Good news! The new edition of the Combat Pad should be available in September! Check out the new look above.

We're hoping to drop-ship some early copies to Gen Con as well...

(Anybody who has backordered the previous edition will automatically have their order fulfilled with this edition when it arrives.)

Good news! The new edition of the Combat Pad should be available in September! Check out the new look above.

We're hoping to drop-ship some early copies to Gen Con as well...

(Anybody who has backordered the previous edition will automatically have their order fulfilled with this edition when it arrives.)

Rejoice ! Love the new design ! +2 penalty to Will save vs. buying something you already have :))

Want

Is there any difference between this and the old combat pad, other than the way it looks? I don't see anything different....

Looks more Pathfindery to me.

Is there any difference between this and the old combat pad, other than the way it looks? I don't see anything different....

We did the graphic redesign here at Paizo, but our partners at Open Mind Games are the ones coordinating the manufacturing. My understanding is that they're expecting it to be a bit sturdier this time around, but I haven't actually held one in my hands yet, so I can't say for sure that that happened.

One aspect of the redesign that may not be obvious until you see them lined up side-by-side is that there's a bit less wasted space, so the area to place the magnets is a bit taller than it used to be, making it easier to squeeze one or two more into the initiative. (Compare old and new.)

Thanks for the comparison shots, Vic. Now I can see that Initiative goes up to 35 on the new one, compared to 25 on the old one. I assume the magnets are basically the same, so if I were to buy a new one, I could use my magnets from the old one.

Still can't understand the length of time this took to produce?
Lets see if it stays on schedule?

My pre-order will be going in anyway.

Still can't understand the length of time this took to produce?

Lets see if it stays on schedule?

My pre-order will be going in anyway.

It's not produced by Paizo, but by another company who are apparently ... well ... taking their time with things :)

Dumb question. Since it says wet and dry erease that you can use both types of markers on it without them being perminate?

Dumb question. Since it says wet and dry erease that you can use both types of markers on it without them being perminate?

I know I accidentally used permanent black Sharpie on mine and still managed to get it off.

Argh. It seems that I'll need to buy this one, too, even if the older version I have is still more than serviceable.

I have a large group of players to DM, and the taller area is something quite vital, even if it's just two spaces more.

Oh, well... :-)

Argh. It seems that I'll need to buy this one, too, even if the older version I have is still more than serviceable.

I have a large group of players to DM, and the taller area is something quite vital, even if it's just two spaces more.

Oh, well... :-)

You know, you can put more magnets on the bottom of the old one even though the rectangular field doesn't go down that far. The magnets will still stick below that shaded area. :-)

That having been said, I'm still tempted to buy a new one just because it's the new one. GameMastery Combat Pad was the first thing I bought at paizo.com. (Well, that, extra magnets for it, and some miscellaneous dice.)

You know, you can put more magnets on the bottom of the old one even though the rectangular field doesn't go down that far. The magnets will still stick below that shaded area. :-)

That's what I'm currently doing, with the extra magnet pack.

Is there any difference between this and the old combat pad, other than the way it looks? I don't see anything different....

This is Ryan Thomas from Open Mind Games, designer of the Combat Pad. Thanks everyone for your interest in the new design. Here are the new features:

• Updated artwork - looks very nice (Thanks Paizo!) and adds a bit more space for the initiative magnets.
  
• Thinker and sturdier - Customers who thought the original was a little too flimsy will like what we’ve done.
  
• Initiatives from 1 to 35 instead of 1 to 25.
  
• A bonus Combat Pad on the back side – handy if you’re running two games, you can just leave the PC magnets in place. Though don’t let me stop you from buying two :)
  
• The bonus Combat Pad on back has the initiatives left blank, so you can write them in. This is useful for epic level games where initiative bonuses are crazy high!
  
• It’s packaged in a more heavy-duty bag, so it can be reused to protect your Combat Pad when you carry it around.
  

Still can't understand the length of time this took to produce?
Lets see if it stays on schedule?

Terribly sorry for the delay! There are various reason for our slowness, including the addition of a little minion to my family! Though probably the single biggest reason for the delay is the original manufacturer we used went out of business, so we had to find a replacement... The new manufacture didn’t have as much experience with this kind of product so it took some time to get the kinks worked out. I’m very picky and wanted to make sure the quality was good. I hope you like the results!

Best wishes!
Ryan Thomas
CEO - Open Mind Games, LLC.

Sounds very good.

Am I right in thinking that the "extra magnet pack" is identical between the two editions?

Here is something I did for my group. I bought some of the Avery Magnetic Inkjet paper and printed a small magnetic marker the same size as the Gamemastery player magnets for each PC. This way you can have a permanent marker for each PC. It has worked great and is very cheap (8 bucks for the 5 sheets of 8.5 x 11 on Amazon)

Any word on a street date?

Dumb question. Since it says wet and dry erease that you can use both types of markers on it without them being perminate?

You can. In fact, I use wet-erase for the PCs, since they don't change that frequently, and dry-erase for the monster and NPCs. The wet-erase takes being handled better than dry erase, and you do handle the PC plates a lot since initiative changes every combat. The dry erase wipes off with a simple swipe of a thumb at the end of the combat. Next to a DM's screen, this is the most used accessory I have ever owned.

We had a few boxes arrive at Gen Con, and they sold very well all weekend. I have to say, I'm *very* happy with the added sturdiness of the new version—it's a very noticeable difference.

Hopefully, retailers will be getting stock within the next couple of weeks. Since it's not technically a new product, it doesn't have a fixed release date—retailers can sell it as soon as they receive it.

Sounds very good.

Am I right in thinking that the "extra magnet pack" is identical between the two editions?

The extra magnet packs haven't changed at all.

Any chance of getting this as an iPad app?

I got mine today. I think it is even better than the last one.

Any chance of getting this as an iPad app?

That's a good idea! The Combat Pad does seem well suited for the iPad. We'll look into it.

This new board is awesome! Much sturdier too!

I finally got my combat pad today after waiting many, many moons. Excellent product! My only complaint is that the corners of the box that it was shipped in with my Adventure Path #38 had crushed corners and the combat pad took the brunt of the damage whereas the AP was untouched. After inspection of the damage to the combat pad, it appears that the laminate covering overlaps the metal inside by about 3/4" on the top and bottom and about 1/4" on the sides. This weak area near the bottom two corners are what is damaged. The metal underneath seems unharmed and the damaged caused would be the same if I dropped it on the floor and it landed on it's corners. Other than the damage in shipping, it's everything I hoped it would be and will be a staple of every gaming table I run in the future!

I have the old one and just glued it to the piece of black cardboard included with the set. I used Aleene's Original Tacky Glue and have had almost a year of use and abuse with no problems at all.

I have the old one and just glued it to the piece of black cardboard included with the set. I used Aleene's Original Tacky Glue and have had almost a year of use and abuse with no problems at all.

Those of us who got the new one can't do that, it's double sided. Plus with the strong core it now has, it is also unnecessary.

Kevin Andrew Murphy wrote:

Sounds very good.

Am I right in thinking that the "extra magnet pack" is identical between the two editions?

The extra magnet packs haven't changed at all.

The "extra magnets" are a slightly darker tint than the new magnets that come with the newly redesigned combat pad, but I just put one set on the front and one on the back and it will let me keep track of two different games with one pad.

Ok, I have only used this for 2 sessions. I use wet erase makers. After only 2 sessions a couple of the magnets I use are peeling.

Ok, I have only used this for 2 sessions. I use wet erase makers. After only 2 sessions a couple of the magnets I use are peeling.

Wet erase. Hope you didn't use to much water to get them cleaned off.

I'm gonna purchase some magnetic paper by Avery and print some of my own for specific Society games bad guys and the peoples characters up here in AK.

Sean

Ok, I have only used this for 2 sessions. I use wet erase makers. After only 2 sessions a couple of the magnets I use are peeling.

As my product review states, I am also experiencing some separating of the magnet tokens that came with this set. I have been using the original version of this product (with an add-on set of tokens) for years with no problems (other than the flimsiness of the board) and was excited to see the new one was thicker, sturdier, and double-sided. I am disappointed in the quality of the new tokens, but otherwise, very happy. I just use the tokens from the old set with the new board. Not the best endorsement of a $20 product, but it does the job for me better than anything else ever has.

Thanks everyone for your encouraging words! I’m glad the Combat Pad is working for you.

CapeCodRPGer and TwilightKnight, I’m sorry that you’re having problems with the magnets peeling, and I appreciate your feedback. I personally had not had any problems with the magnets when I used them, so, I went back and did some extensive testing. I did find some cases where they didn’t hold up as well as I’d like. In the future, I’ll be using your feedback to investigate options for making the magnets more robust. The good news is, if you follow the tips below, the magnets should last you a long time!

Tips on making your magnets last:

1. When cleaning off wet-erase ink, avoid putting water on the magnets directly. Instead, wipe them with a damp cloth or paper towel.
2. Pop them out of the magnet sheet carefully. I noticed that if you twist them out, sometimes the twisting motion causes damage.
3. Avoid twisting the magnets.

Happy gaming!
Ryan Thomas
CEO - Open Mind Games, LLC.

I have the old one and just glued it to the piece of black cardboard included with the set. I used Aleene's Original Tacky Glue and have had almost a year of use and abuse with no problems at all.

I did the same, although I used duct tape folded over the corners instead of permanently gluing the thing down. I love this product, I should probably go review it.

How is this not an iPad app yet?

How is this not an iPad app yet?

+1

I noticed the shipping cost on this product seems high. It's about twice what I normally pay for my monthly subscriptions (more even than the subs with hardcovers have been, like Bestiary 2). Is this thing that hard to ship?

-Skeld

I noticed the shipping cost on this product seems high. It's about twice what I normally pay for my monthly subscriptions (more even than the subs with hardcovers have been, like Bestiary 2). Is this thing that hard to ship?

-Skeld

The Combat Pad does not qualify as "bound printed matter" and it weighs too much for first class so, if shipping by itself, we can't use those either of those options.

thanks
sara marie

I noticed the shipping cost on this product seems high. It's about twice what I normally pay for my monthly subscriptions (more even than the subs with hardcovers have been, like Bestiary 2). Is this thing that hard to ship?

-Skeld

If you add it it your monthly subscription shipment, you should see a huge difference in price.

Sara Marie - Ok, that makes sense.

Dragnmoon - I was thinking about doing that, but seems like adding stuff pushes your subscription order down the queue, so I'm not sure I want that (at least on the next shipment). Maybe I'll try that.

thanks for the answers and advice.

-Skeld

Dragnmoon - I was thinking about doing that, but seems like adding stuff pushes your subscription order down the queue, so I'm not sure I want that (at least on the next shipment). Maybe I'll try that.

They have gotten better with that.

How is this not an iPad app yet?

They decided they didn't want us paying a couple of dollars for an electronic version?

is Paizo working on iPad apps in general? Official ones?

Hi Ryan - I was trying to get in contact with you regarding your combat tracker. Do you think you could send me a mail with your email address ? My email is philip@packetnode.com.

Best Regards

Philip

Thanks everyone for your encouraging words! I’m glad the Combat Pad is working for you.

CapeCodRPGer and TwilightKnight, I’m sorry that you’re having problems with the magnets peeling, and I appreciate your feedback. I personally had not had any problems with the magnets when I used them, so, I went back and did some extensive testing. I did find some cases where they didn’t hold up as well as I’d like. In the future, I’ll be using your feedback to investigate options for making the magnets more robust. The good news is, if you follow the tips below, the magnets should last you a long time!

Tips on making your magnets last:

1. When cleaning off wet-erase ink, avoid putting water on the magnets directly. Instead, wipe them with a damp cloth or paper towel.
2. Pop them out of the magnet sheet carefully. I noticed that if you twist them out, sometimes the twisting motion causes damage.
3. Avoid twisting the magnets.

Happy gaming!
Ryan Thomas
CEO - Open Mind Games, LLC.

So, when is this going to be turned into an iPad app?

So, when is this going to be turned into an iPad app?

That's a VERY good question!

Please let's see this as an iPad app. My new iPad has become my new best friend at the gaming table, and a decent combat manager would be awesome as there is nothing out there worth while. Come on Paizo!

Hi, this Ryan Thomas from Open Mind Games, designers of the Combat Pad. I'm hearing a lot of interest in a Combat Pad app for the iPad. I'm working on making this happen! Is there any particular features you'd like the see in the app?

Thanks!
Ryan Thomas
CEO - Open Mind Games, LLC.

Would you have it for both Apple and Android devices?

Would you have it for both Apple and Android devices?

Eventually, I'd like to have the app available for android and iOS devices. But, initially, It will probably be iOS only. Thanks for the feedback!