[Skarg]

Originally Posted by Jim Kane

SKARG - Our current TFT:ITL Experience Point Award Rules for Combat is one paragraph in length.

I think that is important.

It can be re-written as one paragraph. It's not rocket science. Only the bold lines above are the rules. The rest is comments/examples. I just pasted the write-up I did for another forum discussion of it in the past, but I thought it looked like a good format to post it in here too.

Originally Posted by Jim Kane

While you have some very sound and worthy concepts included throughout, I was expecting something more along the lines of an actual mathematical formula; simply stated as a variable equation, which would quickly reveal a ratio multiplier with which to equalize the relative value of unequal combatants.

It is a simple formula but it uses addition, not multiplication/division (imagine the complaints from math-averse people if it used division - the horror! ;-) ). In fact, the equasion was listed in the explanation above.

EP = 2 x loser's TV - victor's TV

Those concerned about the math can write both the TV of a character, and 2 x that TV, on the character sheet, so only one subtraction will be needed in play to find the EP to award.

Originally Posted by Jim Kane

Illustrating: If 'A' is valued at 125% of 'B'; and, if 'A' wins the combat, his award is adjusted downward by 80% of the total EP value of 'B'; whereas, if 'B' wins the combat, his award is adjusted upwards by 125% of the total EP value of 'A' - Or something along these basic lines.

Ok, the adjustment is the difference between their TV. So if A is TV 125 and B is TV 100, instead of A getting 100 EP for defeating B, he'd get 75% of that (100 - (125 - 100) = 100 - 25 = 75), which I simplified to give you the above formula, so it's just 2 x 100 - 125 = 75. So in your format:

If 'A' is valued at 125% of 'B'; and, if 'A' wins the combat, his award is adjusted downward by 25% of the total EP value of 'B'; whereas, if 'B' wins the combat, his award is adjusted upwards by 25% of the total EP value of 'A'.

I.e. the difference in EP received (compared to the TV) is equal to the difference between their TV's.

Or, for a real TFT example, using the same percentages you mentioned:

Abe - TV 30
ST 13 Morningstar 2d+1
DX 15 Small Shield (1 hit stopped)

Bob - TV 24
ST 14 2-handed sword 3d-1
DX 10

If Abe defeats Bob, he gets 24 x 2 - 30 = 18 EP (instead of 24 per ITL).
If Bob defeats Abe, he gets 30 x 2 - 24 = 36 EP (instead of 28 per ITL).

In practice, we had a 46-point PC with a TV of IIRC 57, who stopped 9 hits/attack and attacked at DX 16 for 3d+3 damage (or would do sweeping blows...). He basically had to screw up NOT to kill at least one 32-point basic foe each turn, and any who survived had to be able to do 10 damage to even scratch him.

So if he kills one of those, in ITL he'd get 24 EP. In this system, he gets 24 x 2 - 57 = ZERO, or maybe 1 or 2 if the GM thinks there was a risk for some reason. In order to actually merit EP, you have to fight someone with at least half your TV.

And if a 32-point character did manage to defeat him, he'd get 57 x 2 - 24 = 90 EP. In fairness, maybe it should be more, but it's about learning not fairness, and should killing any one foe be worth an attribute increase by itself?

I don't know if it would be helpful for everyone, but although the simplest version of the formula is "EP = 2 x TV1 - TV2", what I tend to find easier for opponents of similar TV is "loser's TV, plus/minus the difference in their TV".

Originally Posted by Jim Kane

HOWEVER, I think many of your ideas of more than worthy of exploration and discussion, but let us look at a few things first - IF you really want to explore this, that is - and the VERY FIRST QUESTION I would want us to answer is:

The current TFT Experience Point Rules for Combat DO NOT account for IQ; therefore, a ST-12 DX-12 IQ-8 Fighter, and a ST-12 DX-12 IQ-12 Fighter - who are NOT equal IF the IQ-12 Fighter is loaded with Combat Talents - and a ST-12 DX-12 IQ-20 Wizard, are each still only worth 24 EPs dead either way.
...
So, that is where I would want to begin the discussion of calibrating the EP Award for Combat: How will we conceptually answer the question of the IQ variable and it relative value for purposes of awarding Combat EP?

IQ by itself usually does nothing for combat threat value, unless you're an illusion(ist). It's the spells and talents that are worth something, which are mentioned in the rule. Usually talents are worth about 1 per memory point if they are useful in combat.

I think the system does pretty well for combat talents, but spells is not ideal. Ideally, you might give a TV to each spell. Lightning is worth maybe 3-5, but Trailtwister and Lock/Knock are worth 0. But that would add tables, which might be good for guidelines, but in practice an experienced GM can just eyeball TV and compare to some known characters. But wizards and fighters are sort of apples and oranges and a "true" TV isn't really possible because combat, especially with magic, is much more complex than comparing two numbers. The idea isn't to get a perfect number but to have a decent number, and GM can overrule or be used instead of math.

The point is to address the problem where tons of EP is available from easy fights.