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Old 07-29-2018, 04:06 PM   #1
guymc
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Default TFT Gamemasters Screen -- What needs to be in it?

I’m working on what needs to be in a TFT Gamemaster’s Screen, should we hit that stretch goal. (And you and your friends are going to be darn sure he HIT that goal, right?)

The structure of such a screen is planned to be a 2-side screen with three LANDSCAPE-oriented panels of about 8.5 X 11 inches or thereabouts. The outside facing the players will have artwork (color, I believe) for the center panel, flanked by 2 panels of info that the players will need most often during game play. The other side (toward the GM) will be three panels of GM-oriented info to avoid a lot of boom consultation in the heat of play.

The question is: “What should be on those panels?”

Below is my list so far and my proposed location for that material. Please give me some feedback on what info from this list is placed correctly and useful, what needs to be added that isn’t already there, what other material needs to be there but be moved or duplicated, and what can be dropped as unnecessary.

Also, if you don't mind, use the quote function of the forums judiciously here. Don't quote the whole thing here for a short comment or question. Instead, edit the post to show at the top only the piece of the screen on which you are commenting for clarity, or just head your post appropriately so I can keep track of what you are talking about.

PLAYER SIDE - 2 PANELS

FULL TURN SEQUENCE - When things happen and in what order during a combat turn.

LIST OF OPTIONS - What options can be chosen for a character during a player turn, when they are executed during the turn, and how they are resolved.

DX BONUSES AND PENALTIES - Adjustment to DX for position, conditions, target, handicaps, armor and shields, range for thrown/ranged weapons and spells

DODGING/DEFENDING - Die rolls and bad/good roll effects against targets who are dodging or defending.

CONTESTS - Basic rules and die rolls for contesting one player’s attributes against another’s, or against a crowd, or against a crowd, including both one-resolution contests and multi-round contests.

FACING AND ENGAGEMENT DIAGRAM - Shows effect of attacking from the side or behind a target, and how facing affects whether or not an opponent and a figure are considered engaged.


GAMEMASTER SIDE - 3 PANELS

TURN SEQUENCE - Same as on the Player side

SAVING ROLLS - A long list of saving rolls necessary in various situations, gleaned from throughout the rulebook and organized alphabetically.
For example:
Amulet – resist 3/IQ
Animal Handler 3/IQ to influence animal
Avert – avoid falling if you cannot move away 3/DX
Basilisk – avoid freeze 4/IQ
Berserk – snap out of it 3/IQ
Boating – avoid tipping 4/DX each 5 minutes
Broken ground – avoid falling if running 3/(DX-2)
…etc…

REACTIONS TO INJURY - Effects of figures as they take damage.

RECOVERY - How fast and by what methods figures recovery from both exhaustion/fatigue and actual injury.

EXPERIENCE POINTS - Guidelines for GM awards of XP, and player expenditure of XP for improving attributes, purchasing Talents and Spells, etc.

MAP SCALES - A list of cascading map scales for ITL/TFT, from the combat hex up through the megahex/labyrinth map hex, etc. (Each subsequent map scaled hex is three times as wide as the previous one.)

SUCCESS ROLLS - Guide to when and how to make success rolls fr combat and out of combat, including a chart of critical success/failures on rolls of 3 or more dice.

CONTESTS - Same as on the Player side.

TIME, SPEED AND DISTANCE - How long is a combat turn? How many turns does it take do specific things? How far can you move on a labyrinth map in one labyrinth turn? (Does this need to include overland movement on larger scale maps? How far can you walk, run, ride in an hour or a day?)


SAVED FOR PULLOUTS

These have been left off the screen because I believe they are most commonly used during preparation for play, not during play itself. Pullouts may be organized and provided as PDF files included with the PDF package, or — probably as a stretch goal — printed as a separate booklet for easy reference by players and gamemasters. Do you agree? Are there others that need to be pulled out this way?

(Please keep in mind we don’t want to put half the book in the pullouts because that’s as bad as having to look through the book for everything. Also keep in mind that all this material will be in the PDF of In The Labyrinth anyway and can be printed out from there as needed.)

COMPREHENSIVE WEAPON TABLE - Types, costs, damage done, weight, use restrictions

COMPREHENSIVE ARMOR TABLE - Types, costs, damage absorbed, weight, use restrictions

COMPREHENSIVE EQUIPMENT TABLE - Common equipment for labyrinth and/or overland adventures; type, cost, weight, use restrictions, appropriate saving or success rolls.
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Old 07-29-2018, 04:26 PM   #2
Chris Rice
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
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Default Re: TFT Gamemasters Screen -- What needs to be in it?

I think I'd like the armour and weapons on the GM screen. I'm not fussed about XP or map scales. Oh, and I'd like Spell costs too.
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Old 07-29-2018, 04:27 PM   #3
JLV
 
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Default Re: TFT Gamemasters Screen -- What needs to be in it?

These are excellent choices. I know we're all going to ask for our own special needs/desires to be added, but given your space limitations, this looks good. And yes, I think your Time/Speed/Distance table would be much more useful in the full RPG version if it addressed overland movement on larger area maps.

I will mention a couple of items that might be nice if you can find some room, or are otherwise helpful in speeding play.

In the original ITL, there were rules for mounted combat -- having a diagram of how mounted combat works (how, specifically, the horse moves, for example) might be useful. Similarly for aerial combat, (though the rules for that were prototypical more than polished, so unless more work is going to be done on them, perhaps this would only confuse people...)

A Movement Allowance table -- that talks to how MA is affected by terrain and encumbrance. (Perhaps this is part of the Time/Speed/Distance table already addressed by you.)

Page references on each table so the GM/Player can look up the relevant rules easily, if necessary.

When using glossary terms in the tables, bold them so people know they are in the glossary and can look them up, if necessary.

Something that talks about Light and vision in the underground world. A table, for example, that lists how many hexes a torch, lantern, flashlight (just kidding!), or LIGHT Spell illuminates, as well as maybe saying how far away such a light source can be seen. It could also provide info in tabular format on how effective other forms of vision are (infrared, mage sight, etc.) in terms of the distance that can be seen. You could also talk to lighting conditions (dusk, dawn, moonlight, etc.)

As another pull-out (for GM use only, normally) a simple stat listing of the kinds of monsters/creatures/plants, animals, etc., included in the basic book, along with a page reference where the full write-up can be found. This would be enormously helpful to the GM, I think.

That's about all I can think of, off the top of my head. Might come up with one or two additional things later...

Oh, and I'll second Chris's suggestion on the Spell costs -- though you might have to make that another pull-out!!! ;-)
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Old 07-29-2018, 04:33 PM   #4
tomc
 
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Default Re: TFT Gamemasters Screen -- What needs to be in it?

HTH Damage by ST, listing bonuses for dagger, club, etc.
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Old 07-29-2018, 04:33 PM   #5
Chris Rice
 
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Location: London Uk, but originally from Scotland
Default Re: TFT Gamemasters Screen -- What needs to be in it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by tomc View Post
HTH Damage by ST, listing bonuses for dagger, club, etc.
+1 to that
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Old 07-29-2018, 04:36 PM   #6
tomc
 
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Default Re: TFT Gamemasters Screen -- What needs to be in it?

Effects of things in your environment: fire damage, damage from falls, saves vs. drowning, etc.
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Last edited by tomc; 07-29-2018 at 04:36 PM. Reason: clarity
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Old 07-29-2018, 04:43 PM   #7
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Default Re: TFT Gamemasters Screen -- What needs to be in it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by guymc View Post
LIST OF OPTIONS - What options can be chosen for a character during a player turn, when they are executed during the turn, and how they are resolved.
This could include a sub-section on HTH Combat. How to initiate it, avoid it, options while in it, and so forth. I can't speak for everyone, but I seldom use HTH and I wonder if I'm shortchanging some characters because I'm too lazy to look up the rules.
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Old 07-29-2018, 05:33 PM   #8
Skarg
 
Join Date: May 2015
Default Re: TFT Gamemasters Screen -- What needs to be in it?

Your list is a good start.

I probably would not try to list saving rolls for magic items, potions, or creature attacks, as there are too many of them and they don't each come up very often, e.g. you listed:
Quote:
Originally Posted by guymc View Post
Amulet – resist 3/IQ
Basilisk – avoid freeze 4/IQ

Also I wonder what that's useful you would put here:
Quote:
Originally Posted by guymc View Post
EXPERIENCE POINTS - Guidelines for GM awards of XP...
since IIRC the current idea is to just suggest a range per session and leave it up to the GM. The costs to spend XP to increase things would be good to have (maybe a pullout rather than on a screen).


I would add:

* Notes on all HTH rules (initiation, HTH damage, pinning, disengagement), hopefully revised from the old system.

* Time required to learn spells (AW pg.10) & talents.

* Labyrtinth-scale times & movement rates and distance noise travels and illumination.

* Encumbrance rules (not just weight but what can be carried where, hopefully adding not 12+ boomerangs/bolas/lassos).

* Travel rules - the notes on Woodsman effects on speed, calculating getting lost, exposure/starvation/dehydration, travel distances.

* Mounted & flying combat rule notes.

* Aimed Shots, Crippling Hits, bare-hand/club/HTH damage table...

* Engagement & Trampling for multi-hex & high-ST figures.

* Gestures & Incantations required for spellcasting (AW pg.8-9)
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Old 07-29-2018, 05:56 PM   #9
Anomylous
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Default Re: TFT Gamemasters Screen -- What needs to be in it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by tomc View Post
HTH Damage by ST, listing bonuses for dagger, club, etc.
Yes, please!

Also, a table of modifiers for NPC reaction rolls (for characters with Bard or Priest talents, Charisma, racial reaction modifiers, various situational modifiers, etc.)
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Old 07-29-2018, 05:58 PM   #10
JLV
 
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Default Re: TFT Gamemasters Screen -- What needs to be in it?

Brilliant! NPC reactions are a must!
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