Battle Mats & Grids vs. Polyhedral RPG Dice
Comparing 2 standards across 18 specifications. 18 key differences identified.
Battle mats are standardized surface grids used in tabletop RPGs and wargames. RPG mats feature a standard 1-inch (25.4 mm) square or hex grid where each square represents 5 feet in game scale. Wargaming mats adhere to official table dimension tiers: 44×30 inches (Combat Patrol / Spearhead), 44×60 inches (Strike Force / Incursion), and 4×6 feet (classic large-scale battles).
Polyhedral dice are standardized 7-die sets used in tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) including Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder. A standard set consists of D4 (tetrahedron), D6 (cube), D8 (octahedron), D10 (pentagonal trapezohedron), D% (percentile tens), D12 (dodecahedron), and D20 (icosahedron), manufactured in standard 16 mm to 22 mm millimeter heights based on Platonic solids.
Specification Comparison Table
18 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Standard TTRPG Grid Square
|
1.0 × 1.0 inch (25.4 × 25.4 mm) | — |
|
TTRPG Scale Ratio
|
1 inch = 5 feet (1:60 scale) standard D&D / Pathfinder | — |
|
Standard TTRPG Hex Grid
|
1.0 inch (25.4 mm) vertex-to-vertex / flat-to-flat | — |
|
Combat Patrol / Spearhead Mat
|
44 × 30 inches (1118 × 762 mm / 500–1000 pts) | — |
|
Strike Force / Incursion Mat
|
44 × 60 inches (1118 × 1524 mm / 2000 pts) | — |
|
Classic Full-Scale Wargame Mat
|
4 × 6 feet (48 × 72 inches / 1219 × 1829 mm) | — |
|
Common Mat Materials
|
Neoprene (Mousepad), Vinyl Wet-Erase, Cloth | — |
|
Standard Set Composition
|
— | 7 Dice (D4, D6, D8, D10, D% tens, D12, D20) |
|
D4 Shape & Height
|
— | Tetrahedron (4 triangular faces) 16 to 18 mm (vertex to base) |
|
D6 Shape & Height
|
— | Cube (6 square faces) 16 mm (0.63 inches face-to-face) |
|
D8 Shape & Height
|
— | Octahedron (8 triangular faces) 15 to 16 mm (face-to-face) |
|
D10 / D% Shape & Height
|
— | Pentagonal Trapezohedron (10 kite faces) 16 mm (vertex-to-vertex) |
|
D12 Shape & Height
|
— | Dodecahedron (12 pentagonal faces) 18 mm (face-to-face) |
|
D20 Shape & Height
|
— | Icosahedron (20 triangular faces) 20 to 22 mm (face-to-face) |
|
Opposite Faces Sum (D6)
|
— | 7 (1+6, 2+5, 3+4) |
|
Opposite Faces Sum (D8)
|
— | 9 (1+8, 2+7, etc.) |
|
Opposite Faces Sum (D12)
|
— | 13 (1+12, 2+11, etc.) |
|
Opposite Faces Sum (D20)
|
— | 21 (1+20, 2+19, etc.) |