D&D 4E Should 4e convert to metric?

[parvatiquinta]

Seriously, though, I like five-foot squares a lot better than two-meter squares. Two meters just seems a bit too big.

D&D translations do feature 1.5-metre squares.

As for me, I'd go for 1-metre squares myself. If I'm not mistaken, that's what (at least in early editions) the German Das Schwarze Auge uses.

 

[DeusExMachina]

D&D translations do feature 1.5-metre squares.

As for me, I'd go for 1-metre squares myself. If I'm not mistaken, that's what (at least in early editions) the German Das Schwarze Auge uses.

I must admit that every time somebody mentions Das Schwarze Auge (The Black Eye) this image pops into my head of an RPG based around spousal abuse...

 

[parvatiquinta]

The Italian translation's title was changed to "A look into the dark" (Uno sguardo nel buio). I do admit I like that better.
As far as the world name goes, on the other hand, the old videogame trilogy Arkania sounds cooler to me than our Atlantis (which is still better than Aventuria though).

But we digress...

 

[Tuft]

It's not more natural, it's more accurate. When you say 1.60, you don't actually mean 'one and sixty hundredths'. you mean 'one and six tenths' or at best 'one and twelve twelve twentieths'. your use of centimeters implies more precision than you've actually got. Whereas, when we say 5'4", we actually mean 'five and four twelfths'. what's more, one inch is about 2.5 cm--twice as precise as the 'round to the nearest five cm' system you folks seem to have.

That's easily indicated by context; In Swedish there are half a dozen words I could use in the sentence to indicate that someone is "about 1 m 80 long" and half a dozen others I can use to say that it is an precise measurement. It's like when you in the US say the temperature is in the seventies - you use the number 70 in such a manner that you indicate that the zero isn't significant. And I assume you can say it is "70 degrees outside" when it actually is 72 Farenheit...

 

[Halivar]

Thereby I suggest we do equipment weights in 'stuffs'.

Backpacks can hold twenty stuffs. If anyone objects, we can tell 'em to stuff it, etc

I can't believe there wasn't an option for the Diablo Customary system, where every backpack can hold 4x10 Diablo Backpack Squares (dbc). Potions are 1 dbc, books are 1x2 dbc, and a set of full-plate is 2x4 dbc. And 1 dbc skulls make a satisfying "thok!" sound every time you put one in your pack.

 

[Tuft]

Now this I appreciate.
most metric recipes that I have seen list their dry ingredients in grams. Frankly, I don't care about imperial versus metric when it comes to cooking--as long as the directions specify ingredients by volume.

Who takes the time to use a scale? That seems extraordinarily silly.

One of the most common kitchen implements here is instead a set of measuring cups, with 1 dl, 10 ml ("table spoon"), 5 ml ("tea spoon") and 1 ml ("spice measure").

http://www.ikea.com/PIAimages/53325_PE157704_S4.jpg

I assume you have approximately the same thing.

 

[lukelightning]

D&D translations do feature 1.5-metre squares.

That sounds awkward for converting distances to squares. The corridor is 50 meters long: it's easy to convert this to squares if the units are 2 meter, but 1.5?

I know things are going to be in squares anyways, but do many DMs describe the environment in terms of squares, outside of combat? "The tunnel is 14 squares long... the tower is 10 squares tall. The cow is 3 squares away..."

 

[Brown Jenkin]

Who takes the time to use a scale? That seems extraordinarily silly.

One of the most common kitchen implements here is instead a set of measuring cups, with 1 dl, 10 ml ("table spoon"), 5 ml ("tea spoon") and 1 ml ("spice measure").

http://www.ikea.com/PIAimages/53325_PE157704_S4.jpg

I assume you have approximately the same thing.

Then there is the kitchen measuring system many of us learned.

"A fair Amount"
"Add until thickened"
"Add until it tastes good"
"A Dash"
"A Pinch"

 

[reanjr]

The main reason for the metric system is, imho, the weird relationship between the imperial units. Twelve inches make a foot, three feet make a yard, how many yard make a furlong, a mile, a statute mile, a nautical mile?

12 is a much better number for divisibility than 10. Furlong is archaic. It's only relevence today in America is its tenuous connection to the acre. A statute mile is a mile which is 5280 feet or 1760 yards. These numbers aren't that hard to remember.

How do you convert square feet to square miles?

Same way you convert square cm to square m. In this case 5280 * 5280. And how often does one need to do that?

In the metric system, the name of a unit makes clear its relationship to related units. And I'm very much for systems I don't have to learn by heart.

It's only clear to you because you have learned it by heart. I know many Americans who wouldn't know where to begin converting dm to m, or cubic cm to liters, but that can convert all daily use units in the imperial system with no problem.

There is nothing magical about decimal numbers. If you study ( http://www.amazon.com/Universal-History-Numbers-Prehistory-Invention/dp/0471375683 is a good reference ) the psychology of human understanding of mathematics, especially numbers and their association with value, you'll find that mixed base systems (like distance in imperial being based on 3's and 4's) is alot easier to intuitively understand and therefore make quick estimations in. The metric system limits us to doing arithmetic calculations rather than quicker and more intuitive methods.

 

[WhatGravitas]

Who takes the time to use a scale? That seems extraordinarily silly.

For dry ingredients? Well, I've never seen anybody measuring by volume for dry ingredients! (except very small amounts, like a teaspoon of something.)

Cheers, LT.