So you say you don't want to spend $40 on FFG's playmat? DONT! Spend $10 on a board and go buy two Ships to put on it!

I bring you the Ghetto X-Wing Board....

!. Go to Wal-Mart and buy a 48"x36" project display board.

2. Get it home and measure/tape off 6" on each folding edge.

3. Start blowing stuff up for fun and profit!

Folds for easy storage.

Disposable (cheap and replacable)

Easy to mass produce for large tournaments

Good for tables that cannot support 3x3 mats. (like my dining room table here)

That's a nice idea. The only problem is that it's a pain if you want to take it anywhere. I plan to get some black felt and make a 36x36 mat myself.

It doesn't look much like Detroit to me.

Ha, needs bullet holes for stars and light the corner afire Hobo.

Used a collapsed cardboard box for a long time covered by a felt mat. The felt was even decorated by Hothie with glitter to simulate a star field.

Good times.

Ha, needs bullet holes for stars and light the corner afire Hobo.

Put it on some cinder blocks and it'll be fine.

You know that's actually not a half bad idea for game stores holding large events.

Apply some black paint and a sprinkling of white on top - instant deep space battlefield. Nice budget solution.

Right, if you spray some spray paint about 12" off the board, it will fall in a nice mist to make some star fields.

Get an old tooth brush and some white paint and run your finger over the loaded bristles you have an instant star field.

The board will warp after awhile.

Used a collapsed cardboard box for a long time covered by a felt mat. The felt was even decorated by Hothie with glitter to simulate a star field.

Good times.

Right up until recently, that's exactly what I was using. Cardboard and cloth.

The board will warp after awhile.

Just like time and space, it's perfect.

Used a collapsed cardboard box for a long time covered by a felt mat. The felt was even decorated by Hothie with glitter to simulate a star field.

Good times.

Oh that will go over well; get home from game night and explain to the wife/GF that the glitter on you is from a Star Mat.... Sure....

Used a collapsed cardboard box for a long time covered by a felt mat. The felt was even decorated by Hothie with glitter to simulate a star field.

Good times.

Oh that will go over well; get home form game night and explain to the wife/GF that the glitter on you is from a Star Mat.... Sure....

Candice? no i don't know any strippers called candice...and the thong is for you sweetie HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

I used a setup like this for quite a while. The surface of the board was always a bit slippery for me but I got a cheap 3x3 sheet of black 'foam' at a Michael's. Worked like a charm!

I used this when the table wasn't large enough to support a 3x3 playfield with extra space for cards. I laid a 3'x3' chunk of $4 black felt in the middle for the play area.

Bumping or snagging the outer edges of the play surface can be problematic.

I used a setup like this for quite a while. The surface of the board was always a bit slippery for me but I got a cheap 3x3 sheet of black 'foam' at a Michael's. Worked like a charm!

Anybody doing this, I would highly recommend a spray adhesive to keep it on the board. A nice mist and lay it out and it'll stay forever.

http://www.amazon.com/3M-General-Purpose-45-Adhesive/dp/B000PCWRMC/ref=sr_1_3?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1432308973&sr=1-3&keywords=spray+adhesive

I like that it has that extra 6" on the sides for dice, tokens, cards etc.

Been doing this for a year, it works great.

Even better get one of these and place your map ontop of it. Now your table can hold your map.

Used a collapsed cardboard box for a long time covered by a felt mat. The felt was even decorated by Hothie with glitter to simulate a star field.

Good times.

Oh that will go over well; get home from game night and explain to the wife/GF that the glitter on you is from a Star Mat.... Sure....

The wife was super happy when I finally did get home! I don't even think she noticed the glitter.

We got our display boards from Target but what matters is the dimensions are the same and they are stable. Works great, you can get two games to a table this way at the LGS.

We lay our playmats on top of the boards. Good, cheap, easier to transport solution.

http://www.joann.com/display-board-36x48/zprd_01612712c.html

I just use my dining room table. Is it bigger than 36" x 36"? Yes. Does anybody care? No. I help mitigate this by throwing all of my asteroids from 2 starter sets on the table to make it a bit more tricky.