Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - Middle Earth: Melee (TFT) or Man to Man (GURPS)

middlearthenthusiast · 08-08-2019, 03:38 PM

1. Actually, I think this type of system is rather fitting for the Third Age of Middle Earth, as far as deadly low-powered combat goes. Certainly Aragorn is described as one of the most exceptional men in Middle Earth history, but his feats are not common for most of Middle Earth in Third Age, which is where I hope to set my scenarios. I guess I want combat to be able to feature amazing feats that are consistent with Tolkien if I introduce a character worthy of them, but I'd like scenarios to feature a good handful of rather ordinary folk who may have to face off against said exceptional characters (stock Melee characters seem to fit well with average Middle Earth warriors). I could easily see one of the exceptional characters being the Witch-King: a formidable warrior-wizard with a high ST, High dmg custom maul, average DX, Telekinesis, and a special ability that makes him vulnerable exclusively to certain types of attacks or magic.

2. I suppose I'm wondering what can be done to help show off the amazing defensive swordsmanship with someone exceptional like Aragorn in the Melee system. I admit that would definitely be a lot easier in GURPS/MTM (where high Sword skill = frequent hits on opponents & high parry stats), but I'd be curious to see if there was any way within (or in addition to) TFT RAW that Aragorn's mastery of defensive combat could be represented. One idea I have is to give him a special ability where he can make a dodge/defend maneuver in addition to an attack at will.

3. Does TFT have weapons skills like in GURPS? If so, how do they impact combat when it's based exclusively on DX?

08-08-2019, 03:38 PM	#4
middlearthenthusiast Join Date: Aug 2019	Re: Middle Earth: Melee (TFT) or Man to Man (GURPS) 1. Actually, I think this type of system is rather fitting for the Third Age of Middle Earth, as far as deadly low-powered combat goes. Certainly Aragorn is described as one of the most exceptional men in Middle Earth history, but his feats are not common for most of Middle Earth in Third Age, which is where I hope to set my scenarios. I guess I want combat to be able to feature amazing feats that are consistent with Tolkien if I introduce a character worthy of them, but I'd like scenarios to feature a good handful of rather ordinary folk who may have to face off against said exceptional characters (stock Melee characters seem to fit well with average Middle Earth warriors). I could easily see one of the exceptional characters being the Witch-King: a formidable warrior-wizard with a high ST, High dmg custom maul, average DX, Telekinesis, and a special ability that makes him vulnerable exclusively to certain types of attacks or magic. 2. I suppose I'm wondering what can be done to help show off the amazing defensive swordsmanship with someone exceptional like Aragorn in the Melee system. I admit that would definitely be a lot easier in GURPS/MTM (where high Sword skill = frequent hits on opponents & high parry stats), but I'd be curious to see if there was any way within (or in addition to) TFT RAW that Aragorn's mastery of defensive combat could be represented. One idea I have is to give him a special ability where he can make a dodge/defend maneuver in addition to an attack at will. 3. Does TFT have weapons skills like in GURPS? If so, how do they impact combat when it's based exclusively on DX?