D&D 5E Movement

[mips42]

Preface: I prefer not to use maps or battle mats. I learned with TotM and so that is what I prefer.
Having said that, I know some like using grid maps and such. I anticipate there will be variant rule for this in the PHB or DMG.
What, if any, would be the drawbacks to a similar variant where you use wargaming-style (eg: Warhammer) movement where your person can move a certain number of inches but there is no grid. It seems like it would be an easy conversion: 5'=1" in whatever direction you want, no distance penalties for turning. Thoughts?

 

[Agamon]

I can't really see any, unless people are going to be finicky about it and measure it out every time they move. That would drag things out more than necessary, imo. "About" 3 inches is good enough.

 

[Gilwen]

For me when I do use a battle map I'd rather have the grids, it's way faster than actually measuring. And there would be murders over eyeballing it in one of my groups so for my safety it's a grid 1 inch = 5 feet works as well as 1 square = 5feet on a grid. No penalty for turning but depending on what the group prefers diagonal movement might cost you double, either way it doesn't break the game if diagonal movement is counted as normal 5ft.

 

[Evenglare]

Interestingly enough, this is how I always played 3e and 4e, but we didn't use super strict measuring, it works really well actually. We just used maps and figures more for relations rather than anything else.

 

[Jester David]

I've wanted to try it, possibly with a knotted piece of string cut to length.

 

[Tormyr]

I started making my own tiles a la dmscraft, and there was no way I was going to take the time to draw a grid on to those. I cut some balsa square stock in 1 foot lengths and marked it off in one inch increments labeled from 5 to 60. My table was willing to give it a shot. They mostly measure but sometimes just eyeball it. It doesn't really take much longer as you generally have to count out squares, and it is much better in that it can go in any direction instead of just orthogonally. All in all, it was an easy transition.