TFT Euro-Tabletop RPG? - Page 3

Kirk · 06-09-2018, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLV

By the way, I fully agree with Rick that I want to see a lot more BIG adventures in the future -- the mini-programmed ones are great, but we've got some, and Dark City Games has quite a few more that are very easy to retro-fit back into TFT from their rule set. What we DON'T have is a fistful of good long adventures like Tollenkar's Lair. And I'd love to see a couple of mini-sandboxes (like Rob Conley's Blackmarsh or The Keep on the Borderlands in concept) put together for TFT.

That was the intent from the beginning, with the handicap of not being able to have purchasers of the product be able to easily use TFT, being out of print and out of sight. So next best thing was to make them easily convertible to TFT, though still be possible to play with DCG combat/adventure rules.

malchidael · 03-29-2019, 08:29 PM

I'm conjuring the spirit of the Necropus on this thread because I've been thinking about what I can do with TFT now that I have my precious treasure in hand.

I don't have a group right now - I've recently joined a public D&D group as a player (I know.... I know.....); the last time I tried to get a TFT game going in Milwaukee, I was met by the sound of crickets.

I haven't tried recently; I'm waiting for TFT to be available on store shelves (or at least have it available for purchase somewhere other than Kickstarter) before I try again.

I do have a friend who likes board games and Car Wars and would probably be willing to swing by on occasion for something akin to a 'board game' night (esp. since, as I got 3 copies of the TFT:ITL rules, I'm going to gift him a copy, plus probably the Melee/Wizard pocket box to try to lure him in).

While the programmed adventures are fun, my issues is having to track the progress through the adventure between play sessions. It can be done, and I've done it, but it starts to feel more like bookkeeping than gaming.

Something like GloomHaven for TFT would be incredibly nifty in my opinion, and I may have to try to write it if it's not anywhere in the cards (although, knowing the full story would reduce the fun of discovery). Or at least convert the scenarios to TFT.

JLV · 03-29-2019, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malchidael

Something like GloomHaven for TFT would be incredibly nifty in my opinion, and I may have to try to write it if it's not anywhere in the cards (although, knowing the full story would reduce the fun of discovery). Or at least convert the scenarios to TFT.

Boy, you're preaching to the choir on that one! Everything I've read or seen about it makes me think it potentially solves a number of problems; particularly for those of with a dearth of local players. Unfortunately acquiring a copy of Gloomhaven for evaluation is still too pricey for my budget (especially with all these constantly recurring TFT Kickstarters eating into my game budget! ;-) ).

malchidael · 03-29-2019, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLV

Boy, you're preaching to the choir on that one! Everything I've read or seen about it makes me think it potentially solves a number of problems; particularly for those of with a dearth of local players. Unfortunately acquiring a copy of Gloomhaven for evaluation is still too pricey for my budget (especially with all these constantly recurring TFT Kickstarters eating into my game budget! ;-) ).

A PDF of the rules, which includes the first scenario, is available on the GloomHaven kickstarter page, so it's apparently quite legal to take a look.

BoardGameGeek has numerous files, including scenarios, a scenario tree, et cetera hosted there. I would be surprised if they host any content that isn't 100% legal, especially since the publisher of GloomHaven has a link to the GH page of BGG. But, I can't make any guarantees and haven't downloaded any of it.

And I completely understand about the kickstarters cutting into budgets. I've been saving for an upgraded 3D printer, but the fun fund keeps heading in the wrong direction. I'm not sad, tho :)

larsdangly · 03-30-2019, 09:32 AM

To the best of my knowledge, nothing approaching a megadungeon has been published for TFT (Tollenkar's lair is biggish but I would say doesn't qualify - it is nowhere near the scale of any of the dozens of really big D+D dungeons). I have a number of very big dungeons I've adapted to TFT from other sources, or assembled from a mix of hand drawn maps and maps lifted from Dyson Logos. But they aren't in the sort of organizational state that would lend itself to publication. And they aren't in the MH style of the 'official' TFT line.

It would be really interesting and fun to construct a totally new, cooked from scratch TFT megadungeon, created in MH format (and even matched to the illustrated tiles where appropriate). Perhaps I'll get started on it as my next project. I've got about 2 dozen files in my folder of 'supplement' style projects (basically, re-organizations and updates of spells and such from my longstanding TFT house rules). But a fresh, unique giant dungeon setting sounds like a funner way to spend my between-session time.

I've seen it argued that you can't really do a megadungeon in TFT because characters get chewed up too fast. That is understandable but I think not quite right. You can't enjoy a D+D style megadungeon that requires you to kill hundreds of orcs or something. But there is an enormous variety of things you can put in a dungeon to make it fun to explore beyond orc tribes and platoons of trolls.

malchidael · 03-30-2019, 10:18 AM

I've never been a fan of the whole "megadungeon" thing (there's nothing wrong with them - I'm just not a fan). The only thing I've done that's close was five "levels", with only one larger than one 8.5x11 sheet of paper. Well, I actually added three levels later, but the group took a gate in, quested through those three levels, and took the gate out.

As this was a campaign world I've run since the mid 80's, this dungeon became more tourist trap than quest destination by the end - the top two levels were actually set up to tour, with ticket-takers and the whole bit. "And here is where Zodus Mo'Terrible died while fighting sixteen goblins - you can see the marks in the wall where his magical battleaxe, Cleaver, struck. That axe was taken by the goblins, and may just be sitting in a chest somewhere in the dungeon! Next on our tour....."

Hmm.. Adventure idea. The group is a group of cosplayers, acting out famous battles in the tourist area of the megadungeon. One accidentally trips a hidden lever, and they are dropped down a slide into the deeper levels, with no way back........

Quote:

Originally Posted by larsdangly

To the best of my knowledge, nothing approaching a megadungeon has been published for TFT (Tollenkar's lair is biggish but I would say doesn't qualify - it is nowhere near the scale of any of the dozens of really big D+D dungeons). I have a number of very big dungeons I've adapted to TFT from other sources, or assembled from a mix of hand drawn maps and maps lifted from Dyson Logos. But they aren't in the sort of organizational state that would lend itself to publication. And they aren't in the MH style of the 'official' TFT line.

It would be really interesting and fun to construct a totally new, cooked from scratch TFT megadungeon, created in MH format (and even matched to the illustrated tiles where appropriate). Perhaps I'll get started on it as my next project. I've got about 2 dozen files in my folder of 'supplement' style projects (basically, re-organizations and updates of spells and such from my longstanding TFT house rules). But a fresh, unique giant dungeon setting sounds like a funner way to spend my between-session time.

malchidael · 03-30-2019, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larsdangly

I've seen it argued that you can't really do a megadungeon in TFT because characters get chewed up too fast. That is understandable but I think not quite right. You can't enjoy a D+D style megadungeon that requires you to kill hundreds of orcs or something. But there is an enormous variety of things you can put in a dungeon to make it fun to explore beyond orc tribes and platoons of trolls.

I agree that one is do-able - you just have to make sure that there are ample places for the group to rest so they can recover strength, and that they have the ability to retreat, recover, resupply and return.

larsdangly · 03-30-2019, 10:40 AM

A megadungeon can be a boring slog, or it can be an engaging underworld, or funhouse, or death trap, or crypt, or city, or all of the above. Like a lot of table top roleplaying, you get out what you and the rest of the group at your table puts in. I think the important thing for TFT megadungeons in particular is diversity of no-to-low risk experiences and encounters. Making ample use of natural hazards, traps, nuisance creatures, orienteering challenges, plants, swarms, puzzles, funhouse encounters, etc. is essential. Basically, you need to spend most of your time doing things that are fun but not fighting; otherwise you will end up bored or dead or both.

03-29-2019, 08:29 PM	#22
malchidael Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Near Milwaukee, WI	Re: TFT Euro-Tabletop RPG? I'm conjuring the spirit of the Necropus on this thread because I've been thinking about what I can do with TFT now that I have my precious treasure in hand. I don't have a group right now - I've recently joined a public D&D group as a player (I know.... I know.....); the last time I tried to get a TFT game going in Milwaukee, I was met by the sound of crickets. I haven't tried recently; I'm waiting for TFT to be available on store shelves (or at least have it available for purchase somewhere other than Kickstarter) before I try again. I do have a friend who likes board games and Car Wars and would probably be willing to swing by on occasion for something akin to a 'board game' night (esp. since, as I got 3 copies of the TFT:ITL rules, I'm going to gift him a copy, plus probably the Melee/Wizard pocket box to try to lure him in). While the programmed adventures are fun, my issues is having to track the progress through the adventure between play sessions. It can be done, and I've done it, but it starts to feel more like bookkeeping than gaming. Something like GloomHaven for TFT would be incredibly nifty in my opinion, and I may have to try to write it if it's not anywhere in the cards (although, knowing the full story would reduce the fun of discovery). Or at least convert the scenarios to TFT.

03-30-2019, 09:32 AM	#25
larsdangly Join Date: Dec 2017	Re: TFT Euro-Tabletop RPG? To the best of my knowledge, nothing approaching a megadungeon has been published for TFT (Tollenkar's lair is biggish but I would say doesn't qualify - it is nowhere near the scale of any of the dozens of really big D+D dungeons). I have a number of very big dungeons I've adapted to TFT from other sources, or assembled from a mix of hand drawn maps and maps lifted from Dyson Logos. But they aren't in the sort of organizational state that would lend itself to publication. And they aren't in the MH style of the 'official' TFT line. It would be really interesting and fun to construct a totally new, cooked from scratch TFT megadungeon, created in MH format (and even matched to the illustrated tiles where appropriate). Perhaps I'll get started on it as my next project. I've got about 2 dozen files in my folder of 'supplement' style projects (basically, re-organizations and updates of spells and such from my longstanding TFT house rules). But a fresh, unique giant dungeon setting sounds like a funner way to spend my between-session time. I've seen it argued that you can't really do a megadungeon in TFT because characters get chewed up too fast. That is understandable but I think not quite right. You can't enjoy a D+D style megadungeon that requires you to kill hundreds of orcs or something. But there is an enormous variety of things you can put in a dungeon to make it fun to explore beyond orc tribes and platoons of trolls.

03-30-2019, 10:40 AM	#28
larsdangly Join Date: Dec 2017	Re: TFT Euro-Tabletop RPG? A megadungeon can be a boring slog, or it can be an engaging underworld, or funhouse, or death trap, or crypt, or city, or all of the above. Like a lot of table top roleplaying, you get out what you and the rest of the group at your table puts in. I think the important thing for TFT megadungeons in particular is diversity of no-to-low risk experiences and encounters. Making ample use of natural hazards, traps, nuisance creatures, orienteering challenges, plants, swarms, puzzles, funhouse encounters, etc. is essential. Basically, you need to spend most of your time doing things that are fun but not fighting; otherwise you will end up bored or dead or both.