Hey everybody,

Been away from the game awhile and recently totaled my only mat in a bit of an experiment...not important. I'd like to ask you all if www.bannersonthecheap.com is still viable? They're running a sale right now if you all are interested. It seems like they print some solid stuff, and I know others on here have endorsed them before, as have gamers of other realms i.e. roleplaying.

A few questions:

1: Are they at all that "slippery?" I had someone claim they were. I also play with spray painted bases on most of my ships which seem to add a little friction on the bottom so this is rarely any real concern but I ask anyway.

2: Somewhat relative to #1, and geared towards anyone who knows anything about vinyl printing as well as Armada players, should I go with a specific material? I see for awhile they've offered essentially a "regular" and "premium" vinyl, claiming the latter has a specific sheen. I understand that for lots of vinyl signage concerning ads and such, that that's important, but I'd really rather my gaming mat didn't glare when people try to take a look at it from the wrong angle. Probably still with the basic vinyl?

3: piggybacking off of #2 this time given it's a material question, do any of you know if it's at all a similar material as this? These were VERY reliable, just expensive, but look very similar to what I image BOTC prints, I just don't know much in terms of vinyl specifications.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Nebula-gaming-mat-6Ft/dp/B00XJIHIM8?ie=UTF8&qid=1451771554&ref_=sr_1_20&sr=8-20&srs=13182582011

Thanks in advance!

I can't say enough good things about FATMATS

I ordered an extra large, black yoga mat for $24 on Amazon. I love it so far, the pieces don't slide when they get bumped, Nav tool stays put and you can take a nap on it if you're really tired so it's got that going for it. No cool space graphics but space is mostly empty anyway.

I ordered an extra large, black yoga mat for $24 on Amazon. I love it so far, the pieces don't slide when they get bumped, Nav tool stays put and you can take a nap on it if you're really tired so it's got that going for it. No cool space graphics but space is mostly empty anyway.

It's exactly the right size (just had it re-measured at an event where somebody was griping about the non-FFG mat), looks surprisingly nice, and is the best play surface of all the ones I've played on. It's squishy enough that you can hold ships down in place very easily, but not compressible enough to make it hard to slot the maneuver tool if you are holding the ship in place; it's sticky enough that you can bump the table hard and nothing shifts at all, but still easy to slide ships or tools along; it's structurally sound enough that you can slide it this way or that without rumpling it.

I put a starfield on mine: took some cheap white model paint I had lying around, watered it down to 50/50, dipped an old toothbrush in, and spattered stars onto it by riffling the bristles from a meter or so above the mat. Came out great. If you have an airbrush you could probably do some nice nebulae or something too.

I ordered an extra large, black yoga mat for $24 on Amazon. I love it so far, the pieces don't slide when they get bumped, Nav tool stays put and you can take a nap on it if you're really tired so it's got that going for it. No cool space graphics but space is mostly empty anyway.

I too will pimp the yoga mat. I came for the cheap option; stayed for the functionality. Now I very much prefer it to the FFG mats, let alone other cheap knockoffs.

It's exactly the right size (just had it re-measured at an event where somebody was griping about the non-FFG mat), looks surprisingly nice, and is the best play surface of all the ones I've played on. It's squishy enough that you can hold ships down in place very easily, but not compressible enough to make it hard to slot the maneuver tool if you are holding the ship in place; it's sticky enough that you can bump the table hard and nothing shifts at all, but still easy to slide ships or tools along; it's structurally sound enough that you can slide it this way or that without rumpling it.

I put a starfield on mine: took some cheap white model paint I had lying around, watered it down to 50/50, dipped an old toothbrush in, and spattered stars onto it by riffling the bristles from a meter or so above the mat. Came out great. If you have an airbrush you could probably do some nice nebulae or something too.

And the paint is holding? How long has it been on there? Did you do it to both sides? What sort of paint did you use?

And the paint is holding? How long has it been on there? Did you do it to both sides? What sort of paint did you use?

Maybe 9 months now? I know I had it for Sullust, so at least since October I guess.

Yeah, it's holding up great. The surface is slightly porous, so it stuck pretty well. I only did one side because I wasn't sure if it would hold or flake or whatever, figured I could always use the black side if it came out bad.

Pretty sure you'd get comparable results from any white model paint, but I used the white from the Army Painter starter box set. This guy:

I ordered an extra large, black yoga mat for $24 on Amazon. I love it so far, the pieces don't slide when they get bumped, Nav tool stays put and you can take a nap on it if you're really tired so it's got that going for it. No cool space graphics but space is mostly empty anyway.

I too will pimp the yoga mat. I came for the cheap option; stayed for the functionality. Now I very much prefer it to the FFG mats, let alone other cheap knockoffs.

It's exactly the right size (just had it re-measured at an event where somebody was griping about the non-FFG mat), looks surprisingly nice, and is the best play surface of all the ones I've played on. It's squishy enough that you can hold ships down in place very easily, but not compressible enough to make it hard to slot the maneuver tool if you are holding the ship in place; it's sticky enough that you can bump the table hard and nothing shifts at all, but still easy to slide ships or tools along; it's structurally sound enough that you can slide it this way or that without rumpling it.

I put a starfield on mine: took some cheap white model paint I had lying around, watered it down to 50/50, dipped an old toothbrush in, and spattered stars onto it by riffling the bristles from a meter or so above the mat. Came out great. If you have an airbrush you could probably do some nice nebulae or something too.

Do you have a link or a brand we could search for? There are lots of yoga mat options and I'm also looking for a good one to use.

Dras sent me this link:

https://www.amazon.ca/YogaDirect-Extra-Wide-Yoga-Black/dp/B007MTWI48/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1463921876&sr=8-5&keywords=large+yoga+mat

It's Canadian Amazon so I did a search for that name/brand and found the exact same thing on US Amazon.

Looks like the same one:

Yoga Direct Extra Wide Yoga Mat, Black

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007MTWI48/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gWeLxb0H44Z0T

1: Are they at all that "slippery?" I had someone claim they were. I also play with spray painted bases on most of my ships which seem to add a little friction on the bottom so this is rarely any real concern but I ask anyway.

2: Somewhat relative to #1, and geared towards anyone who knows anything about vinyl printing as well as Armada players, should I go with a specific material? I see for awhile they've offered essentially a "regular" and "premium" vinyl, claiming the latter has a specific sheen. I understand that for lots of vinyl signage concerning ads and such, that that's important, but I'd really rather my gaming mat didn't glare when people try to take a look at it from the wrong angle. Probably still with the basic vinyl?

3: piggybacking off of #2 this time given it's a material question, do any of you know if it's at all a similar material as this? These were VERY reliable, just expensive, but look very similar to what I image BOTC prints, I just don't know much in terms of vinyl specifications.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Nebula-gaming-mat-6Ft/dp/B00XJIHIM8?ie=UTF8&qid=1451771554&ref_=sr_1_20&sr=8-20&srs=13182582011

Thanks in advance!

I've used vinyl banners (i.e. PVC) almost exclusively to play on since the start (and have used them for 40K before that).

I got mine printed here: www.pixartprinting.com.

To answer your questions:

#1 Yes, they are a bit slippery.

I've played a few games (not many) on FFG mats (mouse mat material) and I've found that ships will slip on both. They will slip more on the vinyl mats though - for argument's sake let's say twice as much.

Generally I find that a ship moves/slips if someone catches it with an elbow or nudges it with a tool while moving or measuring range. My experience is that this happens on both types of mat, but is worse on the vinyl.

#2 The material I have used for all my mats is 500 gsm PVC. This is quite durable and also happens to be the cheapest (€7.68/sqm). There are more expensive PVC materials that I think could be useful if you were actually printing a banner to hang outside in all weather. But for a gaming mat, 500 gsm has been fine for me.

Anecdotally, one of my boys has been using some of my 40K ones (desert / tundra etc...) to play with his dinosaurs on the floor with for weeks and it's been fine afterwards

I picked PVC as a material as it was cheap and did the job. I've no doubt that the FFG (or similar) neoprene/mouse mat materials are better, but the cost puts me off. Again, anecdotally, I don't find that ships slipping is really much of a problem - it does happen, but usually within a margin you'd except anyway when trying to thread tools between ships. The solution that myself and the guys I play with have is that if it looks like something might get a nudge, we either mark the position or put a finger on the base to hold it still.

FYI: One of my mates has experimented with placing pads under the bases of his ships (small foam ones that you might put under the legs of chairs) that seem to help quite a bit, but we need to look at this a bit more as you have to get the height just right or the maneuver tool won't fit properly.

I can post a pic or two if that helps?

Like Artifixprime I've got a Pixart vinyl mat for Armada. Looks good, very easy to transport. But yeah, can be prone to more sliding around than the mousemat type.

Actually, one of my biggest issues with it compared to the mousemat material is the extra glare on the vinyl mats when taking photos. Have to pick your angle with care at times.

Actually, one of my biggest issues with it compared to the mousemat material is the extra glare on the vinyl mats when taking photos. Have to pick your angle with care at times.

Yep, have the same trouble

For what it's worth, I got a promo mail this morning - PVC banners are 40% off this week. For me, that would work out as €14.24 for a 6x4 size mat (that includes delivery!)

Hey everybody,

Been away from the game awhile and recently totaled my only mat in a bit of an experiment...not important. I'd like to ask you all if www.bannersonthecheap.com is still viable? They're running a sale right now if you all are interested. It seems like they print some solid stuff, and I know others on here have endorsed them before, as have gamers of other realms i.e. roleplaying.

A few questions:

1: Are they at all that "slippery?" I had someone claim they were. I also play with spray painted bases on most of my ships which seem to add a little friction on the bottom so this is rarely any real concern but I ask anyway.

2: Somewhat relative to #1, and geared towards anyone who knows anything about vinyl printing as well as Armada players, should I go with a specific material? I see for awhile they've offered essentially a "regular" and "premium" vinyl, claiming the latter has a specific sheen. I understand that for lots of vinyl signage concerning ads and such, that that's important, but I'd really rather my gaming mat didn't glare when people try to take a look at it from the wrong angle. Probably still with the basic vinyl?

3: piggybacking off of #2 this time given it's a material question, do any of you know if it's at all a similar material as this? These were VERY reliable, just expensive, but look very similar to what I image BOTC prints, I just don't know much in terms of vinyl specifications.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Nebula-gaming-mat-6Ft/dp/B00XJIHIM8?ie=UTF8&qid=1451771554&ref_=sr_1_20&sr=8-20&srs=13182582011

Thanks in advance!

1: yes they are a bit slippery, but I haven't had too much issue with them.

2: I've ordered both from them. the "regular" material is a bit grainier (as in you can see the strings in the vynal and it makes a small checkerboard feel - think duct tape) which helps reduce slipping. the "premium" material is smooth as glass and you dont see the same pattern.

3: no idea

I use a 2mm neoprene sheet with a black nylon face (think mouse pad). I had to cut it to size myself, but the quality is great. After unrolling it is perfectly flat and the surface provides reasonable friction. I prefer the feel of it over my Gripmats. If you want more friction, you could also use the raw rubber side.

I actually use two sheets. One 3mm in burgundy that is cut to the total table size of 6x4 and the 2mm black sheet cut to 6x3. The overall effect is great.

While you dont get the printed image, IMO the play surface is much better than vinyl.

http://www.hookloopoutlet.com/neoprene-sheets--nylon---mesh-skin.html

I played on a vinyl banner mat before, but while it was indeed dirt cheap, I always felt like I got what I paid for. It's hard to describe but the printing after a while turned... dusty? Any time you would rub your hand on the black surface it would leave a powdery black residue on you, and places on the mat began to flake entirely. Could be solved by getting black vinyl, but for me it was cheaper to get white and have them print it black. Had two banner mats from 2 different print companies and had the same issue with both. I also had issues with the mat "folding" during play. Sometimes if you pressed too hard while sliding you could slide the mat along with the mini across the table creating a fold on the leading edge of the base that could wreak serious havoc with the rest of the board. As I was primarily playing in a casual environmet, it didn't matter much, we could unfold it and replace everything best as we remembered it, but I always played on borrowed mats when I was in a non-casual setting for this reason. Could be that my friends have heavy/not even close to careful hands (which they do) but it was still and issue I personally had with vinyl that hasn't been brought up yet.