Ray,Can't say that I agree. I was "converted" to TFT from AD&D way back when. I must admit that most of our TFT games in the old days were combat oriented but so were all of our AD&D. There as no real difference in the way we played. As a teenager, we didn't "role-play" so much. I guess we weren't sophisticated enough...or maybe we were just blood thirsty barbarians, power-mad wizards and thieves with politician like greed- why cut a purse when you can cut a throat too? We made characters we liked and went and beat up the bad guys. I stopped playing many years ago.
A few years ago, some friends of mine invited me to play D&D 2.56788 Player Choice, etc...ad inifinitum. I wasn't thrilled to play D&D but it was an opportunity to socialize. What I found with these guys was a different style of role-playing. They really role-played. They've been to some Cons and have received awards for their role-playing. They've commented that most of the other folks playing D&D don't role play like them. Most are still "line 'em up and chop 'em down" role-players.
I was just thinking some time ago, there's no reason why TFT can't be role-played in the same manner. It just depends on your style. What D&D gives you that TFT doesn't are all the books with really neat ideas and charts, etc... Even when we played TFT, we'd used D&D books for ideas. We just like the TFT mechanism better. It really shouldn't matter what system you use, you should be ablet to role-play any way you like.
My $.02. Aidan----- Original Message ----- From: "Ray Rangel" <ray.rangel@cox.net>
To: <tft@brainiac.com> Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 6:10 AM Subject: RE: (TFT) Is it an RPG or really a Tactical RPG?
Your impressions are spot on. It all began with simple board games named "Melee" and "Wizard" then evolved into an RPG. Of the three core products,"In The Labyrinth" was the last and layered RPG elements on top of the board games and tied them together. That's why, it would be virtually impossible,IMHO, to play TFT as a pure (or "true") RPG. The essence of TFT is the encounter on the hex grid with just enough role playing to get fromencounter to encounter. This is true, of course, of any RPG. The others thatyou mention focus of the role playing, rather than the board game, so an encounter can be played without any physical representation at all.
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