Would you play a TTRPG that used Meters instead of Feet?

[Slit518]

I've been playing Traveller for a long time. I'm an American.

I assume that uses Meters then? I have never heard of it.

 

[payn]

I assume that uses Meters then? I have never heard of it.

Yes, its a Sci-fi RPG out of U.K. that began back in '77 or so.

 

[Willie the Duck]

Let's say a new TTRPG came out, and for its measurement of moving, ability/spell distance, falling, etc, they used Meters instead of Feet. Would you be fine with that, and would you play it?

Example: You move 10 meters (1 step is 3 feet aka 1 meter).
From pec to the tip of a dagger is 3 feet, aka 1 meter.
Falling 4 meters aka 12 feet (about 1 story in height) deals damage.
Characters occupy a 1 meter hex.

Meters are a standard over most of the world and would I feel be more recognizable.

This is for research, so please vote and discuss.

Please note that relying on a volunteer-to-respond subset within the non-representative subgroup of gamers on this forum will have very limited use. Regardless, I am an American who grew up with the Imperial System, but learned the metric system in school (probably grade school for the majority, high school physics for the rest). I'm fairly comfortable going back and forth.

Within a gaming context, I find that meters and yards are generally close enough that the difference between the two falls well within the imprecision existent within the GM-player communication anyways (e.g. the DM probably hadn't thought about the height of the castle walls rigorously enough to know if they were closer to 10 meters or 10 yards tall until you asked them, etc.). If we are talking about a brand new game, I can't think of a reason why one or the other units would matter to me. Generally agree with the above person who wouldn't want to convert something already built around 5' increments or the like to metric.

I assume that uses Meters then? I have never heard of it.

Could you give us a brief synopsis of with which TTRPGs you are familiar? We might be able to point you towards a number of different examples and what measurement units they use.

 

[MGibster]

A lot of people like to joke that we don't use the metric system here in the United States, but that's not true at all. It's true, for most of us, we don't use metric in our daily lives to measure distance, weight, speed, etc., etc., but a lot of people use it professionally because it's the standard for their industry. If you go to a hospital the nurse won't be using fluid ounces when dispensing medication he or she will be using milliliters or micrograms. I don't need metric at all professionally, but I still have both standard and metric tools so I can work on my Honda lawnmower and my Toyotas.

So for games, sure, I've got no problem using metric. I think the first game I played that used metric measurements was Cyberpunk 2020 way back in 1991.

 

[Hand of Evil]

The problem is...conversion and the math involved. If the US just started using the metric system there would be no problem but NO, we had to complicate it with math and conversions. (American and would use it).

 

[Slit518]

Could you give us a brief synopsis of with which TTRPGs you are familiar? We might be able to point you towards a number of different examples and what measurement units they use.

All versions of D&D (or almost all), Pathfinder, a little bit of Starfinder, Conan Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of (a 2d20 system that uses close, moderate, far as a measurement system), DemonWars Reformation, and some video games like that are "like" TTRPGs, such as X-Com, Black Guard, though the video games measurments if I am not mistaken were just blocks or squares.

A lot of people like to joke that we don't use the metric system here in the United States, but that's not true at all. It's true, for most of us, we don't use metric in our daily lives to measure distance, weight, speed, etc., etc., but a lot of people use it professionally because it's the standard for their industry. If you go to a hospital the nurse won't be using fluid ounces when dispensing medication he or she will be using milliliters or micrograms. I don't need metric at all professionally, but I still have both standard and metric tools so I can work on my Honda lawnmower and my Toyotas.

And we sell liquids in liters, too, like 1 liter bottle, 2 liter bottle, 3 liter bottle.

 

[billd91]

Yes, its a Sci-fi RPG out of U.K. that began back in '77 or so.

Well, it's out of the UK now. But it was originally a US-designed game. Of course, I remember the US being optimistic about adopting the metric system back in the 1970s. There were educational shows for children about it.

 

[MGibster]

Well, it's out of the UK now. But it was originally a US-designed game. Of course, I remember the US being optimistic about adopting the metric system back in the 1970s. There were educational shows for children about it.

Oh, yeah. We all learn metric in school. King Henry Died Drinking Chocolate Milk. Kilo Hecto Deca Deci Centi Milli

 

[numtini]

Since like 1980, yeah.

 

[Zaukrie]

It's played in squares or tables with tape or in our head. Ok f everything in the rules, this might be the least important.