Topic: How many fighters fit in a 10'R

[Dalewarrior]

Hi players!
I was wondering how you do it in your games, how many men fit in a 10'R circle for purposes of loosing on them Cold or Fire balls?
I'd distinguish between looser swordsmen formations and packed formations of pikemen/spearmen.
Cheers!
DW

[Spectre771]

Using a grid or hex tile as 5" (which seems to be standard in most of the game I've played, you're looking at about 8-10 people comfortably.  Just in the 20' diameter, you're talking 4 players abreast. add two in front and two behind for 8 PCs. 

[Majyk]

For maps with 5’ grid areas of less than 50% for an effect, I do not count this against satisfying as targetable.

Same thing for allowing a(n) (N)PC to stand in such a location when it involves being made of a solid material - like a cavern/tunnel/mesa.
You could make an argument of allowing smaller Races to fill such spaces, but it is easier on a case by case basis.

In any event, for ease of counting or mapping:
Only allow area effect spells to be cast on the vertices of your maps(ie. the centre lines of 4 squares on a grid is a + sign…use the centre of that and draw your boom-making effects from there.

D&D 3.x had great area of effect drawings to show how many targets one could “hit” depending upon the details of a spell’s radii.
(I attach a grid of potential spheres with numbers within each square.  These numbers show how tall the effect is in 3D space, too - not just in 2D L/W)

[Dalewarrior]

Majyk, I can't get your attachment, when I click on it nothing happens.

What do you guys think of the estimates from one of my players?

Working out the precise geometries could be done or just approximated as I attempted below. In terms of packing density, even with pikemen it wouldn't be less than 1/m2 as that's like on the parade ground, and presumably closely packed means much closer than that.

Here's the number of troops per 10'R  blast circle depending on packing density...

density/m2  troops in the circle    comment
1                 29                               'parade ground' spacing
3                 88                                my guess at the lower limit of 'close packed'
4                 117                              my guess on the upper limit of 'close packed'
10               292                            packed in as close as possible (e.g. with no shields/weapons).

[brole]

Hi, for realism you would need to consider as you have the size of the units and their various stances and formations.

If you consider War Law scales and accept 100’ diameter hex = 100’ diameter circle.

Then 8 medium size infantry per 10’ diameter circle.

Depending on scenario I would generalize - 2 combatants if using 2h weapons, 4 combatants using 1h melee , 8 combatants in tight formation.

[Dalewarrior]

Yea, around 8 seems the number I got.

This was taken from a professor of India,
How many people can fit in a 10 meter radius?
AVAILABLE AREA = Pi*10^2 = 314 sqm

REQUIRED AREA PER PERSON IS AROUND 0.4 sqmeters

0,4 sq meters = 43,1 sq feet

NUMBER OF PERSONS THAT COULD BE FITTED = 314/0.4 = 785

AROUND 800 PEOPLE ALMOST JAMPACKED.


This is my connversion,
How many people can fit in a 10 feet radius?

Area = 3,14 * 10^2 = 314,16 sq feet

REQUIRED AREA PER PERSON IS AROUND 43,1 sq feet.

NUMBER OF PERSONS THAT COULD BE FITTED = 314/43,1 = 7,3 persons.

[Dalewarrior]

I got the conversion factor wrong, it's
NUMBER OF PERSONS THAT COULD BE FITTED = 314/4,31 = 73 persons.
Who would guess that so many people fit in a 3 meter radius circle!

[OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol]

Who would guess that so many people fit in a 3 meter radius circle!

Anyone taking the bus or the train during rush hours?

[Spectre771]

Who would guess that so many people fit in a 3 meter radius circle!

Anyone taking the bus or the train during rush hours?

It's a commonly known fact in New York, Chicago, and Boston the the "T" or the "El" are like the Tardis and far more people fit into those conveyances than should logically (or safely) be allowed

[Majyk]

All good.
Mods have to OK the attachments before they go live.
This is usually done with a day or two.

Majyk, I can't get your attachment, when I click on it nothing happens.

[OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol]

It's a commonly known fact in New York, Chicago, and Boston the the "T" or the "El" are like the Tardis and far more people fit into those conveyances than should logically (or safely) be allowed

Then said public transportation goes on a strike and, through the rare trains or buses still running, one realises it's possible to even fit more people!!

...that being said, aforementioned people don't wear armour nor do they wield a shield (well, at least afaik...)  so, mayhap, their case doesn't apply in the current thread's situation.

[jdale]

Those are good numbers for "how many people can fit in the radius of a beneficial spell if they have time to squeeze in?" For combat in practice I use 5' squares.

[Cory Magel]

What if they are all doing the cheerleader pyramid?

[Dalewarrior]

Aha hah! Always think three dimensional.

[Dalewarrior]

Does this Osprey book cover strike a chord?
https://ospreypublishing.com/landsknecht-soldier-1486-1560-pb?___store=osprey_rst

[Hurin]

Does this Osprey book cover strike a chord?
https://ospreypublishing.com/landsknecht-soldier-1486-1560-pb?___store=osprey_rst

Definitely. I have more than one family dinner like that.

[Dalewarrior]

A MERP joke!
Remember that time Gandalf convinced the whole party to flee so that he could take out the Balrog and not have to share any of the XP? Shows up the next session with fancy new robes and everything. What a jerk. 
Best literary analysis ever.

[OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol]

Remember that time Gandalf convinced the whole party to flee so that he could take out the Balrog and not have to share any of the XP?

To be honest, that was understandable. Considering how high level he was, that was for him a very rare opportunity to gain any XP at all!

[rdanhenry]

Remember that time Gandalf convinced the whole party to flee so that he could take out the Balrog and not have to share any of the XP?

To be honest, that was understandable. Considering how high level he was, that was for him a very rare opportunity to gain any XP at all!

Plus, he wanted those sweet XP for dying. Don't forget that quirk of the old RM experience system. Gandalf was worth a lot of XP at his level.