Topic: Metric or Imperial System for RM Revised

[Deaner]

Since it is a fantasy setting, might as well use the metric system.

[ironmaul]

Or, somewhat as Ictus suggests...just replace all units with variables that will be defined by some table in the front of the book. So a spell range could be listed as d/rnd in which the d would be defined in the beginning of the book as being either 1 foot or .3 meters, etc and so on.

I like this idea.  Span, cubit, league, fathom etc. could all be used as measurement names. As long as the GM and players have a general idea of what each measurement is in thier own minds, than everything will be shiny.

[Quasar]

I'm certainly in favour of imperial measure when it comes to fantasy games. With modern and science fiction on the other hand, I'm definitely pro-Metric.

[Talon420]

I personally can use both systems equally well, but I use imperial in the real world, so I tend to lean that way, but if the game system is set for metric, its not hard to adjust.

[ironmaul]

According to the poll, it is obvious what people want.

[Cory Magel]

Yeah, but us selfish Americans will get what we want regardless of the polls!

I actually see little reason why things couldn't be listed both ways. Unless, of course, the reason is that it actually increases the page count significantly enough that they don't want to.

[Akai]

It would be pretty easy to come up with a fantasy system of measurement that's base ten. Essentially the metric system disguised in more period-appropriate terminology. A centimeter could be a 'finger' or a 'segment', a decimeter would be a 'palm', a meter would be a 'pace', a gram could be called a 'grain', a kilogram could be a 'mark', a liter a 'gourd' or something like that.

[allenrmaher]

It would be pretty easy to come up with a fantasy system of measurement that's base ten. Essentially the metric system disguised in more period-appropriate terminology. A centimeter could be a 'finger' or a 'segment', a decimeter would be a 'palm', a meter would be a 'pace', a gram could be called a 'grain', a kilogram could be a 'mark', a liter a 'gourd' or something like that.

I like the sound of that...

[Akai]

Here's a list that I came up years ago when I got the wild idea:

LENGTH

Jotta        (?hair?, not literal; equal to 1 mm)                                           1/10th Seg
Seg          (?finger?; equal to 1 cm)                                                        1/10th Palma; 10 Jotta
Palma       (?hand?, equivalent to roughly 4 inches or 10 cm)                      1/10th  Passus; 10 Segs
Passus      (?pace?, equivalent to roughly 40 inches or 1 meter)                  10 Palmas
Mile         (?thousand?, equivalent to roughly 3300 feet or 1 kilometer)       1000 Passus                                                 

VOLUME

Dramus              (1 cubic Seg; equal to 1 cubic cm)                                         1/1000th Ampul
Flagon               (standard quantity of ale; equal to 1/2 liter)                             500 Drams
Ampyul            (equivalent to roughly 34 fluid oz or one liter)                            1000 Drams
Barrel                 (equivalent to roughly 26 gallons or 100 liters)                        100 Ampuls       
Culun                (1 cubic Passus; equal to 1 cubic meter)                                 1000 Ampuls                                                           

MASS

Mica                (?grain?; equal to one gram)                                                     1/1000th Lapis
Lapis               (?rock?, mass of one Ampyul of water; approx. 2 lbs or 1 kg)        1000 Micas
Stone              (common measurement of weight; approx 5 kg or 11 lbs)            5 Lapis
Ton                 (mass of one Culun of pure water)                                           1000 Lapis

AREA

Parsum           (square measuring 100 Passus on each side; equiv to 1 hectare)   10,000 square Passus

[ironmaul]

Yeah, but us selfish Americans will get what we want regardless of the polls!

You guys just aren't satisfied until you rule the world. 

Akai, very good idea, I like it! 

[Rasyr-Mjolnir]

According to the poll, it is obvious what people want.

No, according to the poll, it is obvious what 54 people want. There are more than 10 times that number registered who have not voted, and many more who are not even registered on the forums.

[pastaav]

Still the most plausible interpretation of somebody that does not vote would be they don't care if imperial or metric is used, right?

[smug]

At least the new forum doesn't allow voting by people who aren't logged-in.

I still don't fully understand why people get so emotional about it (in the UK, for example, where it is a big issue, particularly amongst the 'Little Englanders'). I guess that the current mix of metric and Imperial that the UK (and also the US) has will eventually lapse into metric. As it probably should.

A month before I was born, the UK finally switched over to decimal currency. There was a lot of complaining about it then but I would think that most people prefer the current system now.

[gribble]

Revised RM:  Imperial

Scientists and geeks (around here that isn't an insult) prefer metric as that make it easier to make calculations.  For example, when I am working out body mass, kcal expenditure, body fat, etc with a client I use the metric system

People who live in the real world (ie they do not work in IT and are not French) prefer imperial as it is easier to understand and visualise what they mean.  For example, when I am guaging someone's running speed outside I will tell them to hold 8 minute/mile pace whilst running or go out and cycle 25 miles.  If I say to run at 12.9km/h I would get a blank look.

Harp Sci Fi:  Imperial (new imperial)

When the Emperor (direct descendant of/clone/immortalised Bill Gates) starts re-taking his outlying systems the first thing he will do is make his mark by forcing everone to use his operating systems and his new Imperial measures.  He will ceratainly wipe out anything to do with the French as they (as the EU) gave him such a hard time in the early 21st century.

[Marc R]

But Emperor Bill has small feet. . . .in the new empire, human males now average 10' tall. . . .

[gribble]

Grr ... I bet their movement rate is ridiculous.

[smug]

People who live in the real world (ie they do not work in IT and are not French) prefer imperial as it is easier to understand and visualise what they mean.  For example, when I am guaging someone's running speed outside I will tell them to hold 8 minute/mile pace whilst running or go out and cycle 25 miles.  If I say to run at 12.9km/h I would get a blank look.

That is nothing to do with the intrinsic merits of either system, but rather, what people are used to. The UK and the US still use a mix of (mostly) Imperial and metric (as you know, kCal is a metricated unit itself, defined in terms of kilogrammes and degrees centigrade/celsius and Watts and Joules are also metric) but most other countries use metric. In my opinion, though, most British people under about 40 don't know how many yards or feet there are in a mile (and, frankly, their estimates of how far a mile actually is are often completely bizarre) and may not even know how many pounds are in a stone (or ounces in a pound; in fact, the ounce as a unit of measurement is less used than it was even when I was a kid). Miles per Hour is probably about the most significant measurement in Imperial that people really do use a lot, but then, only really when applied to vehicles (in my experience, people in the UK are not so good at judging walking or running speeds in miles per hour unless they are actually runners). Problems with km <--> miles conversions, and I agree with you that they exist, are a sad indictment of the average arithmetical ability in the UK, as a good approximate conversion from miles <--> kilometers is easy.

I would think that Bill Gates, as a nerd, will probably enforce metric, except that it will be given a new code name. And if he's bitter about anyone giving him a hard time, it would be the US Government, rather than that of the EU.

British people would look less stupid if we didn't dig in our heels against the French when the French and nearly everyone else are clearly 100% right. I bet the ancestors of gribble and Ictus were railing against the newfangled Arabic numerals when there was nothing wrong with good old traditional Roman numerals.

[gribble]

Thanks Smug, I'll try not to be offended at your jibes about my heritage...

(and, frankly, their estimates of how far a mile actually is are often completely bizarre)

Tht would be those that don't exercise reguarly.  It takes me 45secs to drive it, 20 mins to stroll it, 10 mins to jog it and 6 mins to leg it.

British people would look less stupid if we didn't dig in our heels against the French when the French and nearly everyone else are clearly 100% right

where to start?

British people never, ever look stupid relative to the lesser nations.  We often do things that are derisory by our own standards but not compared to the rest of the world.  Particularly since we stood back and said "pkay you can have it back ... see if you can do better without our governance."  Its starting to look like you should have left in charge, what?

The French are never, ever right.  (I had several paragraphs of eveidence for this but I thought that i would maintaine the "entente cordiale" by not posting them.  Neither are any people who agree with them.  Period.

I bet the ancestors of gribble and Ictus were railing against the newfangled Arabic numerals when there was nothing wrong with good old traditional Roman numerals

[smug]

British people never, ever look stupid relative to the lesser nations.  We often do things that are derisory by our own standards but not compared to the rest of the world.  Particularly since we stood back and said "pkay you can have it back ... see if you can do better without our governance."  Its starting to look like you should have left in charge, what?

I'm sure that the Americans are crying into their weak and tasteless beer over the lack of British governance of the Americas.

[gribble]