Re: Steve Jackson - major change to TFT.

[Rick <rick_ww@lightspeed.ca>]

Hi Thomas, everyone.
  My comments inline.

> On Jun 12, 2018, at 7:31 PM, Thomas Fulmer <tfulmer1@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Considering he didn't want to make any real changes not that long ago, I consider this a rather major about face. This is a huge change in attribute, character advancement, how talents/spells work, etc. The underlying concept of TFT characters is being changed.
> 
> Is that bad? Not necessarily....BUT
> 
> 1: ...
> 
> 2: Is drastic really desired by anyone? If I wanted a drastic change I could play GURPS or AD&D. There are issues I want fixed in TFT and some balancing perhaps is needed. If we wanted to venture into more major changes I'd rather see the addition of secondary attributes as is a very common house rule or perhaps more racial advantages/disadvantages than a major overhaul of the character generation/advancement system.

I really wanted TFT tweaked so it could better handle the 
‘elder game’ when people had experienced characters.  
What this change has done, is ELIMINATED the elder 
game.  Basically character development is by gaining 
talents with a bit of attribute adjustment at the front.  I still 
much more prefer my rules with superscripts.

> 
> Regarding the staff spell change, I sort of like it. Using Health to cast spells I always found horrid, which is part of what drove me to very much liking fatigue as a secondary attribute and incorporating it into my game. Letting the wizard have  rechargable strength battery is nice and helps with the issue.

In the ItL, AM, AW it specifically said that you use fatigue 
to cast spells.  Only those just playing the basic WIZARD 
used power spells with damage.

> 
> I think it over powers the staff spell though. ... Making no
> brainers more powerful seems odd to me.

Ehh.  Now everyone must take staffs.  In the old days 
everyone did anyway, so I don’t care.

> 
> Further, by basing its capacity on IQ, you remove almost any incentive for a party wizard to have ST. If i have 4 less ST, and put it into IQ my Mana is the same, but I have access to higher level spells. This will matter a lot more if my attributes are capped at 40.
> 
> —Thomas

The thing I object to is wizards have gotten even more powerful 
relative to heroes.  

I am less troubled by wizard not have multiple incentives to 
improve ST.  Weak wizards are very traditional.  Smart wizards 
will use some Wishes to up their ST so they can take more 
damage.  In my campaign, with the Light, regular and heavy 
quarterstaves, there is an additional advantage to upping ST.  
You WILL have a staff, it may as well be doing a lot of damage.

Anyone think that Wishes will get a LOT more popular in the 
new TFT?

Rick