Re: (TFT) Heretical notion --> DoU

["Charles Gadda" <cgadda@earthlink.net>]

> >- The stats for armor MA and DX penalties, encumbrance rules, and rules
for
> >exceptional strength vis a vis armor penalties are a needless
multiplication
> >of mechanics. One could eliminate the latter rule altogether by assigning
> >minimum penalties for armor wear that would apply to everyone regardless
of
> >ST, and then "amp up" the penalties of the normal encumbrance rules, to
> >approximate the original penalties for figures with less heroic ST's.
I'll
> >post some ideas on this later.
>
> Hm. I just dropped the rules for "great St" wrt armor penalties. Partly
> because high St figures tend to be bigger & to have armor that weights
more for a
> given
> type, but mostly because I *liked* the effect the standard armor penalties
> gave wrt making the game more "swashbuckling." Even if it wasn't
realistic.
>
> Encumbrance is another case where I've concluded that simple elegant rules
> are impossible. No matter what, it requires a lot of bookkeeping to
determine
> how much the character's stuff all weighs. What I've ended up doing is to
say
> that total encumbrance (armor and other) gives MA penalties based on total
> weight & character St, that armor and backpacks give fixed Dx penalties,
and that
> stuff scattered about the character's person gives additional Dx penalties
> based on weight & St.
>
> But I'd like to see your ideas, if only for comparison.
>
> Erol K. Bayburt
> Evil Genius for a Better Tomorrow

I'd like to show you my ideas, but you've helped prompt a heavy rethink on
my part... :-)

Disagree with making the game more "swashbuckling" but that is only because
I prefer... maybe not true "realism" but its gotta at least be plausible.
Sort a like watching an action movie and the hero pumps out 24 shots with
his revolver without ever reloading... that's the kinda thing that has me
screaming BULLLLLLSHHH*****TTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!! at the very tippy top of my
lungs (much to my wife's eternal annoyance.) I just know too much about how
the real mediaeval weapons and armor "work" to be able to accept those sorts
of things.

I think, though, that encumbrance can be streamlined. My rethink approach is
probably going to eliminate weight altogether, and go to more of a Melee/DoU
approach (i.e. you can have two weapons and a shield, etc.) and I'll
probably give armor an ST rating of some sort - if you meet it you have no
penalties, but if you are below it you get penalties. Not sure how to do
this yet, but I'll think of something after I have a few margaritas. As for
other items (sacks of gold, backpacks with rations, etc.) I'll try to come
up with a similar abstract mechanic to deal with it all. It won't be
precise, by any means, but it should be more playable.
=====
Post to the entire list by writing to tft@brainiac.com.
Unsubscribe by mailing to majordomo@brainiac.com with the message body
"unsubscribe tft"