Build an Industrial Wargaming Scenario on a Loading Dock Mat
By Mats by Mars - Print-On-Demand Wargaming and Role | Published: 2026-11-03
Category: Guides pratiques
Turn the Loading Dock Lot play mat into a full warehouse wargaming scenario: pick a mission, place cover, and set deployment rules that reward industrial terrain.
Quick answer
Start with the Loading Dock Lot play mat as your base board, then layer in a mission that forces movement through the open lot and cover around the dock itself. The mat's printed layout does the heavy lifting; your job is to place terrain and rules that make the industrial space matter.
Why the Loading Dock Lot changes your scenario design
Most urban mats give you streets and buildings. This one gives you a working back lot: a loading dock, open pavement, and the kind of cluttered service space that sits behind a warehouse or shopping center. That layout naturally creates a two-zone board: exposed ground where units are vulnerable, and tighter dock-side space where cover and objectives cluster.
Design your scenario around that split. If you treat the mat as generic pavement, you waste the printed detail. If you build missions that reward controlling the dock and crossing the lot, the board starts telling the story for you.
Match your industrial terrain to the mat's scale
The mat is printed on heavyweight matte banner material with a scratch-resistant, detailed design. That durability means you can set metal or resin terrain directly on it without worrying about scuffs, but it also means the printed detail is crisp enough that oversized terrain will look out of place. Keep crates, barriers, and containers proportional to the dock features printed on the mat.
If your collection leans toward fantasy or sci-fi terrain that ignores the industrial theme, this mat will fight you. It works best with modern, near-future, or post-apocalyptic ranges that share the warehouse vocabulary.
Choose an overlay only if you need a different ground plan
The mat is available with a size choice and an overlay option. An overlay lets you change the ground plan without buying a second mat, which is useful if you want the same loading dock backdrop but a different footprint for smaller or larger games. Check the available size and overlay combinations before you commit, because the wrong overlay can shrink the usable dock area you built your mission around.
Step-by-step: build the scenario
- Lay the mat and mark the dock zone: Unroll the Loading Dock Lot mat and identify the printed dock area. Place a small marker or tape line at the edge of the dock so both players agree which models count as 'on the dock' for objectives and cover. If players disagree about the dock boundary mid-game, the scenario falls apart; settle it before deployment.
- Set the mission around the lot, not the dock: Put the primary objective in the open lot and a secondary objective on the dock. This forces units to cross exposed ground and then fight for the tighter industrial space, which is exactly what the mat's layout supports. Avoid placing all objectives on the dock; that turns the rest of the mat into decoration.
- Place industrial cover in layers: Put large containers or barriers at the lot edges, medium crates near the dock, and small scatter close to the objective. Leave at least one clear lane across the lot so movement is possible but risky. Check that no single piece of cover blocks line of sight to both objectives at once.
- Write one special rule for the loading dock: Add a simple rule such as units on the dock counting as in cover, or a unit controlling the dock gaining a small bonus. Keep it to one rule so it does not overwhelm the mission. Test the rule in a short game before using it in a campaign; a small bonus can swing a close game.
- Set deployment to use the lot's depth: Deploy along the two short edges so both players start in the open lot and must advance toward the dock. Avoid deploying on the long edges, which lets one player camp the dock from turn one. If you use a different deployment, confirm both players agree the dock is not trivially defensible.
- Play a test turn and adjust cover: Run one turn of movement and shooting before the real game. If one side can dominate the dock without crossing the lot, add a piece of blocking terrain in the middle of the lot. Keep a spare crate or barrier nearby for quick adjustments.
Product facts
- Mats by Mars: Loading Dock Lot Tabletop Wargaming Play Mat: Printed on heavyweight matte banner material that is scratch resistant and suitable for outdoor use. You can set terrain and dice directly on the mat and even play outside without babying the surface.
Mats by Mars: Loading Dock Lot Tabletop Wargaming Play Mat
