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Groknard · 06-14-2018, 01:56 PM

Taking a break to report in. I got to the con early, but the afternoon game was already sold out. But the rest of the morning made up for it!

I managed to spot Steve as he was strolling towards the SJG game area, right off the main concourse. Introduced myself and despite the fact that his day (and coffee!) was just getting started, he was excited to show and tell.

We sat down and chatted about all sorts of things for a bit. I can confirm that Steve is paying attention to the discussions here and it has informed the work. We didn't talk about any particular rules or discussions, but from what I heard and what I saw, this is certainly not going to be a complete reimagining of the game. It looks to definitely be a "Legacy Edition", what TFT could have been with better tools and more time back in 1980.

I really want to point out that everything shown and said is preliminary and subject to change. There are still rules elements to be finalized. I really saw no artwork beyond what we've already seen. Anything I say below could change between now and the Kickstarter.

He pulled out the playtest box which included most of the elements under consideration. Things of note:

- I was able to page through the Melee and Wizard rulebooks. What struck me at a glance was how little had changed! The typeface and layout were similar, the table of contents appeared to be virtually the same, Ragnar The Impetuous was there (and looking pretty good for his age!), notes are still being made. Each game will still have its own map, narrow for Melee and wide for Wizard (as each game will be sold as standalone sets).
- (ADDED: just remembered) Plan for the full set is 9"x2"11" bookcase style box
- I got to see prototype megahexes! Mounted, dry-erase surface, in a variety of configurations, much as they were in the centerfolds of the original AM/AW/ITL releases. Steve hopes they can be double-sided. If or how these will show up for the game and/or Kickstarter is still being scoped out, but IMO it will be so nice to have a sturdy set of these.
- IIRC, the hexes are slightly bigger than the Metagaming standard
- First look at the colored dungeon maps! These really do look much like what we saw in the original game and in Tollenkar, but now they're in color. The patterns remain to assist those who might be color blind.

Links to photos (please don't embed on other sites, this is my own webspace):

- Steve with the playtest set
- Playtest box
- A Melee character from yesterday's game. He did not fare well.
- Prototype megahexes
- Megahexes and the dungeon map
- Map close-up
- Postcard style promo cards from front desk
- Postcard style promo cards from front desk (flipside)
- Got Steve to autograph some things I had laying around

All in all, I was thrilled. Steve was very laid-back, gracious with his time and I can tell you he is really into this. This has been a different experience for him than re-visiting Ogre. That was to make something as big as the game itself. Going back to TFT, on the other hand, is "a rare second chance" to put it out as he'd intended.

I really want to thank Steve and Phil for their time, and wish them a great rest of the show. This was a big thing for me, a chance to meet the guy who in many ways has had as big an impact on me as Star Wars, or Isaac Asimov. Much like TFT coming back, it's something I never thought I'd get to experience!

It's real, folks. It's happening and it'll be here soon!

06-14-2018, 01:56 PM	#29
Groknard Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cleveland, OH USA	Re: Who's going to be at Origins? Taking a break to report in. I got to the con early, but the afternoon game was already sold out. But the rest of the morning made up for it! I managed to spot Steve as he was strolling towards the SJG game area, right off the main concourse. Introduced myself and despite the fact that his day (and coffee!) was just getting started, he was excited to show and tell. We sat down and chatted about all sorts of things for a bit. I can confirm that Steve is paying attention to the discussions here and it has informed the work. We didn't talk about any particular rules or discussions, but from what I heard and what I saw, this is certainly not going to be a complete reimagining of the game. It looks to definitely be a "Legacy Edition", what TFT could have been with better tools and more time back in 1980. I really want to point out that everything shown and said is preliminary and subject to change. There are still rules elements to be finalized. I really saw no artwork beyond what we've already seen. Anything I say below could change between now and the Kickstarter. He pulled out the playtest box which included most of the elements under consideration. Things of note: - I was able to page through the Melee and Wizard rulebooks. What struck me at a glance was how little had changed! The typeface and layout were similar, the table of contents appeared to be virtually the same, Ragnar The Impetuous was there (and looking pretty good for his age!), notes are still being made. Each game will still have its own map, narrow for Melee and wide for Wizard (as each game will be sold as standalone sets). - (ADDED: just remembered) Plan for the full set is 9"x2"11" bookcase style box - I got to see prototype megahexes! Mounted, dry-erase surface, in a variety of configurations, much as they were in the centerfolds of the original AM/AW/ITL releases. Steve hopes they can be double-sided. If or how these will show up for the game and/or Kickstarter is still being scoped out, but IMO it will be so nice to have a sturdy set of these. - IIRC, the hexes are slightly bigger than the Metagaming standard - First look at the colored dungeon maps! These really do look much like what we saw in the original game and in Tollenkar, but now they're in color. The patterns remain to assist those who might be color blind. Links to photos (please don't embed on other sites, this is my own webspace): - Steve with the playtest set - Playtest box - A Melee character from yesterday's game. He did not fare well. - Prototype megahexes - Megahexes and the dungeon map - Map close-up - Postcard style promo cards from front desk - Postcard style promo cards from front desk (flipside) - Got Steve to autograph some things I had laying around All in all, I was thrilled. Steve was very laid-back, gracious with his time and I can tell you he is really into this. This has been a different experience for him than re-visiting Ogre. That was to make something as big as the game itself. Going back to TFT, on the other hand, is "a rare second chance" to put it out as he'd intended. I really want to thank Steve and Phil for their time, and wish them a great rest of the show. This was a big thing for me, a chance to meet the guy who in many ways has had as big an impact on me as Star Wars, or Isaac Asimov. Much like TFT coming back, it's something I never thought I'd get to experience! It's real, folks. It's happening and it'll be here soon! __________________ ___________________ Robert -- Cleveland, OH Last edited by Groknard; 06-14-2018 at 02:44 PM.