Re: (TFT) Myth III boardgame

[David Miller <djmiller@i-2000.com>]

> Miniatures are the only way our group ever plays.

All right! Mine too! In fact I don't think I've ever played TFT using a 
counter to represent a figure and I've been playing since the late 
70's. We always seemed to have some type of miniature(s) around to use 
even when we were poor college students. And we were always adaptable 
such as: 'These guys are goblins and that big orc miniature, he's 
really a troll."

> We have all sorts of terrain from trees to Castles (yes that's with a 
> capital c). I use a hex map and 3-d dungeon walls made from card 
> stock.

We've got several HO scale model railroad trees and have done some 
terrain modeling such as rocks, bushes, fences, etc. Walls are tough, 
do you make your walls "zig zag" to follow the shape of the hexes or do 
you just keep them straight and let them cut off part of the hex?

> We did away with the mega-hex and substituted the numerical 
> equivalents instead, e.g. a megahex freeze centers on the target hex 
> and consists of a seven hex area.

We did away with the mega-hex as well and do the same thing your group 
does.

> Line of sight is not too troublesome; we still use the center of hex 
> to center of hex rule and rule in favor of the target if the call is 
> too close. I wouldn't play any other way if given a choice.

Our group has started using a piece of string that range has been 
marked off on to coincide with the size of our hexes. We go from center 
of the hex to the center of the targets hex. We find that this makes it 
very easy to determine range and LOS and if the string goes through a 
bush or tree then we make the shot harder to make depending on the type 
of terrain and the amount it blocks the shot.

> In one game that comes to mind, the group was traveling through a 
> swamp looking for a lost temple. The swamp was rumored to be infested 
> with reptilemen.

Did we play in the same group? Our group bought an old D&D module 
called something like "The Tomb of the Lizard King", stole the basics 
of the plot and it's situations and ran it as a massive Melee game. I 
had four players and each player took 8 figures each for a total of 32 
figures. Back then we had come up with different character "classes" 
that gave that figure special abilities such as priests with healing 
powers, etc. (this is in the days before talents). This small army went 
into the swamp and fought everything from dragons to trolls to massive 
amounts of lizardmen. We played something like 5 sessions to complete 
the game and I think the total death toll was something like 130 
figures with many of them being lizardmen (I had gotten a great deal on 
lizardmen figures). The only survivors to face the Lizard King (who, in 
true D&D style, was a vampire) were a handful of the weaker priest type 
characters. If I remember correctly the Lizard King had two points of 
STR left when he struck down the last of the players characters and 
even though they lost we still talk about that game to this day.

> Finally, the whole battleground was covered with pulled and fluffed 
> cotton to create a wispy fog over the area.

We've used cotton to show smoke from cannon fire but not for fog. Cool 
idea.

> The effect on the game was fantastic.

Terrain really helps set the stage, even if it's simply done. We used 
some in our Lizard King game but nothing like you described for your 
game.

> A jungle sound effect tape was playing softly in the background.

We use sound effects and music too. I can't imagine playing with out 
some sort of dramatic film score in the background to set the stage. 
The more theatrical you can make it the better I say.
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