Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - Multi-hex figures

Anaraxes · 11-14-2020, 08:55 AM

TFT had triangular counters for large bipeds. One point facing forward, four front hexes (two on either side of that point), two side hexes (adjacent to the front zone, next to the rear points), three rear hexes along the back side.

Crawling humans are still one-hex figures, but also lose half their height. You could argue about whether to count the trailing parts of the legs, which will be the same argument as one about whether to count a tiger's tail. I'd just use the length of the body and head for quadruped, and make them two hexes if they're at least 4 feet long. Feel free to draw the line at three feet.

An elephant is about half as wide as it is long, so it's certainly more than one hex wide. It's not nine, but then humans aren't three feet wide, either; being in a hex isn't the same as completely filling the hex. The three-wide elephant is probably more an aesthetic consideration being generous with the extra space on the sides for the sake of symmetry. A two-hex-wide elephant would be skewed, a parallelogram, which would probably offend more sensibilities than just being a little wider than necessary.

For other cases, just use the same principles. Take the SM, round up. Be a little generous on "front" and the stingiest on "side".

11-14-2020, 08:55 AM	#3
Anaraxes Join Date: Sep 2007	Re: Multi-hex figures TFT had triangular counters for large bipeds. One point facing forward, four front hexes (two on either side of that point), two side hexes (adjacent to the front zone, next to the rear points), three rear hexes along the back side. Crawling humans are still one-hex figures, but also lose half their height. You could argue about whether to count the trailing parts of the legs, which will be the same argument as one about whether to count a tiger's tail. I'd just use the length of the body and head for quadruped, and make them two hexes if they're at least 4 feet long. Feel free to draw the line at three feet. An elephant is about half as wide as it is long, so it's certainly more than one hex wide. It's not nine, but then humans aren't three feet wide, either; being in a hex isn't the same as completely filling the hex. The three-wide elephant is probably more an aesthetic consideration being generous with the extra space on the sides for the sake of symmetry. A two-hex-wide elephant would be skewed, a parallelogram, which would probably offend more sensibilities than just being a little wider than necessary. For other cases, just use the same principles. Take the SM, round up. Be a little generous on "front" and the stingiest on "side".