.

The mats are fantastic.....and the logo? Given the furore I wasn't expecting to have to look for it. It's totally unobtrusive.

 Talliostro wrote:
I'm a sad panda right now, my mat is at the german customs office and I need to pay customs tax to get my mat.
Well I contacted tablewar about this, lets see how to solve this :/

Yeah, a mate of mine just hit the same problem. The lack of European distributor is the only thing keeping me from investing!