field of play question.

[Xemnas]

Has anyone tried playing Pathfinder on a Warhammer field? if so how did you incorporate it?

The reason I am asking is, I have a Warhammer field that i made a few years ago that would work well for a campaign a friend is running, and he asked me if he could use it. The only thing is because its not grid formed how would everything be drawn out. How would you do threatened areas, cone effects etc., i have the measuring devices for Warhammer that have cones and the measuring stick for distance which is one inch intervals but do you think that would be a good way to play?

[Akerlof]

I'd run it the same way you do Warhammer or any other tabletop wargame: Ruler for distances, templates for spell AoEs, LoS and Cover based on either using a string/straight edge or looking from the attacker to the defender. I'd consider cutting out some "threatened area" templates, a 3 inch diameter circle for medium and small creatures, 4 inches for large creatures with 5 foot reach, 6 inches for large creatures with 10 foot reach and so forth. If a character's base touches that template during movement (or a string/straightedge from the center of their base to where they're going) then they draw an AoO.

It would be fun to play on more realistic terrain, and adjusting to the lack of a grid isn't too difficult once you get used to it. You wouldn't lose any of the tactical features of the game, but the way they manifest might change some due to the change from discrete to continuous measurement.

[Claxon]

Yeah, since you have the measuring device for warhammer already just remember 5ft is 1in (in scale) and go from there. Happy circles and less restricted movement.

It will change certain aspects of the game, but I'm not sure any of them are truly important.

[Xemnas]

One thought that i just had though is tactical movement. For instance trying to get into flanking position of a monster without pulling a AoO, how would you do something like that? The only thing i can think of is pick the side of the base that would come close to the "threat Range template" and keep it just outside but if you do that you would never pull AoO Unless you were in hallways.

[Claxon]

Well, remember you only provoke for moving out a square a creature threatens, not into.

So, assuming 5ft reach (which is the most common) moving towards the enemy wont provoke. Moving around the enemy (in a circular like fashion) might provoke and moving away form the enemy will.

Longer reach complicates it further, but only with how far out you have to look at the "circles" the creature threatens.

[Mythic Evil Lincoln]

Warmachine has a similar rule for leaving threat areas, and it's a gridless wargame like Warhammer is.

It works just fine!

Grids exist for convenience. I actually get really irked by the few instances where the grid forces behavior different than ruler measurement would imply.