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Old 09-08-2018, 12:14 AM   #1
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Default What is TFT?

Hello,

I was reading an announcement about “GURPS after the end II”, and then I found a small note about TFT. Since I prefer this forum (and I did not find my answer in the thread “new to TFT”)... Can you tell me about TFT?

It seems TFT is a variant of GURPS to make better fantasy games. So...

Is this another system or is this GURPS?
Do I need TFT books or do I use GURPS books?

Thanks for your time,
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Old 09-08-2018, 01:25 AM   #2
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Default Re: What is TFT?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hide View Post
Hello,

I was reading an announcement about “GURPS after the end II”, and then I found a small note about TFT. Since I prefer this forum (and I did not find my answer in the thread “new to TFT”)... Can you tell me about TFT?

It seems TFT is a variant of GURPS to make better fantasy games. So...

Is this another system or is this GURPS?
Do I need TFT books or do I use GURPS books?

Thanks for your time,
-Hide
Hello Hide,

TFT is not GURPS but both were written by Steve Jackson.
TFT was written in the late 70s when he worked for another company, GURPS came later when he founded his own company. You can see similarities but TFT is a much simpler game. Its easy to play and you can create a character in just a few minutes.
Of course GURPS has far more diversity and options but I would be happy to play either and TFT will be better for quick pick up games.
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My GURPS fan contribution and blog:
REFPLace GURPS Landing Page
My List of GURPS You Tube videos (plus a few other useful items)
My GURPS Wiki entries
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Old 09-08-2018, 02:01 AM   #3
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Default Re: What is TFT?

TFT is, like GURPS, few attributes, point build.

Unlike GURPS, it's attributes are only 3: ST, DX, IQ.
Figured attributes: only one: Adjusted DX
Pseudo-attributes: Move. (Unlike GURPS, it's not figured.) Adjusted Move (for armor worn)

Talents are parallel to skills and advantages. No Disads, tho. And no skill levels.

Combat is highly tactical, but simpler than GURPS, especially with all of GURPS potential for bells and whistles to turn on.

The points are only attribute points in 1st ed; to get more talents, raise IQ. Legacy Ed may be different.

Magic is different in it's underpinning. Still, it will be familiar; GURPS is built from the same first principles.

TFT also isn't generic - it does one genre, and does it well: Fantasy. It's best at Conanesque or gritty-arthurian styles of fantasy, at that.

It can support more - after all, I've got a copy of the Superheroes in TFT somewhere. But it's firmly grounded in the heroic Sword & Sorcery zone.

Most importantly, i find it fun both solo and as a group game.

Last edited by ak_aramis; 09-08-2018 at 02:06 AM.
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Old 09-08-2018, 02:03 AM   #4
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Default Re: What is TFT?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fa...ip?wprov=sfti1
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Old 09-08-2018, 10:11 AM   #5
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Default Re: What is TFT?

My view is: You might think of GURPS as
  • Role-playing using miniatures when you absolutely need to.

You might think of The Fantasy Trip as
  • Miniature board wargaming, heavy on the Role-playing.

TFT started out as a man-to-man combat game (Melee) using a hex map. The figures were small cardboard square (called chits) with line-art pictures of the character. Melee had just Strength (which was also hit points) and Dexterity. You Built your characters (not rolled them up like D&D) from points, just like you do in Gurps. However, Melee had no IQ, so no Talents. Even with Wizards added (the magic expansion of Melee), it had no Role-Playing mechanics worked out. You had to imagine the role-playing.

With In The Labyrinth (ITL), Steve developed a full role-playing game expanded from its man-to-man combat game. Though you could role-play 'off the table', the main emphasis of the game is what's happening on the hex map. That is why I comment that it is a Miniatures (having a character represented by a piece that could be a metal/plastic sculpt, but could also be a paper chit) board (on a hex-matted table area) wargaming (emphasis on fighting). Its also heavily renaissance or before, sword and sorcery oriented. The game mechanics are relatively easy, not complex, and pretty logical and easy to GameMaster with novices.

Note however, it is the Game Master that makes the determination of how much hex-map combat there is going to be versus role-playing. You can have a TFT game without putting pieces down on the table. Also, you can have an Indiana Jones jungle adventure too.

You could run a GURPS Man-To-Man game (that is how Steve introduced GURPS) on Hex map. But the combat is very detailed. You would be doing it more for the novelty. Use TFT for that. What I think GURPS excels at is the variety of genres that it can be applied to: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Espionage, Romance, War, Anime, whatever (there is probably a sourcebook for it.) Most of these could be used without putting a piece down on the table, the mechanics of GURPS guiding you through the fight. Putting down on hex map only when you need tactical exactness. I've played plenty of GURPS games where there is no tabletop placements; all talk. The GURPS game mechanics are neither easy nor hard, somewhat complex and still pretty logical. I find it much harder to GameMaster with novices.
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Old 09-09-2018, 03:09 PM   #6
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Default Re: What is TFT?

Hello dudes,

Thank you for your comments; now I have a good idea of TFT!

I really appreciate it,
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Old 09-09-2018, 06:03 PM   #7
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Default Re: What is TFT?

Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnPaulB View Post
... You could run a GURPS Man-To-Man game (that is how Steve introduced GURPS) on Hex map. But the combat is very detailed. You would be doing it more for the novelty. Use TFT for that. What I think GURPS excels at is the variety of genres that it can be applied to: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Espionage, Romance, War, Anime, whatever (there is probably a sourcebook for it.) Most of these could be used without putting a piece down on the table, the mechanics of GURPS guiding you through the fight. Putting down on hex map only when you need tactical exactness. I've played plenty of GURPS games where there is no tabletop placements; all talk. The GURPS game mechanics are neither easy nor hard, somewhat complex and still pretty logical. I find it much harder to GameMaster with novices.
Hmm. We played TFT until we wanted and needed more detailed and unpredictable combat, because we had played so many TFT combats that they were becoming rather unsatisfying to us.

Then GURPS appeared, and it solved pretty much all the problems we had been trying to house-rule, and we continued playing combat-heavy GURPS games, and have pretty much always used mapped combat. Mapped tactical combat continues to be one of the main joys of playing. As GURPS is often even more deadly and uncertain than TFT, we want and need the exactness provided by a map, except perhaps in some trivial or non-serious situations.

And most of our GURPS games continue to be fantasy/medieval.

As for running games for newbies, I actually find it about as easy to run GURPS for them than TFT. It's much easier to _teach_ the rules of TFT to newbies quickly, because there are much fewer rules. However in GURPS it's easier for me to translate to/from natural language for new players, so they don't need to learn the rules. In GURPS, I can handle "I want to bonk him on the head" or running away from combat naturally, where in TFT I need to explain that there's little hope of hitting someone on the head in TFT unless you're very-high-DX or come up behind someone, or that you're "Engaged" so you aren't allowed to run away from combat, etc.
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