official gaming mats any good?

[olsen]

Hi,
i was wondering, if anyone could give me a short review of the Wings of War gaming mats.
Are they worth the price?
Is the surface slippery or a little rough?

Do they unroll without problems or do they have the tendency to roll up again after being spread out?

Overall impression?

Thanks for your answers....

[Khargor]

I got one of the mats when I first started:

Is the surface slippery or a little rough?

The rubber backing keeps the mat still when playing and the printed (top) side is a little rough so doesn't let the flight stands slip too much

Do they unroll without problems or do they have the tendency to roll up again after being spread out?

No problems with the mat rolling up during play, probably because of the weight of the rubber backing

Overall impression?

Although a little pricey (especially at the start when you also want planes, boxed sets, etc) I think they're well worth it but, when it comes to the gaming surface, I'm still not sure if I would have preferred a satellite photo of the landscape rather than the painted one thats printed on it. I also think that its a good way of getting a fairly decent surface while you think about if you want to make your own customised gaming boards later down the line.

Its definitely an improvement on playing on a plain table surface or something similar.

Are they worth the price?

Thats a hard one to answer as there are probably as many opinions as there are players. My opinion is 'yes' simply because I was able to have good looking games from the start which has helped me show the game to others and start new players. If you are going to make your own custom boards then, because of the cost of the mats, I'd probably say save your money and invest it in the boards you're going to make.

Hope that helps

Shaun

[Oberst Hajj]

I waited to buy mine after I had everything else offered by Nexus for the game. There are no issues with the mat slipping or the cards/miniatures slipping on it. It always lays flat as well... I was really impressed at how well it does stay flat.

I had/have three issues with them. The first is that they are on the smaller size, I typically play on a 4x6 table. They are a little pricey and finally, the logos are quite big on them. The size issue was over come when I decided that they would work perfectly on my kitchen table when I play with the kids. The price, I personally feel is worth it and the logos I just deal with!

They do look good in action!

[olsen]

Great,
thanks for the answers.
I think i need to get one or both of the mats.
Will probably buy those at Spiel in Essen in October along with the series IV planes.
At least, that's the plan....

[LeBru]

I got one in a couple of days ago and a friend got the other half. We're both really happy with them. As for the price, if you shop around you can probably find a much better deal than the official site(s). We got ours for $25 US each (FFG lists for $40).

[Ritterton]

Played on a set last month and I will say that they are awesome. You do have to see them to really say, ok that is probably worth the money. I apparently need to be in the South though to get a good deal like LeBru! ;-)

[LeBru]

I apparently need to be in the South though to get a good deal like LeBru! ;-)

Actually, nope, you don't.

I would've posted a link but I didn't know if there are any site policies about linking to online stores. I guess I'll just take my chances and ask for forgiveness later if it's against the rules.

(I'm in no way affiliated with the site or anything ... just bought some new toys from it recently)

edit: The first link was to a bunch of WoW products. These are the individual map links:

East Section

West Section

[MayorJim]

I broke down and got mine about 6-9 months ago after having played on a granite kitchen counter-top, pink tablecloth, a green tablecloth, and a large piece of green-grey felt. They are pricey; no doubt about that. Ran me about 80 bucks US for the 2. The plus side is (as others have mentioned) is that they store easily, lie flat (think of them as a big mouse-pad) and are colorful. Maybe a bit too colorful for my taste. For the money, Id have preferred the same high quality, but with a aerial view of real terrain instead of the cartoon-like graphics. I also agree that the logos are way too big. Bottom line...I still prefer to play on them; I'm not handy (nor do I have the time) to create something else...and the wife-unit likes them.

[Coog]

I like the texture and weight of mine. They hold well to the table without slipping and the textured surface works well with cards and minis. I'm not real crazy about some of the color used. I would of preferred something a bit duller. I like the way the terrain and buildings are presented. They make good objectives for observation and bombing missions, replacing cards.

[Oberst Hajj]

A note on the colors and style of the artwork. They were trying to make them fit in with the colors and artwork on the cards, but as for the colors, I think putting them on cloth made the color saturation a little high. They do look good and get peoples attention though, so they are great for recruiting new players!

[Cujo8-1]

The mats add a lot of color to our already colorful battles. Well worth getting I think.

[Goering Ace]

My son and I have both mats and I feel they were worth the money (if you shop around you should be able to find them for a reasonable price). They definitely add some fun to the game when you're flying a multi-plane mission. I do agree they could have been slightly larger, but for the most part they work great as is. They always lay flat, roll up easily, and the planes don't slip on them. I'd recommend getting both to enhance game play.

Scott

[Aero825]

I agree with my father in every way. Keep your guns hot!

Hunter

[Doug]

I have to agree with what others have said about the good and bad things about the mats, but still consider they are worth the money as they do look good and are practical.