Review: The Moorlands Gaming Mat
ZUZZY Miniatures is the manufacturer of high quality, miniature scenery for your tabletop wargames, pen & paper RPGs, scale modeling dioramas and model railroading layouts. They produce a large range of resin hills, mounds, trees, etc. They are the makers of the Terra-Flex gaming mat, the durable rubber battlemat with a realistic sculpted surface.
About
ZUZZY Terra-Flex gaming mats are flexible, paintable, ultra-realistic themed terrain that can be used with nearly any game system. The mats can be quickly deployed for a fully immersive gaming experience. And when used in conjunction with their resin terrain, your gaming experience can be raised to near dioramic levels. All of their terrain mats are available in 4ftX6ft, 4ftx4ft, 3ftx3ft, 2ftx4ft, 30inx30in and 2ftx2ft sizes.
Terra-Flex mats can be used on a floor, draped over a small table, laid across your favorite gaming table, or even glued down on a permanent base. Once the game is over the mat can be easily rolled up and stored away in the convenient plastic sleeve that it was originally shipped in, taking up little more room than a folded up umbrella.
The Moorlands mat is the 3rd style of Terra-Flex mats joining The Sulfur Fields and Scourged Forest battlemats that were released in 2007.
It already looked impressive inside the sleeve – it has a very rugged appearance to it that lets you know that you’re getting something quite nice before you even open it.
While you can use it “as-is” and right out of the package, you also have the option of painting it to your liking. Zuzzy has a nice quick tutorial on how to paint it up – a process that on the biggest mat should take no more than two hours tops.
Now, a lot of people are wondering just how you’re supposed to roll this up again once it’s painted up without ruining your mat and needing to repaint. Guess what? It makes no difference. Painted up, the mat rolls and unrolls countless times without even the smallest bit of flaking.
The Good
I have been looking for the gaming mat for about 15 years. I have finally found it. The storage factor is one-of-a-kind with this. All you do is roll it up and put it away and out of sight. When you get it out again for use, it’s as good as when you last had it out. There’s no paper in this – or loose flock – so there’s no mess and no creasing issues that give so many other mats unwanted obstacles for your troops to climb over.
After using anything and everything from blankets to mom’s tablecloths to plywood to drywall – as well as professionally manufactured mats, I have never really been satisfied with the fuss and muss of not only preparing them, but storing them efficiently and without worrying that they will be ruined. Zuzzy has solved all of this.
Hands down I can honestly say that this is the most innovative product to enter the hobby in over a decade. Any tabletop gamer worth their salt owes it to themselves to own one (or more) of these mats.
The Bad
Fresh out of the package, it smells like a prophylactic factory exploded. This smell does dissipate quickly, however – but I would advise not keeping it in an unventilated room when you first take it out of the package, especially if you are married. If you put it on a wash-line or hang it in your attic somewhere for a few hours, most of the harsh smell is gone.
The Ugly
None.
Cost: Prices range from $52.61 (for the 4×6 ft.) to $6.31 (for the 11×14 inch). This particular size was $15.97.
Rating
