February 26, 2020: Chasmflow: TFT From The Dawn Of Time

RoboAdmin · 02-25-2020, 11:00 PM

February 26, 2020: Chasmflow: TFT From The Dawn Of Time

Read this article on the Illuminator.

larsdangly · 02-26-2020, 08:44 AM

Spectacular! Thanks for that.

Edit: I went back and re-read this so I could really pore over the images of that group's old campaign notes - very nostalgic for an old grognard who also played nearly daily back in the late 70's!

I don't share the author's sense of frustration that people misunderstand how that early community gamed, both because no one ever really understands something that happened to other people decades ago, and because I clearly remember how varied our own experiences were. Did the groups I gamed with have wildly creative campaigns that were obviously more involved, complex and interactive than anything I could purchase today? Definitely. Did we also have 10-hour monster sessions of ludicrous monty-haul moster-murder-fests? For sure.

The important thing that I remember is that the whole actively felt very open and free, specifically because we had a few, mostly ratty, core rule books and a couple of fun dungeons, but not a lot in the way of densely over-written campaign material, and certainly nothing that implied the ways a campaign were supposed to unfold, in terms of character aspirations, life events, etc. So the mechanical part of the gaming (murdering stuff) took place in a context that was much, much looser than what is represented in the range of commercial products you see today. Our responses to that freedom were varied, but included a process of communal world-building and campaign-living that is hard to reproduce unless you've spent a year or so just working through it together using nothing more than blank pieces of paper, time, and bags of cheetos.

I would say the last year has been the best gaming experience I've had as fully 'aged' adult, and it is because I used the re-launch of TFT to strip my gaming back to essentials, and to really build a setting and campaign from scratch. I seeded my current TFT campaign with some of the oldest home-cooked materials from campaigns I played many years ago, but the main point has been to really make something new rather than just masticating something that has already been completed (even if it was by former-me).

Secretsofblackmoor · 02-26-2020, 12:50 PM

Wow, thanks for the repost.

I bought Ogre when it first came out in the black and red cover. I then proceeded to get as many other micro games as I could. I've probably logged hundreds of hours playing Melee and Wizard even before ITL was published.

I am truly excited to see TFT:ITL being played by both old and new gamers with the re-release of all the newly packaged games.

Some of the best gaming I've ever experienced was done with TFT: ITL - Such a great system!

I've even posted free things (I made a labyrinth map) to a FB group to help promote the game.

I really want more gamers to know about this elegant game system.

Thanks again for posting my blog post to other TFT'ers.

Griff

Blatant self promo follows - The trailer to our film can be seen here:
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/sobfinal

02-25-2020, 11:00 PM	#1
RoboAdmin Spam Assassin Join Date: May 2009 Location: Here	February 26, 2020: Chasmflow: TFT From The Dawn Of Time February 26, 2020: Chasmflow: TFT From The Dawn Of Time Read this article on the Illuminator.

02-26-2020, 08:44 AM	#2
larsdangly Join Date: Dec 2017	Re: February 26, 2020: Chasmflow: TFT From The Dawn Of Time Spectacular! Thanks for that. Edit: I went back and re-read this so I could really pore over the images of that group's old campaign notes - very nostalgic for an old grognard who also played nearly daily back in the late 70's! I don't share the author's sense of frustration that people misunderstand how that early community gamed, both because no one ever really understands something that happened to other people decades ago, and because I clearly remember how varied our own experiences were. Did the groups I gamed with have wildly creative campaigns that were obviously more involved, complex and interactive than anything I could purchase today? Definitely. Did we also have 10-hour monster sessions of ludicrous monty-haul moster-murder-fests? For sure. The important thing that I remember is that the whole actively felt very open and free, specifically because we had a few, mostly ratty, core rule books and a couple of fun dungeons, but not a lot in the way of densely over-written campaign material, and certainly nothing that implied the ways a campaign were supposed to unfold, in terms of character aspirations, life events, etc. So the mechanical part of the gaming (murdering stuff) took place in a context that was much, much looser than what is represented in the range of commercial products you see today. Our responses to that freedom were varied, but included a process of communal world-building and campaign-living that is hard to reproduce unless you've spent a year or so just working through it together using nothing more than blank pieces of paper, time, and bags of cheetos. I would say the last year has been the best gaming experience I've had as fully 'aged' adult, and it is because I used the re-launch of TFT to strip my gaming back to essentials, and to really build a setting and campaign from scratch. I seeded my current TFT campaign with some of the oldest home-cooked materials from campaigns I played many years ago, but the main point has been to really make something new rather than just masticating something that has already been completed (even if it was by former-me). Last edited by larsdangly; 02-26-2020 at 10:05 AM.

02-26-2020, 12:50 PM	#3
Secretsofblackmoor Join Date: Feb 2020	Re: February 26, 2020: Chasmflow: TFT From The Dawn Of Time Wow, thanks for the repost. I bought Ogre when it first came out in the black and red cover. I then proceeded to get as many other micro games as I could. I've probably logged hundreds of hours playing Melee and Wizard even before ITL was published. I am truly excited to see TFT:ITL being played by both old and new gamers with the re-release of all the newly packaged games. Some of the best gaming I've ever experienced was done with TFT: ITL - Such a great system! I've even posted free things (I made a labyrinth map) to a FB group to help promote the game. I really want more gamers to know about this elegant game system. Thanks again for posting my blog post to other TFT'ers. Griff Blatant self promo follows - The trailer to our film can be seen here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/sobfinal