Hi Otherwolder,
 
When I read your post, I was happy to see my mats inspired you to make your own. Secondly, it got me thinking again about using Inked Playmats for LOTR LCG player mats.  I had not gone that route initially so I could experiment at a lower cost of production and because I live in Montreal, Canada.  Shipping for me is slow and expensive from the States even if we're so close.  Two months ago, I created a new player mat design for Inked Playmats.  I like the result.  I posted an article on it on the Boardkit projet blog.  I call it my Dark Canvas. Here how it looks.  Thanks for getting me to try Inked Playmats finally. Still very expensive and slow to deliver, but very nice.  FYI, this version of the player mat is focused on solo play.
 
Cheers,
 
LoC
 

Yes, back from vacation or would have chimed in sooner, it really works best with characters woven into the story the way the start up suggests and is geared to start 1st rank.
 
You can fiddle ranks of foes easily enough etc but would really want to work on weaving existing characters into it.  I ran 1000 Thrones into epic levels, we retired those PC's and then started Enemy Within.
 
It is a nice shift as vampires are not a big deal in it.
 
The backgrounds (like gently born above) and 'questions' for Players to answer that bind them as a group and also give them a reason to naturally be interested in threads that when pulled lead into the adventure are great techniques to use generally in campaigns.  This is my favourite part of the whole campaign really, though it has some nice bits in it and pays some homages to past novels etc. (the author being a long time warhammer author).
 
For new characters, I gave Players using a background 1 less starting CP to create a PC with (the advantages with a background are actually worth slightlly more than what one CP generally gives).  I created "background talent cards" to reflect the ongoing ability advantages, along with other  cards and materials for the campaign which I can share if you like.
 
It has some of the "across the Empire" flavour of 1000 Thrones (from the other end, so nice change for Players) but is more tightly woven (having one author) and thankfully has no "chicken hunt".

I said this back on page 2 or 3 but I'm just going to say it again. Inequality of combat potential is only a problem if the intent of combat is to fight.
The intent of combat is NEVER to fight (outside of some very rare scenarios such as a gladatorial combat). It is always a means to an end. I think this entire problem comes from a D&D / MMO mindset where two groups meet for the purpose of murdering each other. Really, how realistic is that?
You're trying to rescue a captured prisoner? Everyone has something to do - Marauder can battle stormtroopers, the Tech can try to release the restraints, thief trying to get the escape pod working...
You're trying to protect the assassination target from Bounty Hunters? Marauder is shielding him, Merc and the BH are providing covering fire as they fall back...
You've just stolen the Jewel of Yavin and guards are pouring in? Marauder is trying to make a Brawn roll to pull the steel shutters off the window and the Pilot is trying to position the cloud car beneath the window and people are trying to make the Athletics rolls to jump into the speeder...
Storm troopers are guarding the shield generator? One of them is trying to get to the speeder bike so that she can warn the battalion, two others are trying to lower the blast doors, one is heading for the gantry overhead so he can take sniper shots at the Astromech droid the party will use to shut down the shields...
As long as you're not running combats as two groups artificially trying to murder each other, but rather actually achieve something, then a high soak marauder is seldom a problem. Instead they are an asset to the team, not something that dominates and takes away all fun from the other players. A marauder can kill three times as many enemies as the rest of the PCs put together and the PC who wired the enemy's hyperdrive to blow and thus end the pursuit will still be / feel like the one who saved the day.
This is not an MMO. This is not D&D. Being the best at taking blows does not mean you are the hero of every encounter. Make encounters environmentally rich, make objectives complex and the problem is massively diminished. In D&D you tend to think of "here is a room, the PCs will fight these creatures here, I have added a lava pit that people cannot cross". I once ran a battle in and out of a tenement block where the creature (a materializing and de-materializing spirit) kept running between floors and would climb up the outside of the building. You had PCs leaning out of windows shfiring up and down, another in the alley below providing covering fire upwards... If there's a lava pit in an EotE game it's not going to be "something PCs cannot cross", it's going to be something someone fires their grappling hook at the gundark and pulls it into it.
Imagination and realism make this problem go away. And if that advice falls under the "be a better GM" category then I'm 100% fine with that because saying so doesn't dismiss this as a solution. Be a better GM - think through what people are actually trying to achieve in an encounter and where it's actually taking place, and you'll have fewer problems.
Someone earlier said that if the Marauder goes down then you're looking at TPN. Well, no. If it looks like you're beaten then the PCs should run away.

You could play him overconfident with knowledge.
This can lead him to dangerous situations.
Don't worry I read this in a book and...holy ****!   What's that!!!
 
The scribe in are group had the highest Observation and went crazy seeing things he should.
 
putting your character in difficult situations has two effect
1. Give some roleplay between combat encounters
2. Can putt your character in early retirement.