[TML] MIniatures/Map Meanderings, was re: Thousand Suns review

[Richard Aiken]

On Sat, Mar 1, 2008 at 7:34 PM, Jerry W Barrington
<jerry.barrington at gmail.com> wrote:
> Otherwise, the combat system seems a little abstract for my taste.
> Personally, I *like* moving miniatures around on a map.  :)

I also like miniatures.  Except mine are usually cardboard.  I used to
think I was pretty much stuck with the GURPS Cardboard Heros.  But
I've recently discovered a whole bunch of different sets available
through DriveThruRPG for just a couple of dollars each.  I'm figuring
to get a couple of robot sets I saw there, then blow up the fronts of
these figures to use as illustrations of common robots for my "Money &
Gear" chapter.  That way, what the characters buy and what their
players see on the combat map will match!

I've also discovered that there are a WHOLE lot of downloadable,
customizable combat-scale building floorplans and ship deckplans . . .
if you use 5 foot squares.  <sigh>  So I'm fairly sure I'll convert.
Not too painful, since these are basically CT 1.5 meter squares.  I
can just look at it as returning to my roots!   Although I'm
definitely not letting eight (8) enemies potentially hack on one (1)
figure.  Only the squares that share sides will count, not those on
the corners!  :)

I even ran across an expandable set that lets you build your own
ships.  They look unstreamlined when done, though, as the "outside" of
each modular deckplan area is all staggered, blocky outlines.
But then it occurred to me that these are reprintable more-or-less
endlessly.  So I could layout a ship that's 80% of whatever nominable
volume I want.  I could then take a ruler and draw straight edges
around the whole thing.  Fill in with black ink and VOILA!  The
deckplan of a streamlined ship!

-- 
Richard Aiken

"Never insult anyone by accident."  Robert A. Heinlein