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Hi,
Zuzzy makes some fine sculpted rubber mats, that cost about 50$ plus postage (which is quite high ouside USA).

Today they have released a city mat (in different sizes incl. 4x6'):

Painted:


Detail:


As it models asphalt, you need less to paint, as rubber is quite close to the original look.
Maybe best city mat, if you can afford the price incuding postage.
Like all Zuzzy mats: If you want to roll them up after usage, only paint them with thin layers like washes or drybrushing, so the paint won't crack.

I have been looking for somthing like this for a LONG time. You just found one that I actually like Thanks Kroothawk

Been waiting to see what Zuzzy came up with for the cityscape...

Very impressed.

It looks just perfect!

1 hour 20 mins and £57 later I am awaiting my new game mat

I really shouldn't be so impulsive on pay day.

Very nice! One of their best mats for sure, but I still prefer despoiled reaches mat since its both good for futuristic and fantasy games.

Gorechild wrote:1 hour 20 mins and £57 later I am awaiting my new game mat

I really shouldn't be so impulsive on pay day.

An hour and a half is impulse? That's a well thought out purchase in my hobby.

I bought, painted and have used one of their mats for the past 3 years. It's been a fantastic piece that stores easily and still gets complements when I game at the FLGS. Some folks don't like that fact they'd have to paint it, but I've explained many times just how simple this is to paint. One of the best gaming purchases I've ever made.

And, oh yeah; I'm buying this city mat.

Surtur wrote:

Gorechild wrote:1 hour 20 mins and £57 later I am awaiting my new game mat

I really shouldn't be so impulsive on pay day.

An hour and a half is impulse? That's a well thought out purchase in my hobby.

I'm at work, so inbetween actually working (I actually do do that some times ), checking how much it would cost me in £ rather than $ and checking my pay came through okay, It was as quick as was humanly possible

That looks pretty cool actually...

It certainly beats 7 shades of poop out of the GW battleboard for price and practicality.

That is great... I wonder how I can talk myself into buying one. Perhaps the Warstore will offer a discount on Black Friday

Great work though on Zuzzy's part. That really looks slick. I can imagine my 3/4 painted buildings sitting on it right now, and looking poor by comparison.

My principle questions are

How do dice roll on it? Do they bounce or have cocked dice a lot?

Also, how durable is it and how does it roll up for storage?

Samwise158 wrote:My principle questions are

How do dice roll on it? Do they bounce or have cocked dice a lot?

Also, how durable is it and how does it roll up for storage?

As I understand it.

It's rollable, as a heavy rubber mat, like doormats are. As to rolling dice, I use a shoe box lid myself, to catch all the dice as they fall.

Ooooh! Very nice. Order to be going in shortly!

Looks great. I love their mats.. I probably would have gotten one if I saw them before I forked over the cash for a ROB board.

But if the paint will crack if you roll it up, how else can you store it so it won't crack? Would it be ok if you sprayed a colored primer and used water based stain on it or something like that? I wouldn't mind having one for a deserty looking mat since my ROB is all grassy.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
oh also.. would these work better if you mount it to a piece of plywood for a more permanent board? or cut it into 2x2 squares and mount it on smaller pieces?

Been waiting for this one from Zuzzy. Probably going to pull the trigger on a table and use this as the mat in January.

Necros wrote:Looks great. I love their mats.. I probably would have gotten one if I saw them before I forked over the cash for a ROB board.

But if the paint will crack if you roll it up, how else can you store it so it won't crack? Would it be ok if you sprayed a colored primer and used water based stain on it or something like that? I wouldn't mind having one for a deserty looking mat since my ROB is all grassy.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
oh also.. would these work better if you mount it to a piece of plywood for a more permanent board? or cut it into 2x2 squares and mount it on smaller pieces?

They used to have a tutorial about painting them( I think they still have), its very simple, its like mostly very diluted paint and washes and drybrush, its safe as long as you dont use thick layers of paint.

I have played on a few Zuzzy mats and have to say they are sweet. You have to paint them to really get the mot out of it, but it is a simple ink/dry brush process.

I've been a big fan of these, and keep trying to get my FLGS to stock them! It boggles my mind that they don't - I would buy several.

This looks like the best so far for my purposes.

The Sabol mat are sweet, too. They have an annoyingly large product label and website in bright white down one side, but apart form that they are excellent mats.

Necros wrote:Looks great. I love their mats.. I probably would have gotten one if I saw them before I forked over the cash for a ROB board.

But if the paint will crack if you roll it up, how else can you store it so it won't crack? Would it be ok if you sprayed a colored primer and used water based stain on it or something like that? I wouldn't mind having one for a deserty looking mat since my ROB is all grassy.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
oh also.. would these work better if you mount it to a piece of plywood for a more permanent board? or cut it into 2x2 squares and mount it on smaller pieces?

1.) If you fix it on a permanent board, you can paint it in any way you want, no cracking.
2.) As it is a heavy rubber mat, you can roll it if not fixed to a board. The website gives instructions on how to paint: http://www.zuzzy.com/tutorial_how_to_paint_your_gaming_mat.html . Basically layers must be thin: Washes, drybrushing, then the paint won't crack. Be aware that it smells of rubber for quite some time. Dice rolls are easy as well on rubber.
3.) This special mat doesn't need much painting, the rubber has the perfect colour for asphalt, only the cracks and holes need some work.

BTW here is the link: http://www.zuzzy.com/wc-bb-001-terra-flex-gaming-mat.html

Only reason, why I don't have a Zuzzy mat yet is the high postage to Europe: 70% for one mat (36.83$) or 50% for two mats (57.87$), 70% for any number of mats to most countries outside North America and Europe. But I might get this one.

Concerning the Sabol mats: They are OOP, not sure when they will be available again. And they cost retail a bit more than the Zuzzy mat which is very expensive for what you get (I got one for 20$ which was okay). But I would only recommend the sand version, the plains mat is VERY orange.

Kroothawk wrote:Dice rolls are easy as well on rubber.

I had the opportunity to play on a Zuzzy mat that was afixed to a table that did have issues with dice rolled on the surface being either cocked or actually standing "point up". The dice had a tendancy to bounce a little more and farther than a flocked table would, but using a box eliminated both issues.

I've been making cityscape terrain out of a 4x6 foamboard for the last 8 months, waiting for the next investment level: modular city blocks and roads. While I might still need the blocks, the roads aren't as necessary with this mat. good find and thanks for bringing it here!

I live in a 1 bedroom condo. I bet that mat would make the place stink of latex for a month Biggest problem for me is the space to paint it, really don't have much space to spare.. no garage or basement to do it in. I can make room on the floor, but then my dog will probably pee on it. Not to mention the dog hair that will end up mixed in with all the paint. thats why i was thinking I could do it in smaller squares. That's probably what I would end up having to do...

Necros wrote: I can make room on the floor, but then my dog will probably pee on it. Not to mention the dog hair that will end up mixed in with all the paint. thats why i was thinking I could do it in smaller squares. That's probably what I would end up having to do...

Extreme weathering dude!

JUST WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR!!!!! I'm betting that hanging it vertically and airbrushing it, before doing some detailing with a drybrush is going to be the way to go. Thanks Kroothawk, I've been watching the Zuzzy site ever since you mentioned it in another thread!

yeah,
It looks good, but I'd like more brick/urban wreck type texture. alot of the mat is a generic 'ash' type texture


Once you place down a bunch of buildings and other stuff you only see about a 1/3 of the city surface, so I'd hate to cover up the few bits of cool ruin detail that are about the zuzzy. I'm not sure if it's enough for me to want to upgrade from my 'free' city board (stuck down thin layers of card sprayed grey)


It does look good... I'm going to think about it...

MeanGreenStompa wrote:It certainly beats 7 shades of poop out of the GW battleboard for price and practicality.

I'm not sure why everyone keeps hammering the ROBB... this isn't even a comparable product!
I think the ROBB is excellent and has no equal that it can be fairly compared to.

Panic...

For my Zuzzy mat, I drybrushed it with acryllic paints and store it back in its original package. It rolls up just fine; dice bounce slightly more than on a felt mat, but nothing really noticable. I've had my mat for @ 3 years and there are no tears, no paint fade/cracking or any other discernable damage. My only gripe is it does retain that rubber smell, but that's a minor complaint; gamer funk is much more offensive. Overall, it was a fantastic purchase.

Zuzzy has just announced (and on preorder) a new mat design called "Flagston Paven gaming mat". Scheduled release date is January 11, 2011. Usual material, sizes and prices:

http://www.zuzzy.com/sw-fg-001-flagston-paven-gaming-mat.html

I can imagine that being an absolute bitch to paint