I don't think that they are superior, simply different. As has been
said, I
think it would give the game a different "feel" in much the same
way that
strategic board games played on a hex map have a different feel than
miniatures games played on terrain tables. While I do like the map and
counters for Melee, especially when I travel, I also like setting
up terrain
and playing miniatures games.
Melee is one component of TFT. It is the combat system. The hex map
is one
component of Melee. I don't think that the RPG experience would
substantially change, only the combat. And, at that, only the way it's
represented on the table.
The main advantages to a grid, be it square or hex, is that it
portable and
quick. I don't need to lug about boxes of model trees, flocked
battle mats,
foam hills, and card buildings if I use a map. What's more, I can
make the
same map represent many different "rooms". I unfold it an lay it
out and I'm
playing. I can quickly go from encounter to encounter on the same
piece of
paper.
On the other hand, I can build a model castle like the one that
World Works
sells and play out a exploration scenario. Of course I don't need
to use
miniature terrain. I can use miniatures for characters and monsters
and use
a roll of butcher paper and simply draw terrain features with markers.
I guess it all depends on the look and feel that is desired and the
style of
play. For myself, I prefer that most battles occur in the players
imaginations and don't use maps and figures at all. However there
are those
circumstances when it is appropriate to use visual aids in which
case, I
would prefer a free form map or play mat with drawn features and no
grid.
For my part, when the GM says that a monster attacks me from the
rear, there
is no question about it. The miniatures and the method used to
visualize
their spatial relationship to each other is only an aid to the GM
telling
the story and running the game. So, I guess what I'm saying is that
measurements don't have to be accurate when using Melee as an
adjunct to TFT
as a role playing game. That, I think, is completely different than
Melee
taken on its own as a board game.