using minis- do you do it?

[Damian Magecraft]

if you do, how do you handle speed to squares?

Speed stat = 1 foot per second per point (this is canon... The math supports this.)
So speed to squares is dependant on scale (same as any other system).

I have not bothered with minis in over 25 years.

[Bill]

I consider figures impractical for Palladium products, particularly Rifts, due to the high SPD stats and very long ranges. 2000ft or a mile tends to require a very large table while characters that are able to travel at 100mph are difficult to put on a hex or quadrant grid and tedious to move around.

[Armorlord]

I don't think it lends itself to the system too well.
However, that Robotech game with the figures at the last open house was Epicly Awesome. ..Though I don't recall how Bellaire worked out the movement off hand.
Main reason it worked out so well was the operational constraints of the mission, battloids in an urban environment. If it were flying or in the open, we would have been buzzing most of the warehouse.

[Spinachcat]

I sometimes use minis, but for Rifts use Terrain pieces and abstract all the ranges and movement. This allows us to use minis for visual reference, but not get bogged down what Spd equals what squares and how can my gun shoot.

[zaccheus]

I use them but not necessarily for "real time" battle info, it's too much to try and calculate location due to speeds and the massive differences in size. I mostly just use them as general visual references. Nothing on my map is to scale, but it give a rough approximation of characters relation with each other and the NPC's, just so they know how many skelebots are in front and/or behind them, whether or not they maybe shooting past allies potentially risking hitting said allies etc. So they are just very basic game aids to just try and make sure everyone is on the same page with the situation.

[everloss]

I don't think it lends itself to the system too well.
However, that Robotech game with the figures at the last open house was Epicly Awesome. ..Though I don't recall how Bellaire worked out the movement off hand.
Main reason it worked out so well was the operational constraints of the mission, battloids in an urban environment. If it were flying or in the open, we would have been buzzing most of the warehouse.

I'm curious as to what figures you're talking about. I wasn't there; I'm wondering if Bellaire used some sort of Macross figures or ancient Battletech minis?

[Severus Snape]

I only use minis for PFRPG and other dungeon crawling games as that's what minis (in my opinion) are meant for. Others have posted the reasons not to for modern-esque games, the main one being distance. Hard to use minis when you have some guys on foot shooting at a range of 60 feet and others in power armor that can fire at a range of 2000 feet.

As for distance, whenever I use minis it's 1 square = 5 feet. I then tell the players to tell me what their movement per round is (in feet), and that's how many total squares they can move, provided they don't use actions to do anything else. But in combat, I'm pretty loose with movement, so if you aren't trying to cover the grand canyon and use a power punch at the same time, I'm ok with bending a little.

The main purpose for using minis is so everyone knows where everyone/everything else is in relation to them. It also helps to enhance one's imagination of the situation at hand.

[wolfsgrin]

As above with most, I use minis or my wipe board for approximate locations. Though I have been tinkering for close quarter urban combat for some special forces games I have planned and going a bit beyond approximate and more exact. Don't know how this will go but it should be a fun journey. I have never been big on the old miniature games

[jaymz]

I've used them as an abstract in palladium games to give a general location of everyone

[SpiritInterface]

if you do, how do you handle speed to squares?

The group I game with use them all of the time. Per HU rules we use SPDx3/actions as the number of 5' squares a character can move per action. With magic ranges being so short and having a good sized battle board it works well for us, and we have been using minis for decades.

[Hendrik]

2000ft or a mile tends to require a very large table while characters that are able to travel at 100mph are difficult to put on a hex or quadrant grid and tedious to move around.

Bill, don't be too sluggish about it.

To use your minis properly, you merely need access to 1 football field to simulate 1 mile x 1 mile for 5 feet squares. AND, all the stadiums have these nifty machines to paint lines, no reason why they would not accomodate you painting the 5x5 feet squares there. It is off-season soon (sadly) so you have a real window of opportunity here, in the warming seasons to boot.

"Math" behind it (hopefully correct): 1 mile has 5280 feet. The scale would be 1 square is 1 inch and represents 5x5 feet. 5280 feet times 5280 feet thus require 1056 squares x 1056 squares, each square 1 inch x 1 inch. Thus (1056 inch = 88 feet) you only need a measly area of 88 times 88 feet. A football field (counting the end zones, no reason to waste those and imagine how much fun a kill in the end zone would be) measures 160 feet times 360 feet.

This would set the grand stage for your game just fine, and with area to spare for those rockets and such! And with the distances (when you try to find that smallish scale tank battalion) you do not need a "fog of war" type thing. Maybe you can even use those fly over cameras for recording your game from all sorts of cool angles.

And, see, even those 100 mph ... no problem, all big football fields have HUGE parking areas and great access to those highways, just send your player running to where he needs to go (according to scale, of course). (1) That will make them think about using those speeds the next time (overshooting your target can make him to have to jog - walking would not do, he cannot hold up the game too long - for a couple of miles). But do not worry, (2) in-game radio communication and positioning can then be simulated in a first class manner by using those smartphones everyone has these days. And, if the quick mini does not overshoot - they will learn that fast - then you will just have to make him run fast from one side of the field to the other - you know, for that realistic game approach - as he would cover the mile (88 ft) in 36 seconds (doable as it is easily below the record for the 100 yard (300 ft) dash). Your chance to say hut hut, or hubba hubba if you feel smug, as GM!

But you also need not despair when no football field can be commandeered. Parks work really well, too, especially when you like millenium trees (you do not need a mini for that any more, just say "it's that oak over there", so it is a money saver as well) and you can have a stylish picnic in the grass instead of munching that pizza which at the average game table only disturbs the minis and tends to splotch your notes. No longer!

If you would rather play inside and for example simulate play in Rifts:Canada or the upcoming Arctic world book you could use an ice hockey rink (200 × 98 ft).

If you were to be a sissy about it and rather play inside with a tee, you can always use your college or, if you are and feel grown-up about it, a NBA basketball court (94 × 50 ft), although either would not be wide enough to give you the full simulation of a mile in length, guess you would end up with ~1000 yards times 1 mile, but that's not so bad either.

Admittedly, maybe 5 times the size (for simulating the 1 foot in 1 second move easier) would be a bit awkward. You would need about three football fields side by side and a bit on top of 'em. But then you can always GM in a golf buggy and use a megaphone for added impact.

Come on, people pretend to play golf because of all the excercise they get from walking. I feel RPGs could be the next golf!

What about a RIFTS: Play Outdoors! supplement?

Playing outside is healthy, there will be a lot of excercise, and playing in a football stadium and such gives great exposure to the game (good PR!). I see large crowds flock to your game. Imagine, you can finally ask for money for people watching you GM. Rockstars fill stadiums, why not you when your GM'ing rocks stars. Surely, a new day is dawning for the RPG industry and gaming!

Plus, finally, gamers can use that jock line when asked by the ladies what they do on Saturday (etc): "I go to the stadium to kick ass!" I see all sorts of cool and novel opportunites here.

Son, that is really what gaming is about: GM'ing, kickin' ass and giving names! And if you need a football field for that, that is what the hard rockin' gamer needs to get his dice on!



Cheers
Hendrik

[Myrrhibis]

We only use minis to get a general layout of a room/space/town, and where our characters are in relation to a goal/enemy/etc.

We don't keep a specific speed:space tally going. If the off-board numbers support moving into range of an enemy in X actions, then that's what happens.

As PP said - the PB system, with the wildly varying speeds (and high speeds for vehciles/PA/etc) just isn't practical for mini-use except as above.