(TFT) Skill, knowledge, tricks and talents

[Michael Taylor <MichaelTaylor1@compuserve.com>]

>>>>>manufactured.  Again, huge areas of knowledge, ability and skill.
Nicely put. 

>>>>>Compared to the modern games; sure, it seems stingy with 
>>>>>abilities.  

Yeah, but that doesn't necessarily mean that modern games are "right"! In
fact. Because there are similarities in the number of skill doesn't
necessarily mean that TFT is "stingy". Could be the other games are
"generous" or "bloated" depending on your tastes. In other words, when was
the last time you had a character that could pick a lock but *coudln't*
pick a pocket!?

>>>>>But I dont think it meant to give just plain ability or 
>>>>>knowledge to the characters.  I get the impression that each
individual 
>>>>>talent was meant to compete with what AD&D called an entire character
class. 
>>>>>  In AD&D a thief was a characters entire being.  Sure there were 
>>>>>multi-classed characters, but the rules for them were strange.  In TFT
each 
>>>>>character was multi-classed in the AD&D sense.

I think you are absolutely right. I've always thought of TFT Talents are
"packages" that included not only the indivudal "knowledge" (what other
games call 'skills') but also the entire "history" and "bagage" that goes
along with it. 

For example, a Theif not only has the ability to try picking locks and
pockets. But forgery, fencing, making wax impressions of keys etc. 

He also knows people, the guildmaster, rival theifs. Thugs, members of the
assassins guid and 'area knowledge' of the back allies where he hangs out. 

He also has lockpicks, a dagger in his boot and 'faceblack' to camoflage
themselves at night. 

In fact, a PC with the Theif talent has everthing appropriate to the
background story they create!

So the way I see it. Two people with Theif talent (or any other talent)
have widely different areas of expertise. I find when you leave the players
to tell you what they know based on their *story* they are not likely to be
munckins at all! "No, I wouldn't know that, it doesn't make sense" is much
more likely to be heard than "Well, I paid for this, so dont I get a roll?"

>>>>>     Once it gets to the point that there is a specific skill for any
known 
>>>>>ability, it sets the precedent that a character cant do something new 
>>>>>unless they get the required skill.  In my view of TFT talents, and
new 
>>>>>trick or skill can usually be served by an existing talent.  

Exactly! There's nothing like the joy of seeing a player try something new
through his own creativity rather than looking at his character sheet and
saying "can I try this?" . 

>>>>>But  for the sake of this argument I would have described Moulder with
only these 
>>>>>four talents.  Guns, Literacy, Detect Lies, and Scholar.  In fact, I
find 
>>>>>that the majority of what Moulder does, knows, and the entire FBI is
about 
>>>>>can be handled under a Talent for Scholar.

Non-taken and I tend to agree with you. 

>>>>> Probably not a popular perspective.  But, there it is.  My two cents.

No, it;'s not. But for what its worth, I happen to agree with you.

Goodness knows I have nothing against new talents, but when I look at
Mulder and Scully as game characters I see that "FBI Agent" and "Doctor"
are about all the 'game mechanics' they really need. Certainly that's all
the writers used. The rest is their history and individuality - which makes
them far more interesting than they're stats. 

Hopefully the same is true of my PCs. 

Michael 
=====
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