The Dungeon Battle Mat Book Set
Way back in December 2018, fellow GeekDad James Floyd Kelly reviewed the Big Book of Battle Mats from Loke Battle Mats; this was then followed up by a second helping Giant Book of Battle Mats. You can check out those reviews here and here. Now, Loke Battle Mats has released their latest title—the Dungeon Books of Battle Mats—and it is the perfect resource for Dungeon Masters on the go.
It’s a pair of books featuring over 40 laminated maps that can be used as 2D terrain in any fantasy game setting. I’ve written recently of my search for finding the best terrain options for my D&D games. Mostly they’ve focused on 3D terrain options that you can print or purchase, but there is always a time when you need a more compact and streamlined option that doesn’t require a whole suitcase to travel with. In those scenarios, Loke Battle Mats present the perfect solution.
Successful Kickstarter
The release of the Dungeon collection follows on from a successful Kickstarter campaign that saw over 5,000 backers raise more than £175,000 ($220,000). Now, after that success, Loke has announced they will be launching their next offering which is a Towns and Taverns version of their Battle Mat book. Keep an eye on their website for when this campaign will go live.
The Dungeon Book of Battle Mats
The Dungeon Books of Battle Mats offer a set of two adaptive books of RPG battle maps which line up to create one endlessly evolving dungeon. It’s a fully modular & complementary pair of Battle Map Books designed to enable you to create a vast number of dungeon battle maps by using different page combinations. Each page has standard entry/exit points so you can line them up to create a phenomenal number of different locations. They are also made with a 360° spine that allows you to create anything up to a 24”x24” play area.
This pair of books feature the standard 1-foot-square grids and are a must have tool to illustrate your game and track your dungeon combat scenes.
Here are the key features:
- Portable, fits in your bag or on a bookshelf
- Flexible and adaptive with a large play area
- Can be used with any fantasy RPG
- Presented as two modular books each with 40 map pages
- You can create up to 24” x 24” battle map areas
- 1-inch grid throughout
- Fully-laminated pages for easy wipe-off of wet markers
- Wire-bound so they lay flat
- Linked designs on facing pages so you can use single-page or double-page
Why it works
For me this is the ideal solution for reducing game preparation time. As my family grows, the spare time I have at my disposal for planning my D&D games is precious and severely limited. Less time spent planning games means more time playing games, so any method I can find to expedite the process is worth its weight in platinum.
What’s more, it eliminates the need to draw any maps in-game. Often my players will divert from the proposed path, or descend into an unknown dungeon that I couldn’t possibly have known they were heading for. In these instances, having a pair of books which I can quickly flip through to instantly find a cool battle mat is priceless. It also means I don’t have to confuse my players with my very poor artistic skills.
Overall
Overall I really like the Dungeon Books of Battle Mats, and I can see Dungeon Masters benefiting from the time savings for years to come. The artwork is excellent, and for quick and easy battles in your RPG games there isn’t a better option out there. I’ll still be making my 3D terrain maps—whenever I get the time to do it—but this pair of books will become an essential part of my DM’s toolkit from now on.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received a copy of the Dungeon Battle Mat Book Set for review purposes.
WE ARE AMAZON ASSOCIATES
