[Skarg]

Originally Posted by 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.

Thanks David. Maybe so. I'm sure many will agree, especially at first glance at my post above, but I'm curious what everyone thinks.

I'm thinking it tends to make combat more like 32-point TFT combat, even at higher skill levels, but also surprising in ways which so far I'm really liking. e.g. Having a highish DX tends to be about like taking a good DX as a 32-point Melee character... unless you meet someone with equally high DX, or higher DX than you.

Originally Posted by David L Pulver

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.

Yes, though there are two aspects about TFT which I really don't like:

* When people get to high DX levels, misses stop happening very often at all, which starts to remove a more uncertain element of play that exists at lower levels that I like.

* There's no good way to fight effectively while using skill to avoid getting hurt, other than avoiding an enemy getting a chance to attack you, or taking them out before they get to attack.

And, you can easily get the attack-oriented style you describe, even more so than in standard TFT. If both fighters can use aggressive style at +2, and do, then two people of equal DX will hit each other on a 14 or less. Which to me does the aggressive style even better, since now people at whatever DX level can get that result.

Originally Posted by David L Pulver

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...

Yes, as I noted, each modifier may need consideration for whether it should apply before or after the comparison, offering different sorts of effects depending on which way you choose. If waiting for an opening applies before the comparison, then it contributes to both offense and defense (which to me makes sense for a defensive style). If waiting applies after the comparison, then it only contributes to the offense.

Originally Posted by David L Pulver

* 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)).

I don't follow. What do you mean by "compare DX scores straight"? You mean just roll to hit on adjDX as usual?