Which Gaming Surface is Right For You?

You need to play wargames on some kind of surface, and Uncle Atom is here to help you find the right one for you.
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[@RodgeRules]

Despite having the ability to create good quality flocked 4x6 tables and having the ability to store/haul them in great quantities (

[@tabletopminions]

+Wisco Horndog Tabletop There is certainly a ton of convenience to game mats, absolutely. Looking forward to WAAAGH! Paca in January! Thanks for watching!

[@schemesof40k]

Were fight on a planet near the eye of terror. So chaos has turn the planet in to a huge orb of polished wood. Yep, my moms' dining room table works really well.

[@NikoMoraKamu]

typical heteric stuff , damm chaos

[@bobbirdsong6825]

Because of your videos, I one day thought: “You know, I really want to paint some skeletons...” Now I have a death army and I’m sick of painting skeletons.

[@bloodnivel70]

skeletons are cool

[@davidgantenbein9362]

Bob Birdsong It seems that it’s time for some Greenskinz in your live

[@triplow1]

😂

[@scottworley5384]

Bob Birdsong how did the skeletons cone ouT

[@bobbirdsong6825]

Scott Worley Pretty average.

[@evileyeball]

My wife and I bought a Desert surface mat and a snow mat. because those cover Her Legion -> Snow My Khador -> Snow Her Menoth -> Desert My Circle -> Desert They weren't cheap at $90 each but they were well worth while.

[@tabletopminions]

+evileyeball Just for the ease of use alone, mats for those types of terrain are worth their price, in my opinion. Thanks for watching!

[@coopergoin4609]

Couple of things Atom didn't mention here. One is that a diorama style board is hell on your paint jobs. If your models fall over they usually hit sand or ballast which does a pretty good job at chipping paint. With the neoprene mats this is typically a non-issue. The neoprene/vinyl mats also have an advantage over felt in that they don't pill and grab the bases and pointy bits of your models.

[@tabletopminions]

+Cooper Goin Both very good points. Thanks for watching!

[@kzookid2051]

Many sign shops that print banners can also print on canvas, aluminum, coroplast (corogated plastic, like cardboard boxes), pvc sheets and other materials for various effects. They can also laminate the mat or apply a protective finish to help it last longer. If your material doesn't grip the table well, use small velcro squares at the corners to keep it in place.

[@StarryNightSky587]

whatever surface there is. kitchenhammer, garage-/beerhammer, "we got no terrain so we use books"-hammer, played all of them, had great fun doing so! :)

[@ObjectiveMedia]

Monsieur Longbow ah I remember when 40K was fun. Then 8th edition came out.

[@GeneJordan]

Nice to see Mats by Mars get a lengthy mention. I can remember when he was just getting started with that venture. Being able to write on them is huge!

[@charlieturk8141]

Neoprene mats are the only way to fly. I love elaborate foam boards, but the dice work so nicely on the neoprene, and you can put terrain on top of it.

[@MentoliptusBanko]

Hahaha, it was exactly as you described, we started many years ago on a kitchen table with books, cookie boxes and yogurt cans as terrain. We then added cardboard buildings and ruins, then added some foam and plasticard terrain. But it is complicated to move around all of this to each other's houses. We have some of those vinyl mats for D&D, and you gave me the idea to try them for wargames! Thanks!

[@johnmcconnell9979]

I have one of the GW/Citadel Grass Mats, and I wish that they still made them. I like them much more than the neoprene mats because they have texture to them. I also will paint felt cloth with regular latex or acrylic paints to give them realistic colors and textures. Very inexpensive, and you can make tables at large as 6x12 feet (or larger) for mega-games.

[@e1miniatures584]

I think a great start for people in terms of terrain are the new GW battlemats/ fold-up warscapes

[@RevEricG]

One other you might or might not have heard of - Cigar Box gaming mats is doing them in a plush (fleece like by description, I have no personal experience of them) material - they not too long ago did a kickstarter where they were giving people the ability to kickstart for double sided versions, but their online shop has their designs all readily available as single sided options. I couldn't afford to get in at the time, but i remember being really impressed by what they seemed to have on offer - one of the things i remember them showing was actually being able to put elevation things under the mat and then laying the mat over to create more of a rolling terrain type of thing and it looked really quite cool

[@RodBatten]

Back in 2008 I was living in Korea and I brought some PDF wargame map sheets to a sign printer and had them print at high resolution on that vinyl banner material. It was pretty cheap for what turned out to be a nearly indestructible gaming surface.

[@erikbrown1827]

I poured Sand on my 4'X8' then poured polyurethane over that, after I dryed brushed. Came out nice.

[@tabletopminions]

+Erik Brown That’s a neat idea. Thanks for watching!

[@thelordchancellor3454]

I use a pool table which is useless for its original purpose.

[@devononair]

I used to use one of those! Back in the day, when every battle in White Dwarf was fought on a grassy hill! Pool tables are smooth and flat, with a nice grassy texture. AND your dice don't roll off the table!

[@martinthewarrior5016]

i used to do that as well!

[@JadeDude1973]

When we moved into our apartment, the previous tenants left a ping pong table. The landlord asked us if we wanted it, and we said no. That was so stupid! LOL I would absolutely play 40K etc. on a ping pong table.

[@RodgeRules]

That's how I got started!

[@thelordchancellor3454]

The pool table I use is a actually grey, generalxue.

[@Greenkrieg]

When I was in highschool and had plenty of free time. My friends and I made a couple boards for warhammer. We used a 6x3 or 6x4 mdf board. For one we used foam to add a few hills and then mixed sand into that leftover paint to get a nice textured look. The best one was a lava themed board that we put a thin layer of putty on before painting and carved lava trenches and pools.

[@JHB141]

Good info, as always. Also, i meant to suggest a video topic last week for a future video, and promptly forgot to post it. What about a bloopers video? A gag reel, so to speak? With all the cat shenanigans we hear about, all the editing to make the videos, there HAS to be some good footage lying about.

[@devononair]

I second this!

[@WoffBoot]

I love the neoprene printed mats - after years of playing on a painted wooden board (hinged in the middle to fold up to 6x2'), I loosened the pursestrings and got myself one. Makes a huge difference to gaming.

[@petramaier9153]

A third option is to print them using an online print shop. Depending on where you live, you can sometimes get 6x4 vinyl mats for under 20 USD and they look just as good as the official ones, although they feel less premium.

[@lund5869]

Petra Maier post a link please?

[@franciscosantiago8536]

Where do you get the images? Of the terrain

[@petramaier9153]

@@franciscosantiago8536 www.wargamevault.com I've been using them for years.

[@Chapter1987]

Just as a little addition (in the UK at least) there is a third option of cloth mats. The cloth mats are the same material on top as the mouse mats but without the black rubber. These sit in price between the mouse mat and the glossy mats and are very easy to store. You can fold a 6x4 cloth mat into a shoe box. If space is an issues I'd recommend trying those.

[@tabletopminions]

+Jason Baxter Interesting. I have really only seen the felt mats for cloth. I’ll have to look for cloth printed mats. Thanks for watching!

[@mrhuettel]

i play frostgrave on a printed cloth mat (pworks, if i remember correctly) and it's really great: lightweight, easy to store, subtle enough to not distract from the terrain, cheap(ish)... the icy city print is of course very fitting, too

[@EryxUK]

@jason Baxter Do you have a link to a UK company that does these?

[@ryanyuhr2087]

Enjoyed this video immensely Adam. I own two Fat Mats (6x4) and I couldn’t be happier. Great products and couldn’t recommend them enough. Keep up the videos!

[@johnpatrickmcp]

I purchased one of Mats by Mars Fantasy Football mats at Adepticon last year and for $20 and it has been my favorite pitch for playing Blood Bowl and you can not beat the value for money.

[@CaldDesheft]

Could you do a similar topic on tables to actually play on? For example, Game Toppers, Table of Ultimate Gaming, or something else. I'd love to know your recommendations on some 6 * 4 table options that could be both functional and not look bad.

[@tabletopminions]

+Cald Desheft I’ve both heard of them, I’ll have to look into those names. Thanks for watching!

[@death2all79zx]

Melee Mats are also an option, they are fabric and have very nice designs on them. Like a printed tablecloth.

[@harrisjc03]

We've been playing on a variety of FLG mats at our local shop with terrain built specifically for each mat, and they're great. Mats by Mars also printed up a bunch of custom Blood Bowl mats with the shop logo for our league. They're great, affordable, and easier to use than the GW cardboard mats. You can't go wrong with either one. If you look closely at the Mats by Mars 4x6 mats they also have markings for 40K deployment zones.

[@mikesmith2905]

Thanks, useful review. I do toy soldiers for kiddies (they can take up wargames if they want but they are supplied to be played with) and I include some scatter terrain (bunkers, hills, trees and the like) and often a square of green felt sprayed to mottle it. Toy soldiers on their individual bases do not work well with textured surfaces and the felt I use does crease - The thin vinyl mats look very promising. Thanks for the vid Cheers

[@tabletopminions]

+Mike Smith Hope it helps. Sounds like a neat project. Thanks for watching!

[@jabbamiles]

Have a Deep Cut cloth mat. Can drape over objects to give hills etc. Plus it's washable in case of spills and you can iron it to get rid of creases etc.

[@ethanhadfield8745]

dude your voice is so deep my earphones vibrated my brain

[@lionanatorgaming3298]

I dont think stains are too much of a problem as if they occur you can just make them a part of the design, especially if its a war torn landscape. For example red drink/liquid is just blood from battles of the past.

[@Yamifira]

coffee stains i see used as fuel spill/insectoid ichor

[@40minutekebab]

Those Mats by Mars are perfect for what I was looking for. Thanks for the tip!

[@nickrafuse984]

your videos are dominating my feed, and I'm not complaining. I'd never heard of Mats by Mars and.... well, lets just say it solves a lot of problems for me. Cheaper than neoprene, easier to find than the cardboard ones from GW, and with way way way more variety. Hardest part is deciding on just 1 (or 2...)

[@riblo72]

I use neoprene gaming mats too... one friend of mine bought the rolling plains theme and i get the urban ruins one... As we are in Italy we get them from an italian shop that makes mats and we are happy with that...

[@davidpersson4927]

You also have the F.A.T. Mats from Tablewar. I think they did the original mats that was sold by Frontline. But since they wanted to start producing their own they parted ways. They are very nice and of very good quality. They ship to both Europe and the US.

[@xdevantx5870]

I constructed about 80 6" x 6" tiles that are mounted on foamcore and magnetized that have a city street motif using World Works Gaming TerraClips as an inspiration. I've found that it allows for near infinite variety in combinations. It looks fantastic and is super portable. It was also very inexpensive even when considering printer ink costs. I plan on eventually doing other kinds of terrain biomes and modular buildings.

[@StrikerVX2006]

I ended up making a 3x3ft gaming board with some green felt and a piece of chipboard wood for smaller games and have a 6x4ft modular gaming boards (3x 2x4ft) with polystyrene, a lot of grey paint and some sand mixed into glue. It's worked out pretty damn well. I'd buy a game mat if they weren't so expensive to buy in Australia, but what I have now will do.

[@mechagoblin8768]

Moon Base Klaisus is great for a place to start.

[@Daisyandtheo]

Best thing I ever did. Go outside and dig a hole in the mud next to a stone walled garden with a path and steps nearby. It was just weather dependent and must admit to losing a couple guys in the dirt.

[@maltebusterrisgaardbrnder7589]

Have you heard of "Terratiles"? It is a modular tile system in stead of a matt. I am pretty new to the hobby and thinking of getting some when I get enough figures done to play

[@xironbeastx8677]

I like the modular dungeon stuff from dnd and pathfinder lines, good quality cardstock and heavily customizable.

[@fernandovaldes7889]

Super random question, do you still have that button up shirt? If yes, could you tell me the brand or manufacturing number?

[@sybert1138dzc]

I have several Deep Cut Studio mats and they are exceptional quality.

[@philippniemann8842]

I just got a mat on the fair in essen from deepcut studios. they are european from lithuania. I like their mats and got one for a gaming table I am planing to build that I can easily store somewhere and change the scenery from time to time. I wanna have it mostly for the upcomming star wars legion game and couldn't decide which planet to make

[@xanthippus3190]

Just in time Uncle Atom

[@josh1674]

I printed a Dune board game map on a vinyl mat. It was amazing. Print and sign shops can do these if you give them a jpg.

[@andreasgrieger6274]

Just the right topic for my xmas wishlist. I'm just deciding wheter or not to get one. Been aiming at a pretty detailed scattered city mat. Heard some people saying too much detail of the map would lead to distraction, taking away the focus from the miniatures. Do you have any experience on this? Best regards from Germany!

[@thedungeondelver]

Also you need a syndicated drive-time 3 hour show on FM Radio I can listen to in the afternoons.

[@RangerGeek71]

I build a lot of my own 3d terrain (such as building) but use maps as the base thank you for the links.

[@SewerShark]

I printed my own gaming mat for Armada in vinil. I printed a 3x6 spacemat in a plotter and it works great. The only downsize is that I need to conform the material after a unroll, the tips keep rising up. Here in Brazil, you can print vinil nearly at any copy shop that has a Plotter.

[@franciscosantiago8536]

Oi, tens imagens para mat de wh40k?

[@Jayk129]

That’s right kids, important safety tip, don’t spill red wine on your expensive gaming mat.

[@josh1674]

Love all these terrain related topics.

[@mikem4432]

Building Diorama for gaming table top is a huge task, the future will be using something like the new 'Augmented Reality' software chip in the new Apple 8 phones..

[@Prettykitty7890]

It's nice you gave a shout out to FLG Uncle Atom. I have been buying quite a bit from them lately and the service is always excellent. I cut it close recently on a purchase for a 6×4 mat I needed for a 40k demo I am hosting at my local REC center next weekend. I emailed them about it, and Frankie made sure it was shipped that day. 👍👍

[@zandosdwarf-king]

I have never played without a mat (well, I played once, in GW store on real of battle board). But then, I don't play ay (anyone's) home, just at store.

[@EryxUK]

I would love to buy one of these sort of mats but I just find them far too expensive for what they are. I can justify the money I spend on miniatures but for a play mat I just can't do it.

[@Rookblunder]

I made a folding 4 x 6 ft table, then I went and bought a pack of 1 x 2 ft flooring at the hardware store that looks like a greyish black surface. Push them together and I am good to go.

[@Doomchild_]

I recently bought a doublesided plush terrain mat through a kickstarter, it's like a fleece blanket :p

[@jonnyone-truck2460]

I really, really, REALLY miss the GeoHex terrain system. It looked great, was configurable, and could be got with hexes printed on or not.

[@politicalsheepdog]

I still have a box of those we used to play Epic Space Marines on.

[@Dancan799]

Hi, I've recently got into 40k and I've found loads of you videos really interesting and I was wondering if you could explain what twin linking a weapon does and what weapons you can do it with? I've heard it mentioned but no really clear explanation on what you can do it with or how

[@tabletopminions]

+Dancan799 Weapons generally aren’t “twin-linked” anymore. In 8th edition, any weapons that used to be twin-linked are now twin weapons and just shoot twice. Thanks for watching!

[@krisdog88]

I love my gaming mats. Bought most of them second hand, so I saved lots of cash. I build my own scatter terrain for hills and such... works out well.

[@RageAgainstTheDice]

I really like Deepcut Studios mats, they are a very good quality.

[@Aloof101]

Mats are a must for Armada, some excellent ones (non ff) printed at full 6x3' 👍🏻

[@LiliaArmoury]

2 x 2 with padding when storing or transporting them

[@SmokeRingHalo]

6:52 Ironically the mat in the size I need is out of stock.

[@pmac2217]

Also I just bought a bunch of 70% off Halloween decorations to make death world terrain. Using the skeletal animals and what not

[@Novasky2007]

I built a massive multi 2x2 section board based on Tsaragrad around the time cites of death, even in small sections boards are a pain

[@jmora6529]

Not sure if you've considered a flat screen TV under a glass surface?

[@justinn5357]

Man your videos are so fucking helpful from a new hobby guy, thank you.

[@MarketResearchReading114]

Seems like you ignored the fairly portable plastic board surfaces that are out there from GW or Secret Weapon miniatures.

[@tabletopminions]

+Zom I did forget about the Secret Weapon boards, but I talked about how I own a GE Realm of Battle board in the video, and how loud it is when you roll dice on it. It comes with a case, but it’s only barely portable. Thanks for watching.

[@MarketResearchReading114]

My bad, I scrolled through to see if you had images of plastic boards but I didn't see one so I'd assumed it was omitted.

[@curlyj49]

Pringles cans made awesome smoke stacks.

[@dravenbarlow7328]

i glued down a sheet of really thin steel to the top of my wooden 4x8 table then painted it dark grey so i could put flat thin magnets on the bottom of my buildings so the buildings dont slide around

[@TheTomphson]

I just started playing a game called Witchborn. Their adventure maps are all vinyl and they're very nice.

[@tabletopminions]

I saw them at Gen Con. The maps are very nice looking. Thanks for watching!

[@TheTomphson]

I actually have inspiration to paint my models now too, thank you for that.

[@nickcastle54]

I have two vinyl mats from Galeforce 9 for Xwing. They're pretty good. They move a little too easy on my felt tabletop.

[@phigu198]

I'm starting Alarielle tomorrow. It's not important, I just wanted you to know.

[@dorgrim]

How'd it go???

[@recklessking1997]

Got anything about different strategies or tactics in wargames for tabletop play?

[@petramaier9153]

Adam doesnt do tactics on this channel.

[@tabletopminions]

+Alan Hopper No sir, I am the wrong guy to ask for that. I’m a pretty lousy player. Thanks for watching!

[@peterjones3757]

Hi, what figure is that? at 8:09

[@novashnova1232]

Does anyone know if they have a playmat that is like, cobblestone?

[@210-h6j]

Your voice is incredible

[@tomashogberg8514]

Thoughts on latex gaming mats? I'm quite keen on getting one from playmats. eu and would love your take on it :)

[@Rphilipson]

I used to just play on my kitchen table but then I won a 6x4 board from my local GW

[@jccaron71]

I like the fleece gaming mats best

[@ElRojo651]

Tiles like heroscape are fun to play on as well,

[@j.vanooij]

Why is there a Terminator lurking in the background, Uncle Adam?

[@devononair]

*Uncle Atom. The American pronunciation of Atom sounds a lot like Adam. I struggle with it every time he says it! Haha

[@j.vanooij]

Doh!

[@Sh-kl8gy]

Adam I feel like I’ve seen you. Do you work at a hobby store in Florida

[@tabletopminions]

Nope, sorry. I live in Wisconsin. Thanks for watching!

[@thedungeondelver]

Going to GaryCon?

[@watcherzero5256]

I kinda want the plastic tiles but the price is steep for unpainted and I wouldn't look forward to that much painting.

[@lanceholter2390]

Who makes the miniature at 8:10?

[@tabletopminions]

Shock Troops from Wargames Factory. I’m not sure they’re made any more. Thanks for watching!

[@raghnallmacaodh3220]

hey, i still use forest digital camo fabric for my table top.......;)

[@CronosVids]

It seems like Frontline Gaming doesn't ship to Europe anymore. I bought one of their mats a while ago via their EU store, but there doesn't seem to be an EU store anymore. Weird.

[@frontlinegamingsecondhands9684]

Hello Cronos! We still ship to EU, however we cannot advertise it in our webcart anymore because of GW's trade policies for their miniature range. We are looking into other features for now but in the mean time you can email us at [e-mail]

[@seanc8054]

i just want a mars terriane looking map, i'm buying the skitarii box in a few weeks

[@maxdoran2504]

I literally just use a table with books for terrain

[@christosgiamagakis2828]

how about latex mats?

[@Newjourney14]

i prefer the 3D of the realm of battle boards from GW. i don't like the "abstract" nature of printed on terrain /mats

[@Tipsythomas]

Mantic games are doing a range of plastic boards

[@tabletopminions]

+newjourney7 I like my Realm of Battle board (have had it for years) but it’s not nearly as mobile or easy to swap out. Thanks for watching!

[@faded3657]

What about cloth

[@thedungeondelver]

The correct answer to the title/question is : "Dwarven Forge". It is _always_ Dwarven Forge.

[@josephskiles]

As if I would use anything but the flayed skin of defeated opponents....... Why yes , I am a Night Lords player..... How could you tell?

[@Nobleshield]

I think the neoprene mats are probably the best, it looks like the vinyl costs about the same for a 6x4 mat as the neoprene but looks like a slightly inferior (relatively speaking) material. The GW boards are neat concept but overpriced and you're stuck using the same molded features/pit o' skulls on every game which gets a little silly.

[@josh1674]

Darn wish I knew the hair dryer trick. I threw that dune map away after my ex crushed it.

[@upcycle.outdoorsman9629]

Did your momma name you Atom Smasher? That would be sort of epic if true.

[@dan_zehner]

Killing Fields gaming mats are pretty cool too! They look like grass, and also roll up. Plus you can cut roads into them! www.killingfieldsterrain.com/

[@ryanhouk3560]

What about just like, a sandbox