Base measurement in DDN

[IronWolf]

I voted for 5' squares with measurement in feet. That is largely because that is what I am used to and have played with for a long time.

With that said, I would be fine with yards or meters as well as long as talk about them in measurement and not squares.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

I like 1 yard/metre measurement scheme-- though it would force a re-think of exactly how to treat threatened area, reach, space, and the like.

But I think it would be neat to call them "paces" instead. IMO, it's got a more fantasy feel; it's fairly intuitive to understand in realword terms; and it more or less maps 1:1 into yards/metres, anyway.

 

[Fifth Element]

Meters are part of that metric system fad they tried pushing on us back in the 1970s.

I think you might not understand what "fad" means. Or you're joking?

All measurement is abstract. They're human creations and as such, we cannot honestly say that one is more legitimate than another.

Absolutely. But it probably does help a bit to measure things in something that can exist in the game world. Metres seems anachronistic in a D&D game, so yards is the best choice IMO.

 

[Fifth Element]

But I think it would be neat to call them "paces" instead. IMO, it's got a more fantasy feel; it's fairly intuitive to understand in realword terms; and it more or less maps 1:1 into yards/metres, anyway.

Well, pace has the disadvantage of not having a formal definition, and also of being further from a metre than a yard is. In common usage it seems to be 80% of a metre, whereas a yard is 91% of a metre.

 

[Lalato]

I vote for a yard...

 

[variant]

It should be decided based on ease of use. Yards aren't easy to use as I said, most people don't think in yards on a regular basis.

 

[Fifth Element]

It should be decided based on ease of use. Yards aren't easy to use as I said, most people don't think in yards on a regular basis.

So, metres then?

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

Well, pace has the disadvantage of not having a formal definition, and also of being further from a metre than a yard is. In common usage it seems to be 80% of a metre, whereas a yard is 91% of a metre.

Is that really a disadvantage? Turn it around: what advantage is there in using yards or meters?

In the end, it's just a convenience to mark points on a map in a fictitious world. "Pace" is no more or less arbitrary that "yard" or "meter"-- and happens to be a vague real-world term that essentially matches both those sizes, without playing favorites among the metric-yeah/metric-nay people.

 

[Redbadge]

Measuring things in hexes and squares assumes grid combat and I hate grid combat.

My world uses squares, and it has nothing to do with grid combat.

Fighter: So your majesty, we must rescue the princess. How far away is she?
King: The brutes' lair is not far. Just beyond the Bristlewood in fact, 12 kilosquares from here. (about 11.3 miles/18.2 kilometers).

Square being the literal in-world definition of a measure of distance equal to 5' on a side (sort of like an acre is 4840 square yards, also known as plowsquare in my world, or the amount of land than can be plowed in a day, about 1764 squares).

In my game, when a player says his character walks six squares, he's not using a game term.

Edit: Note also that my players' characters do not even have the concept of feet and yards as measures of distance. Feet are the things attached to your legs and yards are places to keep pigs/practice combat/etc. Just as there is no such thing as gallons; instead we use "skins" (the amount a water skin holds, 2 quarts/half a gallon).

 

[Mishihari Lord]

I voted 10' squares with measurement in feet. It's traditional and I see no compelling reason to change it.

I'd have preferred an option for feet indoors, yards outdoors for the same reason.