5 Reasons Why You Need a Playmat

If you’ve been to our site and purchased one of our numerous accessories (like sleeves, deck boxes, dice, dice bags, etc.), but have yet to spring for our most popular piece of gaming gear, our playmats, then maybe this blog post will help to persuade you. If you already have a playmat and just want to be reminded of all the benefits that come with owning one, that’s cool too!

In this post, I briefly highlight the key reasons why playmats are a benefit to all tabletop gamers and why you need one if you don’t have one already. As you’ll soon learn, we only want to see gamers get the most out of their gaming experience, and one of the best ways to accomplish that is to have a playmat that both looks and feels great to play on. 

So, let’s begin!

1. They keep your game organized

Whether it’s Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokemon, Magic, or a wargame with miniatures, there are just some games that call for better organization in order to be played properly. I remember back in my grade school days (good times) my friends and I would play Yu-Gi-Oh! literally anywhere, and if we couldn’t find a table, we would play on the floor of the gymnasium after school. While it didn’t make much difference to us where we played, one thing we did notice was that eventually, we would lose track of our designated ‘zones’. 

Heck, by the time the game was at its peak we wouldn’t have organized, stacked decks anymore, just scattered piles. And that lack of organization would have negative effects on the outcome and gameplay experience as a whole. Bottom line: if we would have used playmats back then, our games would have been better organized and orchestrated from beginning to end. And since there are mats (like the ones we carry) that come printed with zones for certain games, these playmats make it so you’ll never confuse your graveyard for your monster zone ever again (true story)!

2. Easier card handling and pick-ups  

If you’re a regular visitor of the Inked Gaming site, you’ve probably come across more than a few product listings and descriptions for the many types of playmats we carry. In those descriptions, we make it a point to highlight one consistent attribute that card gamers from every background look for when purchasing a playmat: better card handling and easier pick-ups. And that's just what our specially crafted playmats deliver to every player. 

Because they're made with a sleek, smooth cloth top, our playmats not only make moving your cards more swift, but they make picking up and flipping over so much easier. How many times have you struggled to turn over a card during a pivotal moment of a game? How many times have you had to slide your card to the edge of a table just to pick it up? This not only puts a drag on your game but can affect the quality of your cards as well (we'll get into after this).In all, playmats create a surface that allows you to pick up and handle your cards with ease, which keeps your game moving fast, in rhyme, and free from aggravation.

3. Better protection for cards and sleeves

As I briefly mentioned in the last section, playmats are ideal if you wish to keep your cards and sleeves in good condition during gameplay. Certain hard surfaces can potentially damage your cards, especially if that surface is dirty or not properly maintained. I’m speaking from personal experience here. I don’t know about you, but the patio table in my backyard was my TCG HQ of choice for many years. My friends and I played a lot of games on that table, and after a while, we noticed that our cards had developed little stains, rips, and other wear. 

I suppose that’s what you get when you game on a wooden surface that hasn’t been thoroughly wiped down. We thought that our sleeves would be enough to shield our cards from damage, but we discovered that those too needed to be maintained in order to do their job. Again, thanks to their smooth, soft cloth tops, playmats make it so you won’t ever have to worry about your cards suffering wear and tear, even after constant, heavy usage.

4. They’re good for games with miniatures

If you’re an avid tabletop combat gamer, you know how important it is to have a playmat in your arsenal. Not just so your game has a proper, organized battlefield backdrop, but so you can keep the game’s miniatures intact as well. And that’s why we make our wargaming mats with the same soft, protective material as the rest of the playmats in our stockpile. They’re just a little bigger. Because some games (like Warhammer, Diplomacy, Battleball, Gaslands, etc.) come with handcrafted, often heavy miniatures, playmats are a great option for keeping them and your tabletop/surface looking good.

Also, as I mentioned before, in order for you to get the most out of your miniature combat game, you need a playmat with the right terrain to match your battlefield. For example, a Star Wars game shouldn’t be played on a football field and a vehicular mayhem game like Gaslands shouldn’t really be played in outer space. That’s why there are playmats that are made for specific games. You can check out this blog post to learn more about which games go best with our wargaming mats. Overall, playmats can keep your miniatures preserved and your battlefield clear.

5. They look great

By now you may be thinking, “he just needed a fifth point to complete the list,” but I can honestly tell you that I actually planned on making this point first because it’s so true. But I decided that I wanted to end this post on a more fun note, so here we are. Besides their protective nature, organized layout, and advanced functionality, playmats are great for tabletop gamers for the simple fact that they look awesome (especially the mats we make)! 

By featuring vibrant colors and patterns, playmats give your game a vivacious background to play on. There are even custom playmats that allow you to create your own unique, one of a kind backdrop for your games.

So, what do you think? Do you foresee a playmat making its way into your gaming arsenal sometime soon? If so, be sure to head over to our playmat collection and pick one that matches your game, style, and personality. Or, customize your own in just a few simple steps! Again, my true intention in this post was to inform you of the ways that playmats in general could be a great benefit to your game tabletop gaming experience. But if you wish to obtain one that’s smartly crafted and built to last, we should be your first stop!

Thanks so much for joining me in another blog post and be sure to check out our blog page every now and then for some new, awesome posts. Happy gaming!

Until we meet again,

Vince the Prince