Old guy questions about NEW tft

mark hill · 04-03-2019, 04:37 PM

Ive been GMing TFT for 40+ years now (eGAD has it really been that frikkin long?!?) What I always used for a playmat was some scaled hex sheets glued to a big-ish wood board, usually around 1 meter by 1/2 meter, (so long range or significant cavalry combat could happen), then overlaid with clear contact (dunno whatcha call that in the US .. its what kids cover school books with) so you could draw terrain with whiteboard markers. I have NOT laid my hands on the new rules yet, but gather that the hexes are a bit bigger now (not a stupid idea) .. how many millimeters across is a hex these days? for that matter .. does TFT still generally use metric measurements?

Ive also been drawing lil guys for to kill each other that long .. how far across is a current 1 hex guy, in mm?

FireHorse · 04-03-2019, 04:52 PM

The new hexes are 37.63mm from side to side, and 43.451mm from point to opposite point.

Or 1.4815" x 1.7107" if you use Inches.

Or 8p10.667 x 10p3.168, if you use Picas, like me.

EDIT: Oh, and the standard counter is now 1" x 1", so 25.4mm x 25.4mm (or 6p0 x 6p0).

larsdangly · 04-03-2019, 05:18 PM

Welcome to a fellow traveler! Come by and post often.

FireHorse · 04-03-2019, 05:23 PM

Here's a welcoming gift, to save you some time…

A4 Megahex Grid Paper (PDF)

…with hexes exactly the same size as on the Official SJG Megahexes.

mark hill · 04-03-2019, 05:45 PM

Thanks guys :))

So TFT is now using british imperial and/or american type measurements? lbs, inches and whatnot? Im guessing therefore a hex is supposed to be a yard across rather than a meter? Fortunately I learned those medieval mesurement things in the dim past just to comprehend what ad+d was on about (lol) .. so a kg is about 2.2 lbs and an inch is about 25mm (no exacto, but close enuf for govt business :))

I guess my post holocaust tft campaign better wise up and use guns in calibur rather than mm .. dammit lol

mark hill · 04-03-2019, 05:58 PM

soo .. after a bit of f***ing about with the ruler..

holy HELL ive gotta lotta tft counters that are 20mm across, literally tens of thousands of em .. thats gonna be several weeks or MONTHS rescanning all that old art, i definitely do NOT have comp files of all that old art, dunno if ive got even all the originals anymore .. rescanning fingerprint damaged old table-used counters would suck ass too, especially if Im scaling up .. bugger

25mm is *quite* a lot bigger, dunno if id even draw em in the same style these days .. hells bells where do I start .. wizards, mercenaries, orcs and skeletons? gargoyles, reptile men, hymenopterans?? Ive drawn like several hundred mesoamericans too .. bugger lolol

ok fellas tell me this .. in the new counters, what is MOST wanting?

FireHorse · 04-03-2019, 06:01 PM

"Medieval"…? I'm pretty sure we don't need to go back quite that far to find Imperial standards. ;)

Anyway, a current Melee hex is 4 feet across (side to side).

However, note that a Labyrinth hex (Megahex) is supposedly 3 yards (so 9 feet, not 12). I gather that the discrepancy is functionally irrelevant (since semi-exact measurements really only matter at the Melee hex level), and should be ignored. This greatly aggravates my OCD, much like a scratchy tag in a new shirt annoying the back of your neck… but somehow, I struggle heroically onward.

mark hill · 04-03-2019, 06:17 PM

well no, the US is undeniably using it still .. totally a modern country, first man on moon etc etc .. no offence meant old chap. Just looks a lil retro to the un-american commie foreigners dontcha know :))

yards, meters .. what do those cannon fodder goblins know :)

the 4 foot hex eh? adapt or die

mark hill · 04-03-2019, 06:26 PM

actually 4 foot hexes do feel better than 1 meter ones .. Im sure I could clock a bloke 2m away with a 2h sword or axe, *definetly* a rapier .. but 4 foot is at least possibly impossible :)

opps I meant 8 ft ofc

Anthony · 04-03-2019, 06:43 PM

SJG is prone to weirdly short reach for melee weapons in general. Assuming we measure character position from the center of the body and are using a broadsword or similar weapon held in the forward hand, stabbing or slashing someone 6' away isn't particularly hard, reduced to maybe 5' if you're trying to land a solid chopping blow while using a shield.

04-03-2019, 04:37 PM	#1
mark hill Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: 'Straya (big island in the pacific)	Old guy questions about NEW tft Ive been GMing TFT for 40+ years now (eGAD has it really been that frikkin long?!?) What I always used for a playmat was some scaled hex sheets glued to a big-ish wood board, usually around 1 meter by 1/2 meter, (so long range or significant cavalry combat could happen), then overlaid with clear contact (dunno whatcha call that in the US .. its what kids cover school books with) so you could draw terrain with whiteboard markers. I have NOT laid my hands on the new rules yet, but gather that the hexes are a bit bigger now (not a stupid idea) .. how many millimeters across is a hex these days? for that matter .. does TFT still generally use metric measurements? Ive also been drawing lil guys for to kill each other that long .. how far across is a current 1 hex guy, in mm?

04-03-2019, 04:52 PM	#2
FireHorse Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Dayton, Ohio	Re: Old guy questions about NEW tft The new hexes are 37.63mm from side to side, and 43.451mm from point to opposite point. Or 1.4815" x 1.7107" if you use Inches. Or 8p10.667 x 10p3.168, if you use Picas, like me. EDIT: Oh, and the standard counter is now 1" x 1", so 25.4mm x 25.4mm (or 6p0 x 6p0). Last edited by FireHorse; 04-03-2019 at 04:58 PM.

04-03-2019, 05:18 PM	#3
larsdangly Join Date: Dec 2017	Re: Old guy questions about NEW tft Welcome to a fellow traveler! Come by and post often.

04-03-2019, 05:23 PM	#4
FireHorse Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Dayton, Ohio	Re: Old guy questions about NEW tft Here's a welcoming gift, to save you some time… A4 Megahex Grid Paper (PDF) …with hexes exactly the same size as on the Official SJG Megahexes.

04-03-2019, 05:45 PM	#5
mark hill Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: 'Straya (big island in the pacific)	Re: Old guy questions about NEW tft Thanks guys :)) So TFT is now using british imperial and/or american type measurements? lbs, inches and whatnot? Im guessing therefore a hex is supposed to be a yard across rather than a meter? Fortunately I learned those medieval mesurement things in the dim past just to comprehend what ad+d was on about (lol) .. so a kg is about 2.2 lbs and an inch is about 25mm (no exacto, but close enuf for govt business :)) I guess my post holocaust tft campaign better wise up and use guns in calibur rather than mm .. dammit lol

04-03-2019, 05:58 PM	#6
mark hill Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: 'Straya (big island in the pacific)	Re: Old guy questions about NEW tft soo .. after a bit of f**ing about with the ruler.. holy HELL ive gotta lotta tft counters that are 20mm across, literally tens of thousands of em .. thats gonna be several weeks or MONTHS rescanning all that old art, i definitely do NOT have comp files of all that old art, dunno if ive got even all the originals anymore .. rescanning fingerprint damaged old table-used counters would suck ass too, especially if Im scaling up .. bugger 25mm is quite* a lot bigger, dunno if id even draw em in the same style these days .. hells bells where do I start .. wizards, mercenaries, orcs and skeletons? gargoyles, reptile men, hymenopterans?? Ive drawn like several hundred mesoamericans too .. bugger lolol ok fellas tell me this .. in the new counters, what is MOST wanting? Last edited by mark hill; 04-03-2019 at 06:06 PM.

04-03-2019, 06:01 PM	#7
FireHorse Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Dayton, Ohio	Re: Old guy questions about NEW tft "Medieval"…? I'm pretty sure we don't need to go back quite that far to find Imperial standards. ;) Anyway, a current Melee hex is 4 feet across (side to side). However, note that a Labyrinth hex (Megahex) is supposedly 3 yards (so 9 feet, not 12). I gather that the discrepancy is functionally irrelevant (since semi-exact measurements really only matter at the Melee hex level), and should be ignored. This greatly aggravates my OCD, much like a scratchy tag in a new shirt annoying the back of your neck… but somehow, I struggle heroically onward.

04-03-2019, 06:17 PM	#8
mark hill Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: 'Straya (big island in the pacific)	Re: Old guy questions about NEW tft well no, the US is undeniably using it still .. totally a modern country, first man on moon etc etc .. no offence meant old chap. Just looks a lil retro to the un-american commie foreigners dontcha know :)) yards, meters .. what do those cannon fodder goblins know :) the 4 foot hex eh? adapt or die Last edited by mark hill; 04-03-2019 at 06:20 PM.

04-03-2019, 06:26 PM	#9
mark hill Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: 'Straya (big island in the pacific)	Re: Old guy questions about NEW tft actually 4 foot hexes do feel better than 1 meter ones .. Im sure I could clock a bloke 2m away with a 2h sword or axe, definetly a rapier .. but 4 foot is at least possibly impossible :) opps I meant 8 ft ofc Last edited by mark hill; 04-03-2019 at 07:07 PM.

04-03-2019, 06:43 PM	#10
Anthony Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Berkeley, CA	Re: Old guy questions about NEW tft SJG is prone to weirdly short reach for melee weapons in general. Assuming we measure character position from the center of the body and are using a broadsword or similar weapon held in the forward hand, stabbing or slashing someone 6' away isn't particularly hard, reduced to maybe 5' if you're trying to land a solid chopping blow while using a shield. __________________ My GURPS site and Blog.