Re: (TFT) Melee content in early Space Gamer issues

[Jim Kundert <gypsycomet@gmail.com>]

"2.  Don't overlook the value of pole weapons.
"I don't know if it's just the people I play with..."

That isn't just TFT players.  Or even just players.  Early D&D seemed
to include polearms only because it was descended from wargames where
spear levies were common, and gave the polearms the short end of the
stick when it came to combat effectiveness.  It was a rare player who
bothered to carry even a basic spear, much less anything more
interesting, unless it was a Cleric carrying the amusingly mis-labeled
"Lucern Hammer" of AD&D1.  Even the reach and trip tricks of 3rd
edition failed, at least locally, to get people to carry polearms.
The spear-dominated heroics of '300' failed to garner any excitement
either.

RPers just don't seem interested in a weapon unless its entire length is sharp.



On Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 12:29 PM, Cris Fuhrman<fuhrmanator@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 12:16, <pvk@oz.net> wrote:
>
>> Yeah, those articles sound very interesting!
>>
>
> I managed to locate Space Gamer #041, which is not "old" TFT. But, anyway,
> there's an article by Jim Dickey, 'Tips for TFT Players', which starts off
> with "The following is a list of hints based on almost three years of TFT
> play. I hope that this article will inspire some of you other players to
> write in and share your experiences."
>
> Points 1-4 are discussed, but I found #2 to be the most interesting, albeit
> mostly obvious. (1 is about not having a low dex, 3 is about specializing
> characters, and 4 is about cost-effectiveness of talents and spells).
>
> I quote #2 below. I can see how Space Gamer was not so deeply valuable for
> insight, but rather a way to do marketing.
>
> "2.  Don't overlook the value of pole weapons.
>
> "I don't know if it's just the people I play with, but in my experience
> beginning players tend to overvalue missile weapons at the expense of pole
> weapons. Due to the close-quarters type of fighting most prevalent in TFT,
> bowmen usually get off a shot or two and then get sliced up by an adjacent
> figure while trying to draw a new weapon. If this happens to you, try
> screening your missile weapon users with pole arm wielders. The +2 DX for a
> set pole weapon, and the double damage bonus for a charge attack, make pole
> arms devastating weapons. The Advanced Melee  rules, with two7hex jabs, and
> pole arm attacks coming off first, make them even more effective.
>
> "The next time your group of adventurers takes on a giant or a dragon, try
> to get somebody with a pole weapon around behind it. The +2 or +4 DX and the
> double damage bonus will usually bring a quick end to your adversary."
>
> --
> Cris Fuhrman, http://www.google.com/profiles/fuhrmanator
> Ogden Nash <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/o/ogden_nash.html>  -
> "The trouble with a kitten is that when it grows up, it's always a cat."
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