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How does one convert SPD to MPH?

I've always used the "speed class" tables from the vehicle manufacture rules as a guide, found in the TMNT supplements and Heroes Unlimited books (and probably elsewhere!). Essentially, a Spd. of 22 is 15mph, a Spd. of 44 is 30mph, and so on. I just did a quick calculation to check that against the rules for calculating the maximum running speed of the Spd. attribute (Spd.x20 is yards per minute), and that tallies up. Hope that helps.

There was a chart in the back of the RMB that show the approximate speed equivalents between Spd Score and MPH.

Simple conversion of speed to MPH, multiply SPD by 0.68

For SPD to KPH, multiply SPD by 1.09

Going the other way, MPH to SPD is MPH X 1.46

and KPH to SPD is KPH X 0.91

Those numbers should be close enough for government work.

We use MPH x 1.47 = SPD, and SPD x .68 = MPH

Imperial Units:
[SPD Attribute] * 20 = [Yards per minute]
[Yards per Minute] * 3 = [Feet Per Minute]
[Feet per Minute] / 60 = [Feet Per Second]
[Feet per Second] = [SPD Attribute]

That means MPH * 1.467 = [Feet Per Second] (aka [SPD Attribute])

Or

[SPD Attribute] / 1.467 = MPH

The SPD attribute doesn't really work well with the Metric System since SPD *20 = Meters per Minute

Sure it does.

First thing you do is just ignore anything dealing with English measurement units. So when when you convert to a real world speed you would convert to KPH.

As Shadowlogan basically made explicit, pblackcrow, tracking movement per action is often less unwieldy when Spd. measures feet/second instead of ⅓ meter/second.

A fun side effect of Palladium equating yards and meters is that games using metric length move 9.36% more quickly than their imperial equivalents. In a megaversal game interested in hanging lampshades this could be exploited. I'm thinking a fairly simple differential, bisected by a permanent rift between dimensions fixed respectively to SI and Imperial speeds, could be the basis of a perpetual motion machine.

Not what I am getting at.

In terms of Game Play, the SPD Attribute in the Imperial system directly equates to a useable value without doing any additional math from this point (as it can be shown to be in ft/s). That is not the case in the Metric System, you have to do additional math to get to a useable value (m/s).

I would also add that a per second speed value is more useable than a per hour speed value as is when considering distance covered in a melee action than per hour (since to get it useable you end up converting to speed per second for all practical purposes).

What additional math?

In the Imperial System:
[SPD Attribute] = ft/s

While math is used to arrive at the above result, it's a constant value that applies all the time. So, if you know Spd of 18 equals 18ft/s after doing the math and it works all the time, then you know the value for Spd 10 or 3 or 1000. No extra math.

In the Metric System:
[SPD Attribute] =?

You can do the math obviously to get to m/s, but the result is not the SPD Attribute value which means there is some additional math involve each time you need to move when using the metric system. And that would have to be done for each value of SPD.

Now you could have an automated sheet that does the calculations for you in all cases, but I am working off the old-fashioned manual filled in sheet.

Also, if you consider the use of grid maps when using:
-Imperial units the SPD Attribute plugs in straightforwardly with the range of various powers/weapons
-Metric units the SPD attribute does not plug in straight forwardly with the range of various powers/weapons (even when they have metric values available).

Gotcha!
Because there is no metric version of Feet.

I'm caught up now, and have to agree.

My point above was that if you are playing just using the metric system, you can be lazy and not do any more math than to figure out the char's m/s. (or say their meters per melee action.)

Not so much per say, there is the increment between meter and centimeter that would make a good stand-in for the real world, but the way metric units convert still wouldn't plug in nicely. Honestly I'm not sure if it was a coincidence or intentional that SPD=ft/s on Palladium's part. I always thought it was strange the SPD value was converted to yards/minute, that really isn't a unit most people would use (I could see mph or ft/s in the imperial, but distance/minute?).


I agree you could just use the metric values, but to do so in Palladium then requires more math than straight Imperial. I'm not opposed to math or anything, but I recognize it isn't everyone's cup of tea.

I assume that is an "historical" artifact of the system. The original fantasy game used 1 minute melee rounds instead of 15 seconds, so the speed stat x 20 yards per melee was easier to figure and visualize than speed x 60 feet. I suppose how easy it was to visualize probably depended on how much time you spent on a shooting range or on a football field that was set up with that unit of measure.

In my games I've simplified movement to SPD X 5 feet per action, and an action must be spent to move, but can be added to any other action. That seems irrelevant to this... is this an argument?

Americans learn 2.54 CM to an inch in grade school, just about the same time we start learning the physical sciences. We drive in MPH, buy soda in two liter bottles and chicken in lbs. We use nm/mm/cm for precise measurement, and eighths of inches when it's wood, not rocket science.

What I'm saying is, we convert this stuff in our heads, Honey. Why can't y'all?



Now, I wonder why weights in the Palladium games always include kg and lbs, but never stone? I* have to convert, laboriously, every time a player wants to buy a fury beetle (250 st.) or other large monster.

While we're on the subject, why are vehicle lengths not also listed in cubits?



*Not I. That actually seems silly.

Wouldn't this lead to a game exploit where characters which have more actions/attacks can move farther in a round than a character with fewer actions/attacks? A round is 15 second, if one character has 4 attacks/actions and the other has 6 attacks/actions and both have the same Speed stat, the character with 6 attacks can move much farther in a round.


Rules-As-Written is to take SPD X 5 feet per round, and divide by the characters total number of attacks to get how far they could move per actipn/attack.
- First action/attacks; all participants get a movement allowance for a single attack/action
- Second actions/attacks; everyone's movement allowance refreshes
- Third actions/attacks; everyone's movement allowance refreshes


The groups I've played with in the past have always deviated from Rules-As-Written for an even more abstract system; typically treating movement seperate from actions/attacks. Since we never used figures and only sometimes drew what was happening out on a piece of paper, we were never too worried about range or distance to travel. It worked like Rules-As-Written except we would refresh and draw from the movement pool for the entire round rather than each action/attack.
- if an enemy was within your total movement allowance you could get there instantly and make your melee attack instead of counting out the number of actions from your fractional movement.
- if you had moved, but not used your full movement, you could use any remaining movement on later actions/attacks
- withdrawing or chasing someone down depended on a Speed roll from all parties
It wasn't as measured as R-A-W, but it worked a little better since we were using "general reckoning" instead of maps or miniatures in most combats.

it absolutely does, but only in combat.

If I'm adjudicating a race, I'll use straight comparison of stats, or at least Murderthon rules.

In combat, though, saying "you can move and attack, that's two actions." or "ok, you want to run up and Power punch, that's three actions." cuts combat time by a TON.

For a quick conversion I multiply Spd by 3 and divide by 2. It works well enough for my estimation/comparison needs during a game.