"Updated Hex Epic 40,000" Topic

I updated my conversion of Epic 40,000 to 4" or 10cm hexes.

Summary: I'm going for pick-'em-up-and-put-'em-down no measuring playing with toys. These have been basically playtested, but not thoroughly. In particular, I haven't used flyers yet.

The document is here:
link

Post on TacCmd:
link

andy

I just downloaded the rules. The idea sounds interesting, but I don't have any terrain that is hex based.

I also don't have a lot of time to play. Maybe these would make the game quicker though.

I have some big maps for Memoir 44. I wonder if I could use them for a game of this or if they would still be too small.

Thanks for the work putting these together.

Thanks for comments. I found that it did make games quicker, but even I have only played a few games at it so far. That it felt quick after I hadn't played for a long time, was playing against my only-a-gamer-because-she-loves-me wife, and was using reasonably large armies is encouraging. I'm going as much for "quick feel" as actually taking less time. Seriously, the it is the pick up minis and put them down over there so that they look cool, without a ruler, that makes a lot of the fun.

I think Memoir '44 hexes would be too small. Might work, but would shrink ranges and such, and crowd the figures more. That's assuming "big maps" means lots of hexes, each the same size as regular Memoir '44 hexes, not bigger hexes.

I know I'll make the rules more appealing if I put out some more battle reports. I have a fantasy game to get in first, though, and I want to make a new hex map. My Geo-Hex terrain does not have 4" hexes on it, but if most of the table is a hexed mat, and I use washers (will paint them green sometime) to mark hex centers on top of the Geo-Hex, it can be OK. But putting down hex centers for the whole board takes prohibitively long. Kallistra is appealing, but I do love my Geo-Hex. I could overlay on that, but I'd hate to mark them up.

I looked at whether a laser projector would work. I could figure a way to calibrate from a projected position so that the hexes ended up projected correctly. I could do the math for that, and would just need a cheap-enough programmable projector of some kind, bright enough to be seen in a lit room. Probably not going to happen.

andy

I think the GHQ Styrofoam hexes are 4" across. They are made in various thicknesses for hills, mountains, etc.

Could you comment a little on the scale-difference between movement (1 hex per 10cm) and shooting (2 hex per 15cm)? I know it was done out of practical necessity, but what effect does it create in play? It seems like a move towards SM2/TL, when shooting ranges tended to outstrip movement ranges and more battles were fought at long range.

Also, have the hexes had any effect on barrage templates, which tend to punish tightly clustered units? Presumably, in order to space a detachment out on a hex map, you cannot just move every unit 5cm or so… You have to do the minimum 1 hex (10cm) movement. This matters particularly with overwatch, which only allows 5cm movement. Maybe this small increment of movement ought to allow you to freely rearrange the units within a hex?

I didn't mind the rescaling from 25cm range increments to 15cm at the time, but when we started playing again, it looked really short to me. Seeing a land raider only able to shoot something within 45cm was shocking.

Rescaling to 20cm increments for the hex version is not going all the way back to SM ranges, so that's good. For the last game, assault range was 1 hex, and one effect was that the smallest range of 2 hexes did not have to get into assault range to fire. That's a change from E40K, where 15cm range means you only fire from within assault range. We did see a very powerful jetbike detachment. I've since moved assault range to 2 hexes, and while this isn't a huge limit, it does make those detachments commit more than before, and if on assault orders will be at half firepower.

Overall, I don't think this will reduce movement. Marches still look really long.

The alternative ranges I considered were just 1 less than now. So there is still a 20cm increment, but they start at 1 hex. I'd reduce assault range back to 1 hex as well, and use ranges of 1,3,5,7,9,11. These are a bit small at the lower range, and closer to original at mid and high.

I currently have overwatch not moving at all, but have a comment in the rules about whether I should allow rearranging within a hex. I'd also love to bring back my rule for using the hex for barrages. I liked it, but just couldn't figure out how to handle the mega-cannon.

I have a fantasy game set out on the table now, and want to play that one with my son. I also have a couple of hex terrain projects to do. Then I will get back to some more playing of this system. I've gotten excited about it again.

andy