Different tactical map scales

[Gnomasz]

A question to people using 3D terrain and a tactical map: how do you deal with scale?
GURPS' default scale for a tactical map is 3 feet to an inch, but most figures in use are 5 feet to an inch (I'm simplifying here a bit, but I don't want to copy the whole Wikipedia article on scale). So all the terrain is pretty much wider and flatter. It looks funny enough with stairs and furniture, but becomes actually weird with large creatures. A horse at the miniatures' scale (1:60) is about two inches long, yet it occupies three hexes. A 30 feet long dragon in this scale is 6 inches long, yet occupies 10 hexes, 1 inch each. This might confuse players regarding opponent's size.

I'm now using papercraft miniatures, so I can make a larger base for a smaller mini, but here's another issue: most of the maps you can buy (at least that I know of) are in 1:60 scale, 5 feet to an inch. They sometimes even come with a 1-inch hex grid, and furniture or vehicles make it clear that each hex represents more than 1 yard.

So I've been toying with different scales. I've made an 18 mm (~0.56") hex grid, keeping the 1 hex = 1 yard. But now an SM0 figure occupies more than one hex.

• pro: I could put my grid over a gridless map and the measurements seem plausible;
• pro (IMHO): it's harder to run around a character and avoid Evading (a 1-inch figure takes up at least 2x3 hexes);
• con: it messes up the balance of area attacks and abilities (more sparsely spread figures);
• dilemma: how to resolve Reach? Are these figures in Close Combat or at Reach 1?

To be honest, it's been so long I don't remember why I've given up on this solution. I think it was the need to manually convert anything I'd download, and inability to decide how to calculate Reach.

To easily use maps from the internet or physical tiles, I'm considering adapting the common 1:60 scale – 1 inch is 5 feet.

• pro: there are many maps to download in this scale;
• con: less granular Move;
• con: it would require to pretty much reassign Reach case by case;
• con: as above, it messes up with area attacks.

Influenced by Iron Kingdoms RPG, I'm also considering 6 feet to an inch – it's similar to above, but:

• pro: easier to convert (just cut Move and Reach by 2);
• con: less accurate.

On the other hand, playing a lot of fantasy with dwarves and halflings, I sometimes feel like Reach isn't granular enough – I've even considered 1 foot or 2 feet hexes (or "half yard, as I'm used to metric system more):

• pro: more granular move and reach;
• con: blurry combat map.

I think the con is severe enough that I'm unwilling to even try it, but it also brings up the argument that maybe 3 feet to a hex is the sweet spot between "blurry" and "not granular enough".

Do you have any experience with smaller hexes or using resources published elsewhere, at non-GURPS scale? I know some people are using square based maps: barring geometrical differences, have you been rescaling the game to fit the measurements?