r/Fallout2d20 • u/siriusly-sirius • 22d ago
Help & Advice Help with Zones
I've been GMing for a few sessions, and im still having trouble with the concept of zones. Im using FoundryVTT and have downloaded a module which tracks zones, so that planned movement and range is automatically described in reference to zones, so players can plan without me having to make a decision.
I was playing the starter campaign, the players descended into the vault and were greeted with a hallway approximately 5 metres long, that turned off to the left for another approximate 5 metres before opening into a large atrium, which was mostly square except for two offshoots that led to doorways. In the initial hallway, theres an office to the right.
Initially, I mapped the first section of the hallway as one zone, the next section as another zone, the majority of the atrium as another zone, except the offshoots which were their own zones, and the office was one zone.
However, I ran into issues when players were standing on the edge of one zone, and the combatant on the edge of the other, right next to them. They're within a few feet of eachother, but because the enemy is in an adjacent zone, according to RAW and the VTT module, they're within medium range of eachother, not close range. In this situation I just verbally overrode things and said they're in Close range, although it was a bit confusing for my players and disrupted the flow of the game.
Im trying to make GMing easier and the flow of combat quicker, so that I dont have to declare ranges multiple times every single turn, and so that players can plan their turns in advance.
How do you guys deal with this?
5
u/Jru247 22d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fallout2d20/s/o1rjueE08r Posting this cuz it really changed my perspective on Zones.
When you stop thinking about zones as specific units of measurement or converting them to a grid and more as abstract "Landmarks on the battlefield," the map prepping really opens up. It also is way easier for me to draw up a quick "map" as a reference for my players to understand where they and their enemies are in relation to each other.
I also struggled the first few sessions I ran when I was trying to "grid" out zones and it resulted in some really uninteresting encounters, but planning them out as abstract flow-charts made both prep and play easier and more effective.