Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony
Unarmored can work in GURPS, it's just suboptimal. In any case, LotR actually has a quite small number of battles where armor would matter (a fight against an orc in Moria; unlikely that armor would much matter against a Balrog; multiple orcs when Boromir is killed; Helm's Deep; Sam vs Shelob; Minas Tirith -- but Merry and Pippin were given armor there).
|
Right, that's the point, suboptimal. Whereas in TFT the system provides for a better balance for a non-armored character, using various game tactics and the ST, DX, and IQ relationship, i.e. less armor isn't necessarily suboptimal. It makes a character like Aragorn more viable because he probably strikes first and hard, can disarm or cripple or shock, disengage to avoid being hit, rely on companions to cover his weaknesses, etc. etc.
And of course, when going into a pitched battle, as a knight or equivalent, armor probably makes sense, surely Aragorn used it. But most of our adventures are more of the stealth variety, where nimbleness, awareness, etc.are the watchword, not battlelines or castle sieges.
And the lack of a sticky half-ZOC for characters in GURPS and the one-at-a-time sequence always felt disjointed and un-fun. Not just me, but everyone I knew who tried it, it was a no-go.
It's not a matter of "realism", but enjoyment and playability. The point is that GURPS and other systems exist and have their fans, and I would hope that after so many years waiting for TFT it can retain its original appeal and dimension, however defined.