Steve Jackson Games Forums - Metric? Keep or change?

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Re: Metric? Keep or change?

Amazing how a simple thing can get so convoluted.

I also think that the archaic system have some fantasy flavor and may be better for potential new players as most will be from USA.

But I also believe that a change, any change, comes at a cost and may bring future problems in proof reading needing errata (because some monster ability is in meters instead of yards for example), and many things beside (descriptions of Cidri changing because some distances for references where wrongly converted, for example). So, unless there is a lot of agreement and support for the archaic system it is easier, cheaper, and safer, to keep using the original system, metric.

At the end of the day it will have very little impact, so why change it? again, unless there are lots of support for the change, maybe during the kickstarter campaign more people will voice their opinion.

Re: Metric? Keep or change?

Quote:

Originally Posted by malloyd (Post 2160775)

Are you sure? He was after all apparently clueless enough to poke at this topic when he surely should have known it was going to explode from the debates shading into flame wars every time it come up about GURPS.

It's a fundamentally minor issue, particularly in the context of a game, that *always* generates para-religious fervor. In both directions. Really I think the best solution is always just pick one - it mostly doesn't matter which - and be prepared to ignore a small number of rabid complainers no matter which you selected. But nothing positive is ever going to come from drawing special attention to it by making it an issue for public debate.

THIS. As I've said repeatedly here and elsewhere, this is one of those "who cares, pick one" issues that somehow people get so bent out of shape about that they start "attack quoting" and misrepresenting what other people have to say. If this is really that big a deal, then Steve can run a poll here to see how people feel about it. Or he can on Kickstarter. Either way.

Re: Metric? Keep or change?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecz (Post 2160781)

... that is what I said in my first post on page 1. I believe that this change would go against the philosophy behid the new-TFT project, assuming I have understood Steve's intents: improve & preserve the system i.e. makes only the changes necessary to improve the game.

1) the change does not improve the play, as eveything worked pretty well with the metric
2) the change mutates one of the traits of the orginal game

Just in passing, Steve is the one who asked the question in the first place, so I'm assuming that he doesn't think it would go against the philosophy behind TFT to make the change...

Re: Metric? Keep or change?

Thinking about it a little more, I think I might keep the meters and add a historical note somewhere - something to the effect that when the game was written the Carter administration had a big metrification push on (spoiler alert, it didn't work), so a hex was defined as a meter - but nothing in the game will break if you would prefer to use 1 yard hexes, or for that matter 2 taung, 3 chi or the half ken width of a tatami mat....

Re: Metric? Keep or change?

Okay. Comments noted, rising temperature also noted. Thanks for your input, everyone. Locking thread.