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Re: (TFT) TFT Tourney??



Brennan

Go with TFT! I run TFT games that have 30+ miniature figures to a side as my standard games. Its easy.

You should decide a couple of things up front.

1)  How long do you intend this game to play?
         4 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, a second weekend day?
         My experience is that with 20+ players, it will
         take about 4 hours to go through 12 rounds (1 minute.)

2)  Is this an everyone for himself or a team effort game?

3)  Is this a free-for-all or a storyline?  Are you playing
         "the enemy?"

4)  Will this (or any of the characters) go onto a campaign?

5)  You're playing a miniatures oriented game.
         Are you playing large terrained board with rulers or
         a giant hex map?  Is the 'dungeon' indoors or outdoors?

If you run a short game, (8-12 hours for 20 gamers), you probably don't have to worry about drop-outs, but you're probably not going to have more than a cursory story. A 4-8 hour game is a free-for-all. You can get a better story going for a full weekend game, but beware of drop-outs who take probably leave gaps in your story element when they leave. If you think this will become a campaign of sorts, you'll want to allow more than just weapon and combat talents.

I recommend 25mm miniatures and terrain and not hexmaps. Use one inch equals one hex for measuring. If the guys aren't used to hex movement, take them aside and using a hex-map, show them how movement is supposed to work. Have them do a quick fight to get the feel for combat. Let them figure out movement without hexmap on their own.

I use a 'what you see is what you get' style of lead figures and terrain (with some GM allowances.) If a knight is wearing plate and has a what looks like a bastard sword, thats what it is. This is somewhat restrictive as far as creativity, but when there are 40 figures on the board, its less boggy. I nickname my character sheets according to prominent features on the lead figure: Arm-Up, Crossbow, or Yellowjacket.

If you are running the "bad guys" you can do up eight characters to a sheet by grouping your lead figures by combat scene: Lothro's five golbins and ogre are on one sheet and fight as a unit, etc.


For the most part, I think Rick's views (8 Nov) were great.
I agree:
 *Use pre-generated characters for those TFT novices.  Allow
  veteran TFT players to make their own in advance modelled
  after their favorite lead figure.
 *Throw out HTH.
 *Use Rick's "a bit more" talents suggestion UNLESS you're going
  for a campaign down the line (then use full rules).
 *Use Rick's Roll to Miss suggestions
 *Use Rick's Stun suggestions
 *Only TFT experience players are wizards EXCEPT if one of the
  inexperienced wants to get one spell.  Its a safe way to learn
  how to play magic.
 *Lots of healing potions.  If you're doing an 8 hour game, there
  may be one break in between a battle to heal.  With healing
  potion, you can quaff it down during the battle.
 *Rick's 3 training emphasis are great.

I disagree
 *Go ahead and use pole weapons.  They don't hinder the game.

There are many things that you are going to have to do to keep this game going and keep these guys in line. I suggest:

1)  Make a board with 12 numbered boxes to represent 1 minute
   of gametime. Check off each new round.  Write down any
   significant info that needs to be kept track of.

2)  Pull together in advance all the wizard type tricks that will
   be thrown.  Walls, Shadows, slippery floors, Fires,
   7 hex fires, wolves, ILLUSIONS (that'll boggle you), etc.
   How are you going to represent flying?  I use a pizza
   raisers that some pizza joints provide and a die for
   determining hight.  Unless you can figure out how to keep
   track of invisibility, forget it.

3)  I shorten action order to MAGIC AND MISSILES GO FIRST.  It
   may not be fair to some, but you as GM have to keep 20 players
   hopping and this has helped me not get into arguments with
   players stalling as they recalculate the next bow target, etc.
   Second bow shots go after all else is done.

4)  As a GM tool, I use an eighth inch wide three foot long dowel
   as a pointer to attention, point things out, line of sight,
   etc.  I also use it as a sweeper to indicate from left to right
   who is eligible at that moment to do magic/missiles.

5)  Keep drilling on these guys to get their turn done and keep
   up the pace.  Its going to be slow for the other 19 players
   so its your job to make the game happen.

6)  I handle combats by groupings.  If a group in the cornor is
   isolated, handle that without worry of the other fights.  If
   you get out of the way all the little fights that don't
   affect others, you will have an easier task on the big brawls.

=================================
Here is my two page outline of the game excerpted from Advanced Melee.
I've modified Action order and added a horseback rule. Just cut and paste this into a Word document, clean up and print. BUT you must have an ADVANCED MELEE there for the players to read about the details or you'll be violating copyright.

a) Combat takes place in turns, representing five seconds each. Distance is usually measured in hexes. A hex is one inch. b) During each turn, each figure may execute one "option" from the list below. Each option consists of a movement, attack, defense or other combination of options. c) The options available to a figure depend on whether it is "engaged" or "disengaged." Engaged - an engaged figure is one that is adjacent to an armed enemy figure, and in one of that figure's front three hexes. The concept of "engaged" is used to identify figures who are actually involved in combat, and standing next to an enemy who endangers them physically. Thus a single warrior cannot really engage a large dragon; the dragon can just walk past him if it wants to. A knight in plate mail is not endangered by an unarmed thirteen-year-old girl, so he is not engaged by her, but may walk through her front hexes as though she were not there. A riding horse is not stopped by a single figure, but is stopped by two enemies.* Rats, wasps, etc., do not engage a figure, even when they attack. d) During combat, events follow a strict sequence. NOTHING happens simultaneously. Each movement or attack may effect the next one, and a spell takes effect instantaneously when it succeeds.

I) TURN SEQUENCING
1)	ROLL FOR INITIATIVE
Each player rolls a die. (High # goes first. Ties are rerolled, but keep that initiative level) The winner may choose either to move his figure first that turn, or to have the other players move their figures first. He then goes last. Only the winner gets the choice. If the players are cooperating with a leader, the leader can roll for the group. Certain factors, such as surprise and TACTICS are added to the roll.

2)	RENEW SPELLS
Each wizard who wants to renew one or more continuing type spell must now subtract from his ST to power those spells.

3)	MOVEMENT
The first player to move chooses ONE option for each of his figures, and executes the MOVEMENT part (if any) of that option for each figure. How far each figure may move depends on its movement allowance (MA) and the option chosen. The second player then chooses options and moves all his own figures the same way. And the next player...

4)	ACTIONS
All attacks, spell-castings, attempts to disbelieve, talks, etc. are carried out. Figures act in order of their adjDX, highest first; ties are resovled by die roll. For purposes of Missile, Thrown Weapons, & Spells, this roll is on normal adjDX and not DX adjusted by distance. *House Rules: Magic & Missiles go first by high adjDX. Then other stuff goes.*

5)	FORCED RETREATS
Any figure which inflicted hits on an enemy with a PHYSICAL attack (staff, wolf bites, etc) and took no hits itself that turn (from any source) may retreat that enemy one hex in any direction to any vacant hex and EITHER advance to the hex vacated by the enemy OR stand still (thus possibly becoming disengaged.) Magical attacks, missile & thrown weapons, etc., do NOT allow you to force a retreat. If both sides still have figures to fight, begin the next turn. If not, it becomes Flex Time (not the 5 second interval.)

*A rider charging by a fighter can place his horse where he wants past the fighter. During combat, the rider can swing at one figure and all figures can swing at the rider. Do that combat first. If rider is not knocked off horse or horse isn?t injured, he stays at where he was initially placed. If he is knocked off, etc., place him at that point immediately and continue play.

LIST OF OPTIONS

A figure may execute ONE option each turn, and may not mix actions from different options. It is possible to change options. The options marked with an asterisk (*) are available ONLY to disengaged figures; engaged figures may NOT do these things. Other options are available to all figures. For each option, the movement part is given first, then the action part.


II) OPTIONS
1)	Stand still or move one hex and
a) attack with your ready weapon (or throw a weapon, or jab with a pole weapon, or attempt HTH combat).
b)	dodge* or defend.
c) drop to a kneeling or prone position, and/or fire a missile weapon. NOTE: If you are engaged, you must drop the missile weapon after firing. You cannot reload a missile weapon while you are engaged.
d)	disengage. See explanation on Disengaging.
e)	cast a spell.  This applies to ANY kind of spell-casting.
f) disbelieve. Attempt to disbelieve any one figure or item which you think is an illusion. g) pick up dropped weapon. "Bend over" in the hex with the weapon, or adjacent hex; pick it up & ready it. h) stand up. Rise from a prone, kneeling, crawling, or knocked-down position. You may take no other action that turn. A figure MUST take a turn to stand before attacking, running, etc, but may cast a spell, disbelieve, or crawl without standing up.

2) Move half your MA or less* (Note that engaged figures may only shift one hex) and: a) charge attack* (This is a running attack, giving a pole-weapon an adventage.)
b)	throw a weapon OR jab with a pole weapon.
c)	dodge.*
d)	drop to a kneeling or prone position.
e)	attempt hand to hand (HTH) combat

3) Move more than half your MA, up to your full MA.* Take no other action except for such things as jumping, attempting to scoop up a weapon, yelling, etc.

4)	Special Options
a) stand up from a KNEELING position and EITHER change weapons OR move up to half your MA. (Note that an engaged figure may still only shift one hex.) b) change weapons. If you are engaged, stand still or shift; drop your weapon and/or shield and ready a new weapon and/or shield. If you are NOT engaged, move up to two hexes, drop OR re-sling your ready weapon and/or sheild, and ready a new weapon and/or shield. Note: any figure can use this option to ready a new weapon if he has no ready weapon but has one at his belt. Two disengaged figures within one hex can use this option to exchange weapons. A kneeling figure may ready any weapon. A prone figure must make a 3-die DX roll to ready a weapon.

5)	Options for figures is hand-to-hand combat.
	ask.
===========================

Finally, I suggest you check out the following on the June/July TFT Website:

30 June 1999  John Paul Bakshoian  Troop Movement in TFT
6 July 1999  John Paul Bakshoian  More About Troop Movement in TFT


Good luck

Hail Melee,

John Paul



From: "Brennan O'Brien" <veilheim@yahoo.com>
Subject: (TFT) TFT Tourney??
Date: Sat, 6 Nov 1999 10:49:02 -0800 (PST)

I've been thinking about throwing a "Dungeon Crawl
Party" -- basically, get a WHOLE BUNCH of gamers
together and hack and slash their way through a
dungeon.  Total meyham sort of thing.  20 gamers,
minatures oriented, he who survives with the most
points wins.

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