Ultra Pro has just released a brand new range of officially licensed Dungeons & Dragons playmats. As part of a Cover Series, this playmat features the extended artwork that adorns the cover of the latest D&D fifth edition book, Candlekeep Mysteries. Whether these are used by adventurers, dungeon masters or Magic players these playmats aim to bring that something special to your table. However, is this a celebration of Candlekeep or is it a mystery as to who would want it? Let’s find out!
Measuring just under 24” by 13.5” (60cm by 34cm) the Ultra Pro Dungeons & Dragons Cover Series: Candlekeep Mysteries Cover Playmat is certainly a good size. Primarily the playmat is for… as the name suggests… playing. Whether you are chucking chunky metal dice and don’t want to dent the table, or needing to easily pick cards/player sheets off of the table, the playmat is there to make players’ lives easier and protect your accessories and table alike.
From the tabletop to a different form of gaming, the playmat can double as a glorious oversized mouse pad. Large enough to fit underneath your gaming mouse and keyboard, the Candlekeep Mysteries Cover Playmat can certainly pimp out your desk with more than just a splash of colour – be it in a home office or a gaming room. Whilst it may not be the original usage for the playmat it does work smoothly as a mousemat, and may mean gamers can get double the use from the product.
The colours are impressively as deep as those on the cover of the Candlekeep Mysteries hardcover book, especially when it comes to the darker shades. Often playmats are much more dulled. Yet, aside from a perhaps slightly less warm candle light glow on the two characters and the surrounding book piles, the artwork has been transformed onto the playmat well.
Being oversized the artwork that adorns the front cover of Candlekeep Mysteries isn’t enough, so the playmat features the bookcases that wrap around onto the books reverse – actually showing a section of the artwork which is covered by the blurb. The playmat features both the Dungeons & Dragons and the Ultra Pro logos. Out of the two, while it is from the company, the Ultra Pro logo detracts a little from the overall look and didn’t need to be featured. Thankfully though, it is more subtle that it could have been.
Material wise the playmat has a soft to the touch fabric top, which makes picking things up easier. On the bottom it has a rubber backing to stop it sliding around. It doesn’t literally stick to surfaces but for the want of a better word it sticks to the table thanks to the rubber backing. To take the playmat to the next level it could have had a stitched edge. Not having one doesn’t stop it from being a great playmat but it’s not quite as premium in feel as it could be.
The Ultra Pro Dungeons & Dragons Cover Series: Candlekeep Mysteries Cover Playmat is only one of a large series. Even if it’s not your favourite D&D sourcebook then an equivalent for another book may be available. Despite not going for a stitched edge, the product is of strong quality, really capturing the artwork well. Whether you are planning on using this to roll dice, make picking up cards easier or to click away on a fancy mousemat, the Candlekeep Mysteries Cover Playmat is well worth checking out.
(Editor’s Note: The Candlekeep Mysteries Cover Playmat was provided to us by Asmodee for the review. It is currently available from local board game stores! Find your local store here.)
