Re: (TFT) John's healing spell.

[ErolB1@aol.com]

In a message dated 4/6/2005 11:18:57 PM Central Standard Time, 
cgadda@earthlink.net writes:


> > I have to point out that while this may be the
> > majority opinion on the list, it isn't a consensus.
> > Some of us consider the grim, gritty, & lethal
> > nature of combat and injury to be a bug,
> > rather than a feature of by-the-book TFT.
> 
> Well, I would hardly consider it to be "gritty" but "grim" and "lethal"
> certainly apply. That said, if you so passionately hate even the slightest
> hint of realism (something that's come across loud and clear in this and
> other posts of yours), why on earth don't you just go play D&D? 

I don't passionately hate even the slightest hint of realism. What I 
passionately hate is the implication that  EVERYONE on this list absolutely LOVES the 
grim & lethal nature of TFT combat. I don't. But I do very much like TFT for 
other reasons. 


> Not a
> challenge or a criticism by any means, but it just seems to me that 112 hit
> point -9 armour class "invincible ubermenschen" seems to be much closer to
> your style, something that TFT won't ever provide without a total rewrite -
> and after you did that, it would look like D&D anyway so why the hell
> bother?

Actually I do play D&D (the much improved 3rd edition, not 1st or 2nd with 
"-9 armour class") as well as TFT. But Errol Flynn-type swashbuckling isn't the 
same thing as Crouching Tiger-type wuxia. D&D is good for the wuxia, but 
modified TFT is better for the swashbuckling. (And - not a challenge or a criticism 
by any means, but it just seems to me that someone who doesn't understand the 
difference between Flynn-style swashbuckling and Crouching Tiger wuxia isn't 
a good source for suggestions about appropriate game systems for those 
genres.) 

> 
> In any case, from the standpoint of basic design, it makes infinitely more
> sense to start with a system that is as realistic (but playable) as
> possible, and from there work in optional rules to allow those with
> delusions of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and Erol Flynn dancing through
> their heads to exercise them at their leisure (as in the "cinematic" rules
> in GURPS).

Yes and no. Starting from a realistic & playable base is good for building a 
system that allows Errol Flynn type swashbuckling, but not so good for wuxia,  
comicbook superheroes, or other high-powered genre settings. As for the GURPS 
"cinematic" rules, I have it from Dr. Kromm himself that they are not only 
silly but deliberately silly. They're good for people who are so hung up on 
realism and hyper-gritty "more realistic than real life" games that they can't 
take genre settings seriously. But they're not much good for anything else. 
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