Okay, where do you stand on diagonal movement?

[Darth Cyric]

I don't particularly care. Yeah, 1-2-1-2 is more mathematically accurate, but I'm definitely keeping an open mind toward 1-1-1-1, so I voted that.

 

[dblade]

1-1-1-1 is Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun!

Seriously I like the simplification. It will make it easier to eyeball movement on the game table and speed up play. I don't even mind the Firecube.

 

[Exen Trik]

Actually, 1-1-1 diagonals make the 20-foot diameter circular room a piece of cake...

Yeah, a SQUARE piece

 

[keterys]

And if THAT doesn't work, then I'll shrug and turn to other games, like M&M.

Interesting - so 1-1-1-1 is actually a total deal breaker for you. Have you actually played with it before? *curious*

 

[Will]

Nope.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Interesting - so 1-1-1-1 is actually a total deal breaker for you. Have you actually played with it before?

It is the deal-breaker for me, and I playtested it for several hours. I experienced two problems:

(1) Judging distances intuitively was out the window. With 1-2-1-2 movement I was able to make instant judgments, just by the positions of the pieces, without even looking at the grid, as to how much movement was involved in getting from Point A to Point B. 1-1-1-1 movement doesn't allow those kinds of intuitive guesses based on the way real-world distance works. Any speed-up in play from actually moving 1-1-1-1 was at least canceled out by the need to count distances of distance from other pieces on the grid. (Well, either that or make unfairly bad tactical decisions.)

(2) I simply couldn't get around how dumbed down it was; how much it relied on players just not really understanding the implications. Not just in play, but in encounter area design. (And judging from the threads here, they took a pretty good gamble. It's surprising to me how good.)

 

[jeffh]

I stand with 1-2-1-2. But after seeing some of the powers, I think house ruling 4E won't be so easy, so I'll probably keep half of my brain at home and just use 1-1-1-1.

Delericho said the same thing and I'll give you a short version of the same answer I pointed him to; I don't see the problem. So it reduces the Rogue with Positioning Strike and a Charisma of, say, 14 from having (theoretically, in the limiting case) 24 options for where to slide his opponent to to 20. That doesn't seem like a big problem to me. I'd like, at the very least, to see something more specific than I have to date about what the problem is supposed to be, exactly; everyone I've seen suggest there is one has been very vague about what it actually is.

 

[Gloombunny]

After reading this and a few other threads on the 1-1-1-1 debate, my only question is:

Why not hexes?

With hexes, you can use 1-1-1-1 with no problem, and can have organically shaped effects, (i.e., no firecube spells).

The downsides, as far as I can see them:

• You can only surround a hex with 6 medium-sized figures, as opposed to 8 when using a grid. (I rarely play with a group larger than six, so its not really an issue, as far as I'm concerned. Maybe DMs might not like their kobold swarms getting only +6 to hit, instead of +8?)

• The half-hex issue, (or 1/4 hex, or less), when creating a space bounded by flat walls or other barriers. But I guess I would just rule that if there's a half a hex or more, you can stand there, and if there's less, you can't.

I get the feeling I'm missing a bigger issue or two, though...

Hooray for hexes!

I actually consider the first downside you mention to be an upside. The idea that eight dudes can surround one dude and all be close enough to punch him is kinda silly. Even six is a lot to squeeze around one guy. (It might be a bit different when a bunch of Small dudes are surrounding one Medium dude, but that should be chalked up to D&D's odd handling of the Small/Medium difference, not to hexes.)

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

Other - I don't care. As long as everyone's using the same rules it really doesn't matter to me.

 

[FungiMuncher]

I voted other. I personally don't care, but will go with whatever rules edition I'm playing calls for.

If I have a player that complains in a future 4E game I run, I'll instruct hime to multiply his character's speed by 10. Diagonal movement costs 14 points, non-diagonal cost 10.