Re: (TFT) Attributes: 4 viewpoints

[Joe Hartley <jh@brainiac.com>]

"John Paul Bakshoian" <shadowhex@hotmail.com> wrote:
> The group has had some great suggestions on talents and attributes.  By the 
> way, this discussion also occurred Oct/Nov '98.  (Joe, your search engine is 
> terrific.)

Thanks!  I figured if I was going to run a mailing list, I was going to
do it right.  I hate lists that don't get archived!

> There seems to be about four viewpoints on creating TFT characters:
> 
> a)  3 attributes are fine the way they are.
> b)  3 attributes are fine, but IQ/Talents are lacking.
> c)  3 attributes are good, but I want to adjust them.
> d)  4 or more attributes are needed.

I have always liked TFT because of its simplicity.  It is not a simulation
of a character and of combat; it is an abstraction.  To me, the weak point
of D&D was always the fact that tried to factor in every possible variable,
resulting in very complex mechanisms in determining outcome.

Melee/Wizard stripped this down to the bare essentials, and ITL expanded it
with just enough to build interesting characters.  I liked that, and never
ran into a homebrew talent that I though was necessary enough to add to
the rules I played by.

So I guess I'm a purist, more because I've always been more interested in
keeping the game mechanisms moving as quickly as possible rather than
modeling reality as closely as possible.

There are a lot of others, though, who revel in the flexibility of the TFT
framework as a starting point, and who have tons of add-ons for everything
from sectional armor to dozens of additional talents and spells.  More
power to you!

As an aside, I'd like to thank folks for making this list a very interesting
read.  The past few months have seen a revitalization of the list, and
that's gratifying to see.  When I started this, I had no idea whether it would
be met with total indifference or not.  The answer clearly is "not".


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         Joe Hartley - Computer Consultant - jh@brainiac.com
     12 Emma G Lane, Narragansett, RI  02827 - vox 401.782.9042
Without deviation from the norm, "progress" is not possible. - FZappa

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