Re: (TFT) TFT Rights

[jh@metheny.brainiac.com (Joe Hartley)]

Guy McLimore <guymc@evansville.net> wrote:
> I love GURPS for what it is - the most detailed and accurate personal 
> actions system on the market. But in taking GURPS that direction Steve 
> gave up some of the simplicity and ease-of-use of TFT. (Let's face it, 
> human activity is not a simple thing to model.)

This has been exactly what I've loved about TFT.  It has a reasonable
approximation of combat resolution, not a detailed model.  I never got
into AD&D because I never had the time to immerse myself in that level of
detail.  TFT allowed me to get into a situation, play the conflict, and
if I was successful, move on.  You can say the same thing about Risk, which
lots of people berate for its simplicity, but I think there's a lot to be
said for it.

As you get deeper and deeper into gaming, it's natural to try to fill in the
framework with more detail.  The natrual endproduct is a GURPS-type system
that adds complexity.

Even other systems like your Compact Warrior game is more complex - it took
me a while to really get a handle on how to create a character - but
I don't see many ways to simplify a system without coming dangerously
close to infringing TFT (but I'm not a game designer!).  With Melee, that 
was stripped down almost as far as you could go and still have real challenge
in the conflict.  Any less and you may as well be rolling a pair of dice and 
declaring the high number the winner!

Complexity isn't bad - that's why ITL and AM/AW came along, and there are
still holes in there - but the more complex a game is, the smaller the
market that will buy and embrace the game.

Whew, another lengthy post.  Maybe I should actually get some work done 
this morning :)


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        Joe Hartley - jh@brainiac.com - brainiac services, inc
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