Hi all, I've been running a play-by-post EP game and I plan on using a flash based map maker (by paper make it I believe. If anyone's interested i'll find a link) to handle things like combat. Has anyone here played EP (or any other rpg that doesn't already have rules to handle this) on a map and come up with any rules adaptations?
I already know I'd like to use a "every other diagonal" type rule for movement, and things like blast area are easy to apply. What I could really use advice on is scale. One square representing one meter seemed natural, but I figure an average character would probably have a footprint closer to 2m and I'd have to make fairly large maps for any significant space. So now i'm considering 2m per square, but i'm worried about fiddley 1m ranges.
So, any thoughts, suggestions, other things I should consider from people with more experience? Sorry if this has come up before, but a quick search only revealed a discussion on which minis to use. :)
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Using a map and grid for gaming
Sat, 2011-08-06 13:03
#1
Azathoth
Using a map and grid for gaming
Sat, 2011-08-06 16:20
#2
Xagroth
Re: Using a map and grid for gaming
You will use a computer, without any need for printing the maps? Then the size of the map is not relevant, go for the 1m sided squares, because:
- A character roughly needs 1 meter to stay (about 2x0x1 meters if prone). Making 2 meter-sided squares means sometimes you will have two minis in the same square which can be confusing.
- Most games use a 1m (or 1 foot) scale, so you can recycle other games' maps (for example, Star Wars maps).
- You will avoid problems like Areas of Effect that are 3m in diameter taking one square and a half, because... in which half of the square is the player/enemy NPC?
Sat, 2011-08-06 19:24
#3
Azathoth
Re: Using a map and grid for gaming
Right, it's all forum based so no need to print, but the program makes maps in 8x11 sections assuming you will print. You can join several together but it just gets tricky to handle so larger spaces can be tough (and in such cramped spaces range modifiers will almost never be an issue :P).
Hmm, you're right though, it does make odd numbers a lot easier. I just thought 1m seemed like a small space for a person to occupy, considering the average arm span is closer to 2m. But if all we're talking about is physical space occupied by the body it's reasonable. I could always give melee a range of 1m (not just adjacent squares) to account for reach. ..
Sun, 2011-08-07 07:13
#4
Xagroth
Re: Using a map and grid for gaming
Worst case scenario, you can use Photoshop to craft a map using layers, which also allows you to move the tokens with ease. Then you save a .jpg copy of the turn/situation, and send that with some notes about distances.
Tue, 2011-08-09 13:13
#5
jackgraham
Re: Using a map and grid for gaming
2m/square is what I use in my games. Requires a literal tinkering with ground scale and the rules. In particular, you have to solve the problem that for characters with SPD > 1, they actually get their extra actions -during- movement in the rules as written. My solution for this has always been to just let them take the extra actions when they're done moving, but your mileage may vary.
—
J A C K G R A H A M :: Hooray for Earth!
http://eclipsephase.com :: twitter @jackgraham @faketsr :: Google+Jack Graham
Tue, 2011-08-09 13:20
#6
Cyber-Dave
Re: Using a map and grid for gaming
Most games, such as Star Wars Saga and Dungeons and Dragons, actually use a 5 foot/1.5 meter square. I would suggest using the same. It tends to be the simplest measurement to use with maps.
Tue, 2011-08-09 17:15
#7
Azathoth
Re: Using a map and grid for gaming
I just played around with my maps, and 1 square-1 meter is just too small. I think I will go with 2m. Luckily, I can do half squares pretty easily for the occasional odd number. :)
I would totally do the 1 square- 5 feet scale that most games use, but that would involve too many conversions. Damn you 5 feet for being right between the 1 and 2 meter range!
Wed, 2011-08-10 20:32
#8
jackgraham
Re: Using a map and grid for gaming
Yeah, it'd be great if EP movement rates were all in increments of 5' or 1.5m, but they're not. Most stat blocks give move rates in multiples of 2 meters. For some minis this makes the ground scale a little odd relative to the height of the mini, but I'm willing to put aside my obsessive realism here and save it for things like writing about gas giant atmospheres. :)
—
J A C K G R A H A M :: Hooray for Earth!
http://eclipsephase.com :: twitter @jackgraham @faketsr :: Google+Jack Graham
Thu, 2011-10-20 18:36
#9
Azathoth
Re: Using a map and grid for gaming
Resurrecting my topic to say I've had success so far and I actually wound up using the 1m=1square scale (I just nudge the map over when I need to :)). As for movement over multiple passes, I'm playing it like SR so far: you can split your movement however you want between your passes, as long as your total move for the turn doesn't exceed your movement rate.
New question now that I've run a few combats on the grid:
Any opinions on introducing an "attack of opportunity" type of rule? I haven't used one so far, but maybe bcs I'm used to similar rules from D&D and tabletop strategy games, it seems a little easy to slip out of melee range. Just wondered what other people thought. :)
Thu, 2015-12-10 13:12
#10
eaton
Chiming in on this
Chiming in on this (relatively) old thread; I've had good luck with 1m = 1sq grid. My group plays in odd circumstances (dive bar!) so we use tiny (11mm on 15mm base) minis and laminated 11x17" grid paper. It works pretty well and lets us fit a fair amount of action on a messy bar table.
FYI, if you're looking for ultra-tiny minis, old MechWarrior: Dark Age infantry units can be X-Acto'd out of their bases pretty easily, and individually mounted on 15mm bases. There's a nice mix of armed, unarmed, battle-suited, and Dwarfbot-sized units, but sadly there are few good models for non-bipedal morphs.
Fri, 2015-12-11 22:57
#11
Trappedinwikipedia
You can already do sudo
You can already do sudo attacks of opportunity with delayed actions, it's just kind of confusing at first. I haven't often felt the need for AoOs, as melee combat often ends really, really fast once players learn how to do it well (multiple weapons and synth unarmed combat)
I use a lot of different grid sizes depending on the distance of the fight. I once used 80 meter squares for vehicle combat on mars, as I wanted to fit 2km on my 25x25 grid paper. Generally I use between 1 and 4 meter squares deepening on how much range I need.