Melee Mats DND Map Starter Set - 23” x 27" Double Sided, Wet & Dry Erase Battle Terrain Grid for Dungeons and Dragons - Tabletop Board Gaming Kit with Accessories

TL;DR: It's no heavy duty vinyl mat but it's a good size while still being afforable and easy to use. A good sized board, not too large but fits your big setpiece battle in it, unless you're playing Lancer. Which you can, thanks to the hex grid. On the square side, it's 22x26 squares with a half inch border around, as you might guess by the sizing. As for the hex side, it's 25 rows of 26/25 hexes. Not as thick as a Monopoly board but still sturdy. It folds down to about 11.5"x13.5" and less than a half inch thick, so it will fit in a normal sized backpack with ease. The dice are a normal 7-piece set, no complaints. I threw away the stickers and have not tried the dry erase markers or eraser; they are of no interest to me and do not factor in to my rating. I use Crayola Ultra-Clean markers for all my battle mats and this one works great with them. It has a compass in the top left and the squares are interrupted on the bottom right by the logo but it's not obstructive. The hex side is free from extra markings. The scroll pattern background is fine. It makes lighter markers like yellow and pink unreadable, but your standard black, red, blue, and green are fine, plus brown, purple, orange, etc. if youre feeling fancy. I have my doubts about the durability, but this is because of the nature of folding mats, not an issue with item quality. I tend to avoid folding mats because they have more weak points than a roll-up mat, but they are more portable and this is no exception. I'm looking forward to using this in my games and I will update in a few months with how it holds up.

I bought this map a couple of months ago, but I've been putting off writing the review to, you know, actually review it. I'll share my experience with it so far: The good: Unlike some other mats that roll up, this one is kind of like a Monopoly board that folds open. A concern of mine was the durability of the mat when you would open and close it all the time, but even after a few months it's still fine, but just handle it with care in the first place either way. It works well with most markers, and speaking of markers, the inlcuded ones aren't half bad. I still use them and the write and erase perfectly, even when left on the mat for a while. The eraser works as it should, nothing special there. And the dice that came with it is also pretty decent, obviously not top-tier but then again they're still pretty good and some of my new players that don't have dice like to play with them. The bad? (not bad really): Honestly, there's almost nothing bad I can say about this mat and the included accessories. Like some others pointed out, it is slightly bulky with the box, but honestly I feel people are being too critical about it - it's still a very easily carried box guys. Can you fit it inside a backpack? Sure, if you had a slightly larger backpack than most. I don't put it in my backpack because that's where all my D&D books and folders go, but I also use the box of the mat itself to store some other things in like my DM screen, campaign books (all my homebrew campaigns), extra dice sets, as well as the markers and stuff that come alongside the mat. My conclusion: If you're looking for a good mat that's not massive, nor too small, that will last you a long time (with care of course) that also comes with the best accessories compared to any other mat out there, this is the one to go for. It's good quality, and really it just works. Also, the company making these are really friendly and helpful in case you do have an issue with it (I didn't have any issues with my mat, for some survey reasons they contacted me to get feedback from my experience with the product which some people might have an issue with, but personally it doesn't bother me).

Great product and very useful for beginner game play

Used on multiple occasions, and just the right size for any combat session. Board, markers, double sided board perfect for gaming. Folds up on itself in 4 layers. Papery at the creases, like a monopoly board. A little more rugged, tho. Has me concerned about long term durability. Get about 3 markers, eraser, and board for the $30 or so. I have a roll up map but it takes way too much space and was too easy to stain, this didn't have that problem.

Son loves it

This board is exactly as advertised and has been a really helpful addition to our d&d sessions! I’ve used it for several encounters spread over a number of weeks, and there have been no issues with erasing. I’ve even left the maps drawn in between sessions: the marker barely smudges, and still comes off cleanly. You just have to remember that if the marker is a few days old, you need to add water to the eraser for it to come off fully. (The cleaning instructions even tell you to wet it. I think a lot of people who complain about erasing probably miss that step!) Unfortunately I did tear the board already, but that was entirely my fault: I lost my grip and kind of flung it out of my hands by accident when I was unfolding it. Just be careful when folding and unfolding (make sure you’re folding the correct way!) and it shouldn’t be an issue! I put some crazy glue on the tear and it was fine, still usable with no problem. The box it comes in is a great box (which even has a little spare room to throw in your dice or minis or whatever else). Sure, it’s a little bulkier than a rolled-up mat, but I’d much rather have a board that lays flat. And the size is great, allowing for big arenas that challenge your players, or maybe even a whole map. Highly recommend!

I've had this for a month now and I love it! Limited use since we can't game in-person, but I use it to plan campagins and general scribbling during sessions. It lays flat and dry-erase marker comes right off. It even came with a cute little eraser (awwwwwww)! Hex on one side, squares on the other. Looks like worn parchment, but glossy. The included markers are actually pretty decent for cheapo ones. The dice are also pretty cool, slightly marbleized black. The whole thing comes in a durable box. Frankly, I think this is a much better option than the ones that roll out, unless you like bringing along the DMG just to hold a corner down :p

Just what I wanted. Didn't know it came with a set of dice. That's really cool.

Loved using this instead of printing big maps, so happy with this purchase