[3.5] Focus on Minis. How so?

[Aaron2]

Monte says: "The game has an even stronger focus on miniatures."

I see this alot and hear people complain alot but I'm not sure exactly what has changed. Is all that's being discussed the occasional use of "squares" instead of feet? That's the only actual fact I've heard. Plus I know that the combat chapter uses photoes of minis in its examples, but that is not a rules change.

Its weird since all the moster write-ups I've seen still list movement, facing, and reach in feet.

Aaron

 

[Someone]

Arguably, the change to facing is another change towards minitures use (like if miniatures could not have rectangular bases) but I agree with you: people who don´t use miniatures will have exactly the same problems they have now.

 

[Crothian]

What I don't understand is how the distance in squares is going to mess people up who do not use minis. I thing the conversation of one square equals five feet is rather simplistic. It's not they are using meters

 

[Aaron2]

I just read the sample "squeezing" page that gaming report posted a few days ago and I kinda see what Monte was talking about. However, all the related game stats are still listed in feet, its just the detailed movement section that deals in squares. I figure that section will be ignored by non-mini users no matter how it was written


Aaron.

 

[Anubis the Doomseer]

1. Squeezing rules - makes sense when you see it in miniature scale, make little/no sense in pure narrative.

2. Space - the footprints of creatures in a narrative combat are less abstract in shape and more fluid based on situation/body positioning, etc.

3. Spell templates - encourage more tactical look at combat, narrative combat makes it feel much more "first person".

4. The change to "squares" as unit of distance/area - it is counter-intuative because for the narrative combatant it is an additional layer of abstraction they have to work through. It makes little sense - especially since differing types of battles may require differing scales to the map - in other words, a square is not always a square, and it does not always equal 5ft.