Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 11-11-2016, 10:28 PM   #11
woodchuck
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Default Re: A really big hex map

A map that is too large for your table could be pulled off accidentally. You might be better off with the map that fits on your table. Think about how big of a battlefield you'll be using regularly and the size of the table you'll be gaming on and go from there. The MondoMap is almost big enough to play American Football on in GURPS scale and would require playing on the floor unless someone has a really big table.
__________________
Sapor similis pullo.
woodchuck is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2016, 03:02 AM   #12
philosophyguy
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Default Re: A really big hex map

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghostdancer View Post
My face to face group switched completely to digital maps. Why? It's easier to maintain tokens, terrain, and turns (the three "T's"). If you need help or want to play with a VTT let me know and I'll try to arrange something so you can poke around.

I highly suggest Roll20 just because you can cast the map to tablets or phones and play that way. It's EXTREMELY useful.
I'd love to see a screencast on using a VTT effectively. Most of the tutorials I've seen focus on features rather than a GM-centric workflow. In other words, I would find a lot of value in something that says, "Here's how to use this tool effectively" rather than "here's all the cool things you can do with this tool."
philosophyguy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2016, 04:25 AM   #13
weby
 
weby's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Default Re: A really big hex map

Quote:
Originally Posted by lachimba View Post

The battle map is a bit small for my dinky little table. The mega map would go right over the edge on one side and at least close on the other. I'm sure potential players will have bigger tables (I do, but my PC is on it, though I could move it every time I wanted to game), but they might also have smaller or less optimal tables.

Given I was about to use either A4, A3 or A1 is the mega map a case of too much of a good thing? Awkward to use if a little bit is hanging over and edge?

I can always after all buy a second battle map later or mix it up with a detailed printed a4 map building/room map on an edge etc and still have room to draw the corridors, other chambers and what not leading up to it. Even if the edges don't quite line up it isn't the end of the world.
Well, vinyl maps can be cut pretty easily with a sturdy pair of scissors. so if the mega map is only slightly too large I would recommend going with it and cutting off the extra. In my experience there is never enough play surface...
__________________
--
GURPS spaceship unofficial errata and thoughts: https://gsuc.roto.nu/
weby is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2016, 07:54 AM   #14
Culture20
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Default Re: A really big hex map

I like to use clear acrylic "plexiglass" to fit the table in sections, and lay paper sheets underneath. Works well with dry erase markers, and if your map is dark, like a galactic map, you can use the neon dry erase markers. They clean up very easily, even after leaving the marker on for a long time. An added bonus is they force your rolled maps to lay flat with no curling.
Culture20 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2016, 04:28 PM   #15
Christopher R. Rice
 
Christopher R. Rice's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Portsmouth, VA, USA
Default Re: A really big hex map

Quote:
Originally Posted by philosophyguy View Post
I'd love to see a screencast on using a VTT effectively. Most of the tutorials I've seen focus on features rather than a GM-centric workflow. In other words, I would find a lot of value in something that says, "Here's how to use this tool effectively" rather than "here's all the cool things you can do with this tool."
Send me a PM with your email address and I'll see what I can do when an appropriate game comes round. :-)
__________________
My Twitter
My w23 Stuff
My Blog

Latest GURPS Book: Dungeon Fantasy Denizens: Thieves
Latest TFT Book: The Sunken Library

Become a Patron!
Christopher R. Rice is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2016, 05:52 PM   #16
Skarg
 
Join Date: May 2015
Default Re: A really big hex map

A dry erase hex battle mat can work quite well.

However, what I really like is to print hex grids on transparent plastic. This allows me to draw battle locations on paper, and then lay the hex grid on top. That way I don't need hex paper for battle locations, and unlike a dry erase battle mat, I can keep/hoard/re-use the battle locations rather than having to erase and re-draw them.

One can also use a computer program and scan/print with hexes overlaid.
Skarg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2016, 06:10 PM   #17
lachimba
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Sydney
Default Re: A really big hex map

Quote:
Originally Posted by Skarg View Post
However, what I really like is to print hex grids on transparent plastic. This allows me to draw battle locations on paper, and then lay the hex grid on top. That way I don't need hex paper for battle locations, and unlike a dry erase battle mat, I can keep/hoard/re-use the battle locations rather than having to erase and re-draw them.
so many options

Quote:
Originally Posted by weby View Post
Well, vinyl maps can be cut pretty easily with a sturdy pair of scissors. so if the mega map is only slightly too large I would recommend going with it and cutting off the extra. In my experience there is never enough play surface...
Will this make the mega map fray because at all because the edge is cut? it seems like the right thing to do as I can cut right along the last square on length and width and that should fit snugly.
lachimba is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2016, 08:31 AM   #18
Bruno
 
Bruno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Canada
Default Re: A really big hex map

Quote:
Originally Posted by lachimba View Post
Will this make the mega map fray because at all because the edge is cut?
No, Vinyl doesn't fray. If you have messy craft-knife skills the edge might be slightly ratty, but that won't degenerate. You can go back and trim a little if that happens.
__________________
All about Size Modifier; Unified Hit Location Table
A Wiki for my F2F Group
A neglected GURPS blog
Bruno is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2016, 08:50 AM   #19
sir_pudding
Wielder of Smart Pants
 
sir_pudding's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ventura CA
Default Re: A really big hex map

FWIW, I use a Chelsea vinyl battlemat (the reversable one with hexes and squares). Sometimes I will also print maps. I would love to use VTTs in a face-to-face game since then I could use Campaign Cartographer more but I don't play with people who all have laptops at the table, or have a Surface table or anything ridiculous like that.
sir_pudding is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2016, 09:18 AM   #20
Bruno
 
Bruno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Canada
Default Re: A really big hex map

If you play in a living room/family room/whatever and have a big TV, it's a pretty workable setup for VTT play. Moreso if you can move the furniture closer than you normally would have it for watching TV. We've got the benefit of being a bunch of computer programmers and technicians, and so we've got a lot of technology between us, but we ran it just on the TV a few times and it worked out pretty good.

Otherwise, the setups I hear involve projectors - Often hanging one over the table, although I heard of one person on the MapTools forum who was taking the unit out of a Rear Projection TV and mounting it under a "rear projection frame" table he made for this purpose. Which just sounds awesome.
__________________
All about Size Modifier; Unified Hit Location Table
A Wiki for my F2F Group
A neglected GURPS blog
Bruno is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
a1 paper, battle map, gurps, maps

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:54 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.