Re: Steve Jackson - major change to TFT.

[PvK <pvk@oz.net>]

> On Jun 12, 2018, at 7:31 PM, Thomas Fulmer <tfulmer1@gmail.com> wrote:
> ...
> 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 am still digesting but mainly I think I like it. It seems to me it is actually similar in effect to Rick's mIQ system, and is actually what I tend to think I'd want in terms of having other things to spend EP on (I'd add some new talents), and somehow discouraging really high attributes. I'm not sure the exact changes are best. I think there should probably be more playtesting, and I suspect different players will want to tweak the settings, which fortunately would be really easy to do. e.g. you could change or ignore the cap at 40 if you wanted.

But of course it is a big change etc.


> --- rick_ww@lightspeed.ca wrote:
> 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.

Sure, since your system already accomplishes the things SJ's system solves, and more, and you have tested and developed it etc.


Thomas Fulmer <tfulmer1@gmail.com> wrote:
> 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.

Well partly. Staff power recharges much slower than your ST does, and you do have to spend EP to get the staff power (I'd think it should be an increasing cost per level, too, rather than a flat 100 EP per level).



> --- rick_ww@lightspeed.ca wrote:
> The thing I object to is wizards have gotten even more powerful 
> relative to heroes.  

Yes, though the thing I think I may be most worried about is that heroes may now tend to end up getting quite a few spells...


> --- rick_ww@lightspeed.ca wrote:
> Anyone think that Wishes will get a LOT more popular in the 
> new TFT?

Not without some reasonable way to actually make a Wish. Currently max natural IQ will be 24... even with a +2 Charm item, that means that such a weird/rare wizard will die to a Demon on a 7+ on 3d6... it will be hard to get a Wish industry started without your nice house rules giving Psychic Combat talents, or some non-human spellcasters that have superhuman IQ or something.

I think I'm happy to have a good reason industrial Wishes probably don't exist, but if they did, then yes, certainly Wishes would be coveted even more than they would otherwise be. I never liked using Wishes to boost attributes in any case.

I think that it may put a larger emphasis on other, non-Wish magical items that also boost abilities, since everyone will be 40 or less.
e.g.:
* Charms & Attribute boosters (which, like Wishes, I also disliked and avoided having exist)
* Weapon/Armor Enchantment
* fine-quality weapons
* stone/iron flesh (especially if missile spells and pole weapons are all getting damage nerfs)