Review Of RGFT's Noteboard: The Pocket Dry-Erase Board

Less than a week ago, I saw G+ post about the usefulness, portability, and oh-so-coolness of the Noteboard -- the whiteboard that fits in your pocket from Really Great Freaking Things (AKA RGFT.net). I use a whiteboard for nearly all of my RPG scenarios (those who have gamed with me know I'm a fan of the "quick-sketch combat layout"), so I had to check out this item and see if it could work for me.

 Initially I was skeptical. The pouch that arrived was dwarfed by my usual whiteboard. Here you can see how the two measure up against each other.

Within the pouch is the folded-up Noteboard. A dry-erase pen is also enclosed, which was a nice addition to the package. Finally, the enclosed instructions mention that the pouch itself doubles as a dry eraser, so everything you need is all included in one small package. The first thing I noticed was that the Noteboard is marked off in an assortment of grids and layouts. Square-inches, square-centimeters, and hexagon-inches were all represented, making it PERFECT for sketching out dungeon layouts, overland encounter maps, battle maps, and a bunch of other RPG table applications. (The other side is blank white if you don't want to be distracted by any pre-printed markings.) Then I unfolded the Noteboard...

...and the Noteboard dwarfed my old whiteboard. The Noteboard lays out surprisingly flat and is easily twice as big as my old whiteboard. If I need less surface, it easily folds back upon itself. If I need a full skirmish map, I can use the whole thing. Very flexible! A test mark-up and erase of the Noteboard (not pictured) reveals that it holds the ink well and cleans up completely with the eraser. (No faint "Ghosts Of Drawings Past" linger on the surface.) And when I was done taking it for a test run, the whole package folded up neatly back into its pouch. Unlike my rigid whiteboard that I had to carry under my arm all day long at Gen Con and other cons, the Noteboard fits in a backpack pocket. Hell, you could put it in a vest pocket, your back pocket, or in a shirt pocket -- it's that portable. And weight-wise, it's no contest.

I've already chucked my gaming whiteboard into the closet of Ancient Gaming Relics. The Noteboard is a great replacement. Lightweight, portable, and huge when unfolded. Those who game with me will see this in action at the next gaming session. For $10.00 plus shipping, it's a no-brainer. The Noteboard is available at the manufacturer's website and at Amazon.