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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Man in the Funny Hat" data-source="post: 7810952" data-attributes="member: 32740">I'm no SCHOLAR on the topic, but...D&D has always used miniatures.  Not EVERYBODY used miniatures for D&D, but D&D was heavily derived from tabletop wargaming and use of miniatures.  Currently the accepted miniatures scale is 25MM but it used to be smaller (20MM?) -  because miniatures were again initially taken from table wargaming which had figures representing a lot more than one individual and it was desirable to have a smaller scale to better fit lots of miniatures to a table.  As miniatures companies began providing miniatures for RPG's they initially kept to the same scale.Distances in D&D were measured in scale had differing scales for indoor and outdoor action.  Outdoors it was more like a straight-forward tabletop wargame.  Indoors it didn't cover nearly as large an area, movement of individuals was more restricted and range of weapons and spells was also reduced to fit the smaller scale of the action.  As D&D was developed the use of multiple scales for measurement was dropped entirely, and only ONE scale became used - 1" on a table top=5'.  Miniatures also increased in size, which better fit that scale and they also then lent themselves better to painting details on them.From the beginning/early days of D&D, dungeons and structures were being drawn out on graph paper.  This provided multiple benefits.  For one thing you didn't need to be an architect, just able to make it LOOK like something appropriate.  But also in early editions elapsed time for exploring dungeons was carefully marked in turns but distances moved in a turn altered according to the other actions the party was taking.  Mapping as you go meant much slower movement, then there was looking for traps or secret doors, etc.  As DM, by drawing stuff in big, obvious, 10' squares you make your job of tracking how far the party has moved MUCH easier.  And then of course a 10' corridor meant at least 3 PC's could line up abreast, with a second rank with missiles, spells and occasionally reach weapons and combats were more dynamic and interesting.  Rooms were even LARGER and combats looked more like they did in open terrain outdoors (even if the movement, along with spell and weapon ranges were reduced).Was it unrealistic?  You bet.  Still is.  Hopelessly so.  But it makes for FAR better game play.</blockquote>

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