Which books should I buy for the Fantasy Trip RPG?

[Calliban]

I'm a total newbie but after reading some cool reviews I decided I want to try this game.

Problem is, it isn't very clear which books should I get.

I live in Brazil, and at Amazon, only "In the Labyrinth" and "Fantasy Trip Companion" can be shipped to my country. But in the description of "In the Labyrinth" it mentions I also need Melee and Wizard. At Amazon, I also found copies of Advanced Wizard and Advanced Melee, but they seem to be out of print.

What are the books I actually need to play the RPG?

[Shostak]

Welcome to the TFT community! In the Labyrinth has all the rules you will need; I don't think you need Wizard and Melee at all, except that they come with counters and hex boards. If you already have minis or tokens/counters, a hex mat, and some dice, you will be all set.

[Calliban]

Originally Posted by Shostak

Welcome to the TFT community! In the Labyrinth has all the rules you will need; I don't think you need Wizard and Melee at all, except that they come with counters and hex boards. If you already have minis or tokens/counters, a hex mat, and some dice, you will be all set.

Awesome! Thanks!

Would you also recommend the Companion?

[JohnPaulB]

Originally Posted by Calliban

Awesome! Thanks!

Would you also recommend the Companion?

Not needed until you become familiar with how to play TFT. There is plenty in ITL to keep you going for a while.

I suggest you play lots of various characters and one-on-one arena battles to get used to the 3 stats and how they intertwine, how damage and armor works, and to get an idea of tactics. Then go on to two-on-two arena battles. Try different races. Throw in a wizard and see how that works.

If you want some mini-modules, try a free item:
http://www.warehouse23.com/products/...stcard-contest

With that you may want some non-combat talents like detect traps or alertness.

And teach a friend. This plays great with an opponent/ally.

[DarkPumpkin]

The Companion is not really another optional volume of rules which adds a lot to play. It's mostly a reprint of age-old articles for the original edition, which were never core/canon anyway. Nice to have, but adds little for the new player and may be confusing.

I would get the new Melee and Wizard boxes (and possibly Death Test), then In the Labyrinth, and you're pretty much all set. The Melee/Wizard Pocket Box is great too, and may be cheaper than getting the two separate boxes. But be aware of its smaller hexes and counters which are not supported by any other in-print products.

Since you're in Brazil and shipping for the mini-box games may be an issue, just ITL will be fine, but be ready to print up some home-made counters and maps. I really do recommend the experience of playing through Melee and Wizard first, if possible, but ITL is not hard to learn straight up.

[larsdangly]

I would say the companion is interesting, particularly for people with a lot of history with the system, but doesn't bring a lot of core rules options, etc. to the table so you should hold off on it until you've got a critical mass of basic play materials. The Legacy Edition of In The Labyrinth is cheap and contains 100% of the rules, spells, monsters, items, gear, etc. you need to play. But you will want to have some materials for table top combats because its a lot of what is special and fun about the system. Theater of the mind is great, but not what TFT is designed for. If you can't afford the megahex sets and official markers, you will want to have a decent hex mat (like a Chessex mat) and some miniatures or markers. The boxed sets of Melee and Wizard are also an affordable way to get started, though you will quickly wish you had a more flexible battle mat option.

[Axly Suregrip]

By the way, the Melee pdf file is free:

http://www.warehouse23.com/products/...trip-melee-pdf

Just so you know what each item is:

- ITL ("In the Labyrinth"): The new one is everything you need to play. It is the old ITL + old Advanced Melee + old Advanced Wizard put together and with some improvements. ITL contain the combat rules, the magic rules and the RPG rules. I don't believe this comes maps or counters.

- Melee: This is the original combat rules. ITL has some advanced fighting rules and talents that this does not contain. If you have ITL you do not need this. Some like this for the simple quick arena fight. It comes with the Melee sized arena map and counters.

- Wizard: This is the original magic rules and original set of spells. ITL adds to the magic spells and adds to the magic system (magic items, potions, etc). Wizard is good for arena combats and works very well combined with Melee. Just like Melee, you do not need this if you have ITL. It comes with a Wizard sized arena map and counters. This is a larger map.

- "Advanced Melee" and "Advanced Wizard" are old rule books that are now fully included in the new ITL book. If you are buying the new ITL, do not get these.

Welcome aboard!

[Steve Plambeck]

Welcome Calliban! I second Axyl's suggestion -- get the free Melee pdf.

I suggest reading it through once (it's only 24 pages) before looking at ITL, because it makes a great primer for the game mechanics. That way all the details you'll encounter in ITL will seem simpler because you'll already have a context for them.

Melee is the foundation -- everything else was built on top of it. And of course it's a really great stand-alone game too :)

[ParadoxGames]

Hey, there!

Like Axly Suregrip said, the new edition of In The Labryinth includes Advanced Melee and Advanced Wizard, so it's actually 3 books in 1. You can play it without Melee or Wizard, but it's best to have all three. Melee and Wizard are merely $15 each on Warehouse 23. Or, you can download Melee in PDF for FREE for now and print & Play it. Also, Wizard in PDF is HALF PRICE for now, so you can get both of those for only $7.50. With these 3 modules, you're set for a long long time.

In Summary:
Get Melee, Wizard, and In the Labyrinth

OR

Get the Melee & Wizard PDFs, print them out, and get In The Labyrinth.