Realms of Battle Gameboard Unboxing

I haven't bought many miniatures this year, for various reasons, but one of them was to save up so I could buy a Realm of Battle Gameboard.  These days I don't get much time to game, and I am not always able to play in my garage using my using gaming table--frequently I have to travel.  So I found the portability of the Realm of Battle Gameboard very appealing.  So I thought I'd give this thing a try and see how it works out.

The box arrived, and it is massive.  I believe that GW said it was about 30 lbs, and they weren't kidding.

Made in China...this is encouraging.

The carry case and the shoulder strap look and feel sturdy.  For the price I paid, they had better be.

Just in case you forget who made it.

Lying it on its side and unzipping, here is the first piece.  Pretty much what I expected.  And also, if you're a fan of skulls, the boards have plenty of them sculpted on.  Since they seem more appropriate for a "chaos" type world than say, a typical Imperial World, I've considered just filling in those sections and putting grass right over it.  But then again, perhaps I'll just leave them as is and stick cover them with hills or forests or something if I'm not feeling too skullish that day.

The board pieces pack tightly into the bag, so if you intend to put static grass on them (like I do), you really want to protect them from the bag itself and from each other by separating each piece with some bubble wrap, and use care when packing/unpacking them.  (the bubble wrap is not included in the package--I'm just displaying some as an example.

The back of each piece shows the ribbing that reinforces them.  It really gives each piece some heft, and makes them sturdy.

 Here are some more pieces as I began to take them out.

 Each hill fits together with one other and they overlap when you pack them in (which is what you'd expect).  When you hold the hills in your hands, the hills really does look massive.

The clipping system is a weak spot--it's really meant to just hold the pieces together, not create a solid freestanding table that you can lean on.  If you're going to lay the gameboard on the floor or on top of another table, I don't think that you really need the clips.  The individiual board pieces have plenty of heft to them, so once they are lined up in place it will take a bit of force to shift them.  That is, unless someone collides with the table or something, which would send all your minis flying anyway.

Also, to attach the clips, you have to flip over the board pieces and put them face down.  They are pretty fiddly and take some force to attach, so you need to take a lot of care not to damage your nicely static-grassed surface.  I'll have to see how it works in practice, and go from there to decide whether or not I want to use the clips.

Here's an example of two of the pieces attached.  (I didn't have time to set up the entire board--that will have to wait until another post.

Just as I was packing it all up, I noticed that on the inside of the flap is a little pocket where you can store your clips.  It has a hook and loop closure, but I think you still want to store all your clips in a plastic bag so you won't lose them (you can still keep the bag inside the pocket)

All in all, I'm pleased with the Realm of Battle Gameboard.  It's expensive, but in the end I think it will be worth it.  I'm looking forward to getting it ready for many battles ahead.