Re: (TFT) Too simple / not as simple or elegant... Survey

["Neil Gilmore" <raito@raito.com>]

> - What are the top 3 things that TFT does right.

1. The system allows for large differentiation in characters. The thing that
I disliked most about old D&D was that a fighter was a fighter was a
fighter. That system made it imperative to follow a particular path of
experience, or be useless. In TFT, you can have an invaluable character who
has no idea which end of a sword is which.

2. Tactical combat. Place the figures on a hex map, and you're good to go.
No whining about who can hit who, it's all laid out.

3. Rules for making rules. As a GM, it's nice to have a framework that
describes how to handle situations not directly covered by the written
rules. Pick a stat and number of dice, maybe apply a modifier based on a
talent, and you're good to go.

I allowed a number 4, I'd say that in general the item creation rules are
good. A PC knows just what they have to do in order to make something. The
GM had guidelines (like the Rule Of Five) to know if his items are outside
the rules.

> - What are the top 3 things that TFT OVER SIMPLIFIES.

1. Cidri. I've never liked systems that want to require the campaign to take
place in a particular milieu. Granted, Cidri is rahter supposed to emcompass
them all, but I never really liked it, or the Mnoren.

2. Somewhat scarce written material. This is a bit of a two-edged sword. It
makes it a touch difficult to run a campaign out of the box, but easy to
customize. Examples are the rather small numberof jobs on the table (though
the use of the table itself is a really good idea), the small number of
creatures, etc.

3. HTH and the fact that only the attacker affects hitting a target. I know
from experience that it's easier for me to hit a less-skilled opponent.
Sometimes I've experimented with allowing a character to use DX to lower an
opponent's adjDX for an attack, but it's a bit clumsy. For example, 2 guys
duelling. One with DX 15, the other with 20. The one with 20 can use 5
points to lower the opponent to 10, while still staying in the sweet spot on
the to-hit rolls by keeping 15 for himself. Then again, on the bell curve,
I'd probably bump him down 7 points to 8, while keeping 13. Makes high DX
worth having again. But I've always ruled that you have to assign points to
individual opponents, after movement but before actions. Then again, one of
the few house rules I use is that you can buy Fencing for most of the basic
weapon skills (not just Sword).

> - What are the top 3 things that TFT does in a TOO COMPLICATED WAY.

1. Learning new talents/spells is a bit of a pain to keep track of.

2. Lack of good indexing or order in the written material. It's sometimes
hard to find that odd adjustment that you know is in some section other than
where it should be.

3. A player can't just play the numbers, they MUST roleplay the character
(assuming a real campaign, instead of just fights). This is only a
disadvantage for inexperienced players, who may need more of a crutch than
the minimal character information the TFT system provides. Of course, we
hope that they learn to do better, but some need a hand starting out.

Neil Gilmore
raito@raito.com
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