Remagen Bridge Mat Set (FW230A)

 By Steve MacLacalacalacalan

Battlefront's Remagen mat is far from a new product, but I finally got my grubby hands on it and wanted to let everyone take a look. It's important to think through what this product is trying to do. It may seem obvious, but I can already hear the complaints of it looking unrealistic!

The point of this mat is to allow a very significant piece of terrain for a set piece battle affordable, portable, and simple. Not all of us are willing to spend the time, money, and effort to create a board that is (for all intense and purposes) one use. I struggled for a long time deciding whether or not to build a D-Day board back when the book first came out. I'm glad I didn't, cause I maybe play the beach assault mission once per year. It's not that it isn't fun or that building that terrain isn't awesome- but most of us have limited space and that's where these mats come in!

There isn't a whole lot to say about this product that isn't obvious, so I'll try to summarize the tactile feel of it, and where I find it's value. The mat represents a very large river (much larger than the "rivers" we're used to from Battlefront!) and includes 3 different versions of the same bridge as well.

This thing is significant. It's printed on a sturdy vinyl, and while the large river mat does retain it's rolled shape a bit, it had no real problem laying flat. I love how there isn't much grass along the banks- you could use this on any type of board and I think it would fit in fairly nicely.

Sadly, the bridges retain their rolled up shape very stubbornly.

I recommend a small bit of sticky tack! Then it was no problem. Because everything is a sealed vinyl, there's no fear of discoloration or tearing.

The three bridges represent a fully destroyed bridge, a damaged bridge, and an intact bridge. The compromise here is, of course, that 2d looks very flat! (Obvious statement of the year is obvious)

However, the design is very clever, and actually blends in surprisingly well.

Overall, this is a solid product that delivers on its promise: a striking, overbearing terrain piece on a budget that you can roll up and put away easily. I'm happy with it- hopefully we can try a major bridge assault scenario soon so you all can see it in action!