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Made in us
Incorporating Wet-Blending






I prefer DIY projects that require no work whatsoever and noticed 1' square vinyl tiles at the local Walmart.

Online, for $15, you can get 20 such tiles, plenty for a 3' x 3' standard sized game table. Cheaper than most non-felt / non-paper gaming mats, and Walmart has a free shipping threshold.

The brown marble looks like generic rock, and you should be able to find a more gray stone pattern.

Anyone used them, or know why you shouldn't? They're obviously only 2D and not seamless, but I figure they're transportable, and the lack of seamlessness can help players estimate length on the table for various reasons (eg. Rangers of Shadowdeep setup your miniatures within 6" of the center of the board).

Paper and felt are obviously cheaper, but I haven't found natural patterns, so let me know if you've found some.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Achim-Nexus-Self-Adhesive-Vinyl-Floor-Tile-20-Tiles-20-Sq-ft-12-x-12-Light-Slate-Marble/693154498


This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/17 01:13:40


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Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




Central California

I use mats myself (or purpose built) but I can see that being an alternative. I do think you need to find someway to connect or stick them down. Players constantly slide things, bump things etc and I could see shifting tiles being a problem. Not insurmountable though.

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Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





Myrtle Creek, OR

Excellent stuff!
If you buy the 18” ones, you only need four. Dave Phipps of Pulp Alley has a nice video on how to make them double sided by sticking another pattern tile on the opposite side.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B1Y0dXCtb9c

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/17 02:04:48


Thread Slayer 
   
Made in us
Battlefield Tourist




MN (Currently in WY)

I have used them, but sometimes they can get a bit heavy! Plus, covering up the edges where they come together can be a pain.

You can see it in the picture below.....


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Made in us
Brigadier General






Chicago

I've used pvc tile on a few occassions. I've found them most useful as an easy material for roofs. The ones with a sticky side are great for attaching fine sand for texture or squares of thin card for a side walk pattern.

I also like some of the cheap non-rock pattern ones. They have just enough texture to be good for concrete, especially when marked with a fine black marker for separations and cracks. Made a deadzone board that way once.

Bought a bunch to make "blocks" to put my sci-fi city buildings on, but still haven't gotten around to doing so.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/19 23:41:33


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My Project Log, mostly revolving around custom "Toybashed" terrain.
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 privateer4hire wrote:
Excellent stuff!
If you buy the 18” ones, you only need four. Dave Phipps of Pulp Alley has a nice video on how to make them double sided by sticking another pattern tile on the opposite side.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B1Y0dXCtb9c


36"X36"? Not particularly good for GW games that size. Way too small. There would be pretty much no real strategy in deployment and movement pretty much irrelevant.

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Made in us
Brigadier General






Chicago

Wanted to add a couple things.
First, they don't have to be 2d. Alot of them have a subtle 3d texture surface. Second, as mentioned they do get heavy. 15 of these is quite a weight. Third, unless used in an urban way as I mentioned before, the grid pattern is quite jarring and provides an easy pre-measurement refference.

I think tiles are good for urban surface, and here and there as part of terrain such as rocky ground, etc. For an an entirely natural surface, though, a mat of some sort or even a blanket is preferable to me.

Don't neglect affordable fabric options. A green wool army blanket looks great when you put the forests or villages over it. If you can find them, tan or green tye-dyed polarfleece is quite a convincing base level for grass or desert, especially if a significant amount of terrain is used.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/20 12:44:19


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My Project Log, mostly revolving around custom "Toybashed" terrain.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/651712.page

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Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut





tneva82 wrote:
 privateer4hire wrote:
Excellent stuff!
If you buy the 18” ones, you only need four. Dave Phipps of Pulp Alley has a nice video on how to make them double sided by sticking another pattern tile on the opposite side.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B1Y0dXCtb9c


36"X36"? Not particularly good for GW games that size. Way too small. There would be pretty much no real strategy in deployment and movement pretty much irrelevant.

Fantastic for Pulp Alley though.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/20 12:47:28


 
   
Made in us
Krazed Killa Kan






Columbus, Oh

 Eilif wrote:


Don't neglect affordable fabric options. A green wool army blanket looks great when you put the forests or villages over it. If you can find them, tan or green tye-dyed polarfleece is quite a convincing base level for grass or desert, especially if a significant amount of terrain is used.



Definitely second the fabric option.. using the tan/beige polarfleece for my Blackwater Gulch setup at conventions, and at home.




Also have the green for forested/grass and a blue one for water games

2+2=5 for sufficiently large values of 2.

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Brigadier General






Chicago

 porkuslime wrote:
 Eilif wrote:


Don't neglect affordable fabric options. A green wool army blanket looks great when you put the forests or villages over it. If you can find them, tan or green tye-dyed polarfleece is quite a convincing base level for grass or desert, especially if a significant amount of terrain is used.



Definitely second the fabric option.. using the tan/beige polarfleece for my Blackwater Gulch setup at conventions, and at home.




Also have the green for forested/grass and a blue one for water games

Great setup and great to hear from you. It's been a while!

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My Project Log, mostly revolving around custom "Toybashed" terrain.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/651712.page

Visit the Chicago Valley Railroad!
https://chicagovalleyrailroad.blogspot.com 
   
Made in us
Incorporating Wet-Blending






Thanks for the input!

$15 got me 20 1' square tiles from Walmart. I already have a 2' square Loke Battlemats Battle Board, so that's a 4' x 6' rough terrain surface. Primarily bought it because most of my skirmish games I figure will be 3' x 3'.

$15 also got me over 4' x 6' of khaki patterned fleece, at a sale from JoAnne's craft store. Shoulda went there before getting *any* mats, nice selection of green fabric, especially after the weekly 40% off coupon.

Anyway, both better prices than neoprene or that old Chessex mat of mine! (:

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Made in us
Battlefield Tourist




MN (Currently in WY)

I much prefer my fabric/table cloth boards to the vinyl tiles. The tiles get a bit heavy when you have 1 x 1 foots. The cloth is easier to store too.

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Combat Jumping Ragik






Beyond the Beltway

I have a 4'x4' tabletop made of 16 floor tiles ( 99 cents at the (HomeDepot) They are adhesive backed, so I attached them to some hardboard, 2-2'x4' pieces and stuck them in a frame. I can use it 'as is' or cover it with something for a different look. It's not the most portable thing, but it is durable.

 
   
Made in us
Brigadier General






Chicago

One more suggestion for relatively affordable gaming surface. Vinyl tablecloth fabric. Not the plastic disposable stuff and not vinyl upholstry. Rather, the sturdy flexible stuff you can buy at the fabric store. Matt finish after drybrushing, are sturdy and take paint well.

I got a big piece of grey and drybrushed and spray painted it to make a nice big grey cement/asphalt looking base. As it happened I had been drybrushing it over a 12" tile floor so it even got a very subtle grid. You can see with 10mm here though I use it for 28mm too.


I admire beautiful gaming mats but actually prefer gaming surfaces like tiles, DIY mats, fleece, wool blankets, etc that are a bit abstract rather than highly detailed. It allows for use across different scales, with different terrain sets, even different eras.

Though it should be mentioned that I put alot of emphasis on good terrain pieces. If you're using minimalist terrain then maybe a HD gaming mat can make up for some of what the terrain lacks.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/08/11 14:28:35


Chicago Skirmish Wargames club. Join us for some friendly, casual gaming in the Windy City.
http://chicagoskirmishwargames.com/blog/


My Project Log, mostly revolving around custom "Toybashed" terrain.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/651712.page

Visit the Chicago Valley Railroad!
https://chicagovalleyrailroad.blogspot.com 
   
Made in us
Incorporating Wet-Blending






Thanks to everyone for their input!

Yep, JoAnn's also has vinyl tablecloth. Should also be good to make roads and other flat terrain with!

So besides the vinyl tiles, I picked up a khaki plush fleece for my old west games. The fleece doubles as the dining room tablecloth.

Speaking of the Old West, the Doomtown: Reloaded card game new base set is on KS!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pineboxllc/doomtown-weird-west-edition?ref=section-homepage-view-more-recommendations-p1
[Thumb - DSC04418.JPG]

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/08/17 21:38:42


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