Considering Hexes instead of squares

[DerekSTheRed]

bigger creatures

Large and bigger creatures are treated the same as they are in squares. It's no harder. See the UA SRD on it.

After looking at the SRD for UA, it does make a bit more sense to me. I was having trouble seeing Large as 3 hexes until now. If I'm reading it right, a burst 2 is the same as a 10 foot radius and a blast 6 is the same as the 30 foot cone, right?

Derek

 

[Dormain1]

Hex battlemats are not hard to find, but Plane Sailing was asking about a hex transparency... not sure where you'd get that.

Create your own, it may take a few hours but just go down to your local rubber store and get a clear section of plastic in what ever size you want it shouldn't cost you more than $20, and mark it with permenant markers

just don't try to after a few drinks the hexes turn into circles

worse case scenario buy a hex battlemat and contact it (ie clear wrap used to protect books)

 

[Blackeagle]

Create your own, it may take a few hours but just go down to your local rubber store and get a clear section of plastic in what ever size you want it shouldn't cost you more than $20, and mark it with permenant markers

You can also get 8.5"x11" transparent sheets that you can print on with a laser printer. Get some of these and and print a graphic of a hexgrid on them.

 

[Graf]

I love hexes. All my players over the years have hated them though, so I've basically given up.

Especially since the published stuff is all squares.

Would love to see what Kobu works up if he or she is interested in sharing..

 

[Micco]

What WotC ought to do is make offset square/hex versions of their maps available along with the PDF versions of the adventures. It shouldn't take them much effort to make.

I'd be very happy if they just provided a version of their maps in pdf form without any grid system. Then we could apply any grid we want (especially since MapTools has built-in hexes and squares!)

 

[Zinovia]

Although I may use the provided maps (squares and all) for the adventure, we always have used a hex grid for 3.5, and I see no reason to change that for 4E. I find them more intuitive with regards to movement and flanking. It also eliminates the dreaded firecubes and square cones.

I may make some circle and cone templates for the different area bursts and blasts, but they aren't too hard to figure out. As for drawing dungeons, our grid has a small dot in the center of each hex that helps with some straight lines, also we use a ruler (radical concept I know), and let the partial hexes fall where they may. The grid is there to help us, not to artificially constrain the movement of our characters, or the shape of things in the world.

 

[Kobu]

I love hexes. All my players over the years have hated them though, so I've basically given up.

Especially since the published stuff is all squares.

Would love to see what Kobu works up if he or she is interested in sharing..

I think there would be copyright issues with putting the maps up for download. I'll post the steps at least if it works out.

Question for those that have KotS already. Did they do the registration code thing to get the PDF with errata, or was that just a pipe dream? I can't use the D&D website for more than a few minutes without going cross-eyed so I can't tell what's there or not.

 

[Jhaelen]

Did they do the registration code thing to get the PDF with errata, or was that just a pipe dream?

They dismissed that idea.

 

[parvatiquinta]

Most of the arguments against hexes can be reduced to "drawing on a hex grid is (supposedly) harder".
A few weeks ago, while we were discussing the matter of the 'irrealistic' 4E diagonals on it.hobby.giochi.gdr.dnd, Vincenzo Beretta suggested this brilliant solution: a hex-like distribution for squares (or, how to square the hex).
I've made a pdf sheet for use with my tokens you can find here.

I used this for my (fast-play) 4E demos at my gaming club's convention last weekend, and I must say it really is a reasonable compromise - almost as good to spot movement at a glance as real hexes, but with a lot less wasted space in dungeons and the like.

 

[StarFyre]

it's easy

We've moved over completely to grid less. Our board has a grid for drawing stuff (it's still easier to keep track of dungeons on a grid of course, for sake of ensuring it matches the map in your notes), but for movement we go warhammer style. Tape measures. Move in any path that you can based on distance.

AoO are simple. If they happen to move within an inch of an enemy (or whatever distance the DM and players agree on), it's an AoO. It's easy to mediate since it doesn't need to be exact unless you want it to be. For us...if you move 'close enough' that an enemy with a 4 ft long or 5 ft long weapon could reach you (minding that the bases a standard character is on is considered a 5 ft area), then you are AoO'd...

Sanjay