A few thoughts about scale and reach in GURPS

_
_/ \_
/ \_/ \
\_/ \_/
/ \_/ \
\_/ \_/
\_/

In the beginning of the Advanced Combat chapter of the Basic Set, it states that a hex grid where 1" = 1 yard is actually a 50mm scale for figurines, but that 25mm figures is recommended because of availability, figure bases fitting into the hexes ad so on. The GURPS system is then based on this, and assigns - among other things - a reach to various melee weapons based on this.

While this is quite OK with me basically, I just couldn't help wondering what would happen if one created a hex grid where ½" = 1 yard, true 25mm scale. So I did that, and placed figures upon it. And while it was obvious that figures with broad bases lost their ability to fit in a hex, much more was, in my opinion, gained by doing this - primarily visually, but other things as well.

When you use the ½" scale it becomes clear - at least in my mind - that there is a level of detail in the reach system that's lost in the 50/25mm discrepancy. It is most pronounced in unarmed and/or close combat: Punching, kicking and grappling.

I used to study Shotokan Karate in some of my younger years. What I saw when I placed 25mm figures on a ½" grid for the first time took me right back to the dojo. While every caution should be taken in applying experience from a sports context to an rpg aiming to do things realistically, the points I found nonetheless seems to pass the first line of reality checks. Note that the visual examples in the basic set basicaly doesn't - they show 1" hexes in which are drawn 25mm figures - and weapon sizes to match - thus perpetuating the visual discrepancy.

First: Kicks and punches have different reaches. They do. Try sticking your arm out in front of you, and then your leg. The leg reaches out further, if not by a full yard, then by a good part of it. The way we got punches as far out as kicks was by doing sort of an Attack-and-Fly-Back maneuver - a forwards step, followed by a punch, and then a withdrawal. An argumented reach. What became visually clear to me was that a basic punch has a reach of 1 on a ½" grid, and a kick has a reach of 2.

Second: GURPS close combat places the combattants in the same hex - that is, there's 1 yard (or so) distance between the back feet of the two assailants. The visual realisation was that said yard could instead be the yard between the centers of two adjacent hexes. This places the two combattants in separate hexes, which, to me, is a more estethic approach.

When you combine these things you can change the definition of what a weapon can reach: A weapon with a reach of eg. 2 can reach a character in a hex that is up to 2 hexes removed from the characters hex, that is: Reach 2 can reach from a character hex past two empty hexes and into the occuppied hex past those two. The definition of Reach C becomes the old Reach 1-ring around the central character hex. And thats really it. It's only a slight change in definition, but the visual benefits are large, as far as I'm concerned.

The only attack that changes reach in this system is the basic punch, which changes reach to C.

One last note: I've never used this in action. Only while playing with mys.... Oh ... no, can't go there - but I trust you get the idea ;-). Comments on this would be appreciated.