Bits & Pieces

Hi, welcome to Bite Size Bat Rips Bits and Pieces, where we look at gaming accessories that have come across my gaming table. To kick us off, I've got a gaming mat and a measuring template from Wargamer. So first up, let's look at this gaming mat. So when looking at gaming mats, obviously the most important thing is kind of how it looks and feels and the coloring. And for the most part, this mat is actually really nice. It's a green finish, so grass, but it has some depth to it with a little bit of yellow and reds, which makes the grass very attractive because it's a little bit muted green and it doesn't really come off on the video, I think, just with the color compression, but in real life, it's actually a nice shade. And it's also not completely uniform, and I think that's just a byproduct of how it was manufactured, but the effect is that it gives you a little bit of depth again to the actual surface, which is quite attractive. For the way the mat's actually made, you can see that it's a rubberized surface, so it's flexible and you can obviously roll it up or gently fold it. And this mat actually has been out of the box for about two days now, so the creases have worked themselves out for the most part. However, you can still see a little bit of the creasing, which I'm hoping will kind of disappear over time. So the DICE test is very simple. It's basically how do DICE feel and roll on a mat so that you can kind of visit, do they bounce, do they kind of fall nicely. And this mat's quite good. The DICE land nicely. They don't stick up on the edge and they don't bounce. And so they're nice and quiet. So that part actually feels really good. The other test is the miniature movement test. So this is basically how the mat-reactivity miniature is being moved around. And this one feels pretty good. I can create a unit and kind of grab it and let me slide nicely. They don't catch. So it makes it just easier to play. Last thing I'll mention about the mat is that it's 4x6 feet, so it's a good solid size for most kind of tabletop wargaming needs. The other accessory is this bi-fire and sword measuring template. And obviously it's generic in the sense that you can use it with any game system, but it has some nice bi-fire and sword graphics cut into it. And this is made out of that kind of laser cut wood. It's nice and sturdy. And it's quite useful for this game just because it has all of the major distances that you need. So you've got the 20, the 5 centimeters, the 10 for your kind of effective range and infantry moves and withdrawals. And then it also has what I And then actually it has a half a centimeter as well, which is great for light cavalry or open order where you need to make sure that you've got that space in between units. And then of course it has the 45 degree sight line. So when you're shooting, it's nice and easy to see where the line of sight from a particular unit goes. Now personally, I really I think they speed up the game and I just find them to be quite handy so that if you want to move a unit, then it's very much just put your device in there and slide the unit along, which is just a little bit easier than using a measuring tape. Or if you need to see if you're within, let'say, short shooting distance, then again it's a very quick one kind of touch and that's very clear.