Woodland Gaming Mat

I got home last night to find a long awaited parcel sitting quietly in the porch. It was my Pwork Wargames pvc mat.

Given that my gaming board is a long way off being looked at again, I wanted something more than a bit of green cloth to serve as a playing surface. I saw a news post somewhere that they had just released a new Woodland design so I jumped straight in. It's taken best part of a month to get here, but will it be up to the job?

I bought the smallest size they do – 90cmx90cm – although when I measured it is a little short. The pvc is very thin, in fact not much thicker than paper and the pvc smell is quite overwhelming. However, negative points out of the way let's get on to the plus side.

The guy behind this company (I discovered after my purchase) created one of the maps for Aetherium, which is an ironic link.

The illustration is amazingly detailed and looks stunning – the print quality is excellent. It's basically a bit of printed lino so is waterproof, can be wiped clean (so get your whiteboard markers on standby!) and rolls up nicely to go into its storage tube. It does retain the curl a bit so I've rolled it up the opposite way in the hope of countering the curl a little. It's got a satin finish to it so there is a little reflection but not too bad considering it's pvc.

Let's be honest, it's never going to feel as good or real as a well put together gaming board with all the trimmings. But, from a pure convenience perspective it is a genius addition to the collection. The fact that it's a great illustration and well printed just made the effort worthwhile. It also gives me something to emulate as I build my gaming board.

They have lots of different designs too, so you're bound to find one that you can use. My 90x90 came in at approx £25 with an additional £7 postage from Italy. I think the green cloth that I have been using cost £20 from Dunelm so not a bad comparison.

With the addition of some flickering battery candles from Sainsburys, things are already starting to look pretty good – on with the painting!