Getting the Most from your New PlayMat
Drawing on your mat
Your new gaming mat can be drawn on with water based markers. When selecting markers, the kinds of keywords you look for include 'waterbased', 'water colour', 'water soluble', 'fabric washable', or 'wet erase'.
In addition, I recommend getting markers with conical or wedge tips (as opposed to fine tips) so you can draw fatter lines and colour in areas faster.
In addition, I recommend getting markers with conical or wedge tips (as opposed to fine tips) so you can draw fatter lines and colour in areas faster.
The following information is provided as a guide to help you choose markers that will be compatible with your new mat. It is by no means definitive. I try to keep this information as up to date as possible. I recommend you always test any new marker before using it on your mat.
I ship all gaming mats with a 'sample swatch' - a small section of mat that you can use to test out new markers before you use them on your main mat. The swatch can also be taken with you to a stationary store to test out a new marker before you buy it.
As a general rule of thumb, pigments like black, red or purple are more likely to leave behind marks, even if other markers of the same type wipe away cleanly. So, to be safe, test everything on the provided swatch.
Happy dungeon building!
I ship all gaming mats with a 'sample swatch' - a small section of mat that you can use to test out new markers before you use them on your main mat. The swatch can also be taken with you to a stationary store to test out a new marker before you buy it.
As a general rule of thumb, pigments like black, red or purple are more likely to leave behind marks, even if other markers of the same type wipe away cleanly. So, to be safe, test everything on the provided swatch.
Happy dungeon building!
The BEST markers I have tested: CRAYOLA WASHABLE MARKERS
- These markers have super fat conical tips, that you can easily draw thick or thin lines with, great for drawing walls or writing down notes.
- Very smooth application, nice vibrant and strong colours that are easy to see.
- Wipe away extremely easily, and absolutely no staining
- Easy to find, and affordable, with a good range of colours.
- I've tested both the "Ultra-Clean Washable" markers and the "Pip Squeaks Washable Markers" and they both perform equally well.
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OTHER markers I have tested to date:
These are all the other markers I have tested to date and are provided for your reference, in case you were wondering how other kinds of markers perform.
Highlighters (various)
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Highlighters are super easy to aquire, they have broad tips, and come in a good variety of vibrant colours.
Highlighters make an excellent choice for drawing things like areas of effect (resulting from traps, magic spells, enchantments, etc...), and it is always good to have a few on hand for this. If you are only using these then you will probably want to also pair them with a black marker for drawing strong lines (such as for drawing walls). |
Keji Watercolour Markers (aka/ cheapest markers you can get)
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This brand of markers is an Officeworks brand, and they are fairly representative of a cheap coloured marker. Very easy to aqcuire and will provide decent performance.
The results are good and there is a good variety of colours, you can easily map out an adventure with markers like these! These kinds of markers (aka, markers meant for colouring in children's colouring books) are easy to erase and in most cases will erase 100%. |
Milan (aka/ mid range non-brand-name markers)
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These markers are also available from Officeworks (in Australia) and are a step up from cheap low quality markers, but are still quite cheap in their own right. There are three different sized tips, they are all conical, there is a wide variety of colours, and they perform very well for colour saturation and coverage.
While almost all of these markers will wash away completely, some of the purple and red/pink markers can leave behind a stain. This wasn't the case for my first few print runs of mats, but my latest print run (March 2017) is printed on a slightly different material, which happens to not work well with those colours of this brand. Reds/purples in other brands work fine, it just depends on the brand. |
Uni Posca Paint Pen
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The Posca paint pens apply very easily and provide an excellent solid line. The downside is they are harder to wipe off than other markers, which might lead to excessive mat wear over time.
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Uni Liquid Chalk
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These markers are really awesome. They are a bit pricey, but they offer nice solid lines that are quite striking and easy to see.
The downside is the markings will take some effort to clean away, and leave behind light markings/tinting even after thorough cleaning (see example photo). It will come down to personal preference if the tinting is worth the line quality for you. If you decide to use them then I would suggest drawing simple-line dungeon layouts (as opposed to detailed art masterpieces) so there is less to clean away at the end. To make cleaning easier you can retrace your dried lines with the marker before erasing. The upside, is the marker's pigment is so strong that fresh lines will remain very clear over old line traces. I happen to like these markers a lot. I would certainly choose them over the posca paint markers, as the lines are as good or better, and are easier to remove. |
- Do not use Permanent Markers, CD Markers, and Whiteboard markers as these will not work. If you use these kinds of markers you will not be able to erase them from your mat. They are alcohol-based and will bind permanently with the inks printed on the vinyl.
- Only clean your mat with a water-dampened tissue or soft cloth. Soaps or detergents are unnecessary. Don't use alcohol as it will dissolve the print.
- Alcohol-free wet wipes can be a convenient way to clean your mat between encounters!
Mats Storage
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Your gaming mat can be stored rolled up, with the gaming surface on the inside for protection.
After unrolling your mat from storage it can retain some curl on the edges. If you lay the mat flat on the table it will fully flatten out after about 10min. You can speed the process by laying it face down. Alternatively you can keep the mat rolled up with the gaming surface on the outside, and then when you unroll it and lay it face up it will lay flat straight away. Avoid folding your mat as it could leave creases. If your mat does get folded you can remove the creases by warming them with hot air, such as from a hair dryer or hot air gun - just be careful when applying heat as the vinyl can get hot quickly. |
Resizing
If your game requires a particular size of mat (eg a 2'x2' sized board), you can easily cut the mat to size with scissors.
Another idea, especially with the Dungeon Tiles mat, is to cut the mat into separate rooms and corridors of various sizes, which you can then use as modular tiles to build a dungeon.
Another idea, especially with the Dungeon Tiles mat, is to cut the mat into separate rooms and corridors of various sizes, which you can then use as modular tiles to build a dungeon.