Re: (TFT) More on hexes

["maou_tsaou1@netzero.net" <maou_tsaou1@netzero.net>]

< I know I'm in a minority when it comes to the abstraction vs. realism
debate, as evidenced by the popularity of DnD versus TFT, and the
numerous attempts (including GURPS) to add more and more factors into
the mix to more closely simulate reality.  As Johnnyboy notes,
"I think we just want (or demand) different amounts of exactitude 
in our games." >

Hummmm,


Fleshing this out a touch;
< 165lbs / 55lbs = 3 Encumbrance Levels for Body Weight + 1 Encumbrance Level for 55lb pack, or 200 calories per hour at 3mph with full pack for Joe.
Joe will spend 150 calories per hour to maintain the same pace without significant equipment.

Uphill = an additional 1 calorie per pound, per 1000ft elevation.
This represents walkable grades. The point at which falling Damage kicks in is when a Figure can be considered to be Climbing. The grade at which this happens depends on the Encumbrance Level, DX, and Talents of the Figure.
In general, any grade over 45deg. can be considered Climbing.

Rough trail = a Multiplier for calories appropriate to extra energy required to maintain speed. In general, if the path requires scrambling, climbing, bending, or similar work over significant lengths, the Multiplier will represent the percentage of such rough going over the course of the hour. A Multiplier of 1.5 would indicate about half the passage to be rough and cost an extra 25 calories per 55lbs per hour at a 3mph pace.
A Multiplier of 3.5 represents sprinting effort at a 4mph pace, a Multiplier of 11 is sprinting effort to maintain a 2mph pace. Multipliers at this level can be thought of as a rough gage of the density of the path the figure is attempting, or the steepness of a climb. Modifiers kick in for proper Tools, such as machetes for dense undergrowth, or picks for climbing/mining, as well as for related Talents and Traits. >



>From my front yard I can easily see Saddle Mountain, high ground in this county.
3,283 ft. on the "horn" peak, and a little less than 15 miles from my front door as the crow flies, which I most decidedly do not, it's 2 days walk for me.

>From the "horn" I can see Mary's Peak 4,097 ft. and over 90 miles due south, a view covering 5 counties.
It took me a week to walk it, and I had Hwy 101.

>From Mary' Peak, I can see Henline Mountain 4,660 feet and over 65 miles to the NE through the Elkhorn valley.
This is about 40 miles SE of Portland and 30 miles E of Salem.

Once you know the shapes, it's hard to get very lost around a mountain range, even a little one like my Coast Range.
"These are MY mountains!" < declared 'Braveheart' style, or a young Mickey Rooney in 'National Velvet' (The Pie being another good example of a Horse, and an argument against fixed MA)  >

Anyway, I've gotten y'all to Henline Mountain, now I have a fixed reference.

"60 Hiking Trails Central Oregon Cascades"

This guide is pretty standard for this type of material.
Its summary for Henline reads;

One day trip
Distance: 2.8 miles one way
Elevation gain: 2,115 feet
High point: 4,115 feet
Allow 1.5 to 2 hours one way
Usually open June to November (weather)
Topo-map USGS Mill City, OR 15' 1955
Followed by a page or so of description of points of special interest or difficulty along the route.
These are marked on a focus map of the route.

One of the details described is how the actual summit of the mountain is about a mile north of the trail-end and about 545 additional feet in elevation, but the trail is no longer maintained.

Often, these trails are the only practical routes available.
This one was the route to a mine claim.
The same can be said for the roads that get you to the trail head.

Climbers have their own books.
The example I have on hand is, 'High Over Boulder'.
This type of material focuses on the specific routes and trails on a particular mountain.
This one rates specific routes by overall grade of difficulty, free climbing class, and aid assisted ratings, with similar description to the hiking stuff.

This kind of thing saves me a lot of work as a GM.

I use county maps when covering distance.
The basically square layout of the section, township, range system lets me draw scale hexes in the manner I describe for graph paper.
This is an interesting scale for wargameing and travel, as well as production, having implications for roads and such, with each hex 4 miles sts and 16 miles square in area.

< sings >
"Everybody was kung-fu fighting...
Those cats were fast as lightning...
Everybody had perfect timing..."

Or something like that.


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