After coming back from Gencon UK, I thought I'd share my new and improved way
of moving ships that one of my players spotted a while ago and it's made life
a lot, lot easier since I started using it.
I assumed that many other people also did this, but I find that people are not
aware of it.
Here it is: As long as your miniature is based on a hex base, you will no
longer need to use the turning circle thing. Over the whole weekend of Gencon,
I didn't use mine once, except for fire arcs.
Quite simply, each of the ships at all times must be facing one of the 12
vectors, there are no in-betweens. On my movement sheets, I have
players log their speed and vector. That way, if a figure gets knocked over,
it's easy to put it back in the same orientation that it was. Because the hex
base it 6 sided, it also is true that at any one time, one of the flat sides
of the hex must be lined up exactly with one edge of the
board, be it the top/bottom or left/right.
Now, when your ship does a 1-point turn, you simpy rotate the base
through 30 degrees. This is really easy to do, but maybe difficult to explain
without pictures. If, for example, the hex base is lined up with the top of
the map (one of the flat sides is perpendicular to it), then rotating it 30
degrees to the left means that one of the points of the hex is then pointing
towards the top of the map (and thus the flat sides are now lined up with the
sides of the map).
Doing a 2-point turn is even easier, simply rotate the figure 1 complete
hexside, so the hex base lines up with the same side of the board as it did
previously.
For big ships, which I base on 2mm MDF with 2 stands, I still have to use the
turning circle.
Give it a go next time you play. I think it really speeds up play and it's
really easy to do. We also do a check at the end of the turn to make sure all
ships are facing the way that has been plotted on the movement chart.
Any comments welcome
[snipped hex base movement stuff]
This is a good method, but the hex base is not a necessity.
If you just remember that the ships must always point to one of the 12
"cardinal directions," you can always do a quick check on rotation to make
sure everything is pointed the right way.
NOTE: Hopefully this isn't a problem among FT players, but this is
also a good way to keep "over-rotaters" honest.
(snipping the explanation)
We've been doing it this way ever since I started. We usually use a ruler to
help out. Place the ruler alongside the point on the side (if a hexside is
facing forward), turn ship until FP or FS hexside lays flat with ruler, rotate
ruler to be on the point again, and move the ship forward. This works for 1
point turns. For two point turns set the ruler against a base's hexside and
rotate figure until next hexside is flat against the ruler.
Fire arcs are also determined by the hex base.
Glen
That is so simple! It has me thinking: Why didn't I think of that!
Donald Hosford
> "Grogan, Paul" wrote:
> After coming back from Gencon UK, I thought I'd share my new and
***
That is so simple! It has me thinking: Why didn't I think of that!
(snipping explanation)
***
I got in some trouble with some local players because I wouldn't necessarily
start the game oriented to a table 'side'. Seemed too confining.
On the other hand, I quickly realized how useful it would be, and fair to
fellow players eyeballing the correctness of your moves. It's not a house
rule, but most folks seem to follow it instinctively.
In the end, like Paul, I thought everybody did this. ;->=
Anyway, enough me-too-isms. Are there dissenting voices (with reasoned
arguments, of course)?
The_Beast
-Douglas J. Evans, curmudgeon
One World, one Web, one Program - Microsoft promotional ad
Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuhrer - Adolf Hitler
I've simplified the manuver of hex based ships by marking the twelve faces on
the base in white. Each corner of the hex gets a white hash mark and the
middle between each point also gets a white hash mark. This method was
inspired by the Geo Hex bases. It seems to work quite well, just align a
straight edge to one of the marks and rotate the ship the desired points.
"Grogan, Paul" <pg70201@glaxowellcome.co.uk> on 09/06/2000 02:09:01 AM
Please respond to gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
To: "'GZG'" <gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU>
cc: (bcc: Aron Clark/AM/Avid)
Subject: [FT] New way of moving ships
After coming back from Gencon UK, I thought I'd share my new and improved way
of moving ships that one of my players spotted a while ago and it's made life
a lot, lot easier since I started using it.
I assumed that many other people also did this, but I find that people are not
aware of it.
Here it is: As long as your miniature is based on a hex base, you will no
longer need to use the turning circle thing. Over the whole weekend of Gencon,
I didn't use mine once, except for fire arcs.
Quite simply, each of the ships at all times must be facing one of the 12
vectors, there are no in-betweens. On my movement sheets, I have
players log their speed and vector. That way, if a figure gets knocked over,
it's easy to put it back in the same orientation that it was. Because the hex
base it 6 sided, it also is true that at any one time, one of the flat sides
of the hex must be lined up exactly with one edge of the
board, be it the top/bottom or left/right.
Now, when your ship does a 1-point turn, you simpy rotate the base
through 30 degrees. This is really easy to do, but maybe difficult to explain
without pictures. If, for example, the hex base is lined up with the top of
the map (one of the flat sides is perpendicular to it), then rotating it 30
degrees to the left means that one of the points of the hex is then pointing
towards the top of the map (and thus the flat sides are now lined up with the
sides of the map).
Doing a 2-point turn is even easier, simply rotate the figure 1 complete
hexside, so the hex base lines up with the same side of the board as it did
previously.
For big ships, which I base on 2mm MDF with 2 stands, I still have to use the
turning circle.
Give it a go next time you play. I think it really speeds up play and it's
really easy to do. We also do a check at the end of the turn to make sure all
ships are facing the way that has been plotted on the movement chart.
Any comments welcome
In our gaming group, we tend to ignore the "can only turn a certain number of
degrees rule", as when I want to turn 45 degrees, I am going to turn 45
degrees dammit, not 60 cause that is too much and not 30 cause that is two
little. To me at least, the confining of players to only certain compass
points is artificial and unnecessary on a free form move table.
> On Thu, 7 Sep 2000, Corey Burger wrote:
> In our gaming group, we tend to ignore the "can only turn a certain
This should be re-written a bit: Corey's the only one I know of who
ignores the clockface method of movement. I use it, and as far as I know the
rest of our group still does...
Keeping to clockface makes it easier to interpret other people's movement
orders - and it happens to correspond with weapon arcs, too.
Using sides & points of the hexbases works well, for the smaller GZG ships
- I still wish they all came packaged with the full metal clockface
bases, but then I'd have a smaller fleet 'cause of cost...
> On Fri, 08 Sep 2000, you wrote:
I've done rotations using the sides of the hex base as guides for ages, but
don't stick to 30 degree movement. As Corey does, I'll
face any direction I want. No-one's ever complained.
It never even occurred to me that movement might be restricted to 12
directions until it was pointed out to me on this list a year or so ago.
> Samuel Penn wrote:
I don't look at it so much as being restricted, but when you're making sure
that you're turning tha right amout and not over or underturning your orders
just moving the clock facing helps not only your movement, but checking up on
others. Not that we've ever really had to do that. IT's also easier for new
players to deal with the vector system if they can just turn to a clock
facing.