Review:
Product Review: Gaming Paper

Gaming Paper is a neat, new product that I've been blessed with a review sample of. 

First off, it wins the David Hill Award for Excellence in Self-Explanatory Names. It's gaming paper, literally paper you game on. It comes in two breeds, hexes and 1" squares. You might be saying, "Why David, that sounds great. But why don't I just use graph paper? I can get graph paper at Staples, or if I'm really lazy, I can even print graph paper on my home printer contraptions!" Sure. But then, you lose out on the greatness of Gaming Paper. 

Why do I call it greatness? First off, it's rough. You can tear it intentionally, but tearing it accidentally is just not going to happen. However, despite its strength, it's very malleable. It rolls up smoothly, it unrolls and lays flat beautifully (have you ever had a folded or rolled map that refused to sit on the table? I sure as hell have,) and even handles spills. Diet Coke won't hurt it, as I saw earlier tonight during my weekly Dragon Age Tabletop RPG game. Gaming Paper takes Sharpie very well, no smears or wetness. It also takes pencil well, and with the strength of the paper, it even erases well. So you're able to track enemy stats on it, temporarily change the environment, or even doodle in a monster or trap effect. It cuts well, so you can accommodate whatever size you need. The coating is very thin, and barely affects the paper itself. It doesn't scrape off with erasers, it doesn't crumble like wax coating. 

Basically, it's exactly what it's supposed to be. Probably my favorite aspect is, if you have a strong, artistic member of your group, you can make nice, lasting maps that can be reused over and over. They roll up well, store well, and are about as hardcore as paper gets. The only real downside I see is the color. It's a light brown, which limits your artistic expression somewhat. It's not that invasive, though. Their website says that they should be getting other colors, soon. I greatly hope white is amongst those.