Re: (TFT) An Even More Radical Re-Imagining of TFT...

[Peter von Kleinsmid <pvk@oz.net>]

I've with what David said. My comments weren't meant to say they were bad, 
but to suggest probable effects of the rules, so you and others can 
consider whether they'd like the effects, and if tweaks should be made. I 
imagine it would speed play because it tends to remove decisions and result 
in more frequent hits (as was said, someone always gets hit [or almost 
always, depending on what happens on a tie]).

I might use something like this to quickly resolve a large fracas between 
NPCs (reverting back to a more detailed system where PCs are involved). 
Since it's probably faster than TFT, I could even resolve it only once 
every two or three PC turns.

I've used such a quick and dirty system even for my own games (which use 
GURPS with further-complexity-adding house-rules, for PC and important NPC 
action). I broke special cases of GURPS down to a single roll without much 
loss of result precision, for character types that have been pre-processed, 
allowing me to resolve large NPC battles very quickly indeed.

But I know there are players who don't mind just being told who hurt whom, 
without having to decide whom to attack and how to defend when where how 
and with what. For that sort of player preference, I think a system like 
this could work very well.

Like David said, I think it'd probably benefit from more playtesting and 
analysis. For instance:

* Consider having ties miss, and even (since a tie only happens about once 
in twenty contests) expanding the tie region (i.e., you have to beat an 
opponent by X to hit them).

* Define a solid answer for what does and doesn't happen in what order, 
when a larger number of figures are involved in a complex shape, with 
facing DRMs, etc. (This may be easy or done already.)

* Consider balance, extreme cases, and ways to re-emphasize ST and large 
weapons in case DX is getting over-powered.

* Consider whether there should be limits to the number of people someone 
can hit in one turn. Perhaps large/heavy/unbalanced weapons should hit on a 
smaller margin (X in first point), but be able to hit fewer targets per 
turn. E.g.:
T = max targets hit/turn
X = amount of success roll needed to hit
Rapier - Shortsword, Hatchet - Smallaxe:          T = 3, X = 4
Broadsword - Bastardsword, Mace, Javelin - Spear: T = 2, X = 3
Two-handed Sword, Pick - Battleaxe, Polearms:     T = 1, X = 2
(Add one to X for the second target, and two to X for the third target hit).
(This shows my taste for detail and diversity by creating complexity, 
though. Main point is it seems like the melee hit rate is going up in the 
new system, and favoring DX over ST on top of a system (TFT) where ST 
advocates already lament.)

PvK
=====
Post to the entire list by writing to tft@brainiac.com.
Unsubscribe by mailing to majordomo@brainiac.com with the message body
"unsubscribe tft"