Has anyone got any feedback on the durability of the Deepcut Studios wargames mats ? (PVC or cloth.)

I really like their designs but keep hearing conflicting reports about the pvc ones scratching. Deepcut say they are unscratchable and some reviewers say the same, however I've seen some reports that they scratch up really easily (especially the dark starscape mats with x wing bases.)

Also wondering how easy it is to get folds out of the cloth ones?

I'm planning to buy 2 - one for epic etc and one for xwing. So any feedback on how "grippy" they are would be helpful too - xwing on a surface where mins slide easily is a real chore!

Someone has put me onto Pworks mats - so any thoughts on their stuff would be appreciated too.

Anyone ? :-)

I have a Deepcut Studio star map, but only used it once so far so hard to say sorry!

For my Epic battles I use a MatOWar, which starts off pretty stiff but apparently they are super durable, and cheaper too.

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Thanks for the reply. Yeah, our local club has mat-o-wars and they are tough as hell, but the designs are showing their age - a bit uninspired with repeating textures. As this is just for me I figured I could go for something a little less durable, but I also want it to last a few years. Let me know how yours goes.

I bought 2 battlemats - a snow mat and desert mat - from here. http://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/172040842662

I'm happy with them, they look pretty good and they've not gotten damaged yet. The only thing that annoyed me a little was that the desert mat had a black border around it which meant the actual play area was slightly less than 6x4. It looks like the border takes about 10cm off each edge, I don't have a measuring tape to hand so I can only approximate!

I have to say I don't have anything to compare them to so I don't know how much faith you can put in my review.

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Thanks Bissler, they look good too. And if they are using flooring rubber they should be nails. Couple of questions :

How slip resistant are they ? Ive played on some vinyl mats where minis and terrain skate about at the slightest touch ( which is no good for X-wing especially. )

If you get a chance to measure the playing surface I'd appreciate it. They say they are 1220x1440mm, so there's a bit of room for a boarder but annoying none the less. It also seems like the boarder may be inconsistent - the snow one shown on their store has a boarder but it sounds like yours doesn't ?

No problem!

I just got X-Wing for Xmas and I've played on both mats. Obviously it's not like playing on felt but the resistance felt reasonable and unlike the wooden boards at my local games club where I encountered the problem you describe, there were no issues with minis or the card measuring templates slipping.

The only time I had slippage issues was when playing Epic I put some books under the mat to create hills, it did create some slippage issues for infantry stands but I would expect that.

I'll try to measure the exact size of the border for you tomorrow.

Strangely enough, my snow one had no border but the desert one did. I don't know why this was the case. The one thing I would criticise is the seller's communication, the responses were often overly brief which is frustrating when you are paying out a reasonable amount of cash.

I'll ask other forum member Craig to comment on this thread also as I think he has seen both mats in action and played me at X-Wing on the desert mat yesterday.

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Brilliant thanks ! I was wondering about using the desert mat for xwing too - for battles over Jakku ! :-)

Yep, i thought the desert mat worked really well for X-wing!

Sometimes they are a bit slippy if you create hills under them, but overall they are fanstasic, look really nice.

i'm looking at the gamemat.eu ones > http://www.gamemat.eu/6x4-g-mats.html
They are neoprene/mouse mat style ones, so not as shiny/splippy but a bit more pricey.

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Cheers Craig for adding your thoughts!

Yeah, the desert mat is good for Tattooine or Jakku battles. I like it also for fighting battles around Ork settlements for Epic.

As for the measurements, the border is 4.5cm all the way around, therefore losing 9cm from width and length. In other words, 111cm X 171cm. Hope this helps!

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Life of Die Channel including Epic Podcasts and Battle Reports

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Net Epic Evolution Rules
Net Epic War! Campaign Rules

Thanks Craigm, They look very nice - must admit I prefer the mouse mat material but never liked the fat mat designs. These look much better. Decisions, decisions...

Thanks for the feedback Bissler - can't understand why they've reduced the size on that desert map...? Shame cos it's my favourite design so far.

No probs Blip! I agree it is weird and would have preferred no border. Hope you find something fret for your tabletop! Please let me know how you get on no matter what you go for!

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Clickable links for more Epic goodness:

Life of Die Channel including Epic Podcasts and Battle Reports

Epic 40K Players Page on Facebook
Net Epic Evolution Rules
Net Epic War! Campaign Rules