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Old 10-26-2019, 05:43 PM   #1
larsdangly
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Default Hex-scale labyrinth mapping?

I've started making my labyrinth maps entirely at 1:1 scale (i.e., 1 hex on the map = 1 hex in the labyrinth, rather than the standard 1 map hex = 1 labyrinth MH), and I'm curious whether others are doing so as well. Two things about the MH scale mapping were bumming me out: 1) megahexes don't actually tesselate in exactly the same way as hexes, so I find it difficult to go back and forth without creating problems, particularly when I want to have sub-MH-scale hallways and features. And 2) I tend to make labyrinths with a lot of dense detail, so I end up having to make 1:1 scale maps of a lot of the space anyway. The end result is big, of course, but in the end it just feels more straightforward to have every hex of the labyrinth represented on my base map.
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Old 10-26-2019, 06:18 PM   #2
TippetsTX
 
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Default Re: Hex-scale labyrinth mapping?

I was making the same point on Facebook the other day... 'labyrinth scale' seems unnecessary since I'm going to have to draw everything at tactical scale eventually.
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Old 10-26-2019, 07:18 PM   #3
Shostak
 
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Default Re: Hex-scale labyrinth mapping?

I draw labyrinths rectalinearly on the hex paper [edit: at MH scale] and don't worry about the lack of ultra precision or half-hexes.

Last edited by Shostak; 10-26-2019 at 07:27 PM.
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Old 10-27-2019, 12:27 AM   #4
Skarg
 
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Default Re: Hex-scale labyrinth mapping?

I've done all of the above.

My preference after lots of experience is what Shostak wrote: i.e. more often than not, I draw things naturally without regard to any grid, and then overlay a grid for combat.

But when I started out, I appreciated the megahex labyrinth system's ability to let me map out a larger-scale location efficiently for rapid conversion to laying out combat on photocopied megahexes. As a beginner, I wasn't really bothered by the world being made up of megahexes.

As I got more experienced making such maps, I took to actually indicating a lot of irregular detailed terrain, generally by drawing carefully inside the hexes, as if each hex were partitioned into smaller hexes.

I still think it's a valuable mapping scale to use for larger areas, and often my play situations involve more moving around than combat, so in practice for me, only a fraction of the space in a location ends up seeing combat.

However, there is another really fun and engaging play mode where there is almost always a map on the table showing where the PCs are... and for that, yeah, there would need to be tactical space for everyplace, though I think labyrinth scale would still be useful, unless every location explored is fairly small.
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Old 10-27-2019, 08:55 AM   #5
larsdangly
 
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Default Re: Hex-scale labyrinth mapping?

For more generalized mapping, I think it would be great if there were a Hexagram article or supplement that put some meat on the bones of the list of suggested mapping scales in ITL. I.e., tables of terrain markers, movement and sighting rules, examples, for mapping at scales between 'Labyrinth' and campaign scales.
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Old 10-27-2019, 10:11 AM   #6
TippetsTX
 
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Default Re: Hex-scale labyrinth mapping?

Of course, when I switched from 4ft melee hexes to 6ft (or 2m for those who prefer metric) that was really the 'nail in the coffin' for labyrinth scale for me.
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Old 10-29-2019, 04:17 AM   #7
xane
 
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Default Re: Hex-scale labyrinth mapping?

Pimping my intermediate solution, allowing "square" dungeons but retaining the megahexes.

http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread...=164417&page=2
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Old 10-30-2019, 02:46 AM   #8
Brazen Hussey
 
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Default Re: Hex-scale labyrinth mapping?

Yep, I do it exactly like lars does. I'm perfectly happy to see other folks do theirs in "labyrinth scale" but I gotta lay it all out for less confusion.
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Old 10-30-2019, 02:49 AM   #9
Steve Plambeck
 
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Default Re: Hex-scale labyrinth mapping?

Quote:
Originally Posted by xane View Post
Pimping my intermediate solution, allowing "square" dungeons but retaining the megahexes.

http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread...=164417&page=2
Very sharp! I made my own tile kit, although not that pretty, along similar lines a couple decades ago. But took it one step further and just gave up on megahexes entirely (you can always count hexes and divide by 3 to calculate range without them.) It's very liberating when you stop worrying about them!

Now I'm working on an improved version of my old kit, which I'll probably submit somewhere or self-publish as a pdf down the line. All pieces meet at right angles, allowing one to map the labyrinth on standard graph paper, and still lay out any part of it on the table with combat scale hexes within the pieces.

Mapping on small hex paper always gave me a terrific headache!
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Old 11-01-2019, 05:03 PM   #10
Hobgoblin
 
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Default Re: Hex-scale labyrinth mapping?

For a big TFT game I ran recently, I used this and this. They allow you to create floorplans with a huge range of backgrounds and overlays. You can select a grid size to match the official megahexes. For speed, I printed out a few sheets of each, glued them onto A3 sheets and then photocopied them before cutting them into various rooms and outdoor locations. I combined them with 3D terrain pieces and allowed characters to occupy any partial hex. You can see the set-up in action here (if you scroll down).

For my next game, in a few weeks' time, I'm going to move to a Chessex battlemat and dry-erase pens. That entails smaller hexes, but I'm dropping the miniature scale down to 1:72, so there'll be plenty of space (and more room for bigger locations on the table).

I rambled on about my reasons for this here, but the short version is that 1:72 creates less identification between miniature and character, which is actually a good thing when you want tactical precision and spectacle on the one hand but, on the other, want to avoid "we killed that goblin last week" syndrome. And the 1/72 plastics are lighter and less fragile too (I'm travelling 350 miles for the game).

The move to dry-erase also has an important motivation: I don't want every encounter to look like a fight. So miniatures will placed and terrain sketched in only when swords are drawn. It works both ways: every encounter could be a non-combat one, depending on how the players approach it, but equally, each has the potential to turn nasty. I'll have every small location mapped out 1:1, but the smaller grid size reduces the need for large maps. The only locations I won't map out precisely in 1:1 will be vast spaces like marketplaces or huge caverns: for those, I'll just use an A4 sheet to represent the entire battlemap and mark the terrain on that so that I can quickly sketch it out on the hex map when required. Yes, there's a risk that a clump of stalagmites or a heap of boulders might shift a bit, but if that looks like being a problem, I'll mark measurements in from the edges on my GM map.
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