Starfinder Flip-Mat: Basic Starfield

Now available for preorder! Image and description are not final and may vary before release!

Really tempted by this one, but I'm waiting to see what's on the opposite side.

Are there any plans for a mat with a hex grid space combat front and square grid terrain back?

Really tempted by this one, but I'm waiting to see what's on the opposite side.

Are there any plans for a mat with a hex grid space combat front and square grid terrain back?

I too am curious what is on the other side... Sounds like two different star fields with a hex grid. Maybe plain and nebula?

Garrett Guillotte wrote:

Really tempted by this one, but I'm waiting to see what's on the opposite side.

Are there any plans for a mat with a hex grid space combat front and square grid terrain back?

I too am curious what is on the other side... Sounds like two different star fields with a hex grid. Maybe plain and nebula?

I'd be hyped if it's plain on one side, planetoid or asteroid belt on the other. Not sure what I'd do with two plain space surfaces.

Also, I'm curious what sorts of markers would work best on dark or black space. It's not something I've had to deal with on Pathfinder mats.

Will these be part of the standard pathfinder flip mat/map pack subscription or do they need to be ordered separately?

Starfinder Flip-Mats will *not* be part of the Pathfinder Maps subscription. They will likely have their own subscription eventually.

27" × 39" mat; Folds to 8" × 10"; 1" hexes on each side

I don't know how 27" can become 8" and 39" can become 10".

Not all folded panels are equally sized. 27" × 39" is the size of the "Bigger" maps, maybe you've seen one of them.

Not all folded panels are equally sized. 27" × 39" is the size of the "Bigger" maps, maybe you've seen one of them.

Correct—this is the size of one of our Bigger mats—we decided not to call it "Bigger" because in this case, there is no smaller version!

Zaister wrote:

Not all folded panels are equally sized. 27" × 39" is the size of the "Bigger" maps, maybe you've seen one of them.

Correct—this is the size of one of our Bigger mats—we decided not to call it "Bigger" because in this case, there is no smaller version!

I think the decision to make this flip-mat as big as possible for starship battles is absolutely right.

Thank you for pointing that out, Vic & Zaister. :-)

I'm very exited that we'll be getting starship miniatures and imagine that there will be different size categories, so more space to manover smaller "starfighters" around massive "dreadnoughts" will be much appreciated! ;-)

When you fold the bigger Flip-mat, do they become to 9" × 13" or is it a special way that the map become a 8" × 10".

When you fold the bigger Flip-mat, do they become to 9" × 13" or is it a special way that the map become a 8" × 10".

Its a special way, they become 8x10 like the rest.

I'm very exited that we'll be getting starship miniatures and imagine that there will be different size categories, so more space to manover smaller "starfighters" around massive "dreadnoughts" will be much appreciated! ;-)

While the photo depicts prototype tokens rather than minis, you may find this ENWorld post from the GAMA trade show interesting: http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?3913-STARFINDER-Minis-Starship-Com bat-Demo

Is that a planet token?

Hi vic. Has the decision on round vs hexagonal bases been finalised? (For minis, that is. I presume the pawns will use the "standard" pawn bases?)

The pawns line will use the standard round pawn bases (with a Starfinder logo on the bottom, naturally) for both ships and characters. For the Ninja Division minis, the characters will have round bases; the prototype ship minis shown at GAMA trade show have octagonal bases, but I suspect that isn't final.

Thanks.

Updated with final description, product image, and samples!

This is currently unavailable in a print edition. I assume this is because you have sold out. (If so, congratulations on such a successful product).

Are there any plans to re-release this in a printed format or will there be some other star field printed maps available in the future?

Cheers and thanks for any information

I can see it selling well for other games (Star Wars, Star Trek, etc). But before it even *really* releases?

Unfortunate as it's on the store blog and people can't order it. :(o

Is that a planet token?

Was this ever answered anywhere? And is there an upcoming product with flat, space "terrain" like this?

This is currently unavailable in a print edition. I assume this is because you have sold out. (If so, congratulations on such a successful product).

Are there any plans to re-release this in a printed format or will there be some other star field printed maps available in the future?

Cheers and thanks for any information

We will be reprinting this, but it takes a few months. (Insider tip: The word "Basic" in the title of a Flip-Mat is a pretty good indicator that we're not going to let it go out of print for long.)

Zaister wrote:

Is that a planet token?

Was this ever answered anywhere? And is there an upcoming product with flat, space "terrain" like this?

All I can say is that those were conceptual samples provided by one of our licensing partners who has not yet formally announced any Starfinder products.

No worries. Thanks, Vic.

Having purchased one: The hexes appear to be closer to 1.25" than 1".

Having purchased one: The hexes appear to be closer to 1.25" than 1".

What are you measuring?

The length of each side of the hex is approximately 3/4 inches
The distance between two sides of a hex is approximately 1-1/4 inches
The distance between two corners of a hex is approximately 1-13/32 inches

No matter how it's measured I'm having trouble coming up with 1 inch...

There seems to have been an issue with the grid for the basic flipmat as well.

At least it's bigger - if they were smaller, they'd be much less usable.

I doubt a wet erase marker would show up on the black map. Perhaps a silver sharpie would but will permanent marker come off? If so, how would one remove permanent marker from a flip mat?

I doubt a wet erase marker would show up on the black map. Perhaps a silver sharpie would but will permanent marker come off? If so, how would one remove permanent marker from a flip mat?

If you trace a Dry Erase marker over Permanent marker, it usually wipes off afterwards. Some thing to try

I doubt a wet erase marker would show up on the black map.

This was my thought to, however I experimented with mine and it's not too bad.

I had expected that a colored marker would be the answer (since the lines of the hexes are white) however it surprised me to find that the red, green and blue that I tried didn't show up as clearly as black.

I think it's because the starfield is not actually black but is a distinctively lighter shade of grey. Irrespective, having played around a bit, I think a black marker is going to be the answer (I did use quite a thick marker, which probably helped).

There seems to have been an issue with the grid for the basic flipmat as well.

At least it's bigger - if they were smaller, they'd be much less usable.

Yes on both counts. Since I don't really own anything else (templates, map cards, etc.) that I'd lay over the hexes, I don't mind the size.

Though it does blow chunks on the basic flip-mat. It would also be nice to get some word as to when the problem is likely to be corrected.

Someone said there was a white dry/wet/something erase marker as well. I'll be trying to find that and will report any successes

Edit:

Ok, there's a thing called "window markers" that you can use to write on car windows and other windows that comes off with a wet cloth.

A search for "white window markers" turned up half a dozen products that can be bought locally as well as from internet sources.

Sweet, that is a really great idea! Are we sure that window markers will not damage the map? I mean, has anyone actually tried it?

I've just gone and bought something similar. This is the product I picked up it certainly looks good when it's freshly applied.

Here's my sample/test. I'll leave it a few hours, a few days and a few weeks - see how easy it is to get off and report back. :)

Thanks Steve...really intrigued by this.

First results are encouraging.

90 minutes after application, it wiped off with a dry cloth.
4 hours after application it needed a damp cloth but still came off very easily.

One note of warning, I folded it closed soon after application and some ink transferred to the opposing surface. These are more like paint than usual whiteboard markers. Manageable, but worth being aware of.

I'll try again after twenty four hours and after a week, for now though I'm very happy with these. Thanks, CrystalSeas.

Twenty four hours after application (well twenty five, actually) and it seems things are just as good.

In fact, I could wipe it clear with a dry cloth - although I experimented with ink that had sunk into the crease and that was a little trickier - needed my fingernail.

Anyhow, I'm sold that these markers work really well. I'll try to get the rest off in a week's time (I occasionally forget to clean maps up at the end of the session).

One caveat is that I'm used to pre-drawing some battlemaps to save time during a session. With this, if I have need to plot something out ahead of time, I'll need to be careful not to fold them up until I'm sure the 'paint' has dried. The transfer of ink issue is noticeable.

Your research is much appreciated, Steve.

Have you tried an actual starship battle yet?

The fact that the hexes are too big isn´t so bad, but the pawns, especially the large ones are too big to fit inside one hex, which makes it a little messy to have close-quarter combats.
I´m curious if this will also be the case with these Starfinder Starship minis?

The small ones (Death´s Head Necroglider & Ringworks Wanderer) seem to fit inside a hex, the medium ones (Blackwind Sepulcher, Kevolari Venture & Sunrise Maiden) could work too, but the largest ones (Thaumtech Omenbringer & Atech Immortal) probably won´t be able to fly directly in front/behind each other, which makes sense, because why should such large spaceships fly within collision range?
This sadly is not the case with the pawns, which are all too large for a hex.
It wouldn´t be a problem in Pathfinder, but in Starfinder facing direction is important.
The size of the pawns/minis probably won´t matter when it´s one ship against another (or two, or three), as even short range weapons have a range increment of 5 hexes.
But i can see this getting a problem in larger scale space-battles, in a planetary blockade scenario or a battle between ships with hangar bays for instance.

Your research is much appreciated, Steve.

Have you tried an actual starship battle yet?

The fact that the hexes are too big isn´t so bad, but the pawns, especially the large ones are too big to fit inside one hex, which makes it a little messy to have close-quarter combats.
I´m curious if this will also be the case with these Starfinder Starship minis?

The small ones (Death´s Head Necroglider & Ringworks Wanderer) seem to fit inside a hex, the medium ones (Blackwind Sepulcher, Kevolari Venture & Sunrise Maiden) could work too, but the largest ones (Thaumtech Omenbringer & Atech Immortal) probably won´t be able to fly directly in front/behind each other, which makes sense, because why should such large spaceships fly within collision range?
This sadly is not the case with the pawns, which are all too large for a hex.
It wouldn´t be a problem in Pathfinder, but in Starfinder facing direction is important.
The size of the pawns/minis probably won´t matter when it´s one ship against another (or two, or three), as even short range weapons have a range increment of 5 hexes.
But i can see this getting a problem in larger scale space-battles, in a planetary blockade scenario or a battle between ships with hangar bays for instance.

I don't have a problem with the size of the hexes. I plan on using small bases for all the pawns, regardless of size. They could have been a little bigger, but I guess there's a balance between ease of use and ability to cover a wide range of battles.

I think the overhang is only going to be an issue for adjacent ships and I can't imagine that occurring for very long or very often.

I've just gone and bought something similar. This is the product I picked up it certainly looks good when it's freshly applied.

Here's my sample/test. I'll leave it a few hours, a few days and a few weeks - see how easy it is to get off and report back. :)

Final experimental test - a week after application, it wiped off pretty easily. I didn't have a proper cloth, just tissues and a bit of saliva.

Even got the ink out of the creases. No mark left on the map at all.

Very satisfied with these as a solution.

Thanks for sharing this info...definitely ordering one of these myself.

Thank you Steve! Now I just need to source such a pen locally, should not be a big issue.

For miniatures I have used the Fantasy Flight X-Wing fighters, they work fine, although the bases are square and too large to fit in the hexes. I am searching for a good hexagonal base that fits in the hexes on the map, I will then adjust that base to carry an X-Wing fighter.

Chalk pens work great, just like Steve has said. As for where to buy them, it looks like you can get them in the craft section of any store that would have one. I got mine at Walmart (I forget the exact price, but it was less than $5).

Once dry, it works just fine. Never smeared, smudged or wiped off during the battle or when folded and being transported to and from the game store. Wiped off with a dry paper towel just fine, no evidence it was ever there.

You do have to wait for it to dry, since it will smudge very easily when it is first applied (It looks and feels like wet paint), so you'll probably need to apply it ahead of time before you plan to use it.

Any chance we can get a VTT version of this with no hexes on it? It would make it easier to use :)

How would no hexes be useful?

How would no hexes be useful?

Well currently trying to get the images out of these maps the images change size and I am having a heck of time trying to get the grids in my VTT to match. Some of the other flips they have include JPGs specificall to use in VTT it makes it very easy to pull in and use

Any chance we can get a VTT version of this with no hexes on it? It would make it easier to use :)

I do not think Paizo has plans to do so. Our Starfinder starship play is based on hexes. I would think you could use any starfield image if you do not need hexes.