| Quondel |
I love all of the inserts, but especially the battlemats (AKA battlemaps), map tiles, and tokens. I like the posters, as I'm a freelance illustrator (drawing & painting), among other things, and often use those as art-reference material; however, I don't put them on the wall. The maps are useful also, but I use them less frequently than the grid-mats and tokens. A side note: I love the gum since I can remove the inserts without tearing them or the page they're attached to. I remember the old days before that stuff was available.). I store all the inserts in files in my art-reference file-cabinets. They're labeled, and I even created a small database to organize them, note their locations and possible uses within my Greyhawk campaign, and for easy access.
I'd love to see an entire publication or gaming accessory book (several, actually), completely devoted to the types of battlemat-type inserts and tokens that were mentioned above by some of the contributors to this message-thread, particularly those mentioned by Ross Wolf, masterOfdungeon, Nathan Ballingrud, Maveric28, and Troy Taylor. If I left out some other good ones, I apologize. IMHO, there is a growing desire (in some cases, a need) for these types of battlemat and token accessories, especially among those who use miniatures a lot during their gaming (like I do in my campaign). AS mentioned above, having them can cut down on the preparation of a gaming session, allowing the DM to concentrate on other aspects. I admit there's a lot to be said for creating your own (if you're inclined to and have the time), and with map-making and battle-grid-making tools out there like "Campaign Cartographer", just to mention one among others, it can fun and you can end up with more-than-satisfactory results, but it's hugely time consuming, to say the least and a pre-made battlemat of a large tavern or inn, for instance, would really be useful.
I also think lamenating them to many hours of re-use is a great idea. While I'm not expecting future gaming accessories of this type anytime soon, if ever, I am hopeful. Things far less useful have been published and will continue to be published, so you never know, really. There's always hope for those of us, who are willing to throw good coin at the merchants who sell them. After all, one man's poison is another man's delight. As for the length of my post, I love to type and I'm fast, also. But thanks for indulging me and letting my soapbox and I into your (or onto) your computer. "A day's greeting to you, one and all."