RE: (TFT) Facing change after movement

["rsmith" <rsmith@lightspeed.ca>]

Hi all,
	My comments below bracketed //*** thus ***//

-----Original Message-----
From: tft-owner@brainiac.com [mailto:tft-owner@brainiac.com]On Behalf Of
dwtulloh@zianet.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 9:24 AM
To: tft@brainiac.com
Subject: Re: (TFT) Facing change after movement


I think Stan is right - According to the canon, you only 
get a free change of facing at the end of your movement 
turn, not at the end of someone else's.  Otherwise, the
concept of facing wouldn't make much sense, except in a
one-on-many or many-on-many fight because, given the 
opportunity, you'd always turn to face the opponent. 

That said, I've been thinking about the proposed rule
and I've got some questions about it.  If I'm moving
first, and I can't move to engage my opponent, why 
would I make a move that would allow him to run behind
me?  I would try to stay at a range of half MA, just to
prevent such an occurence, and then move to engage on 
the NEXT turn.  If I am heavily armored, and my opponent
isn't, it might be worth my while to move my full MA to
engage the opponent, just so he can't get behind me.

	//*** 
	If your opponent is an elf with Running and a
Speed Movement item then you are pretty much hosed.
	If you charge full MA so he can't get behind
you, your enemy still gets an unanswered attack.

	Think of all the old war movies (Braveheart for
example) where masses of infantry with swords smash
into each other.  In most of those movies, both 
enemies swing simultainously, and in none of the movies
do some figures suddenly sprint around the battle field
to get unanswered attacks from the rear.

	I'm a master of using the old movement system
to hose my players, (very often I can get a fast figure
into their rears by disquising his or her movement to
the perfect moment) and it is just so non-realistic 
that it isn't fun anymore.
	***//
	
I think I recall reading somewhere that nothing in 
Melee happens simultaneously.  If I win the initiative
and I tell my opponent to move first and he engages me
during his movement, then I am engaged when my turn to
move comes and I must choose an option accordingly.

	//***
	True, nothing in TFT happens simultaneously, 
which is a game mechanics convention to make things 
run smoothly.  Some times this gives good realistic
results (high DX people get a chance to pound on slower
figures first and maybe stun them or knock them down)
and sometimes the results are non-realistic (running
behind figures).

	My rules try to answer a very poor section of
TFT rules, by putting in an extra phase in Movement
so one thing can happen after another. This prevents
a person who loses initiative from being quite so 
hosed.
	***//

I guess all this diatribe is leading to a conclusion 
that I don't feel the rule is a good one.  It looked
good on the face of it, but upon further reflection, I
think it would remove a tactical element from the game.

Dan


	//***
	In my experience, there STILL is tactical 
manuevering, but the side that wins initiative does 
not get the huge advantage they currently have. The
main advantage is it speeds up movment because people
who move first are not carefully counting & recounting
hexes to try to avoid being hosed.

	Of course for a while there, there was nothing
I like better than slipping behind someone and geting
a +2 or +4 unanswered shot in at my enemy.  An these
rules will spoil that no question.

	Whatever works for your campaign.

	Rick
	***//
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