So I've been sitting on the idea of something Mechwarrior/Battletech inspired and in keeping true to those Battletech roots, I wanted to include tabletop-style mechanics into the combat phases of an RP. What I've worked out so far is somewhat simpler than classic Battletech but hopefully that makes it more accessible (it's still rather adv. level). It is meant to have both combat action which is tabletop-style ten second lockstep and includes roll-to-hit, and out of combat downtime where a more normal (relative a forum like RPG) style of character-driven long-form posting with fluid time and no randomness. Obviously these two are not simple to integrate into the same roleplay and I'm running into multiple issues that need rectifying and concepts needing consolidation. There is a particular conundrum however which I have no good solutions for. Specifically, issues that fall out from where I choose to host this.

In case A I can run this roleplay here on RPG as a long-form, but this creates some problems in regards to position & range during combat phases. It becomes difficult for everyone to be sure where everything is and exactly what range it is and equally difficult for me to define those things without a map. There are reasons I am not considering a map which I will hit later.

In case B I can run this roleplay on Roll20 where I can have a virtual table to use as my battlegrid. Player positions, enemy positions, notable terrain features and anything else is clearly defined and range is perfectly determinate. The problem here is that I have no idea how to handle out-of-combat downtime phases which are supposed to be character driven and with all the usual facets of a written long-form roleplay.

The reason I choose not to run it here on RPG and simply have a map is that even a simple map requires me to have decent skills in photoshopping one (I don't) and places a good bit of additional burden on my players to take it, edit it to indicate their movements or otherwise reposition themselves on said map. They'll have enough to keep track of so if I have a battlegrid at all, I'd rather it be through an interactive setup like Roll20. This brings me to my dilema: I have no way to rectify these two cases and the only apparent solution has its own collection of downsides. I would like some outside input to postulate any things I have yet to think of.