to map combat or not to map combat.

[Herolover]

How many of you actually map out combat? There really isn't much in the rules that say you have to map out combat.

 

The reason I ask is because I normally map out all of my groups combats. However I am wanting to run a couple of combats that could take up whole street blocks and this could make mapping very difficult at best. How do you do it>

[Fox1]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

I always map out the combats.

 

Further, if I encounter anyone who doesn't- it is a solid and final indication that I have found a person that I'll never play an rpg with.

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

Most combats we map; if it is a quick and dirty fight that won't last long, then we often don't.

 

Although our maps are not really special, we use a dry erase board, and through on some quick lines to indicated the area (never really bothering to use perfect scale) and all we use for counters are marked coins (none of our group get into miniatures).

[MitchellS]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

I've used several of the Heroclix maps for combat. Even though they are square they get the job done. I prefer to map out combat. There's something fun about seeing a player's facial expression when he realized he can't quite move enough.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

How many of you actually map out combat? There really isn't much in the rules that say you have to map out combat.

 

The reason I ask is because I normally map out all of my groups combats. However I am wanting to run a couple of combats that could take up whole street blocks and this could make mapping very difficult at best. How do you do it>

 

I prefer to map them out, but the space issue seems to be a concern here. I've used maps which have isolated points that reflect large distances (eg. "this line represents a chasm 50 hexes across") and had players track progress over it using dice (generally % dice work well for this). This only works with limited or no action in these sections, though.

 

For a running battle, you could have maps of the various sections drawn in advance and only place them as the characters move into new areas. This works if the combat moves more or less as a unit, but not so well of the battle splits up, requiring multiple sub-maps in play at the same time.

 

No chance of a bigger table/gaming area, I suppose

 

For me, the map enables players to better visualize where they are in relation to everyone else, as well as keeping distances and locations objectively determinable, so I'd be inclined to look for solutions other than eliminating the game map. Maybe a map with larger hexes (eg. each hex equates to 2" or 4" in game terms, rather than 1"?) would work. It wouldn't be as elegant as the usual map, especially in close quarters, but would at least poreserve some of the visual cues.

[Cancer]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

I always map out the combats.

 

Further, if I encounter anyone who doesn't- it is a solid and final indication that I have found a person that I'll never play an rpg with.

 

That means you're limiting yourself to combats which are mappable. That sounds like a silly statement, but it's not. 3-D mapping is never easy, in particular if it includes both groups on the ground and multiple bunches of high-speed flyers, all of whom can and will take shots at all the other groups.

 

Even a 2-D situation can verge on unmappable, if it involves multiple non-co-moving frames (e.g., the fight around a bridge over a railroad, where stuff is happening on the bridge, on a train, and between two vehicles moving down the road toward the bridge at the same time, again all of which can take shots at each other).

 

Fights which happen at distances no more than handgun range are easy to map out (as long as they're 2-D). You start having real problems when important things can happen involving effects that work at very differing ranges.

 

Finally, there are broad ranges of character types for whom it can be said that "if I'm on the same map as my enemy, then I have already lost". High-end mentalists come to mind first, but there are others as well. As long as you recognize this and make sure everyone else does also, that's OK, but it is an important restriction. In effect, it's a declaration that in your campaign Bricks Rule, because the only combats that will be allowed by the campaign setting are compact mappable ones ... which is THE place for bricks.

[Fox1]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

That means you're limiting yourself to combats which are mappable. That sounds like a silly statement' date=' but it's not. [/quote']

 

I'm afraid it is.

 

I'm quite capable of handling the mapping for anything that appears in the genre's that I run campaigns for.

[CourtFool]

Flexible, ain't we?

 

Further' date=' if I encounter anyone who doesn't- it is a solid and final indication that I have found a person that I'll never play an rpg with.[/quote']

 

And you doubt you are a gamist?

[teh bunneh]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

I almost always map combat. I use miniatures and props* (trees, cars, buildings, etc) too. I highly recommend it -- it adds a certain feel to the battle that is difficult to describe.

 

Bill.

* Big surprise here, huh?

[Fox1]

Re: Flexible, ain't we?

 

And you doubt you are a gamist?

 

Brother, I'm the purest Gamist you're ever see

 

After all, I've been know to break out SPI's Air War to resolve rpg events.

[CourtFool]

Well don't I feel like a bunny?

 

Brother' date=' I'm the purest Gamist you're ever see[/quote']

 

My mistake. Game on.

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: Flexible, ain't we?

 

Brother, I'm the purest Gamist you're ever see

 

After all, I've been know to break out SPI's Air War to resolve rpg events.

 

Heh. Our group once had a major event ("The Assault on The Rock") worked out in Harpoon to handle the US Navy vs. the evil agency's floating island fortress, while the heroes snuck ashore and tried to take it out from the inside.

 

Unfortunately I missed that session.

[MisterVimes]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

I use these:

http://silentempire.com/downloads.php

 

Shameless Plug

[Herolover]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

I think some of you are missing my point and it is not your fault, but mine for not explaining well enough.

 

I agree with those that map. In fact, as I stated, I always map out combat. I find that not mapping out combat leads to far, far to many questions of, "Where is he at again? How far away is he? etc."

 

Maybe my question should have been do you map to scale? I noticed one person mentioned the 50 hex chasm and I myself use dice to represent height.

 

Here is what I am looking at....

I was watching a movie and it had a large dock area, with a large crane, and warehouses and such. I started thinking what a great place for a champions battle like you see in the movies. Then I started thinking about how in the world would I map that out. I would need a whole room to do it. I was hoping some people in here would give me a better answer.

[MisterVimes]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

I think some of you are missing my point and it is not your fault, but mine for not explaining well enough.

 

I agree with those that map. In fact, as I stated, I always map out combat. I find that not mapping out combat leads to far, far to many questions of, "Where is he at again? How far away is he? etc."

 

Maybe my question should have been do you map to scale? I noticed one person mentioned the 50 hex chasm and I myself use dice to represent height.

 

Here is what I am looking at....

I was watching a movie and it had a large dock area, with a large crane, and warehouses and such. I started thinking what a great place for a champions battle like you see in the movies. Then I started thinking about how in the world would I map that out. I would need a whole room to do it. I was hoping some people in here would give me a better answer.

 

 

I try very hard to map to scale, but with one ince=6.5 feet, that's a lot of area on a managable map. Cars are two hexes by one, if you put the map on a 4x8 sheet of plywood you sould be able to map a mall *G*

[Fox1]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

Maybe my question should have been do you map to scale?

 

I've changed the scale depending upon (of course) need. The switch away from -1/3" to the current range modifiers was intended to make such quite easy in fact and is the one reason I haven't house ruled the change away.

 

I've also used operational level maps, i.e. large scale maps that track general location and then 'break' into standard scale detailed maps when needed.

[Onyxclaw]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

I think some of you are missing my point and it is not your fault, but mine for not explaining well enough.

 

I agree with those that map. In fact, as I stated, I always map out combat. I find that not mapping out combat leads to far, far to many questions of, "Where is he at again? How far away is he? etc."

 

Maybe my question should have been do you map to scale? I noticed one person mentioned the 50 hex chasm and I myself use dice to represent height.

 

Here is what I am looking at....

I was watching a movie and it had a large dock area, with a large crane, and warehouses and such. I started thinking what a great place for a champions battle like you see in the movies. Then I started thinking about how in the world would I map that out. I would need a whole room to do it. I was hoping some people in here would give me a better answer.

 

ok, having dealt with large areas before.....

 

I use a huge chalboard and draw my large landscape on it (like an eisle chalk board or since we have them one of the classroom ones), then I use those musical note line making thingys to make a grid on said huge chalkboard, each of these squares is the size of the hex map that I have. As characters progress across the map they may move one square in the chalk board over for every time they cross the hex map, when they move off that square I will redraw what is in the new one.

 

I've also done this with butcher's paper before, and it seems to work out alright for mapping cities and large areas, you can also make a smaller area by making the size of things on the chalkboard/butcher paper larger and incresing the size of the are that one hex map represents.

 

Keeping the two different scales helps to make movement simple with characters still knowing where they are in the larger picture.

 

I don't map all battles, only ones where spacial relationship matters or in which the PCs are intimately involved. If there's no question that they will mop the floor with the NPC easily I'll let them rollplay what happens and use the dice to determine what it is. Two pieces standing next to each other of 5 seconds isn't worth drawing the surroundings honestly.

 

Also, arial combat I tend to map only generally, and I use dice to represent altitude.

 

It's kinda of time consuming I suppose, but it works well.

[hooligan x]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

If I'm using Turns & Phases, I'm rolling out the battlemat. I have 1" hex paper if I excede the mat boundries.

 

I noticed the other day that my bathroom is tiled with 1" hexes! If I can get my landlord to tile the living room with them...

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

I try very hard to map to scale' date=' but with one ince=6.5 feet, that's a lot of area on a managable map. Cars are two hexes by one, if you put the map on a 4x8 sheet of plywood you sould be able to map a mall *G*[/quote']

 

Hmmm...what about a metal wall hanging and magnetic miniatures? Never tried it or seen it done, but wall space may be easier than table space.

[Onyxclaw]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

we have used a magnetic white board once or twice with a grid on it, and small round colored magnets for pieces, it worked ok

[Trebuchet]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

Maybe my question should have been do you map to scale? I noticed one person mentioned the 50 hex chasm and I myself use dice to represent height.

 

Here is what I am looking at....

I was watching a movie and it had a large dock area, with a large crane, and warehouses and such. I started thinking what a great place for a champions battle like you see in the movies. Then I started thinking about how in the world would I map that out. I would need a whole room to do it. I was hoping some people in here would give me a better answer.

I've found using maps speeds up combat enormously, which is always a good thing in Hero. I use offset squares rather than hexes; these have the same relationship as hexes to each other but are far easier to work with. I've created offset square grids in 1/8", 1/4", 1/2", and 1" sizes. I tried 1/16" but they were too small to work with. The 1/8" squares allow me to fit a building or room 64 hexes across (420 X 550 feet - bigger than a football stadium!) on a single piece of 8½ X 11" paper. I do most of my maps beforehand on my computer, print it out, and put it inside a transparent document protector and mark positions with transparency markers.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

I generally map out fights, with a few exceptions:

1. Chump fights. Four PCs on one target who can't put up any significant fight ... most of the time, I don't even DICE these. "Four 350 point PCs jump Bulldozer? Uh ... you win."

 

2. Long Distance/Moving Fights/Car Chases. If the combatants can reasonably expect to cross the map, intentionally, in a phase or two, I don't bother. Unexpected travel, such as an obscene about of knockback, is another matter.

 

I think it's a necessity, given Area Effect powers in HERO ... things like Flash and Darkness especially, you need to know who is exactly where for tactical arrangements and avoiding friendly fire.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

If I'm using Turns & Phases, I'm rolling out the battlemat. I have 1" hex paper if I excede the mat boundries.

 

I noticed the other day that my bathroom is tiled with 1" hexes! If I can get my landlord to tile the living room with them...

 

That would kick more ass than Bruce Lee in a donkey pasture.

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

Maybe my question should have been do you map to scale? I noticed one person mentioned the 50 hex chasm and I myself use dice to represent height.

 

Ah....

Not usually. We map out where the battle will take place, and we pretty much stay there. We don't bother pulling out the map until the GM says "It's phase 12" - the map is only used for character's distance and relation to each other - the only reason we do that is for the "is he five or six inches away from me" answers. We don't do any real art, and use coins for characters - the map we use is for nothing but tactical use, and the enviornment is not as important (in most cases) as the spacial relationships of the characters. We use the little plastic caps that come on sport bottles to indicate flyers. Blocks drawn on the dry erase to inidicate cars, buildings, trees (and no worry about getting sizes right)

 

In generaly in the use of props we are minimalist; music is just a mix of pop and rock that we want to hear that week, basically a radio- no mood music. No lighting effects. If we use handouts they are plain printouts with info rather than things made to look like what they are in game.

 

We find that the less we use props the more we can visualize what is going on.

 

Oh yeah, no hexes or anthing on the map. We just pull out a yardstick for distances (with the range mods marked off on the stick). It's called the Mach-stick after a speedster (Mach) in an old game that had 36" combat movement.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: to map combat or not to map combat.

 

We use the little plastic caps that come on sport bottles to indicate flyers.

 

We put the little cardboard figures in those bottle caps to show someone is entangled.