Down at my local game store, my fellow X-Wing players are constantly complaining about knocking their ships around and sliding bases. If you are a frequent player of this game then you understand that the movement and precision positioning of your ships is of the highest level of importance. You also know that the smallest bump can disrupt your formation as well as allow a ship to move into position without collision or overlapping an obstacle granting an action that they my not have gotten otherwise; which can change the outcome of a fight if it happens during a crucial point in the game. After all, it’s hard to Stay On Target when your ship won’t stay put!

If you read though the forms people are always looking for an easy, effective, and affordable option to solve this issue plaguing our galaxy! Some people suggest filling the bases with silicone and a washer to add weight and grip. Which quickly becomes messy, not to mention you have to wait 24 hours to get back to the game. Other people cut and glue mouse pad material to the underside of their bases. This provides a nice grip but if you have many ships it can take quite a bit of material to do all of your bases. It also requires cutting and fitting of the pieces, but overall isn’t a bad idea.

Personally I didn’t want to try either of these options. So I went down to a local department store and got a value pack of little “bumpers”.

This assortment pack was about four dollars. I chose this pack to try the different bumpers in here and see which ones grip best to which surfaces. I tried the clear bumpers first. While at first glance they seemed like they were going to best the best option, in reality it takes two bumpers per corner to make them tall enough to touch the play surface and provide any grip. While they adhered quite nicely, they didn’t provide as much grip as I had hoped. The bases still slid quite a bit and needing double the amount makes them a pretty bad choice.

Second, I tried the raised bumpers. These aren’t even an option. While they do a decent job of gripping they are way too tall. They are actually so tall that the movement template slides right underneath the base. They will keep my cabinet doors from slamming though. Haha!

Lastly, I tried the gray soft dots. Oh Man! These little guys are right on the money! The height of these things is so perfect it almost hurts. The dot protrudes from the bottom just enough that they make solid contact with the play surface and grab like they are holding on for dear life. Say goodbye to shifting when you butt your template up to the base. The one negative thing that I can say is that they don’t add any additional weight. So I added a washer to the bottom to make sure that in addition to stopping the sliding, they will also be more resistant to being knocked over.

I haven’t checked back to see if these are available in a package of their own, but they are definitely the easiest, fastest, and most affordable solution to the problem. All you have to do is peel them off and stick one to each corner of the base and you are back in the fight, no mess, no cutting, and no waiting. But most Importantly, NO SLIDING AROUND ON THE TABLE, that way you can Stay On Target!

-Sergio P.