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I've been using meters for my game due to it taking place in 1987 Berlin, but my playtesters have all complained that the game should be in feet, as that's what D&D and Pathfinder use, and that makes movement and ranges easier for them to understand.

Any suggestions/advice?

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
I've been using meters for my game due to it taking place in 1987 Berlin, but my playtesters have all complained that the game should be in feet, as that's what D&D and Pathfinder use, and that makes movement and ranges easier for them to understand.

Any suggestions/advice?

Options...

-Use meters anyway. It's all relative.
-Switch to feet. It'll be easier for Americans to understand
-Use entirely arbitrary units, possibly relating them to real-world measurements. So a character can move 5 squares, where each square is 1.5 meters/5 feet/2,400 ligne/5.1 light nanoseconds, but the game only refers to squares.

I don't think it's at all unreasonable to use metric measurements for a game set in a place that uses metric. Nor do I think metric is that hard to understand-it might be less intuitive to me than Imperial measurements, but that's just a matter of familiarity.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
I've been using meters for my game due to it taking place in 1987 Berlin, but my playtesters have all complained that the game should be in feet, as that's what D&D and Pathfinder use, and that makes movement and ranges easier for them to understand.

Any suggestions/advice?

You could tell them it is essentially a yard, but for thematic purposes you are calling them metres

A Meter is about 3 feet or so anyway, very similar to a yard.

However, I tend to use generic measurement units, but my RPGs are not focused on Tactical combat as the main focus. Besides D&D what other systems do your play-testers use?

I tend to use the following; close, short, long, extreme distance flavored to the setting. Therefore, a Sword-and-Sorcery game may be called Sword Range (close), Bow Shot (Short), Within Sight (Long), and the Horizon(Extreme).

Players really want to know, "Can I do X?" X often being can I kill these people with my weapons, because most players have been conditioned by D&D to be Murderbots. Therefore, approximate distance is good enough to answer that basic question.

GM: They are at Long range....
Player: (Looks at sheet) Only my Sniper rifle has long-range. (Player Thinks) I can probably kill them, and they can not kill me back.

GM: They are at close range.....
Player: Good, I am better with my knife fighting so let them come close.

However, if your game leans towards Simulation, than Meters is a fine choice as NATO standard is Klicks (Kilometers) and Meters I believe. In a Simulation-focused game, then players will expect a high level of detail like equipment ranges and such; and expect them to be accurate.

GM: It is 20 Meters away.
Player: Can my Shotgun Microphone pick-up their conversation? (Checks sheet) Okay, the range is only 10 Meters for the one I have, I will need to get closer.

GM: It is 250 Meters
Player: That is well within range of my FAL rifle. The effective range is 400-800 Meters.

Neomath uses the Imperial system because I find it convenient for height and architecture.