Twitter is a great place to connect with other RPG bloggers. Often, a blog will run a contest and give away cool stuff. Today, thanks to @ThadeousC over at This Is My Game, I took possession of a great package of Gaming Paper I was fortunate to win in his contest.
Gaming Paper is an RPG table top paper designed to be an inexpensive solution to otherwise expensive vinyl gaming maps and cardstock tiles. While every gamer has their own solution to help manage miniature combat, I was eager to check out Gaming Paper and review their product.
I have to admit, when I first spied the package, I was a bit underwhelmed. The square tube seemed small compared to the picture on their website. However, once I opened the package, I was pleasantly surprised to find that each of the four rolls contained in the box was a full 12 feet long! This seemed like a generous amount of material for the listed cost of the 4-piece box ($16 US).
The paper itself is not unlike butcher paper. It's fairly light, and has a thin veneer of coating not dissimilar to a wax. The paper color is a neutral tan/brown so it should work well for representing most terrain and probably generates less glare than a white paper would.
In addition, this particular paper is marked off in a convenient 1 inch grid. I understand it comes in a hex marked grid as well, for those who prefer that kind of surface. The surface can be marked with either dry, wet, or permanent markers. I recommend dry markers over the other kind, unless your permanent markings are designed to be saved.
Possible uses? Well, each roll contains enough paper to completely cover a 6 foot conference table. In a sense, it can act as a gaming "tablecloth" as long as it's affixed firmly to an even surface. Remember, this stuff is paper, so you'll need to treat it with a modicum of respect.
One application would be to use spray adhesive on sections of it and apply it to correctly sized pieces of foam core board. Add pylons constructed out of the same material, and you can create a platform similar to that new WotC product, Harrowing Halls.
My wife sees additional crafting applications as well. Somehow I lost a roll of the paper to her. I suspect she'll have some sewing application for it.
Finally, you can use the paper simply as a platform to draw crude maps. The paper is inexpensive enough for one shot games, and I think has excellent application for gaming stores that host one-shot events. Paper your tables, game it up, then throw the mess away, when the dice have tumbled to a stop.
Well, that's my review of Gaming Paper. I can certainly recommend this product to RPGers out there everywhere. Head over to their site and give their stuff a try.
Thanks again to @ThadeousC for the Major Award. Gaming Paper rocks!
Until next time...
Game excellently with one another.
I'm a big fan of Gaming Paper. I've been using it for 9 months now. To clarify, dry erase markers leave a permanent mark on gaming paper. Unfortunately nothing can be wiped off the paper.
ReplyDeletePossible uses- I have put an entire dungeon on a roll, and just rolled it out to where the players are. Also, I have put all the rooms of a dungeon on it randomly so the players have no idea what's next. I have left the Paper out at the gaming store with a cup full of sharpies and let shoppers create a room.(that was fun) Usually at the end of the adventure I let my players doodle and sign the paper, which I stick back in the tube for posterity. Enjoy.
Glad you enjoy the paper. I don't think I could have done a better review my self.
ReplyDelete@Yoo-Hoo Tom - Thanks for the additional info. To be honest, I was going on second hand accounts on the marker usage. Good information to keep in mind. I wonder if a wet marker with a light misting of "white board cleaner" would work to take it off (as long as you didn't soak the paper).
ReplyDelete@Thadeous - Thanks, guy! I appreciate the opportunity. I believe this is the first "official" review of an RPG product I've done on this site. Looking forward to your future contests!
ReplyDeleteSorry deadorcs, Once you mark this stuff, it's marked for good. I think that's good thing for what I use it for though. I put the entire "Tomb of Horrors" map on a roll one day this winter when I was bored. Now I have a "scale map" whenever I run the Module, two or three times a year. I've actually thought about laminating the whole roll, LOL. My wife would probably kill me though.
ReplyDelete@Yoo-Hoo Tom - No worries, man. Forearmed is forewarned. Yeah, laminating a whole roll of that stuff would be a trick. Maybe a great big vat of Modge Podge? A wallpaper scale map of the Tomb of Horrors would be 55 gallon drum of AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteLaminating would be far superior to modpodge-you would still be able to roll it up and store easily, for one. And, if you had the $$, laminating is easily obtained at your local copy center! PS-thanks for the roll, baby!
ReplyDelete