How to Make a Cheap Wilderness Battle Mat for Dungeons & Dragons

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

Thanks to Into The AM for sponsoring this video and providing a great discount to my viewers. Use my link to get 10% OFF site wide! intotheam.com/BMCTEN

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Definitely winner-winner chicken dinner!

[@keefesands1997]

Don't think of it as a Dad Bod. It's a Father Figure.

[@JacopoSkydweller]

@@keefesands1997 That's 100% gold. Big respect to you. Using this.

[@cavemoss7188]

I wonder if you could get a clear plastic 1 inch grid sheet and heat gun it on.

[@taniaday5474]

My hubby has passed down his love of D & D to our boys, and I have ZERO interest at all. When asked if I use my crafting skills to make something for them, I found your channel. Thank you for all the AMAZING ideas !! Don't care to play or learn the game but I do enjoy making props for them.

[@jandukanocraft]

I like to play but honestly, I craft 90% of time… 😂

[@JacopoSkydweller]

Match made in heaven? Nerds who will REALLY appreciate your crafting. Perfect.

[@dwerenat1]

I'm sort of in the same boat. I make scatter and such, and branching out a bit, for my friends but I have little interest in the games-- for now at least.

[@PheonixKnght]

You are a great mom.

[@Bloodletter87]

Sad that you can't get the vibe of the game, but cool of you to nevertheless support your bunch of nerds 👍

[@saucercrabzero]

I just want to express how impressive it is that you're turning out not only great dollar store builds, not only that they're new and innovative techniques, not only making great videos of them, but that you're doing all of this whole handling the Idols of Torment project! Well done, and looking forward to more IOT builds too!

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

I really appreciate that observation!

[@archdeluxe290]

@@BullScrapPracEff lol, jealous much? Stop being so salty.

[@happihime4072]

This seems like such a beginner friendly project. I think I’ll try to make this for my first terrain build!!

[@codyellinger486]

Adding a hole to the texture roller and then fixing a paint roller handle to it would help with consistent pressure/heat danger! Gonna have to try this for when I build my gaming table!

[@MyklCarlton]

Many of the rollers are hollow, they're intended to have a core inserted, basically a small kitchen rolling pin. The paint roller handle is a good idea, but when you need to apply force to get an imprint you need to have both ends of the roller connected. Otherwise you get a deeper impression on the side where the handle connects.

[@TapCat]

Just as an FYI, Green Stuff World sells rolling pins with handles similar to what you describe. Don't know how well they'd hold up if someone was really bearing down on them with a lot of pressure, but they do exist.

[@tannergee]

I've missed videos like this and the last one. They a really why I started watching this channel and it's been really fun to see them again

[@thevoiceofchance]

As a cook. I love that this hobby has the flexibility of cooking and not as restricting as baking. Great analogy!

[@Daihmon823]

This is going to be my next project. I need a 2x2 and 3x3 agnostic battle map for 5 Leagues from the Borderlands. Thanks for this Jeremy.

[@stephenchristiansen]

This will help with a historical diorama I’m planning and making. I’m making a 15mm Agincourt diorama and the tips here will definitely assist me in the creation of this piece. Thank you so much!!

[@ifailedmywillsave]

I'm so glad to see a non-sci-fi version of these! I wasn't sure how well it would work with ground texture and such, but it looks way better than I expected, and your instructions are great. Thanks for sharing and continuing to be an inspiration and helper for those of us who are, ah, financially challenged.

[@KujakuDM]

Can you do something for a water board. For like a pirate game or something where you would need to put in some sort of desert islands

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

If this video does well I’ll do a water version next!

[@bravelilspidey]

​@@BlackMagicCraftOfficial This video did well after just 30 minutes. 👉😎👉

[@14cassara]

Honestly I've had the best success with a plain blue vinyl mat. You can also get water-pattern sheets and upholstery. That works pretty well but it's thin and playing on it can move it around and bunch it up. Using a textured battle mat is actually visually unpleasant because the bumps make islands and ships sit all cattywampus and then measurements for play are called into question. I *think* you can get patterned vinyl though that looks like water and is totally smooth.

[@Grooveworthy]

A really great source of dirt cheap rocks is landscaping bark! throwing a quick coat of paint of them can make for some really convincing boulders and they're basically free.

[@bn-auric79]

Your dollar store builds are always my favorites.

[@J.J-u4z]

Dude I've been watch you for about a year now, along with catching up with older videos. These dollar store mat builds are def among my favorite of your uploads. Fantastic job and amazing idea! See you on the flip side!

[@TheBluddyThumm]

I've started making Warhammer battlefield tiles with this and it's great to see you doing it, too. Giving me that push I need to finish my 40k city streets board!

[@Karlmakesstuff]

Awesome! I've done a couple of battle mats with caulk using a canvas backing instead of eva foam, but the flocked one didn't work out. Will give it another shot using the flock like you did the tea. Cheers!

[@djhollowman9567]

Love the terrain mat idea! I would love to see more. I really liked the roller idea. Side note, I know the channel is mostly craft, but I would really enjoy watching you play the game you created with guests. Not just like, once or twice. Would be cool to see maybe a monthly game video. Just a thought.

[@nicolasfaucher1907]

Thanks, you and your channel have been a big inspiration for my recent crafting frenzy. When I started crafting, I sort of gave myself a rule to only use leftover pieces of wood, cardboard or foam, or any other would be garbage scrap for that matter. I recently came over my ancient (yes, I guess I can say ancient) transparencies. You, know, the stuff that we used before PowerPoint. I used some as a support for may sewers tiles, allowing for whatever colour or pattern of water depending of what I would use underneath. I also found an old stack of writable CD's. I've used them for magic circles. You can paint them and then scratch the surface and reveal the prismatic glow. I wondered if you had already used that kind of materials. If not, I'd be curious to see what you could come up with. Thanks again!

[@majsmith66]

Love the T-shirts. Tea bags! (I usually use tea I don't like) I also use mixed herbs and coffee grounds as part of my flock collection. More great ideas, another very helpful video. Many thanks!

[@Nammley]

As soon as I saw your sci fi battlemat I was hoping for something like this! You really pulled it off my guy 👌

[@TheSoulmortis]

This idea is great. In Brazil, where there are no options on the market, and importing costs 2-3x more (this in addition to the Brazilian currency already being worth 6 times less than the dollar/euro). Very good!

[@AsterixiaGaming]

"It's cooking, not baking" - this was an absolutely perfect description! 10/10 Thank you for making and posting videos!

[@brennonr]

I have a large jar of Italian seasoning. Much like the tea leaves it smells great

[@qw3rty829]

this the perfect combination of time, effort, looks, and money I want to spend on a project like this. Will definitely be referencing this video when I upgrade my frostgrave board from a white felt sheet

[@jorundcoalforge6277]

Absolutely WINNER WINNER! Especially your experimental of "giving it a try" certainly turned out well in my book. Made the grass look muddy, and I like it. :)

[@verathorn1556]

Because of the last video I started a similar project but with one of the thicker exercises versions of the mat the most similar things I could find near me. With the thicker foam I was able to carve out a nice looking river through the mat with a dremel.

[@jacksmith2425]

With how cheap and plentiful those mats are, you can likely make a few basic environment types and cover most rpg scenarios quite easily if you have the scatter to go with it. This is a great idea, keep up the good work

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

For sure!

[@tk-eva72minis]

Nice one. More people need to be making EVA boards. I've been experimenting with these for a years, coming from a Cosplay background. I love the lightweight durable material. Currently making a space saving 8pce modular 3'x6' board using similar techniques to your video. 👍🏻

[@mekko1413]

I have been using used tea bags for years for my ground cover. If you put 50/50 pva/water on top of the tea the tea will tint the pva and give you a swampy muddy look or just matte coat over the top for dark earth tones. Go make a pitcher of some nice sweet tea and then throw them in a container with some silicon packs to suck the moisture out and your have you drinks for the evenings festivities along with creating some basing materials. The used bags also make for some nice sand bags/ wheat grain bags.

[@josray2557]

man... 10 year old me would have fuggin loved that for my gi joes instead of going outside and losing guns and junk haha. Totally serviceable option for terrain.

[@dwerenat1]

Thank you for that last line, Jeremy. Great movie.

[@web0wraith]

Great video, as always! Quick question: I am currently running a game in a modern setting, and have found very little in the way of cityscape terrain for RPGs. Was wondering if this was something you'd be interested in trying your hand at, or if other commenters here might have some suggestions?

[@GoblinsCorner]

This would be a great addition to the traveling DM (say when you're playing at a bar or whatnot). It's cheap, it's durable, and you don't have to worry too much about getting spills or whatnot on it. Love it.

[@IML52]

This project inspired me to give terrain building a shot, this is my first attempt and your instructions were invaluable in helping me out. Thanks for showing me how easy it is to start this hobby.

[@demetrinight5924]

I like that this technique can be used for a wilderness area or presumably any setting.

[@evinoshea5215]

love using the tea - I use *used* coffee grounds and tea bags for types of flocking/gravel

[@TheUnhousedWanderer]

Your videos are so useful. I'm very new to the hobby, but between you and John from Witch Craft, I've found that I have a knack for tabletop crafting.

[@JacopoSkydweller]

Big up on this video. Concerning into the AM shirts, I am 6'6", 230 lbs (tall and thin) and they are wicked comfortable and a large fits me great. Definitely worth getting for tall guys.

[@digitaleva]

I picked up a set of welding gloves from a local Harbor Freight. They help immensely with the heat from a heat gun.

[@thousandcold]

I was shopping for a mat for a while. I finally found one on marketplace but this is so cool! I will need to try this for sure!!! I completely forgot about using tea leaf for basing! Thanks for this great video 😁

[@MikePhumanaut]

Looks great! Using the squares is genius.

[@LeVince88]

I love seeing these dollar store builds, thanks for new ideas and great presentation!

[@nev72tep]

I thought the sci fi mats were good but this is great! Its simple, its cheap and very approchable. I'm going to have to try this for my own gaming table.

[@cappyjack3070]

Your technics make simple and cheap display bases for my tanks and such!!

[@themattresspolice4040]

I watch all your vids because I know you will share your whole process, not just show off your ultimate wins. Keep up the excellent low-budget builds! Though I do prefer the more distinguished word "frugal" when speaking of either my brokeness or my cheapness. ;)

[@jeremybeamer3029]

I absolutely love your work! I really appreciate your efforts to make something so high-quality with basic materials. I have to ask: what is the texture roller at 1:37 called, and where do I find one?

[@ReplicatorFifth]

Excellent! I really needed a simple way to make a custom mat! Black Magic Craft to the rescue!

[@franklyanogre00000]

As a thought, foam puzzle floor mat is 2'x2', so two pieces put together makes a great field for larger battles and if you have 6 of them, you can play Warhammer on a 4'x6', and have distances of up to 360' or 240' on the short side, making the longbow ACTUALLY useful outside of theater of the mind.

[@tamsinp7711]

On the question of how long a texture paste mix will last in a sealed container, I've got a couple of batches made nearly two years ago which are still OK. If they start to thicken up, just add in a bit of water. Another thing you can use instead of, or alongside, tea leaves is mixed dried herbs.

[@abtmo0069]

Nailed it as always dude. On a side note , all the craft, art supply and dollar stores in the US can't match what you seem to find at a single Canadian dollar shop.

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

Yea Canada is the best

[@Traeumeer]

When I applied oil washes to my build the last time, I let it dry over night and had a hard time removing the excess wash from it. I used Abteilung 502 thinner and paint for this. So, if you were to use oil washes, I'd recommend to not wait too long until you remove it.

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

I've used clear latex caulk mixed 50/50 as a top coat to make sure the whole ordeal remains flexible and it works a treat. I've had modpodge chip and peel on me.

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

Good idea

[@Angelsolomon]

Absolute inspiration! Finally getting myself off my butt to make my own, after years of playing on plain tables! Thanks for the ideas!

[@travman228]

Exactly what im doing this weekend! Winner winner

[@acrylicchemist1432]

These mats are great! I think the other potential for this type of mat is durable and cheap display boards for any wargame army.

[@hmgirlpopuri5819]

These floor mat videos are cool. They're kind of hard to find down in the states from what I've seen looking, since it seems like most of the stuff down here are the ones that have the interlocking puzzle piece sides.

[@dkbibi]

I did one yyyyyeeeeears ago using floor mats. I since then improved a lot my crafting skills (mostly thanks to you... and practice, obviously). I made a big 5x6 board that looks way better but I rarely use it for RPG since it's way too big. In the light of your video, I think I have to get back and make an improved version. Yours looks approximately 7.4 times better than mine 🤣

[@scotttemple939]

Try adding mod podge to your paint gravel mixture, I have tried it before , it helps

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

Don’t need it with the caulking

[@scotttemple939]

@@BlackMagicCraftOfficial i didn’t use caulking

[@scotttemple939]

You have inspired me to get into this craft and I have made almost everything from 3dice towers,dungeon tiles,cave tiles and probably 15 to 20 different crafts. I was just saying I used a mod podge, paint, and gravel mixture.

[@jordanbeard6687]

Not sure about dollar stores everywhere, but near me they have spices like oregano, basil, thyme, etc. I like to use those mixed into the tea to add even more variety to the ground cover mix. The different shapes and sizes of the spices from the ground tea makes some really cool looking texture. The only problem then is you end up craving pizza because that's what your hobby room smells like for days. ;)

[@wesharman7002]

This is EXACTLY what i was hoping for after seeing the scifi board, keep doing your thing man its AMAZING 🍻

[@jacobhope6164]

I think that mat looks great! It looks so much better than my old Wet Erase Chessex mat. It also looks like a craft I could do. Thanks man.

[@meliabreuo99]

I have never played dnd before but I watch ur videos and they help me with my 1/6 dios

[@Blarg6306]

Very nice, im going to make this instead of dungeon tiles i think. And I'm going to use this as inspiration to make an Underdark themed mat for my upcoming Out of the Abyss game!

[@countjinto991]

❤ the board! could you do a dollar store battlemat like this for idols of torment too? i currently dont have anything that'll fit. i only have 2'x2' big plastic tiles from gw (in my pile of shame) that make up to a 6'x4' board. its bulky and a pain in the butt to move around.

[@makanivalur]

I really love this. It's the kind of thing you can easily take with you too! Great idea, I'll have to see if I can get a mat like this in Europe somewhere...

[@Mystrich]

Really glad you made this sequel - the heat roller trick is super handy.

[@GenNairick1]

Wow... you are incredibly creative and this is an awesome forest floor technique. thanks for posting.

[@signemadsen6141]

Yay! I was so hoping we would get this continuation of the cool mat!!

[@mykaelnyx8821]

After watching this video, I would never call it a waste of time to make something like that especially with how it looks. I rather like it

[@incogneato790]

Attach the texture roller to the paint roller handle, then you can heat and roll in one go without toasting the fingers.

[@aceyirl]

Very doable for me. Thanks I might take this route! You might hate this $1 store format, but I think its the best videos you make!

[@iyeetsecurity922]

Damn. Looks like we both have the same ideas! Good stuff. I use oregano and other spices instead of tea though, and brush on slightly watered down clear Elmer's glue.

[@lukefellows-yp4px]

thses are great man eva foam i tryed before making mine never thought to heat it up suprising how well it takes the roller ill need to experement more great video man

[@jo3kr111]

Love the channel ! Idk if anyone uses this stuff but I have been using sawdust from crappy particle boards mixed with modge podge as moss or grasses Works really well!

[@187nags]

love these "back to the beginning" type videos.

[@willmontes85]

Great vid. One of my favorites. Looks amazing. As always, it's nice to hear your thought process throughout the build! Still the king BMC!

[@HNXMedia]

"Cooking, not baking." Best description ever. Total win. Awesome vid!

[@breandan3280]

I quite like this, I've never crafted terrain before but I'm very tempted to try making one of these

[@BooshojoSenshi]

This mat turned out so cool!! Very versatile, too. Love your dollar store builds. Thanks for the great content!

[@och70]

I'd call this one a win. It gives people a good starting point, and they can build their skill set from there.

[@LostHereticPress]

I love this, and I think it's a great guide for doing cheap and effective texture -- which I've been looking for! Thanks for this one!

[@twinphalanx4465]

As a parent of a two year old and a game master who's trying to level up his game, thank you for these videos

[@MurderHoboRPG]

Looks great. I used carpet tiles a couple months back. But this is even better. More flex and no warp it seems!!!! I might switch to this now!!!! Great video killer.

[@SteveLeBlancBrown]

This is excellent work, and I'll be using it for my own playgroup. One question, do you paint the modpodge paint mixture on while the latex is curing, or after? After I do this, I'm totally making some ship decks for my Spelljammer campaign too!

[@TheR3dAce]

id love to see one of these for a city area for a skirmish game or a dnd encounter

[@queencityminis]

This is great! Making that texture paste would be a great way to use up latex house paint, since it needs to be disposed of properly and is a pain.

[@AVspectre]

Interesting idea…

[@kmaynard90]

I WOULD LOVE to see more of these

[@withitstudios]

Nice…I been collecting and making stuff for the Witchlight Carnaval but a nice ground grass textured battle mate would be awesome for it.

[@michaelstockin1636]

Instead of alcohol to break the surface tension so the glue mix sinks, you can have a mix of PVA/Water/Mod Podge etc and a bit of liquid washing up (the sort you use for your dishes), the liquid washing up breaks the surface tension and you mix it in with the glue/water, so just one spray and it sticks and spreads in one easy spray.

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

That mixture is known as “scenic cement” and it works even better if you spray the item with alcohol first. It makes it soak in rather than sit mostly on top.

[@michaelstockin1636]

@@BlackMagicCraftOfficial Fair enough. I must admit I have never had any issues with just adding the liquid washing up to the mix. Thought it may be of interest to those that were unaware and wanting to make it even more budget friendly.

[@rickershomesteadahobbyfarm3291]

I like it. It turned out really cool.

[@MyklCarlton]

Another excellent piece and tutorial! Stay enthusiastic!

[@MyklCarlton]

Love the Cocaine Bear reference at the end!

[@hirluinthefair4335]

Just tried this method, it's going to be great for my one shots.

[@blakelivingston9935]

This is awesome. I wonder if clear caulk could be used to make and ocean or beach mat. I may give it a try.

[@Shakked_R.]

This is one of the best starter projects you have, absolutely amazing, you could get so much out of this for so little effort thank you for the awesome video!

[@benjaminjack867]

Loving these budget builds lately!

[@rpgsandmore7550]

Another fantastic Dollar Store build! You’re really selling me on those matts. I also have some hexes I got from my local Dollar Tree and want to turn into a Star map for my space related games. But, it’s tempting to switch that plan to making some great grasslands with roads instead. Keep ‘em coming!

[@Bluecho4]

I wonder if it's possible to substitute a hair dryer for the heat gun. Maybe if it's got a high setting? Many peoples' households have hair dryers, and if not they're fairly common in big box stores or thrift shops.

[@markchristy9704]

Very clever idea. Thanks for sharing!

[@KiyoshiProductions]

I saw into the am's site like a year or two ago and forgot the name and have been trying to find it ever since so thanks! Haha

[@johnmanning4381]

I love your craft tutorials, but I am having some trouble with a build of my own. I am attempting to build a few Cheval de frise for my DND and frostfell campaigns.