08-05-2018, 01:03 PM | #31 |
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Arizona
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Re: Sell Me on The Fantasy Trip
Actually, that does a great job of encapsulating my feelings about just about ANY other RPG system -- they are ALL at about 600 pages of rules and exceptions to the rules, and footnotes to the exceptions to the rules, and it just makes them impossible to effectively use unless you want to completely memorize the rules.
TFT, on the other hand, has about 10 pages of rules for Melee, and maybe another five or ten for Wizard on top of that, and then about 20 more total pages of rules including crunchy stuff like "drowning" or "falling." Everything else (call it about 120 - 140 pages) is all things like bestiary info, info on Cidri, info on making magical items or potions, how to GM, how to map, info on criminal justice, etc., etc., etc. In other words, only a few paras of rules (since everything pretty much uses the rules you already have from Melee and Wizard), and a lot of advice, information, and suggestions you can use or ignore as you see fit. I find it a LOT easier to memorize 10 to 20 pages of rules than I do 600! And since the rules are so literally intuitive, they really ARE easy to master -- whether or not you actually "memorize" them -- they just make sense on every level. So after a couple of hours of playing, you're ready to get down to the nitty-gritty of RPGing -- story development and telling! |
08-05-2018, 04:40 PM | #32 |
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Southeastern PA
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Re: Sell Me on The Fantasy Trip
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08-05-2018, 09:23 PM | #33 | |
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Cidri
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Re: Sell Me on The Fantasy Trip
Quote:
-Tolenkar
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Yes, I know Tollenkar is misspelled. I did it on purpose. Apparently, I purposefully misspell words all the time... |
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08-06-2018, 03:56 PM | #34 | |
Join Date: May 2007
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Re: Sell Me on The Fantasy Trip
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08-06-2018, 03:56 PM | #35 |
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Orlando, FL. Please forgive me...
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Re: Sell Me on The Fantasy Trip
I like Melee/Wizard for their simple, clean and VERY well-balanced tactical rules. It's like OGRE in that regard.
TFT RPG is a gamemaster's dream. You can make up (and/or change) encounters for your players on-the-fly because it is so easy to balance enemies vs. your player's current abilities and condition. And, like others here have already said, it is one of the best games for playing solo. The two Death Test modules are fantastic. My earliest memory of playing this system was running myself through the first Death Test on a Summer's night. I didn't realize how hooked I was until my Dad came out to the living room. I said: "Sorry Dad. Did the dice wake you?" Dad said: "No son, I'm getting ready for work. Do you realize it's 6am?"
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"How do you know it's an OGRE Ninja if we can't see it... Oh, right..." John H. |
08-06-2018, 04:05 PM | #36 | |
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2018
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Re: Sell Me on The Fantasy Trip
Quote:
Nicely expressed! JK |
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08-06-2018, 06:58 PM | #37 |
Join Date: Feb 2018
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Re: Sell Me on The Fantasy Trip
When I was in college living in cooperative housing in an old house we would play Saturday nights, trying to temporarily escape the poverty and stress of being a poor student, until the room began to perceptibly brighten. It would then dawn on us it was 5am or later and we would shut it down and sleep until noon. I *really* miss those days, though I'm not certain I would want to go through the uncertainty and unseen future all over again.
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08-06-2018, 07:30 PM | #38 | |
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Alsea, OR
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Re: Sell Me on The Fantasy Trip
Quote:
It's also often true in Traveller, especially in MegaTraveller or TNE, but also many CT Refs used either Snapshot or AHL as their tactical rules... Really, it's not a unique aspect in function, only in those who started TFT with the board games. Likewise, I've seen situations where GM's "de-mapped" combat in TFT. (One was a PBP on a now defunct BBS.) I've done so myself for a couple campaigns... one where the players were all gargoyles... (Or, to quote the PC's and their players, "One gargoyle, and two garguys!") |
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08-06-2018, 09:02 PM | #39 | |
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Central Texas, north of Austin
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Re: Sell Me on The Fantasy Trip
Quote:
Can an accurate system where you inevitably forget some rules produce similar results to an abstract system where you can apply all the rules? In a sense, truly realistic RPGs have to find the sweet spot between depth and human fallibility. |
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08-06-2018, 09:18 PM | #40 |
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Central Texas, north of Austin
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Re: Sell Me on The Fantasy Trip
Steve Jackson certainly has a knack for keeping people up all night.
In high school, one night, I didn't get home until 6 AM because of Convoy, another awesome programmed adventure by Mr. Jackson but for Car Wars instead.* I'm sure there's a point in developing such an adventure where the designer wonders what the purpose of all the work is, but it paid off. Thanks for the memories. * Unfortunately, we spilled the algae and Memphis died . . . but some of our drivers did start nodding off prematurely. ;-) Last edited by Tom H.; 08-06-2018 at 10:09 PM. Reason: Inserted a link. |
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