Re: (TFT) Half-Hex Corridors

[Sgt Hulka <hulkasgt@yahoo.com>]

This comment is somewhat related to Jay's observation that the hexes should be drawn to reflect reality not vice versa (or whatever he said...he said it better). And it's a response to my question about whether you can shoot an arrow down the middle of a zig-zagging one-hex corridor running against the grain.

Okay, I found what I was remembering in Advanced Melee regarding the sides of hexes. Page 15, Thrown Weapons: "If a line drawn from the center of the attacker's hex to the center of the target hex passes through any hex containing a standing figure, that figure is "in the way." A line passing along the edge of a hex does NOT go through that hex." And then, under Jabbing With A Pole Weapon, same page: "He may jab at a figure in either of the Z hexes, regardless of intervening figures, because he is jabbing along a line between hexes."

So you *can* shoot an arrow straight down a zig-zagging one-hex wide corridor moving against the grain of the hex grid. That is, apparently, the "rules as written" way of representing a "straight" one-hex corridor. The only place I can see the rules treating the zig-zagging against-the-grain corridor differently from the straight with-the-grain corridor is if you use the Melee rule of having to run in a straight line for 3 hexes to gain double damage in a charge. Establishing a "straight" line like that would be impossible in the zig-zagging corridor, and quite simple in the straight one. Which, I think, points out a flaw in that particular rule (and maybe it's why it wasn't included in Advanced Melee?)

As for moving on to aesthetics/modelling, it seems like you could create both "rules as written" zig-zags *and* square-looking rooms and corridors with one-half hex thick walls (and using David's rule of not stepping on a half-hex). You represent the one-hex wide against-the-grain zig-zagging corridor with a two-hex wide zig-zaggig corridor, but place the walls down on top of the half-hexes that are "sticking out", thereby covering them. There will still alternating hexes inside the corridor (the corridor will technically be 1.5 hexes wide) but if you can't move onto to them the effective representation will be a one-hex wide corridor. I suspect this is what David does with his dungeon rooms that he has pictures of on his site. If you were a real stickler, you could add half-hex "pillars" or "supports" to the walls that cover the interior half-hexes, or you could place rubble and fallen pillars and stuff on the half-hexes, the way the guy did who built
 that Hirst Arts version of the Melee map.

Which is all too much work for me. I'll just stick with zig-zagging single hex tiles and no walls, and appreciate the work of others from afar.

Interesting comment about GURPS. D&D 3.5 edition uses a similar mechanic. In some ways that provides a more "realistic" approach to deriving line of sight. 

There's also the "gridless" approach: measure distances for movement and range, require touched bases for melee combat, and establish the rules for how figures can surround each other that approximates the hex grid. This is what Columbia Games' Battlelust does in turning the Harnmaster RPG into a miniatures skirmish game. It requires all your figures to be based on 1" square, hex or round bases, though, and since GW 20mm bases have become the new "standard" it would be difficult for most people to implement (unless you use 20mm as the default measuring unit instead of inches).

--- On Wed, 3/11/09, David O. Miller <davidomiller@verizon.net> wrote:

> From: David O. Miller <davidomiller@verizon.net>
> Subject: Re: (TFT) Half-Hex Corridors
> To: tft@brainiac.com
> Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 4:52 PM
> We've always used the measure from the center of the
> attackers hex to the center of the targets hex. If any part
> of that line goes through even a small part of a hex
> containing a figure or an obstacle then you have to roll to
> miss, or you cannot get the shot off. We take this sighting
> using a transparent straight edge or a string. (If it goes
> down a hex spine then you are considered lucky enough to be
> able to shoot between the figures.) This eliminates any
> difficulties and makes it fair for everyone, players and
> monsters alike. Personally I don't care for the trace
> line from any point of the hex, it's too fiddly. In the
> end however it really just comes down to personal style on
> this rule.
> 
> David O. Miller
> 
> 
> On Mar 11, 2009, at 3:54 PM, ""
> <pvk@oz.net> wrote:
> 
> > FWIW, the GURPS approach is to treat partial hexes as
> full hexes, and trace line of fire from any point in a hex
> to any point in another hex, with a -2 to-hit penalty for
> vertical half-concealment when it exists.
> > 
> > I found this to be a great relief from hex-itis
> compared to TFT hexes, and it had me using transparent hex
> overlays to first draw the walls the way they would actually
> be in real life, using TFT hexes as a guideline but drawing
> them free-form.
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