I have been using fleece battle mats for quite some time in my games. I like them because they are easy to transport and you can put hills underneath to get a rolling effect that matches. For quite some time, I have been looking for a snow effect mat for winter gaming. Most I have come across look like ice planets, so they have not suited my fancy. In the meantime, I have been using white fleece for the roll, but it is a bit too stark for my taste. Well, I finally found a company that sold one in the USA and thought I would try them out!
The company is BattleMat Bazaar. On their site, I found a winter mat with field effects on it. I liked how it gave a nice bore up snow terrain look. I was confused when I looked a their website, as I was not sure if the mats were fleece or felt (Feltpro does not sound like fleece…). I have no interest in felt, as I feel it is too still and grabs bases too much when you try to move your troops. I wrote them a note and got a prompt response and decided I would order one of their mats to see what it looked like.
I ordered the mat and it came within the week. Looking it over, it is done on a fleece white blanket and printed in a good thick quality. Being fleece, it folds and stores well. It also sets well on hills. It is oversized (about five by seven), so no issues with loss of dimensions when you put hills underneath. You do have to be mindful, if you want to limit your table to exactly four by six (most games use that size) and many need to mark or under-fold to be exact.
I liked the snow blanket enough, that I bought some more from their catalog to fill in some other gaps I had. Two of the maps are generic jus fields effects (one Central Europe, one more Mediterranean). They are somewhat monotoned, but with enough character to break up the ground cover. The last one I bought was a mud crater cloth, for any WWI trench fighting I might want to do. I also bought another snow field mat, so I could set up an extra long table for big winter FOW games.
They are very similar to Cigar Box Battles (which I have a number of) in quality, size and layout. They are a little pricier, but give more terrain options for those looking for additional options. They probably will work a bit better for 15mm games in most cases. In any case, I am glad that I got them and look forward to getting them set up in some of my upcoming games! If you are a fan of fleece mats, you should definitely give them a look.
- Mantueffel