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So I was very tempted to order this new box:





Only problem is, it's not 6x4 feet. For some reason, it's 5.5x3.7 feet.


Here's spikey bitz's review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RfI5LvgbJA



So, what the hell? Good price, way more in the realm of affordability than the big plastic boards, so much potential (especially future releases) but instead of being the same size it's 5.5x3.7... I'm baffled. Anyone have any theories? Didn't want to cut into sales of the plastic boards? Had to fit pre exisitng boxes? Anyone got a theory or inside knowledge of how this came to be?


This revelation gives me trucker carlson face

The comments on the linked Youtube video speculate that it's down to it being made to fit standard packaging, which sounds likely.

Still baffling though. It's so close, and being the regular size would've made it so much more attractive.

I wonder if its to do with table size? I dont know a lot of people with tables that can hold a 6x4 without hanging off the edge. Maybe 5.5x3.7 is closer to the average size of a dinner table?

Its too expensive for cardboard, you can get a real mat for the same kind of price.

I have a 5x3 (and a bit) table, so this is better for me than a 6x4 set.
Even my 4x4 mat is best used when wonky.

For my home games the best I could get sliding two tables together was a 5.5 × 3.8. Had to reconsider deployment maps, but it was playable. Worked okay for 1500 pts. 1850 was tight. 2000 everything was too close together.

 Nightlord1987 wrote:
For my home games the best I could get sliding two tables together was a 5.5 × 3.8. Had to reconsider deployment maps, but it was playable. Worked okay for 1500 pts. 1850 was tight. 2000 everything was too close together.

Well, one could argue if done well with strong card and sectioned properly it could fit on a smaller table with a bit of overhang. Obviously that could pose a problem for packaging, but it would open up an advantage over the game mats in that you wouldn't necessarily need a full 6x4 table to have a 6x4 board. In my situation, I'm fortunate to have an 8x4 gaming board in my basement. It's a real shame because had it been 6x4 it'd offer a couple cool alternatives to the two mats I currently have. I would have been more understanding if it was a 4x4, at least for small games or like kill team or shadow war. Le sigh

It's supposed to be the size of a normal dining room table I guess. But it being non standard size is instant no buy for me. That's a good few inches you are losing.

I think the actual terrain pieces are pretty cool. I've been using cardboard buildings and the odd shapes you find in electronics packaging!

 Nightlord1987 wrote:
I think the actual terrain pieces are pretty cool.

They're decent, some could stand to be a bit more solid or intact, at least for the edition. It's interesting that they sorta clip into the board.

 Nightlord1987 wrote:
I've been using cardboard buildings and the odd shapes you find in electronics packaging!

If you or anyone you know is a big coffee drinker, coffee tins and cans make great silos. Print out and slap some of these on the side: http://pro.bols.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/ad_mech_logo_sheet.jpg

hobojebus wrote:
Its too expensive for cardboard, you can get a real mat for the same kind of price.

Very much this. I was tempted by this when it was first announced but then when I realised the price and specs of it, I turned to online retailers for a highly detailed game mat instead.

It's a brilliant idea and perfect for people just getting started into the Hobby, but for what it is, overpriced considering what other options are available. If this had been a neoprene mat instead of cardboard I would have snatched it up even if it was slightly smaller than a 6x4.

Can anyone who has one advise how these board pieces "stick" together? - if any? Or does the cardboard just sit next to each other causing a nightmare of shifting panels throughout the whole game?

It's a sucker product, that's all there is to it.

It does have me curious though, how much it would cost to make a couple of boardgame mats (like a Risk or Monopoly board, say 2X2) that can be dovetailed together into a larger fighting space and try to sell them, at maybe $5-10 a pop.