Game Table, Maps, and 3D environments

[dngnkeeper]

Has anyone tried using the movement rules for Mechwarrior Dark Age in 4e? Meaning you lay out your table/gaming surface with the props you need and use a flexible ruler for movement. LOS (Line of Site) would be from your miniatures point of view and so on. I am thinking about trying this as it will give the "visual" player more to look at and make decisions more strategic for the folks that like that aspect as well. I dont think that it would change any rules, but it would give more freeform to movement and cover.

So before I set out to try this I wanted to know if anyone has had sucess with this.

 

[frankthedm]

Has anyone tried using the movement rules for Mechwarrior Dark Age in 4e? Meaning you lay out your table/gaming surface with the props you need and use a flexible ruler for movement. LOS (Line of Site) would be from your miniatures point of view and so on. I am thinking about trying this as it will give the "visual" player more to look at and make decisions more strategic for the folks that like that aspect as well. I dont think that it would change any rules, but it would give more freeform to movement and cover.

So before I set out to try this I wanted to know if anyone has had sucess with this.

This is how my group plays pretty much all RPGs. Much preferable to using a grid.

Buuuut 4E was built so much around the grid that the DM will have to reinterpret area effects, notably bursts to be fair to attackers and defenders.

 

[James McMurray]

This could be pretty cool, but given the number of combats in a typical session, our group would either always fight in the same area or need a couple of room prepped and ready with scenery before each session.

 

[MarauderX]

I like the grid, as otherwise using line of sight becomes annoying as each player measures, hems & haws at what they want to do, changes their mind, measures again...

Another part of that is how you calculate how close a mini needs to be to take Opportunity Attacks, and you get this:
Player: "I move just out of reach but around the ogre, and I should still have some movement left over to get through the door."
DM:"I think you're short by 1/4", so the ogre will take an OA."
P: "No way, ok, well, um, I'll not do that. Ok, let's see which of these 20 goblins are within longbow range..."

I guess it depends on how fast you want to move your game along.

 

[James McMurray]

I believe the standard way of using a table where you measure is to say that you declare your action and then measure. If it turns out to be invalid, your action fails. So instead of "which goblin is in range" it's "I fire at him (measures). Crap, he was out of range so I miss."

 

[MarkB]

I believe the standard way of using a table where you measure is to say that you declare your action and then measure. If it turns out to be invalid, your action fails. So instead of "which goblin is in range" it's "I fire at him (measures). Crap, he was out of range so I miss."

Aside from not seeming very D&D-ish, that unduly favours players who are better at eyeballing distances on a gaming table. That shouldn't be an entry requirement for playing an RPG.

 

[James McMurray]

It's not an entry requirement for playing an RPG, it's a benefit when playing a heavily house ruled version of D&D that uses rulers instead of a grid and insists that you declare first, measure afterwards. If you don't like it, don't do it (we certainly don't).

However, it's either that or find some other way of avoiding lots of "oh, then I do ___ instead." All of them involve either giving a benefit to the person who doesn't have to rethink their actions, or just not using rulers.

 

[MarkB]

It's not an entry requirement for playing an RPG, it's a benefit when playing a heavily house ruled version of D&D that uses rulers instead of a grid and insists that you declare first, measure afterwards. If you don't like it, don't do it (we certainly don't).

However, it's either that or find some other way of avoiding lots of "oh, then I do ___ instead." All of them involve either giving a benefit to the person who doesn't have to rethink their actions, or just not using rulers.

One option that would work well with 4e's standardised powers would be to create card rulers and templates calibrated to the ranges of each player's powers. That way, it would be only a moment's work to determine whether an opponent is in range.