Seeing the rulebook has gotten me truly jazzed about this game! Since all of the standard rules use a 3'x3' field of play, does anyone think it might be in FFG's best interest to produce a play mat?

I'm not talking some cheap paper map or anything. I would like to see something either felt-like or some sort of non-crease fabric like Games Workshop used in their Dread Fleet game. I'd be willing to shell out some bucks for a truly well done 3'x3' star field mat, possibly with some great Star Wars styling around the edges.

How about you? Would you like to see a play mat?

I would indeed.

If Fantasy Flight does not come through on a "sanctioned" play mat, and you want something a bit more than a store-bought felt, you might try this website (I found this site posted here on the FFG X-Wing forums a couple o' weeks ago)

I would want something without hexes and exactly 3'x3'. Otherwise the Hotz mats are top notch.

As I'm based in UK and on a pretty tight budget I'll be heading down the local fabric store and getting all touchy-feely with various materials and choosing the right size before speckling with some paint. Don't get me wrong the mats on that site look nice and all but their standard sizes mean you'll need to 'over buy' for what you need for this game, plus their idea of space looks a little too colourful for my liking.

You can order "blank" mats. Sorry for not posting that in the earlier posting.
I might check 'em out after Gen Con.

Countdown to I. J. Thompson replying with a resounding "YES! I WANT A PLAT MAT!"

In 10….9….8….7….

ERMAHGERD! SERMBERDY SER PLERMERT?!?

The difference here, is… I wanted a free paper one in the box.

Paper! Even if you laminate the (paper) mat, there will be "slippage". I'd rather spend a few bucks, and take the slippage of the pieces out of the equation. That's just my take.

ive got another peice of mdf with 3x3 written all over, might glue some spacey fabric to the top rather than paint it.

Was thinking of adding a few specks of glitter type stuff on the mat to reflect the light. Also not making the stars look like big white blobs might help that deep space look. Also thinking of painting the pegs on the stands black to try and make them less obvious against the backdrop.

I picked up a piece of 3x3 black felt from the local AC Moore (craft store). I think it was less than $6. I'm going to head out this weekend to the fabric store to see if I can find anything "spacey".

What about this: http://www.mondayknight.com/Index-Mats.html

All great ideas. I think I'd still like to see something X-Wing branded though, just to satisfy the collector in me. Failing that, I will probably pick up a Monday Knight mat in the future to tide me over.

3x3 . i take it that it means 3 foot by 3 foot and not inches

Right, that was supposed to be feet. Anyone know what the MondayKnight mats are made out of?

tiepilot1138 said:

Buying a piece of felt shouldn't cost too much. And if there was a fold up sheet in the set, it would probably folded paper, probably even more than one sheet. It wouldn't led itself to a very good play surface.

have just sent an email to hotz artworks asking about the cost to make a playmat for the game and i am awaiting a response

wormiespice said:

They don't tend to rush things, so don't expect an answer too soon

i got an answer from hotz artworks

1 deep space playmat 36x36 inches = USD 17.00

postage ( to uk ) ( not sure of cost to usa ) = USD 12.00

total USD 29.00

I'm planning on picking up a 3' x 3' piece of black felt from the local Michael's, and then creating my own star field on it. The plan is to take a toothbrush (unused) and put a little bit of white paint on the tips of the bristles. Then, face the bristles down towards the felt and run my finger over the bristles from top to bottom, creating a mini-splatter of white specks on the black felt. Let it dry, and there ya go!

This looks like a good topic to post my gaming mat project. I've got it documented in a photo gallery at Picasa .

After reading throught the various posts on this topic I tried a number of difference surfaces, tabletop, paper, paper laminated with Con-Tact, felt and others. On a whim I tried out a yoga mat and found it was far superior to all the other materials I had tried. The ship bases grip when you hold them to attach the template during Activation phase and the ships don't slide around if the table is bumped. The material is also much more durable rolled up than felt. And, as you can see in the photos, it's paintable.

The problem, however, is finding a mat that is 36" wide. I really only found 1 viable option during my search as the standard size for yoga mats is 24". Here is the link at Amazon for reference.

Had a lot of fun putting it together. Hope this info helps.

Cheers,

there is a company called gale force 9 that supply 3 foot square game mats.

I simply took a piece of black laminate adhered to a piece of MDF. Stand it up against a wall. I mixed some colors on a paper plate, grabbed an old toothbrush. Dip the bristles in the paint, then repeatedly run your thumb or fingers back across the bristles and it creates a perfect star pattern especially if you change the distance you are from the board. This works on a black painted surface too. I used purple, orange, white, silver, two different blues and a green. Took about 30-45 minutes, then spray it down with a clear coat. Hopefully the pic will show up, it's linked through my facebook. Sorry about the glare.

Just got my play matt and I love it, I got a 3x3 Gale force matt.Love this game can't wait for the upgrades.