Re: (TFT) HT's views on complexity

["Jay Carlisle" <selfinflicted_wounds@boardermail.com>]

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ray Rangel"
> 
> Hello everyone. I'm new to this list so let me introduce myself. 
> I'm Ray. 
> 

Hey Ray, I'm Jay.

Resident Lunitic with delusions of design.

> When I look at the many rules that I have and the designs that they 
> represent, I'm struck by how similar many of these games appear to 
> be. Yet they seem to have no historical connection to each other. I 
> can only explain this as "parallel development". 
< SNIP >
> The application to the game design world is obvious.
>

Very intresting.
I'm thinking Burkes "Origens" BBC series now.
When conditions are correct, some ideas are inevatable. 

> Another thing that I have observed is that there are only so many 
> ways to generate probabilities with dice.
< SNIP >
> 2D6 doesn't 
> generate a very good curve; more of a triangle, if you will.  3D6 
> produces a smoother more bell shaped normal curve. 4D6, even 
> better. However, few games require more than 4D6 as the physical 
> rolling of dice seems to become unwieldy.
> 

It is very intresting that you use this example to show how designers are somewhat limited by the "tools of trade" or (artisticly speaking) the "medium".

>From a programing standpoint it's the old "random numbers" deal.

Remember;
TFT AM,
However, a figure attempting to hit a dodging figure (with a missile 
or thrown weapon) or a defending figure (with any other type of attack) must roll its 
adjDX on FOUR dice, rather than three, to hit. There are no automatic hits; a roll of 20 
or better is a miss. 
TFT ITL
Some saving rolls also call for more than 3 dice. For instance,
to dodge a cloud of sleeping gas from a broken bottle
38
in your megahex, you would need to roll your adjDX on
FOUR dice, rather than three. Some fiendish traps would require
a roll on even more dice.
The saving rolls for many dangers are given in this book,
and a trap (see TRAPS) is described in terms of the dice
needed to see it and/or to avoid being hit. For other situations,
the GM will determine what saving roll he wants to require
from the characters.

I think that one way SJ countered the 8+8=16 starting stat was by St requirements on the weapon table.

However his change on Clubs is quite intresting and "could be?" based on the moment of force which could posabally make ALL weapons St based.

Of course this would require an actuall definition of how much force 1pt St generates.

In other words, are the Encumbrance tables, as given, sufficent to determine the weight range of 1pt St?

If so, this is a great boon for "Universiality" because I can use St for systems like vehicles that range from animals, through Sci-Fi Space Opera type craft. All encumberance is really telling me is how much stuff can be moved, and how fast. I have a "graphical" represintation of individual encumbrance useing cards, but any vehicile flows outta this.
To become boged down.
Bog.
B.O.G.
Bag Of Gold.
David M. Grouchy's terminology.

So I notice that most early coins check in at around 5 grams...

How did I get off on this?

OH yeah!

I really think the best way to present this material is as the additional actions the stuff allows figures to preform.

It's gonna make it sound like Classes though.

I swear it's gonna end up looking like D&D, and if it took me three plus decades to go in a bleeding circle then I'm, I'm, I'm....

Shucks!




Jay

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