(TFT) SL/A vs TFT and other stuff

[Michael Taylor <MichaelTaylor1@compuserve.com>]

Message text written by INTERNET:tft@brainiac.com
>
Greetings from Christchurch.

>>>>>>Could someone please inform me as to the pertenant differences
between
>>>>>>Star Leader Assult ad TFT. Is it a good and or workable system, or
was
>>>>>>it just the last rat to leave the sinking ship.

Star Leader: Assault! was the science fiction version of 'Melee'. I
understand that it was written by Howard Thompson after Steve Jackson left.
HT changed the attributes to Intelligence (IQ) DX to Prowess (PR) and
Emotions (EM) but other than that it's pretty undistinquishable from TFT. 

It's basically just a combat shipboard melee - much like GDW's Snapshot.
However, it uses Action Points to determine how many "Options" you can move
in a turn. Personally, I think the combat system is actually much better
than Melee. No more Wargamey "stop-move-stop-enemy-move-stop" type action. 

It's much more fluid and much more flexible. Want to run around a corner,
shoot and run back before the enemy can return fire? You can't do that in
TFT, but you can with SA:A!. So I've pretty much replaced the TFT combat
system with it. 

I also think that it's the diretion Steve Jackson would have ultimately
taken TFT in. I've talked to other game designers and SJ has said himself
in print, that Action Points was definitely better and more realistic than
Options, but players were very resistant to it. 

(I only speak up, because I'm pretty sure I'm about the only fan of SA:A! -
which was admittedly MUCH worse than if it had been "TFT-in-space" but
still isn't all bad.)

Michael
=====
Post to the entire list by writing to tft@brainiac.com.
Unsubscribe by mailing to majordomo@brainiac.com with the message body
"unsubscribe tft"