Interviewing the Fans #2

[Steve Jackson]

How did you use TFT, back in the day? Stand-alone combat games, combat module for other RPGs, or a full RPG system of its own?

[Rick_Smith]

Originally Posted by Steve Jackson

How did you use TFT, back in the day? Stand-alone combat games, combat module for other RPGs, or a full RPG system of its own?

When we just had Melee and Wizard it was mostly a stand alone combat game. Then it turned into a reg style adventures (where each adventure as a set of running combats fitting on a single wizard map).

After we had tried out D&D, it turned into a stand alone RPG with lots made up and stolen from D&D.

When ItL, AM and AW eventually came out, we used those rules as a rpg.

Rick

[Jim Kane]

We followed the growth of the system; beginning as stand-alone combat games, and then full-blown RPG. After the release of TFT:ITL, we only used Melee and Wizard as stand-alones for teaching the basics of movement and combat to new players wishing to join our group. We did try to integrate TFT as the substitute combat system for Gamescience's: Superhero 2044, by Donald Saxman, 1977 - but being aged 15 or so, we failed miserably, as we basically had to re-write the entire system to work for supers - we were way out of our league for that task; but we had fun trying.

JK

[Dave Crowell]

We mostly played Melee and Wizard as stand alone arena combat games. Much fun was had. We used our collections of 25mm miniatures on the maps instead of the counters where possible.

[Kirk]

We played Melee when it came out as a tactical combat system, and when news of the magical component was announced, waited with baited breath. I tried to design a magical component in the interim as an 18 year old, but it was overly simple and used IQ as the base roll for magical attacks.

With both Melee and Wizard, we started using geomorphic wargame mapboards to run adventures through forest and towns and along roads of Europe.

With Death Test, we saw how much fun a programmed adventure could be, as well, and once Tollenkar´s Lair and the advanced modules were available (after university) we primarily would create longer running adventures for times we could get together, primarily holidays.

We never tried to attach it to some other game system, there seemed no reason to do such a thing.

[wolf90]

I basically used them as stand alone combat games. With the release of the programmed adventures like Death Test, some rpg elements were overlaid, but it was still ultimately a stand-alone system (albeit very enjoyable as that!) for me.

I never played Tollenkar's Lair, and was full into AD&D for a fantasy rpg.

I never used them as substitutes for other game systems.

The solo aspect was key - I had not discovered T&T yet, and enjoyed the ease of playing a game on my own when my AD&D group wasn't meeting.

D.

[GlennDoren]

When Melee was recommended to me at the local hobby shop back in '81, the resident gamer handed me Melee and Death Test. Soon after that, I collected the remaining microquests as the store re-stocked them. I was hooked.

My 2 older bros and I would play D&D when we played an RPG. We never used Melee/Wizard as a replacement for combat. When we played TFT, we played TFT. When we played D&D, we played D&D.

However--TFT stuck, while we lost interest in D&D as time went on.

My bros were 7 and 8 years older than me, so most of the year I was a solo gamer playing MicroQuests. Or I was collecting/playing other solo-friendly games (T&T, Barbarian Prince, etc.) And then the golden age of computer games dug its claws into me... Wizardry, Ultima, etc.

But TFT was always the one non-computer game that held my attention in-between sessions on my Apple IIe.

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by Steve Jackson

How did you use TFT, back in the day? Stand-alone combat games, combat module for other RPGs, or a full RPG system of its own?

Melee: Both stand-alone and used for solo-modules, tested as a combat module for D&D.
Wizard: Both Stand Alone and used for solo modules.

I played TFT as a full-up RPG, as well.

Note that I never tried to use wizard as a substitution into anything else. It was (and is) too constrained by essentially including half of melee's rules, plus the full magic rules... too much to sub-in.

[Carnifex]

We played arena style Melee and Wizard, but never transitioned to using it as an RPG, we were fairly satisfied with D&D. However, there was a role playing aspect to the games we played. Gladiators who survived would develop personalities, make friends and form teams. Occasionally there would even be interesting dramas and blood feuds, at least one of which lasted a couple of years.

[Skarg]

Originally Posted by Steve Jackson

How did you use TFT, back in the day? Stand-alone combat games, combat module for other RPGs, or a full RPG system of its own?

I started doing arena combats with Melee. Then I got my friends and dad involved in playing Death Test and other MicroQuests. It was great challenging fun figuring out tactics, and seeing what worked. We loved that the combat was dangerous but based on logical cause and effect, and so tactics really made a difference and worked for reasons that made sense.

Then we mostly played campaigns using the full TFT system. We really got into the campaign style suggested in ITL and Tollenkar's Lair, where the world is mapped in detail with different regions, terrain details, river and road networks, and places to visit and explore. We appreciated that things mostly make some sort of sense, and one level of play interrelated with the next.

Creating and exploring mapped worlds became one of the most interesting parts of play. The GMs never showed their maps of the world to the players, but they could get maps during play, which would never be entirely complete or accurate. Some players were more interested in developing their map collections than treasure or magic.