Hexes or Squares

[akiko]

So the hive has shown you how to make hexes, what do you like better?

I always liked hexes more than squares but each comes with its own advantages and disadvantages.

[treehouse]

Squares. Hexes screw with conventional movement rules too much.

[Xaden]

I like hexes. I think movement and distances are easier and more straightforward with hexes. Diagonal movement on squares (sometimes they count as one square, sometimes as two; why bother?) so wierd, and also there's an implication that with a square grid up to 8 people could attack you at once with close combat weapons, and that seems a little rediculous (try standing 8 people around you with baseball bats and really look at that set-up, none of them could get in a good swing (other than just a downward one) without bashing one of their buddies (which they might be okay with, but most of the time, they probably wouldn't)), while hexes limit it to 6, which is much more reasonable (probably still a little too crouded, but still better (in my opinion)). So yeah, hexes rule!

Now everyone! Attack my ideas! :fun: Disagreements and other people's opinions rule! :paranoid:

[nightinverse]

Hexes.

Six directions are better than four.

[Mercutio]

Never played in hexes (apart from a few ill-fated Battletech campaigns when I was younger - and Fallout), so my preference goes to squares.

[akiko]

I used hexes before squares in both star wars and we utilized it for VtM as well. I always felt the squares were kinda sucky in the whole diagonal department. But I realized they were trying to make it as simple as possible. How about Octagons!

[Black Plauge]

Octagons don't tesselate. Of the equalateral shapes, only triangles, squares, and hexagons do.

[BigRedRod]

We'll just stick some triangles in too then, it'd be perfect. What you really want is something more akin to a wargame with no squares just distances, areas and volumes. Of course this then requires you to have a tape measure.

[akiko]

Good point. That is kinda what I would like. I never played any war games, anyone think there is a way to merge that with D&D?

[BigRedRod]

Yeah, it'd be fairly simple although maps would be rather more complicated. You just have to ignore references to squares and treat them as a 2.5ft radius instead. It'd come down to needing little translucent circles of plastic which you'd attach to the base of each mini to represent its AOO range. Everything apart from that would just be a case of measuring distance and converting into feet.

[LynMars]

The earliest form of D&D was a miniatures/wargame, which is why it sometimes seems easiest to play D&D with a map, keeping track of distances, AoE, all that. Least in tabletop games. Well, that, and I like picking out minis for my chars.

[AbusePuppy]

In D&D? Squares. I don't care enough about realism (in D20, of all things) to try and go through and convert everything into hexes.

Hexes are generally superior as a system, though. Pure measuring is nice, but complicated; hexes make everything easier without too much lossage.
__________________
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[zachol]

It depends on the situation.
In a building, it's easier to map with squares - you don't have to deal with "half hexes" or anything.
Outside, hexes are a bit funner.

However, I tend to use squares since that's the common 'thing.'

In some games, especially the combat-heavy, outdoor ones, we use the measuring tape method.
This is oddly common since my friends are primarily wargamers, not rpgers.

[nightinverse]

I generally run a mental image with distances and ranges in approximation as GM. I mean, as long as I know where they are in relation to themsleves and certain points, it works well enough.

[elmer_jok]

In my table top games we've done two different methods, maps with distances and hexes, the latter being the more complicated. If the hexes didn't seem realistic, we'd take em out, If they worked, we left em in. I guess it's just a matter of taste in my opinion.

As for the PbP approach, I think I'll use squares in the game I'm running, only because it's the default suggested method for D&D.

[Wired*Nun]

Depends on whether I want to play a wargame or an RPG. If it's an RPG, I don't use anything, I draw the layout on a whiteboard (flat on the table) and use miniatures to remind/mark locations and such. I find that doing combat freeform RPG style where the diagram is just a visual aid maintains the story. Otherwise, it's really two games - RPG, switch to wargame, switch to RPG, repeat ad infinitum. This is actually the cause of a lot of frustration for blended groups. The RPGers want to tell stories. The wargamers want a first-person adventure wargame. Neither is happy when doing the "other thing."



If it's a wargame (either fundamentally or the "combat rules" portion of a so-called RPG), then hexes are the best. It's pretty easy to map square diagrams onto hex maps if you need to, then play the hard rules game on the hexes (move two and shoot, move half-move and attack, whatever).

[Doomsmile]

I'm happy doing the "other thing." I'm really into war-games (Warhammer 40k, anyone?), yet have a tendancy to overplay my character if anything- especially in combat. Of cource, it's entirely possible that I'm just a freak. I'm fine with that lable.

[Linklegacy77]

Squares, for simplicities sake.

[Chris Chandler]

Hexes are more flexible, squares are simpler, but both make the game too tactical for my group's taste. If I had the option, I'd have the layout and the setup for such things, but finesse is the key with my group.

[LuneMoonshadow]

Large dry-erase board where 1 inch = 5 feet.

[elmer_jok]

I've always entertained the thought of making the maps before hand and using an overhead projector method like the one found on the SRD. I saw something like it at the old wizards of the coast in the University district of downtown seattle. It was one of the sweetest setups ever. Alas though, time is limitedness and money is unfortunately an issue.

So dry-erase works for now. I used to have a transparent dry erase board (more like a sheet of lamination) that we used to lay over the hex-map. Worked pretty well unless somebody bumped the table too hard or knocked over the paper-weights causing the whole thing to roll up with the minatures inside.

[Takkaryx]

I have always done squares, and if need be, break out the Pythagoren Equation (A^2+B^2=C^2). Although, doing it like a wargame would be cool...

[generaljimX]

When I very first started, we did it wargame style, because of a lack of time to get a map, and a lack of money to get said map(laminated grid). About the time I actually started wargaming, we switched over to the grid.

I prefer squares, but have never used hexes, so I can't comdem them....

[Takkaryx]

I have used hexes before, and to be honest, it made charges much more difficult. Half the time you move hex changing rows, only to have to change back a couple of hexes later. The "5 foot, then 10 foot, repeat" for going diagonally through squares is much easier, in my opinion.

[Benicus]

Who cares? I don't I just use squares because I don't want to go out and buy more paper :P.

[omni-roach]

I've never used hexes, so I'm partial towards the squares

[nightinverse]

Uncivilized heathen! I mean, thank you for your input.

[omni-roach]

after reading everyone's posts preaching the use of hexes, I'd like to try it out, but I'm too lazy to get one

[nightinverse]

We have a copy-capable grid even for this forum!

http://online-roleplaying.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6211

Enjoy whenever you can.

[omni-roach]

Cool, I'll try it out if I ever decide to DM a game or two here, thanks!

[Skidrow]

I find that using hexes makes it harder to map rectangular rooms...:cat:

[zachol]

Half-hexes. All the way.

[[WanderingMagelok]]

I currently use all three methods (as well as a fourth called pure imagination) in the two IRL games I play in. My D20 Future game uses a combination of squares and war game measurements (depending on how lazy the GM was the week before).

In my GURPS group (very freeform roleplaying and rules light) we usually just verbalize where we are for smaller ffights, but when tactical descisions are called for we pull out the sheet of hex paper in the comic book protector and dry erase markers.

I also play the Star Wars Minis game which uses squares.

I prefer hexes for non ranged combat (aka most medieval rpgs), but squares make line of sight so much easier when you're doing ranged combat.

I did vote for hexes because I like medieval stuff better.