Alternatives to battlegrid? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Alternatives to battlegrid? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
SevenSerpents
08-19-05, 04:26 AM Hey there,

I don't like the battlegrid very much. I mean, it's alright in rectangular rooms with PCs/NPCs of medium size. But the moment you got a curve in it, it gets a bit difficult. Unregular rooms like caves are even worse. Characters smaller than small also are problematic if you don't keep track of in what corner of the 5ft-tile they are standing. Large characters that are more long than broad (eg. like a horse) can only be placed in a very limited number of directions.

I've been thinking of playing with minis but without the battlegrid. Distances would be measured with a yardstick or tapeline. Battle would work more like a Warhammer game then, I guess. I think all the PHB- and DMG-rules would still apply as they are not stricktly bound to grids.

Has anybody tried something like that already? Or do you have any suggestions making battle a little less ... quadratic?
Brashnir
08-19-05, 04:47 AM It can be done, but some things become more tricky and ambiguous without a grid.

1) flanking/sneak attacks. "I'm behind him!" "No you're not!" "my weapon hand is!"
2) Attacks of Opportunity. Hard to be in someone's threatened square without squares. like flanking, this can be tricky. especially with miniatures that have several angles that could be called the "front," and even more confusing when someone has reach greater than 5'.
3) Area effect spells. You'll have to make templates for cones. circular spells can be handled with a tape measure or a template, but how much of the mini has to be in the area to be affected? Do partially covered minis take full damage, half damage or get a bonus to save?

I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting, but it can certainly be done. Most things work pretty naturally without a grid. You'll just have to figure out how to handle a lot of the odd situations beforehand. It's also worthwhile to mark the "front" of your miniatures with a drop of white or black paint on the base. Even if they have square bases, some face a corner, and some face a flat side of the base.
StormCrow42
08-19-05, 11:12 AM It's also worthwhile to mark the "front" of your miniatures with a drop of white or black paint on the base. Even if they have square bases, some face a corner, and some face a flat side of the base.

Are you still playing 3.0? In 3.5 there is no facing, so it doesn't matter which way is "front". You also don't need to be facing someone to take an AoO and flanking just requires being roughly across your opponent from an ally.
Steelpunk
08-19-05, 11:14 AM The most basic method we resort to when figuring things out without a grid is 5' = 1 inch. We just measure character distance when they move (though we don't use facing, unless something specifically requires it).

Flanking is handled by common sense - two minis need to be on opposite sides and each within 1 inch of the opponent to flank (unless they have reach, which increases the minimum distance).

We eyeball areas of effect when we can (by measuring), and use templates when we can't - they're easy to make.

Two minis occupying the same space are shown by having their bases touch.

For random direction effects, we have a wargame die with an arrow on it to indicate which direction something moves.

Of course, the members of our group are all experienced tabletop wargammers as well, so we're used to this kind of thing. Your mileage may vary.
Rathje
08-19-05, 09:11 PM My friends and I use lego. Two squares by two squares is five feet by five feet. Monsters are simply big red blocks (or any other colour). By using combinations of colours, you can tell Hobgoblin A from Hobgoblin B and Hobgoblin C. It has the squares built into it, so you can tell who's where. Plus, you can bring some pre-built walls to build to your liking.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
SevenSerpents 08-19-05, 04:26 AM	Hey there, I don't like the battlegrid very much. I mean, it's alright in rectangular rooms with PCs/NPCs of medium size. But the moment you got a curve in it, it gets a bit difficult. Unregular rooms like caves are even worse. Characters smaller than small also are problematic if you don't keep track of in what corner of the 5ft-tile they are standing. Large characters that are more long than broad (eg. like a horse) can only be placed in a very limited number of directions. I've been thinking of playing with minis but without the battlegrid. Distances would be measured with a yardstick or tapeline. Battle would work more like a Warhammer game then, I guess. I think all the PHB- and DMG-rules would still apply as they are not stricktly bound to grids. Has anybody tried something like that already? Or do you have any suggestions making battle a little less ... quadratic?
Brashnir 08-19-05, 04:47 AM	It can be done, but some things become more tricky and ambiguous without a grid. 1) flanking/sneak attacks. "I'm behind him!" "No you're not!" "my weapon hand is!" 2) Attacks of Opportunity. Hard to be in someone's threatened square without squares. like flanking, this can be tricky. especially with miniatures that have several angles that could be called the "front," and even more confusing when someone has reach greater than 5'. 3) Area effect spells. You'll have to make templates for cones. circular spells can be handled with a tape measure or a template, but how much of the mini has to be in the area to be affected? Do partially covered minis take full damage, half damage or get a bonus to save? I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting, but it can certainly be done. Most things work pretty naturally without a grid. You'll just have to figure out how to handle a lot of the odd situations beforehand. It's also worthwhile to mark the "front" of your miniatures with a drop of white or black paint on the base. Even if they have square bases, some face a corner, and some face a flat side of the base.
StormCrow42 08-19-05, 11:12 AM	It's also worthwhile to mark the "front" of your miniatures with a drop of white or black paint on the base. Even if they have square bases, some face a corner, and some face a flat side of the base. Are you still playing 3.0? In 3.5 there is no facing, so it doesn't matter which way is "front". You also don't need to be facing someone to take an AoO and flanking just requires being roughly across your opponent from an ally.
Steelpunk 08-19-05, 11:14 AM	The most basic method we resort to when figuring things out without a grid is 5' = 1 inch. We just measure character distance when they move (though we don't use facing, unless something specifically requires it). Flanking is handled by common sense - two minis need to be on opposite sides and each within 1 inch of the opponent to flank (unless they have reach, which increases the minimum distance). We eyeball areas of effect when we can (by measuring), and use templates when we can't - they're easy to make. Two minis occupying the same space are shown by having their bases touch. For random direction effects, we have a wargame die with an arrow on it to indicate which direction something moves. Of course, the members of our group are all experienced tabletop wargammers as well, so we're used to this kind of thing. Your mileage may vary.
Rathje 08-19-05, 09:11 PM	My friends and I use lego. Two squares by two squares is five feet by five feet. Monsters are simply big red blocks (or any other colour). By using combinations of colours, you can tell Hobgoblin A from Hobgoblin B and Hobgoblin C. It has the squares built into it, so you can tell who's where. Plus, you can bring some pre-built walls to build to your liking.