(TFT) Re: Disadvantages

["grabowski" <grabowski@erols.com>]

Stan wrote:

<Since joining the list a couple of days ago, I've seen a few references
to "disadvantages" that essentially count as negative IQ points which can
(if I'm getting the drift) be spent to acquire additional talents.  Is
this detailed anywhere?  My apologies if I'm asking about something
that I should damn well already know.>

The concepts of disadvantages in TFT came from two Space Gamer Articles.
Forrest Johnson wrote the first article, Handicapped Characters in TFT in
Space Gamer #5, and there was a second article in Space Gamer # 57 by Ralph
Sizer, appropriately titled "More Handicaps in TFT".  They were created, as
Forrest puts it, to make a character more interesting at the same time
making the character more attractive to create.   In return for taking a
handicap you were given extra points to use in order to create your
character.
The concept of disadvantages for advantages began with I believe the
superheroes game, Champions.  Of course, this bleed over into TFT, and then
of course Steve Jackson used it in GURPS.

On reading the list, you can see a lot of us own those Space Gamers
and have referred to the handicaps.  Examples of these handicaps, and some
are almost self explanatory, are blind (3 pt. disad)., hemophiliac (4 pt.),
fat or old (variable according to how fat and old the character is), and one
of my favorites (ha!), Rube Goldberg Mind (3 pt.).

Of the two articles, the first is the best as it has a handicap table that
randomly assigns a handicap.  As it states, in real life, you don't get to
choose your handicap.  The problem, as a GM and I could say this about GURPS
as well, is remembering which character had which handicap or forgetting the
handicap and of course do you think the player is always going to tell you.
In the past week, the list has been writing about realism, "How realistic is
it to have a (lots of adjectives) old, fat, blind, hemophiliac fighter in
combat?"  The only thing it does is lend itself to roleplaying and
interesting characters.  Comments???

Yours in Cidri,
Justin




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