WOTC Web Site: Going Metric?

[Hypersmurf]

Rules of the Game has been an EXCELLENT column so far; probably one of the best they've done.

Labelling the house rule about disregarding flanking opponents "Totally Unofficial": Good Thing.

Not labelling the house rule about invisible creatures being unable to provide a flanking bonus "Totally Unofficial": Bad Thing.

-Hyp.

 

[Eltern]

IMC I've made all squares/5ft increments into meters. The room/hall segments now make SENSE now. A 10 foot hallway? A 2m hallway! Much better!

 

[Dirigible]

IMC I've made all squares/5ft increments into meters. The room/hall segments now make SENSE now. A 10 foot hallway? A 2m hallway! Much better!

That's it, Eltern, you are no officially no longer my tailor.

 

[Alzrius]

The US would be entirely metric by now if it wasn't for the Stonecutter conspiracy.

Probably true for Britain as well. They do, after all, control the British Crown.

 

[Gez]

I recommend imperial/english/u.s. standard system fans to browse this hilarious website.

I think it's a spoof. Anyway, I like this metric conversion table from their rambling section:

TABLE OF USEFUL METRIC CONVERSIONS

1 trillion microphones = 1 megaphone
2000 mockingbirds = two kilomockingbirds
10 cards = 1 decacards
1 millionth of a fish = 1 microfiche
453.6 graham crackers = 1 pound cake
1 trillion pins = 1 terrapin
10 rations = 1 decoration
100 rations = 1 C-ration
10 millipedes = 1 centipede
3 1/3 tridents = 1 decadent
2 monograms = 1 diagram
8 nickels = 2 paradigms
2 wharves = 1 paradox

 

[Gez]

That's it, Eltern, you are no officially no longer my tailor.

You prefer 10 feet hallways?

OK, fine. To each his own...

 

[Guillaume]

Great. The approximations they're using contradict the (metric) Italian version of D&D. I am forced to hope that they keep using imperial units for the English books, otherwise I'm in for big headaches.

The approximations also contradict their own French translation. In the French books orginally translated inhous, they used the 5 feet = 1.5 m scale. To me, it just doesn't make sense to use the 5 feet = 2 m scale. The differences are just way to big. Anyhow, I just don't see it as more complicated to calculate 1.5 multipliers than 2 multipliers.

They started this trend with d20 Modern. Okay, maybe with Star Wars, but I definitely do not like it. If you are going to use approximations to translate Imperial/US/English measurments to metric, you should at least use the ones that reflect reality. I mean 2 meters is a little more than 6½ feet. That's alot more, to me at least, than 5 feet !

 

[wocky]

No way I'm using the metric equivalences posted by Wizards... I'm already used to converting 5ft -> 1.5 m. whenever we (us, metric kids) need to picture a specific length. Using 2m squares is a very rough aproximation, which changes the type of maps in commercial modules to Aberration... plus, you end up with walking speeds which are a tad too fast to my taste. :\

 

[Oldtimer]

IMC I've made all squares/5ft increments into meters. The room/hall segments now make SENSE now. A 10 foot hallway? A 2m hallway! Much better!

I totally agree. By converting 5' = 1m (with some common sense exceptions here and there) I've given the game a true metric feeling.

The problem with 5' = 1.5m is that all measurements feel very converted. Like Close spell range: 7.5m + 1.5m/two levels. Extremely converted.

By using Close spell range: 6m + 1m/level I get almost the same ranges and a feeling that the metric system is native to the game.

/Mikael