So, you enjoy the D&D game, but you hail from a place where the metric system rules minor little things such as weights and measures. Well, you could buckle down and learn the good old English system. After all, it was developed in the Middle Ages, and it reflects a medieval approach to numbers. The system lends itself to division by halves, thirds, and quarters, which can be pretty handy if you're an illiterate peasant who lives in a cash-poor society where most personal transactions are accomplished through barter. So, using the English system will give you a more authentic medieval setting.

Okay, so you're not so dedicated to an authentic medieval setting. You grew up thinking metric and you'd like to have a better idea of what the game's measurements actually represent. The table below shows some common English units and their metric conversion factors.

1. One league equals 3 miles
2. US measure
3. Short ton (2,000 pounds)

Converting Tactical Distances

The basic unit of distance for all tactical movement and combat in the D&D game is 5 feet, which is the size of one square. Also, all ranges are given in numbers evenly divisible by 5. The conversion table shows that 5 feet is about 1.525 meters (5x0.305=1.525). The number 1.525 isn't a very practical one for gaming, so let's say that 5 feet equals 2 meters for game purposes. Why 2 meters? First, an even, whole number is more convenient to use than something that's closer to the mark, such as 1.5 meters. Also, other d20 games that were designed from the beginning using metric measurements, such as the Star Wars game, already use 2-meter squares.

It's important to make all our distances conform to this number rather than trying to convert them directly. For example, a character with a speed of 30 (feet) has a speed of 12 (meters) in the metric game (not a speed of 9.15 meters). In either case, the character travels 6 squares in one move action.

The table below shows common tactical speeds and their metric conversions:

Speed Table -- English to (Metric Units)
Speed (feet)	100	90	80	70	60	50	40	30	20	15	10	5
Speed (meters)	40	36	32	28	24	20	16	12	8	6	4	2
Speed (squares)	20	18	16	14	12	10	8	6	4	3	2	1
Speed Table (Metric Units)
Tactical Speed*
Base Speed	40	36	32	28	24	20	16	12	8	6	4	2
(squares)	20	18	16	14	12	10	8	6	4	3	2	1
Encumbered	28	26	24	20	16	14	12	10	6	4	2	2
(squares)	14	13	12	10	8	7	6	5	3	2	1	1
One Minute (Local)*
Current Speed**	40	36	32	28	24	20	16	12	8	6	4	2
Walk	400	360	320	280	240	200	160	120	80	60	40	20
Hustle	800	720	640	560	480	400	320	240	160	120	80	40
Run (x3)	1,200	1,080	960	840	720	600	480	360	240	180	120	60
Run (x4)	1,600	1,440	1,280	1,120	960	800	640	480	320	240	160	80
One Hour (Overland)***
Current Speed**	40	36	32	28	24	20	16	12	8	6	4	2
Walk	24	21.6	19.2	16.8	14.4	12	9.6	7.2	4.8	3.6	2.4	1.2
Hustle	48	43.2	38.4	33.6	28.8	24	19.2	14.4	9.6	7.2	4.8	2.4
One Day (Overland)***
Current Speed*	40	36	32	28	24	20	16	12	8	6	4	2
Walk	192	172.8	153.6	134.4	115.2	96	76.8	57.6	38.4	28.8	19.2	9.6
*Tactical and local speeds are in meters.
**Use base or encumbered speed, as applicable.
***Overland speeds are in kilometers.

Coming in Part Two of Going Metric

Skip covers thrown and projectile weapon ranges, spell ranges, and spell areas.

About the Author

Skip Williams keeps busy with freelance projects for several different game companies and has been the Sage of Dragon Magazine since 1986. Skip is a co-designer of the D&D 3rd Edition game and the chief architect of the Monster Manual. When not devising swift and cruel deaths for player characters, Skip putters in his kitchen or garden (his borscht gets rave reviews).