[David L Pulver]

I think this is a great system for a 3d6-based game ... that isn't TFT. It's fairly close to the way the HERO system did its 3d6 roll-low hex based system.

It is good as a house rule for someone who wants to mod an existing TFT campaign to make balanced defenses possible, and looks fine for that. I think it's too "non-TFT" to actually be a real rules change: it turns the game into something different.

I think a situation where two DX 10-11 fighters with no armor and broadswords miss half the time while a fight between two DX 16 fighters with swords is over in a flash to whoever wins an initiative roll feels wrong if you believe in sword fights like those in most books or movies (The Princess Bride is a classic). However, the current TFT system is deliberately set up to be "all offense" - it seems to mirror a Japanese style where it's about striking first and the huge importance of maneuvering for position.

SJ in a previous post indicated that specifically reflected his SCA combat experience, so that's the core design element of the game! It ensures that combats are very fast and gives TFT a rather unique style.

My two concerns with this specific implementation:

* +1 situational combat modifiers to DX to attack only, like a bonus for waiting for an opening will, about the half the time, vanish. You could get rid of this by saying only permanent adjusted DX modifiers apply (e.g., penalties for armor or skill) but that adds an extra complication...

* If making such a radical change, would be a lot cleaner to just compare DX scores straight and instead make rules changes to limit the maximum starting DX, and slow down its rate of advance. (E.g., rule that characters can't put more than 5 into an attribute to start with (no DX 16, IQ 8, ST 8)).