How do you deal with terrain tiles that keep getting knocked out of place? I'm interested to hear of your solutions. For what it's worth, here's mine.

During a game the other day, my opponent (a.k.a, "Ham-Hands") knocked the terrain tiles out of place just about every time he moved his units. That got me thinking about a convenient way to keep the tiles in place without: (a) damaging them or the board and; (b) spending a lot of cash. I initially thought of that blue sticky tack used for putting posters on wall but was afraid it might stain the tiles. Sure enough, when I went to Wal-Mart to buy some - sure enough - the package contained a warning about staining.

Luckily, on the same aisle as the sticky tack was a pack of "Clear Mounting Squares" by Scotch. This is the same clear, rubbery stuff used for the larger, pull-out advertisements in some magazines. A pack of 35 squares cost about $3 and they are reusable. I cut each square into fourths (a little piece will do just fine) and was really pleased with the results of my first game with them. They adhere well, are very thin/unobtrusive, and are relatively easy to remove. I saw no signs of staining or any other damage to the tiles or board. Best of all - there was absolutely no tile dispacement during the game.

The only drawbacks are the time needed to first adhere the squares to each tile and then to carefully remove the squares so they can be reused. I won't adhere the tiles every time I play but if I have the time and don't plan on playing more than one adventure, I'll definitely bring my sticky squares.

Although this isn't aimed at directly 'sticking' the tiles. I plan on getting custom bases from this place with the center post for putting units on. That way you can just pick a whole unit straight up and down. That should help a lot with knocking tiles around.

For tiles I was thinking something like this thats weighted inside.

edit: Another option would be to print out a sheet of your own tiles and back them with thin magnetic sheets and put a thin layer of sheet metal on the back of a board. Take a bit of work to make the set. But it would be a one time shot and solve the problem of sliding tiles and not really increase the length of time to setup and put away the game.

Stalkingwolf said:

Wowsers! That might be a little more involved than what I had in mind but...that truly kicks Battlelore up a notch. I almost wish I hadn't seen that because now the gears are turning in my head...

My solution was a plexiglass sheet I purchased locally at Home Depot. I bought a sheet just slightly larger than the board itself, 32"x20" by 1/8" thick - I think I paid about $15 or so. Next I put some clear rubber feet at the corners and along the center of the plexiglass edge. This raises the sheet just a few millimeters off the board and makes removing the sheet off the board (after a game) much easier without disturbing the tiles - minimizes any static electricity effects. I'm very happy with this solution as it tends to protect the board and ensures the tiles remain in place without slowing down the set up. I even purchased a a second sheet for use with epic battles. Hope this helps - Brent.

b_fortner7 said:

I did similar, but instead of plexiglass, I bought a sheet of clear semi-flexible vinyl. Works great.

Obviously the real answer is to make custom terrain...

Germ said:

Correction, it's actually acrilic, not vinyl...