Commercial 3D movement system, for air and water combat.
Jul 5, 2019 22:09:54 GMT
wilmanric and deafnala like this
Post by sgtslag on Jul 5, 2019 22:09:54 GMT
This system (3D Combat Solutions) came up in another thread, so I thought I'd post a review of this commercial product which I've had for a number of years now. It is a system, which you must build out, yourself. Only the plans are sold. My gaming group used a similar concept, designed by one of our players, for a World War I game, Red Baron, which is all about aerial combat with miniature models of the period airplanes. That system is more complex, for the sticks and movement system, but I just took the commercial product's design, and I adapted my Red Baron experience to this product.
photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMLpoIdUy3no9gzKYAbtDNvNMaSEHUsTIvaofp-PIwGtSW6qfDmx28Z5NXSrIfHtg?key=QWFwR3pFTXVsaFJ3S2xFS0ctakNaZTNhWGg1d1hn (Insert photo command not working -- sorry.)
The upper platforms are made of MDF, and they work much better than my first attempt, using peel-n-stick vinyl floor tiles. I printed off the included images of water, with a grid, as well as the sandy bottoms, on full sheet label paper. The sandy bottom images were printed on an inkjet printer, the upper MDF 'floors', were printed with a color laser printer (much better colors, much richer). As you can clearly see, the vinyl floor tiles curled, over time. Note that the product provides both air templates (white, with a black 4x4, 1-inch grid), and water templates (shown in the photo).
I cut plywood into 4-inch squares, applied the full sheet label piece, after it was cut to size, then I drilled the center holes, with a drill press. I glued the dowels into the center of the bases with Wood Glue, for maximum strength. The center hole was done with a drill bit which made it snug, so no sawdust filler was needed to make them tightly fit into their bases. Over time, pulling/inserting the sticks would enlarge the hole, causing the sticks to never stay in place, so I glued them -- personal choice, but I'm happy with my decision.
I measured, and colored the vertical height sticks, using a Sharpie marker pen, marking off 1-inch increments. The increments can be 'set' at any depth, or height, required -- it is a sliding scale. If you are over an oceanic trench, but not near the surface, you can specify the top of the stick at any depth needed: 100 feet, 3,000 feet, or whatever you need. Then each increment can be another 5-feet, or 10-feet, or even 100-feet increments, as needed.
In play, you move the bases, per the figures' movement rates, and direction. You adjust the height of the platform, as needed, up, down, or the same depth/height. There are squares, in a 4x4 pattern, which allow some play on an individual stick, for when two figures are literally that close to one another, on the same level; you can also add multiple bases to the same stick, if the figures are in the same X-Y postion, but different heights (Z-position). Measure ranges from figure to figure, at whatever angle is necessary (some fudging will be required -- the system is not perfect).
Anyway, that is the system. It works equally well for underwater or aerial adventuring. It eliminates the need to plot on graph paper, or the need to completely fudge it with ToM. I suggest pre-plotting movement (borrowed, again, from Red Baron rules), as this will bring home just how different it is for fighting and moving in three dimensions! To plot movement, use square graph paper:
1) Each box represents 1-inch of movement on the table. So a figure with a 12-inch movement rate, can move 12-inches (12 boxes), up/down, left-right-straight, as desired.
2) In each box, write your desired movement using simple symbols and letters: -->, <--, Arrow Up, Arrow Down, or even angled arrows for diagonal moves.
3) Once everyone has plotted their movement for the turn, everyone moves their stand, measuring from the facing edge, move the base the number of inches in each direction; if the figure changes facing direction, move the figure, not the stick base. Keep things as simple as possible with the sticks. This is not the most accurate method, but it brings home the difficulty of true 3D movement and combat!
4) If you wish to use individual initiative in the combat, let the fastest moving creature move and fire, first, then the next, and so on, until the end of the turn. Or, let them wait, and go with the slowest moving character/monster, with the fastest moving last, to adjust to everyone else's movement, skipping the pre-plotting. Using Initiative order for movement is simpler, but it is also a give-away, IMO. Your game, your choice. Cheers!
photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMLpoIdUy3no9gzKYAbtDNvNMaSEHUsTIvaofp-PIwGtSW6qfDmx28Z5NXSrIfHtg?key=QWFwR3pFTXVsaFJ3S2xFS0ctakNaZTNhWGg1d1hn (Insert photo command not working -- sorry.)
The upper platforms are made of MDF, and they work much better than my first attempt, using peel-n-stick vinyl floor tiles. I printed off the included images of water, with a grid, as well as the sandy bottoms, on full sheet label paper. The sandy bottom images were printed on an inkjet printer, the upper MDF 'floors', were printed with a color laser printer (much better colors, much richer). As you can clearly see, the vinyl floor tiles curled, over time. Note that the product provides both air templates (white, with a black 4x4, 1-inch grid), and water templates (shown in the photo).
I cut plywood into 4-inch squares, applied the full sheet label piece, after it was cut to size, then I drilled the center holes, with a drill press. I glued the dowels into the center of the bases with Wood Glue, for maximum strength. The center hole was done with a drill bit which made it snug, so no sawdust filler was needed to make them tightly fit into their bases. Over time, pulling/inserting the sticks would enlarge the hole, causing the sticks to never stay in place, so I glued them -- personal choice, but I'm happy with my decision.
I measured, and colored the vertical height sticks, using a Sharpie marker pen, marking off 1-inch increments. The increments can be 'set' at any depth, or height, required -- it is a sliding scale. If you are over an oceanic trench, but not near the surface, you can specify the top of the stick at any depth needed: 100 feet, 3,000 feet, or whatever you need. Then each increment can be another 5-feet, or 10-feet, or even 100-feet increments, as needed.
In play, you move the bases, per the figures' movement rates, and direction. You adjust the height of the platform, as needed, up, down, or the same depth/height. There are squares, in a 4x4 pattern, which allow some play on an individual stick, for when two figures are literally that close to one another, on the same level; you can also add multiple bases to the same stick, if the figures are in the same X-Y postion, but different heights (Z-position). Measure ranges from figure to figure, at whatever angle is necessary (some fudging will be required -- the system is not perfect).
Anyway, that is the system. It works equally well for underwater or aerial adventuring. It eliminates the need to plot on graph paper, or the need to completely fudge it with ToM. I suggest pre-plotting movement (borrowed, again, from Red Baron rules), as this will bring home just how different it is for fighting and moving in three dimensions! To plot movement, use square graph paper:
1) Each box represents 1-inch of movement on the table. So a figure with a 12-inch movement rate, can move 12-inches (12 boxes), up/down, left-right-straight, as desired.
2) In each box, write your desired movement using simple symbols and letters: -->, <--, Arrow Up, Arrow Down, or even angled arrows for diagonal moves.
3) Once everyone has plotted their movement for the turn, everyone moves their stand, measuring from the facing edge, move the base the number of inches in each direction; if the figure changes facing direction, move the figure, not the stick base. Keep things as simple as possible with the sticks. This is not the most accurate method, but it brings home the difficulty of true 3D movement and combat!
4) If you wish to use individual initiative in the combat, let the fastest moving creature move and fire, first, then the next, and so on, until the end of the turn. Or, let them wait, and go with the slowest moving character/monster, with the fastest moving last, to adjust to everyone else's movement, skipping the pre-plotting. Using Initiative order for movement is simpler, but it is also a give-away, IMO. Your game, your choice. Cheers!