So in talking with a few different members of my soon to be group a question came up in regards to spacing and the LHotDK and MiniChunk sets.

So I guess for those of you that play - how important is it that your squares measure 1" or represent 1"?
Meaning would you play on a map that is only 1"x1" squares or would you suffice to the look and feel by playing with 1.5"x1.5"?

Basically if your GM busted out a great looking dungeon and it was 1.5"x1.5" instead of 1"x1" - but had the given layout it was supposed to - would you still play?

I play 4e and use 1"squares for two reasons. The 1.5" squares cause issues with spacing in regard to large and larger sized creatures. Also, it means less character distance from one side of playable area to the other.

For instance, I fit a layout of 4x6 six inch tiles on my dinning table for gaming. The short length of this is 24" and either 24 squares or 18. That is a difference of six squares, which could be an entire room...maybe even a building.

At the same time, miniatures have crept up in size over time and now often don't fit easily into 1" squares, despite being on 1" bases. The 1.5" squares helps with that and is often a reason others use to help with this issue.

Having great terrain makes such a difference that the scale itself, as long as it is close enough, isn't actually that important.
Heck, if you busted out a great looking dungeon and told them the scale was 4cm=5' they'd a) love it, b) adjust real quick, and c) probably still be talking about it weeks later.

Also, as long as you get the important features, it really doesn't matter if the terrain you play on differs somewhat from the map in the module. The players will never know that you've made a few changes to make it easier to set-up the terrain (and if they do find out later, will they really care?) - It just doesn't matter (except in very rare situations; and you'll know those when you see them) that the intersection 30' down the corridor is actually 40' away on the map, or that the 30'x45' room they've just left is actually 25'x40' on the map.
Just ask yourself, Which would you prefer: Follow the map exactly? Or play on more great terrain?

Also take into account the number of players you have, and monsters, some times it is GOOD to chcuk the map that came with the adventure.

I have run in more than one game as a player where the map presented in the module was so small only 2 of the 6 players could actually get into the room to fight the thing. It was pretty boring for the rest of us.

But as others have said in 4th everything is Squares of movement it doesn't really matter if the square is 1 or 1.5 inchs, it is just a more compact and closer game in 1inch square compaired to a 1.5 inch.

If your room is a 30 ft x 30 ft room which in 1sq=1inch=5ft, thats a 6sqx6sq room. taking it up to 1sq=1.5inch=5ft is still a 30x30 room, it just takes up more space on the table, the bases get a little off as the 1.5 were made for Clix games with huge bases.

I admit it starts to strech the imagination when things with reach are hitting your guy 3 squares away, and it is no longer 3 inchs but around 5inchs away... since there is so much more wiggle room for a 1inched based figure in a 1.5 sqaure, if they are at far sides of the sqaures it just looks off.