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Years ago I went to the local hardware store and bought a thin, very large, one piece of wood and some wood glue (chip board?). Chucked it in the car, took it home and glued on some fake grass (wood glue and that green sawdust stuff). Works a treat although a little messy to make (have spare newspaper to collect all the loose "grass").

Rather cheap although not portable like the boards above (kept it in the garage). I guess you could ask the hardware guys to chop it up into pieces before you buy it.

H.B.M.C. wrote:
And wrong size? By 3"? Wow...

Sorry...could not help this...

3" can make a big difference...

Yeah, actually, I was thinking the same thing.

And if 3" really ain't that big a deal then I have to ask: if I'm 3" out of range for a shooting attack you'd totally give it to me right? Same with an assault?

How many people have a table which is genuinely 4x6 feet?

If the question is 'would you game on a table that is not 4x6', well naturally, I would. But if I was going to buy/make a table or table accessory specifically for the purpose of gaming, no way would I shell out for anything less than the exact dimensions that the game is supposed to be played upon.

sourclams wrote:If the question is 'would you game on a table that is not 4x6', well naturally, I would. But if I was going to buy/make a table or table accessory specifically for the purpose of gaming, no way would I shell out for anything less than the exact dimensions that the game is supposed to be played upon.

This. Exactly.

And yes, no matter what game you are playing, 3 inches can be a big deal.

um, I do.

Well it is either 4x6 or 4x8. Like I can use it both ways. Mind you it is a cheapo make your-own table-top that you put on top of a dining room table same as the boards listed here.

Painted 1" insulation foam.

Kilkrazy wrote:How many people have a table which is genuinely 4x6 feet?

I have 60!

Kilkrazy wrote:How many people have a table which is genuinely 4x6 feet?

*Raises hand* I have two actually, the cheap one I made with 6x4 plywood (which I annoyed the hell out of the hardware store guy with by making him quintuple check the measurements on) and some spray paints, and the Realm of Battle board, which I only bought because Mikhalia is awesome and gave me a fantastic price when it came out.

I agree with Sourclams that if you are buying something for a purpose (like a gaming board) that you can make a cheap version of for a fraction of the price, it had better meet your specifications exactly.

On the other hand, I think 6x4 is a little small, and would really prefer a 10x5 with more terrain and models. So it isn't really the exact side of the board that is unfortunate, but more that buying one the size I want is about as expensive as a RoB board, and far more expensive than making it myself.

I would prefer, or would have when I was playing regularly if my 4x8 was actually 4x10 4x12 a bit much maybe. For Hordes I/ we play 4x4.

But my next big project, besides painting of course is modular terrain. Basically Lustria meets Tomb Kings.

I mean it is not that hard to make, really. And of course there is all this excellent modular terrain you can buy these days.

Or more boards/ tables and terrain, basically.

Chacun son gout.

I'm not that fussed about 3 inches, there are many other variables in the game.

I have a Terrain Mats mat and some hills and stuff, and I make my own buildings.

I once made a large Battletech table. It was all hex-gridded and made of expanded polystyrene. It wasn't very durable.

If I had the space, I would make my own modular terrain boards using MDF as the base.

Kilkrazy wrote:How many people have a table which is genuinely 4x6 feet?

...how do you not? lol

I'm just saying, when you buy the wood for it it's usually cut pretty damn accurately isn't it? I'd imagine at least within a sixteenth of an inch.

Look, my point in posting this thread was to highlight the fact that there is another plastic modular board out there that is significantly cheaper and more useful than the Realm of Money Battle Board and it is especially significant in that it is flat, and therefore you can do what you want with it, whereas the Realm of Sell-my-Kidney-to-afford-it has hills that cannot be moved and are always there, limiting what the board is capable of without serious conversion work (and converting the RoB defeats the purpose of having the RoB, not to mention makes a super-expensive item into an ultra-expensive item). For the cost of a RoB you can get two of these Ex Illis sets and have enough money left over to buy terrain. Yes, simply buying a 6X4 MDF board is cheaper, and even picking up one of these is a good idea (I've got one - very nice product), but for those who want a plastic board that can be packed up and moved at a moment's notice (something a 6X4 piece of MDF cannot do), there is your alternate option.

Ok folks? I'm not asking you to fall on your knees and prostrate to the great Ex Illis modular playing board. I'm just showing you an alternative.

Kilkrazy wrote:How many people have a table which is genuinely 4x6 feet?

I have one table that is 6X4, and I have another that is 6X5 but I have a cover for the table that is 4 feet side, so when placing it on the table you get 1/2 a foot of spare space on either side.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Sheck2 wrote:Sorry...could not help this...

3" can make a big difference...

For a tournament? Yes. But for most people? Not that much.

And yes, I realise that 3" is actually 216 square inches, but still. Only 6% of a 6x4 table.

In Canada there's a chain of stores called "Loblaws" and they have these great tables in their community rooms that are 6'x2'. That means you can shove two together for a standard game board, or three for a decent sized playing surface, 6'x6'.

Nurglitch wrote:In Canada there's a chain of stores called "Loblaws" and they have these great tables in their community rooms that are 6'x2'. That means you can shove two together for a standard game board, or three for a decent sized playing surface, 6'x6'.

That's the way my trestles work, 'cept they're 6x2.5 (which is why it ends up being 5' across). Given I currently have 4 of them, it gives you a lot of options.

Hate the GW one due to the hills: miniatures keep falling over ALL the time. It's a bit prettier to look at, but parts of it just aren't worth playing on.

This is a nice alternative.

Sidstyler wrote:

Kilkrazy wrote:How many people have a table which is genuinely 4x6 feet?

...how do you not? lol

I'm just saying, when you buy the wood for it it's usually cut pretty damn accurately isn't it? I'd imagine at least within a sixteenth of an inch.

Not if you build your tables from scrap you find on the side of the road. Paying $6 for a sheet of plywood is for oil barons and royalty.

I do agree the hills on the RoB are a pain. I think it would have been nice if they had engineered a way to make their molded terrain something their metal models could actually stand on without sliding down the hill or tipping over. Being, you know, a miniatures company and all

I like the ROB. It can be painted how you want, and arranged in different ways, added to and easily transported (for something of that size). Whilst the cost is a big chunk of money, I would wager that many of you would have paid 100 times as much over the years for models and supplies, it's just because it's all in one go that it seems a lot.

Like anything however you can of course get something similar from different sources. but like i've said in a different post, GW have been doing this for years so they have a wealth of experience in matters such as this, so I would always be inclined to go for what is in my opinion the original and the best.

If they were as good as you claim the cost wouldn't've increased twice before it was released.

The Decapitator wrote:Like anything however you can of course get something similar from different sources. but like i've said in a different post, GW have been doing this for years so they have a wealth of experience in matters such as this, so I would always be inclined to go for what is in my opinion the original and the best.

What, in your opinion, gives GW a competitive advantage in making 4x6' plastic sheet? For approximately 200% price of comparable substitutes...

sourclams wrote:

The Decapitator wrote:Like anything however you can of course get something similar from different sources. but like i've said in a different post, GW have been doing this for years so they have a wealth of experience in matters such as this, so I would always be inclined to go for what is in my opinion the original and the best.

What, in your opinion, gives GW a competitive advantage in making 4x6' plastic sheet? For approximately 200% price of comparable substitutes...

It's proven to be of solid construction, and able to last a lifetime? Not saying the Ex Illis one isn't, but at the moment it's largely an unknown quantity. I'd hate to shell out for a board only to find it warped a few months down the line.

Kilkrazy wrote:How many people have a table which is genuinely 4x6 feet?

My table is 49" by 72", so I'm just over.

One buddy's is 45"by 72", so it's under.

Where we play most of the time is 48.5"x72".

None of these tables have posed a problem IMHO.

Mr Mystery wrote:

sourclams wrote:

The Decapitator wrote:Like anything however you can of course get something similar from different sources. but like i've said in a different post, GW have been doing this for years so they have a wealth of experience in matters such as this, so I would always be inclined to go for what is in my opinion the original and the best.

What, in your opinion, gives GW a competitive advantage in making 4x6' plastic sheet? For approximately 200% price of comparable substitutes...

It's proven to be of solid construction, and able to last a lifetime? Not saying the Ex Illis one isn't, but at the moment it's largely an unknown quantity. I'd hate to shell out for a board only to find it warped a few months down the line.

I highly doubt rolling dice and moving miniatures can cause significant damage unless you decide to do some actual drop podding

As I said it's more warping of the materials that can pose a problem. Would hate to have my board set up and a warm summers day come along and knacker it. Despite what some might claim, Realm of Battle is a solid piece of kit well suited to it's purpose.

Home made boards of course suffer the most from wear and tear (to varying degrees depending upon construction). Other manufacturers now have a benchmark set by GW. Them being the benchmark company in all respects of this hobby, seeing as they are the largest and best known wargames producer.

Mr Mystery wrote:As I said it's more warping of the materials that can pose a problem. Would hate to have my board set up and a warm summers day come along and knacker it. Despite what some might claim, Realm of Battle is a solid piece of kit well suited to it's purpose.

Home made boards of course suffer the most from wear and tear (to varying degrees depending upon construction). Other manufacturers now have a benchmark set by GW. Them being the benchmark company in all respects of this hobby, seeing as they are the largest and best known wargames producer.

Taken the words right out of my mouth there, it's not just a 'plastic sheet' at all, it's actually more than that but if some people can't see that then I guess there isn't much more to be said.

Whilst this is nice, it is not deep enough to be able to sink things like trenches, ponds, rivers etc into and make them look good (IMO). Also does not cover a large enough area and does not sell (as far as I am aware) in the UK.

If they ever made a deeper version, which covered a full 6'x4' table and which was sold in the UK then I would probably buy it, as the smaller tiles mean you can have a more varied table than the 6 (/8 with the expansion boards) tile set from GW. Plus no skulls!

sourclams wrote:What, in your opinion, gives GW a competitive advantage in making 4x6' plastic sheet? For approximately 200% price of comparable substitutes...

Claiming the Realm of Battle board costs 200% of the Ex Illis board is being intentionally disingenuous. There are plenty of faults to find with the Realm of Battle board without making stuff up. It is, in fact, approx 26% more expensive then the Ex Illis board when deployed in similar configurations.

As far as gaming surfaces go, I picked up a pair of folding tables from Lowe's. They are 6 foot by about 2.5 foot each, and I push them together to make a table that is 6 foot by 5 foot. Atop of which I have a Zuzzy mat which, nearly a year later, is still only partially painted and smells unimaginably powerfully of latex.

Ouze wrote: Atop of which I have a Zuzzy mat which, nearly a year later, is still only partially painted and smells unimaginably powerfully of latex.

Dang. I've heard that complaint a few times. That's why I haven't pulled the trigger yet. Have you tried airing it out in the garage or anything?

It's been uncovered in the basement for at least 4 or 5 months now. For the last 2 months, I have it propped up on some boxes to try and air out the bottom, but no, still quite potent indeed.

It's not completely a dealbreaker and it's a nice piece of kit, but you know, it is what it is and you should be aware of that before buying. It's gonna smell. It's gonna be kinda strong for a very, very long time, maybe forever, but definitely at least months.