Monday, August 17, 2015

Going the Full Hex


 
 

I've mentioned before that I prefer rules that are convertible for use with my Hex terrain. I've now had a go at doing some modifications for making Fistful of TOWs playable using hexes.

The necessary house rules, and a Hex version of the FFT QRS are now permanently linked in my reference and house rules section (over in the right margin). The QRS was very kindly done for me by Paul Minson, one of the esteemed authors of FFT.

So why would I do this? Well, basically to further speed up play and to reduce the quibbles that otherwise occur over ranges, distances, terrain, arcs, etc (reducing these in itself further reduces time). With all game measurements in hexes, there is no need for rulers - just count the number of hexes. Likewise a hex counts as a certain type of terrain, and any stand in that hex will occupy that terrain type by default. Stands are in either one hex or another (they can't be in both), and their facing is determined by their orientation to a particular hex vertex.

I've tried these rules and they do indeed speed game play. The minor loss in granularity caused by rounding off inches here and there all seems to balance out, and the gains in speed and ease of play far outweigh this issue, in my opinion. Feel free to give it a try if you have hex terrain of your own!