Hexes or Squares?

[Kaji]

My group would rather pluck their own eyeballs out than use squares.

 

[Ranger REG]

My group would rather pluck their own eyeballs out than use squares.

Ooh, can I watch?

As for hexes, it's old. Too old and too familiar than I can remember. Squares make things new.

 

[slaughterj]

Hexes for outdoor, squares for indoor.

As to why hexes outdoor, I think it's a throwback to 1e/2e when overland
maps were hex and indoor were square -- my guess would be since the
overland is more tactical and less battle-oriented, it's easier to show how
many hexes between two points instead of the "every other diagonal is 2"
rule.

A follow-up on this, I use maps for minis on them only where there is something going on, 99% of the time I mean battles (maybe a trap situation for the other 1%) - so I'm still unclear when people are using hexes only for outside if they aren't really doing *anything*?

 

[Brottor Dankil]

Cool, thanks! Interesting stuff, but how is that better than just using one of those roll up maps? I have a big one of those and don't seem to have issues with people going "off-map" really (though I do have a small one too for backup). Seems a bit pricey too, but it's been a LONG time since I bought my hex maps...

1) It's a hard flat surface (1/8" thick hard plastic) so you don't have minis falling over at the "humps" all the time.

2) It's dry-erase. Much cleaner than wet erase, quicker to draw because you can wipe away mistakes with a finger (no finger stains). Modifications to a drawing are a snap, not a mess as with wet-erase.

3) The dry-erase surface on the tiles do not stain, unlike the dry-erase mats or the wet-erase mats.

4) You can pre-draw tiles and reveal them one at a time as the party advances. A real time saver, gives you more "game" time and less "draw" time. Keeps the game moving. Usually leaves you with more space for books, food, dice, etc, too.

5) You hardly ever have to erase the entire surface and start all over. If the party needs to retreat, the area is usually still drawn out.

Tact-Tiles are more expensive than the mats, but you get what you pay for. I can't imagine playing on a roll out mat again.

 

[Derren]

Squares.

I want to be able to walk in a straight line.

 

[Ravellion]

Interesting, I wouldn't think the Gs could flank B either, that's part of the point of backing up against a wall...

Of course they would flank!

Let's just make the hexes disappear. What do we have? Three people backed against a wall as far as they can! So the middle one has one to the left of him, and the other to the right of him, doesn't get much clearer than that: flanked!

To avoid this "problem", I use squares.

Rav

 

[CalicoDave]

Of course they would flank!

Let's just make the hexes disappear. What do we have? Three people backed against a wall as far as they can! So the middle one has one to the left of him, and the other to the right of him, doesn't get much clearer than that: flanked!

To avoid this "problem", I use squares.

Rav

That's pretty much what the DM said as to why he gave the PC's a flank.

 

[Conaill]

Squares.

I want to be able to walk in a straight line.

Uhm... and what's stopping you? Surely not those little lines painted on the floor! At least hexes make it easier to count how far you're walking in that straight line.

 

[Ranger REG]

He meant walking a straight line after making a 90-degree turn, like at an intersection of a road.

 

[Quickbeam]

Squares inside, hexes outside.

Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner!
That's the way our group likes to play it also .