(TFT) Another Newbie

["Dave Seagraves" <dseagraves@austin.rr.com>]

   Howdy folks.  I'm also new to the TFT mailing list.  A bit about myself:
I'm 36, a computer technician, a former SJ Games employee, and now running
my own part-time onsite computer repair business.  I live with my wife and
two cats in far north Austin.  My hobbies include playing board, computer,
and roleplaying games; building a massive spreadsheet for designing
vehicles, thought-testing my own RPG (but who isn't?), terrorizing the evil
Taco Bell (a long story), and writing modifications to various games (but
nothing ever published).  I'm an old subscriber to The Space Gamer,
Interplay, and Flying Buffalo Quarterly magazines.
   I am also an /award winning/ TFT player.  When I was 18 an Air Force NCO
and his two teenage sons needed a fourth person for the AD&D tournament at
DalCon '81, so I was recruited.  After we came in last place, I convinced
them to enter the TFT tournament with me.  One hour before the start of the
tourney, I sat with them in the hotel lobby and taught them the game.  The
competition started.  Between my wizard creating gargoyle illusions and one
of the other PC's impaling hymenoptera on his cavalry lance, we kicked ass!
We got 1st Place Team -- the plaque still hangs on my wall (need to get it
engraved one day), and that DalCon '81 belt buckle is lying around
somewhere.  Spectators were amazed that most of our group had never played
the game before!
   My position on TFT: Simply put, The Fantasy Trip is the best roleplaying
game I have ever encountered; superior to any other RPG I've played,
including Hero System (a great game for superheroing), Classic Traveller
(space weapons that only fire once every 16.667 /minutes/!), Droids
(/there's/ an obscure game), Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (yuck!), Star Trek
RPG (hand phasors that /disintegrate/ PC's in one shot -- what fun),
Rolemaster ("Chartmaster" -- every hit is a critical hit), Field Guide to
Encounters (the only "RPG" without rules for character generation or
combat), Star Wars RPG (only played it once), Dream Along With Me (/really/
obscure), Gamma World (see AD&D), The Morrow Project (nuke your hometown!),
Recon (nuke Vietnam!), Chivalry & Sorcery (/the/ RPG for elitist munchkins),
and yes . . .  even GURPS (which is like TFT run through IGDRIP once or
twice -- not a good thing).  TFT has superior combat and task resolution
systems, and is just an all-around better game.  Steve, you got it right the
first time.
   I'm currently running a face-to-face Sunday afternoon TFT campaign here
in Austin, and I even play solitaire as well.  I've made extensive
playtested modifications to the TFT system which are part of the written
ground rules for the campaign -- nothing that harms the core of the system,
just rule changes which make it easier and more fun to play.  If anyone is
interested in seeing them I can post them here for criticism and comment.
Oh . . .  and we could use another player as well.
   About Fine Games: I ordered three items from them, and they arrived one
week later -- no problems.  Recommended.
   By the way, last I heard Howard Thompson could be found somewhere in
Taylor, Texas, barricaded behind thousands of unsold copies of various TFT
books -- or that's the rumor anyway.  If you ever speak with him ask him
when he plans on awarding that ten thousand dollars.  I know /exactly/ where
that unicorn is.  8^)

Dave Seagraves
Seagraves Computers   Austin, TX   1 (512) 255-2760
dseagraves@austin.rr.com
Thug: "I've got the death sentence in twelve systems!"
Luke: "Oh really???"
Thug: "Well . . .  I got a parking ticket on Dune once."


=====
Post to the entire list by writing to tft@brainiac.com.
Unsubscribe by mailing to majordomo@brainiac.com with the message body
"unsubscribe tft"