Deep Cut Neo-Tokyo Play Mat accessory review

Hot on the tail of its fantasy football play mats, Deep Cut has launched a new range of terrains better suited to those battling in sci-fi settings.

The mats are available in Deep Cut’s standard choice of materials: PVC, cloth and mousepad, which, like its namesake for computer mice, features cloth backed by 2mm rubber foam. We checked out the mousepad variant and found the rubber to be effective at holding fast on a laminated table surface and laying completely flat even when it had spent a week essentially crumpled into a ball.

One of the mousepad material’s other touted features is ‘soaked in’ paint to avoid the image being scratched off over time. We decided to advance the effect of years of use by scratching aggressively with the blade from a pair of scissors and did indeed find that no visible damage was done. As with many foam-backed materials, watch for potential peeling away at the corners, which can lead to a very quick detachment of cloth topper from foam bottom – something that could no doubt be solved with a little bit of spray glue, but is worth noting all the same.

Overall, the extra cost (coming in at just under £10 more for a three-by-three-foot mat versus the same in PVC) feels justified in delivering something that feels like it will earn its value through hardship.

The design itself is a typically grey and metallic sci-fi landscape, with an intersecting rectangle of four straight roads, leading to four crossroad corners begging for a combat bottleneck, surrounding a block ideal for buildings and other 3D terrain. Areas of the map have bursts of bronzed orange and stripes of muted yellow, helping to break the clichéd darkness of the sci-fi greys. There’s also some nice detailing in the form of white outlines, symbols and little touches such as drainage grilles and street tiles, helping to add a little character to the background.

If you're a fan of 10mm-scale miniatures titles, such as Dropzone, there's also a long distance counterpart available.

For those looking for a durable and straightforward sci-fi mat they can bring out of the cupboard for years to come, this fills that need perfectly.

Manufacturer: Deep Cut

Price: €35 (3x3’) €50 (4x4’) €65 (4x6’)

Format: PVC, cloth, mousepad

Website: deepcutstudio.com