Back in July 2018, I wrote about the Big Book of Battle Mats from Loke Battle Mats. (You can read that review here.) In a nutshell, it’s a book of laminated pages that can be used as 2D terrain in any fantasy game setting. Here are the details:
- 58 fantasy-themed pages
- Fully-laminated pages for easy wipe-off of wet markers
- Wire-bound so it lays flat
- Linked designs on facing pages so you can use single page or double-page
- 1″ grid system
- UK A4 single-page size = 8.25 × 11.7 inches
- A3 double-page size = 11.7 x 16.5 inches
I’ve used it a number of times in my D&D game on Wednesday nights (sometimes even 2 or 3 times in an evening for different scenes), and it has been a great resource for me and saved me a lot of time. I love making terrain, but sometimes it’s just easier to plop down an existing map such as the kinds in this book.
Well, the folks at Loke Battle Mats have upped their game. They’ve just released the new Giant Book of Battle Mats, and it’s everything that the Big Book of Battle Mats is… just bigger:
- 58 fantasy-themed pages
- Fully-laminated pages for easy wipe-off of wet markers
- Wire-bound so it lays flat
- Linked designs on facing pages so you can use single page or double-page
- 1″ grid system
- UK A3 single-page size = 11.7 x 16.5 inches
- A2 double-page size = 23.4 x 16.5 inches
Yes, that’s almost 24″ wide x 16.5 tall if you’re using both pages to make a single map. And just like its little brother, the Giant Book, the pages can be written on with dry-erase markers and erased easily. The double-page maps have additional details, of course, given their larger size, and the larger footprint means more options for GMs — you can use the single A3 page size (without the wire bound spine) or leave the book open to your needed setting and provide players with much more room to maneuver around. (The maps were also designed so that two copies of Giant Book can be placed side by side to create even larger settings.)
I’ve already used the Giant Book of Battle Mats for three settings in my Wednesday night game, and it really helped speed things up with me not having to draw the map there (or prepare it ahead of time).
You can find more information on the Giant Book of Battle Mats at www.battlemats.co.uk as well as place an order. (The Store page offers thumbnail views of all the various two-page maps.)
Note: I’d like to thank Loke Battle Mats for providing with the review copy.
