Re: (TFT) RE: David's TFT mass combat game.

["David Michael Grouchy II" <david_michael_grouchy_ii@hotmail.com>]

> From: Michael Taylor <MichaelTaylor1@compuserve.com>
>
>
> I dont think anyone think's you are being rude - but
> since you posted the fact that you had a TFT mass
> combat system, it's only natural to expect TFT
> fans to say "Cool! Let's see it!".

Michael,
   Alright then.  I'll be glad to post the mass combat system.  I'm afraid 
I didn't explain myself clearly though.  I was working on a mass combat 
system, something I found a lot harder than I ever imagined, when I 
discovered something else.  Something that got the players and playtesters 
more excited than I had ever seen.  I feel it is gold.
   The mass combat stuff is plagued by the fact that ten guys who are 
identical, say ST:11 spearmen, are easy enough to do but a group of ten 
individual adventurers are elusively hard to simplify into one dice roll.  
There are so many factors.  Facing, formation, ready weapons, secondary, who 
got wounded, how many spells are runing and who specifically are they 
affecting.
   Also my players have been doing something for years that we call "group 
design."  Experience has shown that while one character can be a great 
design, other designs can be better for a group.  Players have been know to 
sit down at a campaign already in progress and before designing their 
character ask the question "Do y'all have a scholar/physiquer yet?"  Or, 
"whats the ratio of front line fighters to wizards so far?"
   Here is an example of a character designe that completely fails on its 
own, but has been found invaluable in a group.  They put this guy up front 
and his job is to just absorb damage.  Sure he'll never hit with his axe, 
but eventually he will roll a critical and then what ever he hit is usually 
dead.  The experience points are always spent on DX.  About four or five 
adventures down the road this charcter grows into one of the most deadly in 
the group.  When their DX gets high enough they drop the sheild and use a 
Battle Axe for 3+2.

    Dwarven Wall
ST: 18       Morning Star 2+2
DX:  6(-1)   Plate & Tower shield (8)
IQ:  8       Axe/Mace(2), Shield(1), Crossbow(1)
MA: 10

    Put two of these guys in front with three halbardiers behind them doing 
two hex jabs between them.  Put them in a tunnel against 5 spearmen, and the 
spearmen will proabably loose.  If you add just one wizard in the back of a 
Halberd & Dwarf wall to clean up any messess and this group will roll over 
even statiscially supperior foes if those foes are all homogenous.
    It was in the process of trying to figure out ways to alias this that I 
discovered something different.  Completely different.  From that discovery 
I have a way, I think, to redo TFT as an evolution.  An advancement, not 
just a retread.  Thats the part that I'm holding close to my chest until I 
publish it.
    Anyway, I will get together the mass combat stuff and post it.  It's 
not so much a system as a collection of 3-5 man squads and their unique 
abilities when working together and depending on facing.  It may be usefull 
TFT source material if nothing else.

    David Michael Grouchy II
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