Re: (TFT) Starting characters?

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

> From: "John Paul Bakshoian" <hailmelee@hotmail.com>
> David,
>
> (please forgive me the following rant...

John,
    This is a well written post.


> I'm the guy with the 2 simultaneous characters that starts
> off as 40 points and 30 points.

    Ahhhh.  I should be extra carefull here not to step on Michael Taylor's 
toes.  I believe this is to happen in his campaign after all.  That said, If 
I may Michael?

> We are going to play a campaign that is lasting tentatively
> only 6  games.  I have a very solid creative concept of how
> my character is at the start of the game.  It does not fit
> the mold of a thirty two point character . . .

   Yes.  To quote the first sentence of my original post
> >  I would allow it.
   My recomendation is just that the core idea of the 40 point character 
take a job at 32 points and work his/her way up.  I have found that some 40 
point designs, while they look alright at 40 points, could never have grown 
into that design.  By doing it this way, sure, a couple may die but 
eventually one will make it.  Then you will have a character with some years 
added, quite a bit of cash, and a first hand experience of the road they 
took to power.
   To go further, I allow players to work their characters at home on their 
own time.  Several times I have annouced that the next session will be a one 
shot adventure for 44 point characters.  The arive at the game with the 
characters ready to play.  Those who don't or forgot, I don't even work them 
personally.  I pick another player to watch their rolls while they work, and 
I start the session with background, descriptions and other warm ups.
    Let me give an example of a high point character that this approach 
prevents.  The classic is the high IQ wizard with nary a single spell below 
IQ 16.  Granted there is a rule in TFT for forgetting spells and tallents, 
but this is just stretching it.  Another classic example is the Unarmed 
Combat V character.  I have never seen a character survive the job tables 
who was pure Unarmed Combat.  Just to get a fighting job they have to have 
three weapon talents.  The weapons do a lot more damage than the UC.  As 
they get extra points allong the way they loose interest in putting so many 
points in IQ for UC talents.  They do more damage with weapons anyway.  
Well, you see my point.


> Running two characters is a lot like running one or five
> characters.  Your character has a personality.  When you
> run Miss Piggy,  you run that personality.  When you run
> Kermit, you run that personality.

    I have to conceed the point here.  I agree completely.  By the way I 
have never heard "The Miss Piggy" defence before.  Mind if I use it?

> a Game that  allows for great interaction and advancement
> and takes the arbitrary NPC load off the Gamemaster.

    I really like this sentiment.  I had one player who played a Jewish 
fighter with animal handler who was also a drunk.  His dog was called Judas. 
 He was hilarious to watch at the gaming table.  Always drunk he would 
loose sight of his dog a frequently call "Judas, where are you?  Come here 
boy!"
    All of this was completly fabricated by the player.  As you said, it 
took a lot of the load off of me, and added a lot to the role-playing of 
everyone involved.

> BUT WHAT ABOUT PLAYER KNOWLEDGE????  Yea, so Spock 's player knows what 
> Bones is going to do next turn.

    Had not expected this point.  I make a point of not calling my players 
on this.  If I fell they are using too much 20th century knowledge, or 
knowledge that one character would have but their own character would not, I 
just make a mental note of their inexperience as role players.
    I have run two adventures where I told all the players exactly what the 
ending was, and then told them that what ever their characters did they 
could not act on this information until I told them it was time.  They all 
behaved admirably.  No one acted on the information with any fore knowledge. 
 In fact they great lengths to do everyting but act like they knew what was 
going to happen.

    David Michael Grouchy II


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