Dice or No Dice

  For large scale ancient naval battles I put the ships on octagonal bases and have used a lightly marked square grid to manage movement.  This has worked well.  The only issue with a square grid is that if movement allowance from square to square along the diagonal is the same as movement across the face of the square then you will move faster on the diagonals.  This is easily addressed by making movement along the diagonal cost 1.5 times the allowance for moving across a face by having every other square of movement along a diagonal cost 2 move points to enter instead of the usual 1.   But, two questions have insinuated themselves into my mind.  First is whether a grid is needed at all?  Second is whether a hexagonal grid - with matching hexagonal bases - might be better. The first was prompted by playing a game using 'Fire as She Bears', a Napoleonic era naval rule set.  This mounts ships on octagons but dispenses with a grid.  Ships turn around their base centre point and m