It doesn't really matter what the unit of measurement is...
"A big monster comes out of the shadows screaming at you! It's about 30 'units' away." "I attack it." "You need to get closer." "Oh right, I'm having trouble picturing everything, it's 30 feet right? Which is what? 10meters-ish? and my speed says 25ft... so probably enough... because my sword has a 2 meter reach, that makes sense, but in feet that's?... you know what, shall we play another game?" "Yeah fair enough."
It doesn't really matter what the unit of measurement is...
"A big monster comes out of the shadows screaming at you! It's about 30 'units' away." "I attack it." "You need to get closer." "Oh right, I'm having trouble picturing everything, it's 30 feet right? Which is what? 10meters-ish? and my speed says 25ft... so probably enough... because my sword has a 2 meter reach, that makes sense, but in feet that's?... you know what, shall we play another game?" "Yeah fair enough."
:(
Except everything is measured in feet and uses 5 foot increments. If someone can't grasp that simple concept I think you have a bigger problem.
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I’m American and I would also prefer the metric system. Even to me feet and miles seem rather arbitrary and hard to visualize in my mind, even IRL. But meters and kilometers just make more sense. (Celsius too, I can only use Fahrenheit for cooking/baking, for everything else Celsius makes more sense.)
Except everything is measured in feet and uses 5 foot increments.
Um... that's the point. What are you getting at? This whole thread is about people who measure the world in meters, not naturally visualising other measurements. If I told you to imagine a person 50 spans away from you, what do you see in your minds eye? Would it disrupt the theatre of the mind for you to convert it? Even for a savant it's still a distraction.
Italian manuals already use the metric system, the problem would be having two English books one using metric and one using imperial, that would be confusing I guess, but if the already are using the metric system in other states like Italy for example the confusion already exists
At the time of writing this, 95% of the people voting want a metric system implemented. It's no surprise to me. A lot of educated people want metric. The last survey I saw indicated that people playing pen and paper roleplaying games are educated above average population.
Reworking everything would be kind of tough. If you'd like, you could just do a rough conversion of 5 feet = 1.5 meters. I don't think it's work the time to go through and rework all the material, though.
I don't think that reworking would be that tough tbh. As long as the data is some what structured. Take all feet distances divide by 3 and round up to nearest integer. Not exactly the same distance, but perhaps close enough in my opinion.
Even if it was only on D&D beyond, where there was a "metric" version of the content, like I'm sure there are versions of the site in other languages, just host a *metric english* version of the content like that.
It wouldn't even be difficult to program, you could have an equation for the math, round out to the nearest integer and apply it as a find-and-replace for all the content where feet or inches appear.
Maybe it's a bigger deal for the printed books, but digital would be a breeze, that would be enough.
For D&D Beyond to support metric, Wizards of the Coast would have to offer an english localised version with metric. It's not just a matter of applying a direct conversion of values, WotC would need to decide how each and every unit should be rounded, from travel distances to spell ranges. This is not a decision D&D Beyond would make.
Unless there's some kind of legal rights restriction that means no-one is allowed to produce altered versions, but if that were true Homebrew couldn't exist.
My whole point was they DON'T have to work out every individual measurement. It might not be 100% accurate, but a simple find replace equation would be close enough for the game to function just fine for 99. 9% of the content.
At the end of the day, every measurement would be rounded to the same distance, so everything would be proportional and they only have to add a note saying some measurements are not precise.
Unless there's some kind of legal rights restriction that means no-one is allowed to produce altered versions, but if that were true Homebrew couldn't exist.
My whole point was they DON'T have to work out every individual measurement. It might not be 100% accurate, but a simple find replace equation would be close enough for the game to function just fine for 99. 9% of the content.
At the end of the day, every measurement would be rounded to the same distance, so everything would be proportional and they only have to add a note saying some measurements are not precise.
D&D Beyond has an agreement with Wizards of the Coast to present the rules as WotC designs them. DDB cannot modify the rules in any way, shape or form; this is why typos present in books that have not yet been errata'd are intentionally presented on D&D Beyond; that is how WotC currently presents the content.
Homebrew is not the same; homebrew content does not claim to change what WotC has designed.
How measurements would be rounded is a decision solely for Wizards of the Coast to make, not D&D Beyond.
But WotC has already decided this surley in the Manuale del Giocatore which lists distance using metric amounts.
Yes, for the non-English localisations. They however have not decided it for the english localised books which only use imperial. In order for D&D Beyond to begin considering offering metric localised measurements, WotC would have to start offering an english localised version of the rule books with metric.
I know the DDB tools directly related to game rules must match WotC, but (and this would be low priority) a DDB tool to assist with conversion of m<->ft could make it a little more accessible to metric English speakers. For now, there are charts and calculators online to assist. Maybe there'll be an integrated calculator some day but...
What might be even better is people (not DDB) approaching WotC about a metric version for English or additional rules in the basic sources to accommodate a metric system versus the Imperial system without needing a revamp of the overall rules.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
I know the DDB tools directly related to game rules must match WotC, but (and this would be low priority) a DDB tool to assist with conversion of m<->ft could make it a little more accessible to metric English speakers. For now, there are charts and calculators online to assist. Maybe there'll be an integrated calculator some day but...
What might be even better is people (not DDB) approaching WotC about a metric version for English or additional rules in the basic sources to accommodate a metric system versus the Imperial system without needing a revamp of the overall rules.
There are actually a lot of extensions that already do this, so you can have it calculated in your browser natively
I've only managed to find one extension, "Beyond Metric" and it can only convert dedicated pages, so all the quick reference pull-outs and list-view values you'd typically see while trying to build or run a campaign are still imperial.
Unless there's some kind of legal rights restriction that means no-one is allowed to produce altered versions, but if that were true Homebrew couldn't exist.
My whole point was they DON'T have to work out every individual measurement. It might not be 100% accurate, but a simple find replace equation would be close enough for the game to function just fine for 99. 9% of the content.
At the end of the day, every measurement would be rounded to the same distance, so everything would be proportional and they only have to add a note saying some measurements are not precise.
D&D Beyond has an agreement with Wizards of the Coast to present the rules as WotC designs them. DDB cannot modify the rules in any way, shape or form; this is why typos present in books that have not yet been errata'd are intentionally presented on D&D Beyond; that is how WotC currently presents the content.
Homebrew is not the same; homebrew content does not claim to change what WotC has designed.
How measurements would be rounded is a decision solely for Wizards of the Coast to make, not D&D Beyond.
On one side I understand the situation,
On the other we live in a world where the majority of people uses the metrics system, at this point, with the statement above dndbeyond is just not for people living outside USA, so just restrict access to US or countries stuck on imperial.
Seriously, WotC already provides measurements in metric system, majority of your users want that, it is so hard to ask them to give permission to have a conversion toggle? I mean, translations are a bigger mess regarding publishing rights (well not anymore since WotC has bought back all rights to translations) but this is really so problematic?
On the other we live in a world where the majority of people uses the metrics system, at this point, with the statement above dndbeyond is just not for people living outside USA, so just restrict access to US or countries stuck on imperial.
Seriously, WotC already provides measurements in metric system, majority of your users want that, it is so hard to ask them to give permission to have a conversion toggle? I mean, translations are a bigger mess regarding publishing rights (well not anymore since WotC has bought back all rights to translations) but this is really so problematic?
Yes, it is hard to ask and it is problematic for Wizards to grant this exception to Beyond. Whatever agreement Beyond and Wizards got into, Beyond is not allowed to deviate from the official source as it is not their IP and they have no right to modify it. If Wizards published a spelling mistake, Beyond is required to preserve that spelling mistake.
If you really want change to be implemented in D&D, Beyond's forums is one of the worst ways to do so, and you are better off contacting Wizards on their social media so EVERYONE can see, so there is at least a chance of Wizards noticing and they might feel pressure to reply.
Complaining to Beyond on why they do not include metric measurements is like complaining to your local game store why your physical book does not include metric measurements. The complaint goes nowhere and nothing changes.
Isn't the point Wizards of the Coast, does have the metrics system officially published, & D&D Beyond would just have to splice the data? I suppose that technically counts as editing the material.
It's just shame. It feels exactly like all the gatekeeping that has kept D&D below it's potential for decades.
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It doesn't really matter what the unit of measurement is...
"A big monster comes out of the shadows screaming at you! It's about 30 'units' away."
"I attack it."
"You need to get closer."
"Oh right, I'm having trouble picturing everything, it's 30 feet right? Which is what? 10meters-ish? and my speed says 25ft... so probably enough... because my sword has a 2 meter reach, that makes sense, but in feet that's?... you know what, shall we play another game?"
"Yeah fair enough."
:(
Except everything is measured in feet and uses 5 foot increments. If someone can't grasp that simple concept I think you have a bigger problem.
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Spirit Bomb - A holy fireball for Clerics, Paladins, & Divine Soul Sorcerers!
Sword Dancer - A Cleric subclass specifically for the Drow goddess Eilistraee.
Quicksilver & The Scarlet Witch - A pair of magical firearms for your Gunslinger or Artificer.
I’m American and I would also prefer the metric system. Even to me feet and miles seem rather arbitrary and hard to visualize in my mind, even IRL. But meters and kilometers just make more sense. (Celsius too, I can only use Fahrenheit for cooking/baking, for everything else Celsius makes more sense.)
Easy shorthand:
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Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Um... that's the point.
What are you getting at?
This whole thread is about people who measure the world in meters, not naturally visualising other measurements.
If I told you to imagine a person 50 spans away from you, what do you see in your minds eye? Would it disrupt the theatre of the mind for you to convert it? Even for a savant it's still a distraction.
Italian manuals already use the metric system, the problem would be having two English books one using metric and one using imperial, that would be confusing I guess, but if the already are using the metric system in other states like Italy for example the confusion already exists
At the time of writing this, 95% of the people voting want a metric system implemented.
It's no surprise to me. A lot of educated people want metric. The last survey I saw indicated that people playing pen and paper roleplaying games are educated above average population.
I don't think that reworking would be that tough tbh. As long as the data is some what structured. Take all feet distances divide by 3 and round up to nearest integer. Not exactly the same distance, but perhaps close enough in my opinion.
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Skolson Demjon - Cleric/Fighter
Even if it was only on D&D beyond, where there was a "metric" version of the content, like I'm sure there are versions of the site in other languages, just host a *metric english* version of the content like that.
It wouldn't even be difficult to program, you could have an equation for the math, round out to the nearest integer and apply it as a find-and-replace for all the content where feet or inches appear.
Maybe it's a bigger deal for the printed books, but digital would be a breeze, that would be enough.
For D&D Beyond to support metric, Wizards of the Coast would have to offer an english localised version with metric. It's not just a matter of applying a direct conversion of values, WotC would need to decide how each and every unit should be rounded, from travel distances to spell ranges. This is not a decision D&D Beyond would make.
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
Sure they could.
Unless there's some kind of legal rights restriction that means no-one is allowed to produce altered versions, but if that were true Homebrew couldn't exist.
My whole point was they DON'T have to work out every individual measurement. It might not be 100% accurate, but a simple find replace equation would be close enough for the game to function just fine for 99. 9% of the content.
At the end of the day, every measurement would be rounded to the same distance, so everything would be proportional and they only have to add a note saying some measurements are not precise.
D&D Beyond has an agreement with Wizards of the Coast to present the rules as WotC designs them. DDB cannot modify the rules in any way, shape or form; this is why typos present in books that have not yet been errata'd are intentionally presented on D&D Beyond; that is how WotC currently presents the content.
Homebrew is not the same; homebrew content does not claim to change what WotC has designed.
How measurements would be rounded is a decision solely for Wizards of the Coast to make, not D&D Beyond.
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
But WotC has already decided this surley in the Manuale del Giocatore which lists distance using metric amounts.
Yes, for the non-English localisations. They however have not decided it for the english localised books which only use imperial. In order for D&D Beyond to begin considering offering metric localised measurements, WotC would have to start offering an english localised version of the rule books with metric.
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
I know the DDB tools directly related to game rules must match WotC, but (and this would be low priority) a DDB tool to assist with conversion of m<->ft could make it a little more accessible to metric English speakers. For now, there are charts and calculators online to assist. Maybe there'll be an integrated calculator some day but...
What might be even better is people (not DDB) approaching WotC about a metric version for English or additional rules in the basic sources to accommodate a metric system versus the Imperial system without needing a revamp of the overall rules.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
There are actually a lot of extensions that already do this, so you can have it calculated in your browser natively
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
I've only managed to find one extension, "Beyond Metric" and it can only convert dedicated pages, so all the quick reference pull-outs and list-view values you'd typically see while trying to build or run a campaign are still imperial.
What other extensions are there?
I would be happy to just have the ability to input character height and weight in arbitrary units, instead of having the weight hard-locked to pounds.
Just change those boxes to text fields, please.
On one side I understand the situation,
On the other we live in a world where the majority of people uses the metrics system, at this point, with the statement above dndbeyond is just not for people living outside USA, so just restrict access to US or countries stuck on imperial.
Seriously, WotC already provides measurements in metric system, majority of your users want that, it is so hard to ask them to give permission to have a conversion toggle? I mean, translations are a bigger mess regarding publishing rights (well not anymore since WotC has bought back all rights to translations) but this is really so problematic?
Yes, it is hard to ask and it is problematic for Wizards to grant this exception to Beyond. Whatever agreement Beyond and Wizards got into, Beyond is not allowed to deviate from the official source as it is not their IP and they have no right to modify it. If Wizards published a spelling mistake, Beyond is required to preserve that spelling mistake.
If you really want change to be implemented in D&D, Beyond's forums is one of the worst ways to do so, and you are better off contacting Wizards on their social media so EVERYONE can see, so there is at least a chance of Wizards noticing and they might feel pressure to reply.
Complaining to Beyond on why they do not include metric measurements is like complaining to your local game store why your physical book does not include metric measurements. The complaint goes nowhere and nothing changes.
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Isn't the point Wizards of the Coast, does have the metrics system officially published, & D&D Beyond would just have to splice the data?
I suppose that technically counts as editing the material.
It's just shame. It feels exactly like all the gatekeeping that has kept D&D below it's potential for decades.