Re: (TFT) What kind of tactics are useful?

[Richard Walters <rick.walters@yahoo.com>]

It's best to come up with the coolest combinations by reading all the rulebooks and looking for the subtleties in creation, but I start with one of the following basic templates and add in quirks.

Fundamental to Mele is the idea that you should try to "go first" and "knock down" or "daze/stun" your opponent so they can't hit you back.  

1. Meat fighter: two handed sword, low iq, as high of dx as you can get.  Work to get fensing talent, warrior, veteran and high enough st one day to blow off leather armor's dx adjustment.

2. Beginning Wizard: High IQ, decent DX, lots of spells.  Like Hulka said, since you're low strength, get stuff that doesn't use power like illusions. A club with "staff" spell gives you a decent mele weapon without expending weapon talent points, but.. it's unlikey you'll put more points on IQ, so get a weapon.  I almost always choose pole weapon, because the threat of a "set" keeps stuff from charging in and engaging the wiz point blank.  The spear (or whatever) needs a silver tip, remember that.  Necessary spells... Analyze magic, clumsiness, (x) hex illusion, avert, blur, repair, reverse missile, stoneflesh, lock/knock.  Obviously you'll get blast-em type stuff too, but keep the low ST cost spells in mind.  Clumsiness or avert work great with a spear charging wizard.

3. Two weapons guy: High DX, High IQ (for talents).  Min 13 DX to start, it's nice to get some strategic talents.  Thrown weapons works great with a two weapons guy.  Fensing also works great.  

4. Infantry Soldier: High DX, medium high strength.  Pole weapons (you want at least a halberd) and running talent.  This guy will do very well without a lot of talents and low IQ.  You want to charge and set all day long.  Charge, Force Retreat and Charge Again is your mantra.  

5. Crossbowman: Like the meat fighter above, but more lightly armored and starts with crossbow equipped.  Will shoot and drop crossbow readying two handed sword.  Reloading a crossbow is tedious.  This character's function is to take out either the pole weapons guy or wizard before they can do huge damage. Missile weapons is a must.

6. Unarmed Combat Guy: This guy dies a lot, or is so slippery that he never gets hit but does hardly no damage either.  But, give him one offensive spell, and he can become very effective.  

7. Archer:  Very High DX.  You want an archer to shoot twice a round if you can afford the DX.  Very high DX also allows you to do called shots and make two handed weapon users ready one handed weapons.  Leg shots maim the mobile fighters too.  

8. Doctor: It is hard to make a physicker character that doesn't suck out of the gate.  The best i've seen was a battle mage/ doctor with very high IQ, and Hammertouch.  The very high IQ allowed for pole weapons and hammertouch so he could set and  then touch for huge damage.  He was not an effective wizard in the sense that he had utility spells like normal wizards.

Good Fortune,
Richard
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