Saturday 7 February 2015

Finding the perfect gaming table

Always wanted to have my own gaming table but for one reason or another I never got around to do it.

This year I will finally get my own table so I can introduce my son to some tabletop wargaming.

There are so many options these days that choosing the right one for you can take some time. Since I live in England the houses here are not the biggest, so storage space is a premium. Also you need to consider which games you want to play in it because that will define the theme of the table. Lastly the price is obviously quite an important factor when choosing the right table for you.

So personally I was looking for something very easy to store, that works well with both fantasy and scifi settings and as cheap as possible ( under £100 ).

Option 1 


Citadel Realm of Battle table: Easy to store since its plastic modular tiles and comes with a bag, theme is generic so you can paint and flock the way you like it, price £175 + flock, glue and paints.
To much money for what it is and I still need to paint and flock it, I also do not like the hills attached to the gaming board, I prefer to have them detachable... 


Option 2


Tablescapes: Easy to store since its modular and tiles smaller than the GW version. 5 different themes to choose from but you still need to paint and flock it, price £164 + flock, glue and paints.

Nice themes but unfortunately the price is just to much...

Humm modular tables for some reason are expensive and not even considering the tiles at http://manorhouseworkshop.com/ or http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/...
If I need to flock and paint the things I may as well go and get some tiles in MDF and do it myself for a small fraction of the price.




Option 3
Easy to store since if its a PVC mat you just need to roll it... and if you choose the CLOTH version you just fold it into a drawer. Lots of printed themes to choose from and the price is £40 for PVC and £45 for cloth. Some nice reviews online and this looks like an affordable option with different themes and materials to choose from. No need to paint or flock but you will  obviously need a normal table to lay the mat.



Option 4
Frontline Gaming 



F.A.T. mats look great and again storage is not an issue since you just roll this water resistant mat. Price wise is around the £59 mark. Theme wise some interesting options. Looks like the durable option and again no need to paint or flock it. You will need one table to lay it though.



Option 5

Felt mats with hand airbrushed details. This company is the oldest in the market so they have plenty of options and printing choices. You can have them with Hexes and square grids and also there is an interesting option of dual printed mat ( front and back). Again easy to store and lots of themes.
Price range is so wide its hard to say, the site needed a bit more simplification because its just damn confusing. Again and as any other mat a table is required.



Option 6

Battle Frame 5000 is a magnetized modular MDF table. Seems easy enough to store due it being modular and sturdy with the magnets solution. No theme so you can do what you want so you will need to invest in glue, flock and paints. It costs £92. Interesting solution.




Option 7

HexonII Terrain board is a really groovy solution with plastic hex tiles, like any modular table they have tiles the only difference here is that they are arranged in hexes. Modular= good storage and theme wise they have lots of different shapped hexes solutions for hills etc.
You will need to flock and paint them if you choose the cheaper plain version (£50) but you have the choice if you wish to spend more of your gold coins and buy the flocked versions(£75). Although for a full 6'x4' you will have to spend more than that. This is the coolest table I have seen but I have no need for hex play. Cool product.

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There are more options on the market and I really like for example Zuzzy battlemats which are latex rubber mats but as a principle I will not link to it or add as option 8 because there have been some terrible reviews about their business practices, lets just say they are not fulfilling orders in a transparent way. A shame because they have a good product.

So this is it! I picked my top 7 options on the market and next post I will reveal and review what I actually got.
Good gaming to all.

2 comments:

  1. You may also want to consider bendyboards.co.uk They do MDF tables that...well bend for easy storage. They can also pain/texture for you for a price. I have seen a few and they are excellent quality but as usual they are pricey

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  2. Thanks Bacms I have not seen that one before. Looks a viable option if you have the money to spare. Much appreciated.

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