battlemaps vs raaaaaaange

[alsih2o]

i am having a small difficulty. some of the spells and arrows that go flying around in my campaign are outscaling the battlemat. this isn't normally a huge problem but my characters are going to have to reenter the open plains again soon and that means chances at some long range arrow firing (not a big problem in the mature forest they are in now) and some long range spells.

does anyone have a homemade slution to this? do oyu just make one 5 foot sqaure on the map a squiggly like in arch. drawings and declare it is longer? something better?

 

[orbitalfreak]

We mostly stay indoors (dungeons, etc.), and so don't run into this problem. Off the top of my head, I would suggest using a differently-scaled battlemat. Go into just about any image-editing software and make a 1/2" or even 1/4" grid, and print out several sheets. A pair of sciscors and a little scotch tape later, and you have a big-ole battlemat for large areas.

 

[diaglo]

tape measure. 1" = 5'

or string.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

It's pretty easy so long as all members of both sides stay together - just write down the distance, and how it changes from round to round.

If groups split up (one PC double moves to close, while another single moves and fires a bow, while another stays at long distance casting spells) I write down each relevant combatant and note the distance moved until they get on the mat - and I just put the enemies on the mat.

PC 1 360-300-240 etc.
PC 2 360-330-300
PC 3 360-360-360
NPC1 0-60-120-180

and so on.

Or you can buy one of the new 8 foot by 4 foot battlemats that they've got out - that represents 480 feet in length. I want one, but I don't have a table big enough to roll it out on!

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

We put dice next to the figure to indicate how far it is off the map.

So a mini with a d6 next to it showing "4", is 20' off the map.

 

[Negative Zero]

yeah, we usually use the squiggly method. or in some instances, the one sq = 10 ft method. for the most part, they both work fine. the trick is finding the right place to switch the measurements back to normal.

~NegZ

 

[Utrecht]

In addition to the dice thing I have also changed the scale at a certain distance from the PCs.

Thus, for the 20 or so squares around the PC's the scale is 1' = 5"

Beyond those 20 squares 1' = 20"

In effect having an in melee scale and a ranged scale simultaneously.

 

[Taloras]

Hmm...battlemaps....should i even get one.........im going to be running an underwater campaign, so battlemaps might not even be useful (you are 40 feet above him and 20 feet to the left, what do you do?

 

[Umbran]

something better?

IME, when the fighting parties are that far apart, you don't require the detail found on a battlemap. When the opponent is a few hundred feet away, his being five feet to either side doesn't matter so much. You can deal with the situation more quickly and easily with a quick sketch, or no map at all.

 

[Arnwyn]

Re: Re: battlemaps vs raaaaaaange

IME, when the fighting parties are that far apart, you don't require the detail found on a battlemap. When the opponent is a few hundred feet away, his being five feet to either side doesn't matter so much. You can deal with the situation more quickly and easily with a quick sketch, or no map at all.

Bingo. That's the same for us - we don't need a battlemap when there are long ranges involved.

Just a quick sketch to show how far apart the opponents are for AOE spells is the most that is needed, IME.