Using Melee in a different rpg

Fred Skin · 09-14-2019, 06:58 PM

Melee says it can be used as the combat system for other rpgs. Has anyone here done that? How did you integrate it?

Chris Rice · 09-14-2019, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred Skin

Melee says it can be used as the combat system for other rpgs. Has anyone here done that? How did you integrate it?

I initially tried to use it as the combat syesyem for AD&D but soon realised I was better just abandoning D&D completely and use TFT entire.

I'm now toying with the idea of using it with a simpler skill system like the one in Barbarians of Lemuria or Risus, but I haven't gone far with that yet.

Skarg · 09-14-2019, 11:05 PM

Yes, several times. Several times I've done it by taking a setting and/or adventure from another game, and playing TFT, converting whatever's there into something that seems to me like an appropriate version for TFT, or sometimes keeping the mechanics from the other game if TFT doesn't have something for that.

When I ran Classic Traveller, I could not stand the lack of tactical combat and so I added maps, ranges, TFT rules and DX effects (add 3 to Traveller figure's DX and add weapon skill ranks too).

I've also done it for some skirmish wargame scenarios. Miniatures wargames in particular tend to have some pretty bland mechanics compared to TFT, but they have scenarios with some interesting contexts that can make fun short TFT meta-games.

With adventures made for other games that aren't very realistic, however, one tends to run into pretty large differences both in terms of what's a serious threat, and how players are expected to deal with things or not. TFT has a great tactical game that makes it fun to run battles with humanoids against each other for their own sake. Other games often don't have much of that - so they add interest with other situations that TFT parties (especially all-fighter parties) may have no way to deal with, such as monsters with special attack and defense powers that make fighting them with ordinary weapons suicidal. And so on. The expected power levels of players is often super-heroic, too.

But it can be a pretty interesting change of pace to try anyway. Or somewhat pointless, depending on the details and how the GM (and players) handle them.

Sigulf · 06-09-2023, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Rice

I'm now toying with the idea of using it with a simpler skill system like the one in Barbarians of Lemuria or Risus, but I haven't gone far with that yet.

Big fan of Barbarians of Lemuria, I have also thought about adding Melee's combat rules to this game.

Have you gotten anywhere with your attempt?

Bill_in_IN · 06-10-2023, 12:16 PM

I never used TFT as a combat system for another RPG.

When TFT went out of production in the mid-80's, I started converting D&D modules into TFT much like Chris Rice mentioned earlier.

When GURPS came out on the late 80's, their stuff was easier to convert.

ak_aramis · 06-14-2023, 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred Skin

Melee says it can be used as the combat system for other rpgs. Has anyone here done that? How did you integrate it?

I used original Advanced Melee for a D&D adventure once. D&D edition was BX.
Fighters got +1 AdjDx per 3 levels
Clerics and Thieves, +1 per 4 levels
Wizards, +1 per 5 levels.

Damage to HP, not to ST.
Used armor per Melee for PCs.
NPCs, (10-AC)/(2 or 3, can't recall which. we're talking 1986-ish.)

Worked OK...
Not well enough to do it again, tho', since I had ITL and DoU...

dmgrafton · 07-10-2023, 10:54 AM

I grew up on DnD v2 (i.e. Grewhawk) in the 70s-80s and also Melee and Wizard. I was a DM back then. Now being retired I want to play as characters...the changes of COVID and more importantly the fact that the younger generations have come up with some great tools and techniques to auto generate story threads, plots, and many other functions a DM performs has allowed some of us veterans to run solo-play campaigns. We started with The Fantasy Trip because it's a great combat system that is fairly simple compared to DnD5e, and it is more realistic. So we have developed a hybrid system that is about 70% The Fantasy Trip but with extensive add-ons from the Hexagram Zines and maybe 25% house rules that incorporate old-school DnD aspects like simple classes and class specific abilities and converted some GURPS & DnD monsters and spells, then about 25% from some of the other solo/self generated story-tools. The core is still The Fantasy Trip I would say because we usually spend 60% of our session time in combat...these other aspects mainly allow us to have a story rich campaign without a true DM and then a little more depth and color to combat with more abilities and options for combat and non combat scenarios.

09-14-2019, 06:58 PM	#1
Fred Skin Join Date: Jun 2005	Using Melee in a different rpg Melee says it can be used as the combat system for other rpgs. Has anyone here done that? How did you integrate it?

09-14-2019, 11:05 PM	#3
Skarg Join Date: May 2015	Re: Using Melee in a different rpg Yes, several times. Several times I've done it by taking a setting and/or adventure from another game, and playing TFT, converting whatever's there into something that seems to me like an appropriate version for TFT, or sometimes keeping the mechanics from the other game if TFT doesn't have something for that. When I ran Classic Traveller, I could not stand the lack of tactical combat and so I added maps, ranges, TFT rules and DX effects (add 3 to Traveller figure's DX and add weapon skill ranks too). I've also done it for some skirmish wargame scenarios. Miniatures wargames in particular tend to have some pretty bland mechanics compared to TFT, but they have scenarios with some interesting contexts that can make fun short TFT meta-games. With adventures made for other games that aren't very realistic, however, one tends to run into pretty large differences both in terms of what's a serious threat, and how players are expected to deal with things or not. TFT has a great tactical game that makes it fun to run battles with humanoids against each other for their own sake. Other games often don't have much of that - so they add interest with other situations that TFT parties (especially all-fighter parties) may have no way to deal with, such as monsters with special attack and defense powers that make fighting them with ordinary weapons suicidal. And so on. The expected power levels of players is often super-heroic, too. But it can be a pretty interesting change of pace to try anyway. Or somewhat pointless, depending on the details and how the GM (and players) handle them.

06-10-2023, 12:16 PM	#5
Bill_in_IN Join Date: Dec 2021 Location: Indiana	Re: Using Melee in a different rpg I never used TFT as a combat system for another RPG. When TFT went out of production in the mid-80's, I started converting D&D modules into TFT much like Chris Rice mentioned earlier. When GURPS came out on the late 80's, their stuff was easier to convert.

07-10-2023, 10:54 AM	#7
dmgrafton Join Date: Mar 2022	Re: Using Melee in a different rpg I grew up on DnD v2 (i.e. Grewhawk) in the 70s-80s and also Melee and Wizard. I was a DM back then. Now being retired I want to play as characters...the changes of COVID and more importantly the fact that the younger generations have come up with some great tools and techniques to auto generate story threads, plots, and many other functions a DM performs has allowed some of us veterans to run solo-play campaigns. We started with The Fantasy Trip because it's a great combat system that is fairly simple compared to DnD5e, and it is more realistic. So we have developed a hybrid system that is about 70% The Fantasy Trip but with extensive add-ons from the Hexagram Zines and maybe 25% house rules that incorporate old-school DnD aspects like simple classes and class specific abilities and converted some GURPS & DnD monsters and spells, then about 25% from some of the other solo/self generated story-tools. The core is still The Fantasy Trip I would say because we usually spend 60% of our session time in combat...these other aspects mainly allow us to have a story rich campaign without a true DM and then a little more depth and color to combat with more abilities and options for combat and non combat scenarios.