Today Muggins is reviewing the objective markers from Templar Objective Markers. You can find their Kickstarter here.
One thing my wargaming colleagues will all tell you is how much I love having nice peripherals for the games we play. Having effective measuring tools, dice, points trackers, etc. I usually use objective markers that are models or tokens. Templar Objective Markers is now offering easily measured objective markers for Warhammer 40k and gave us an opportunity to check them out.
So what are they?
These objective markers are plastic discs that are pre-measured and cut with a crosshair in the middle so they can be placed exactly where they need to be. They have a small sticky disc underneath that can be used to secure the marker in place during a game if you wish.
They’re transparent, so you can see your mat or terrain board underneath. They’re very thing (I’m not sure of the official measurement) so if you need to you can put a piece of terrain or model over the edge of them and it won’t tip or anything. The top side is coated in a material that will make them anti-scratch and anti-fingerprint.
One of the nice touches they added to this product is that there are no logos or URLs or anything on them – it doesn’t distract from the game or make your photos look less appealing.
How does it work?
Each disc is measured with a 40mm circle in the middle (the official size of an objective marker in the 40k Rulebook) and a crosshair in the center of that circle. You measure to the center point of where the objective should be then put the crosshair on it. The outside of the disc is three inches from the outside of the 40mm circle in the middle, so you’ll know if models are within three inches of the objective.
Each objective marker comes with a sticker that goes on the bottom that will hold it down to your gaming surface, so it won’t move. You don’t have to use these, but they seem to be a good option.
When you’re finished with your game, you just put a small tab of plastic over the sticker part and slide them back into an envelope or other protective box (we’re told they’ll come with one form the manufacturer) and throw them in your backpack. The plastic is tough, so they seem like they’ll survive a bend in your backpack or a rough placement.
The verdict:
Right now, on Kickstarter you can get six of these for $30 US shipped to your house with an estimated delivery of February 2022. That’s about $5 per marker. I have looked at a lot of these types of things and really balk because most of them before shipping are $40-50, and that is just out of the ‘hit the buy button’ price range for me.
They seem like they’ll be tough for a while – I am not worried about durability at all. A decent envelope or container for them will keep them nice and ready for a long time. The only worry I have is the sticker that goes on the bottom accumulating dust or hair or other things from your surfaces. I use fleece mats occasionally and I feel like they’d pull up some of that extra material.
The one knock I have is that I tried these on an extra cardboard mat (one of the types you get in GW box sets) and I stuck the sticky side down to it, and when I pulled up the objective it took off the top part of the cardboard. I would NOT use the stickers if you’re using one of these cardboard mats. I did test the PVC mousepad type, fleece, and painted hard plastic and they were fine.
These types of objective markers are not super new, though the ones I’ve seen (mostly for Warmachine in the past) were the mousepad type material and were therefore not transparent and a little bit raised up. Those usually cost more than $5 per objective zone that this product costs. They were also harder to transport, as they are heavier and thicker.
If you don’t currently have measured markers like this, I think these are a very easy purchase to make your games easier and less contested when it comes to measurements. The price (in my experience) is less than what you’d pay for peripherals like this on Etsy or eBay. They’re transparent so they don’t get in the way and take your eyes away from your jewel-like wonders.
To recap:
Pros
- Transparent
- Exactly measured
- Removes arguments about model proximity to objectives
- Fairly priced
- Easily transported
Cons
- Don’t use the sticker part on cardboard
- Currently only Kickstarter
- Sticky pads might get dusty
