the longest playtest run ever
 

I think that whatever the final form of the new TFT is, it will be a success since I there is no RPG that can count on such a long playtest. It's from more than 30 years that players have to deal with this wonderful game, trying to improve it in every detail.
Most of them are still here and now, or have left their work on the net.

The base of the original game was almost perfect, the study we made over the decades is huge and is fully disclosed, so Steve has just to decide where/how make the small changes that are necessary to cancel the few known iussues.

I'm very optimistic :)

Re: the longest playtest run ever
 

I like that -- the longest playtest ever!

There ya go, Steve; your advertising can add, "Playtested by thousands over three decades,..."

Re: the longest playtest run ever
 

Hi ecz, everyone.
I'm sorry to say that I disagree with you. Many other games have decades of play testing wisdom. Runequest 7th edition is slick, it is a very creative, and flexible game - in a tight set of rules.

Further, I think Steve Jackson has pretty much said, that he intends to keep the game VERY close to how it was published originally. So tho there ARE decades of play testing, they will be largely wasted.

I hope I'm wrong. I would love to see the new TFT with some fairly major revisions, to update and improve it.

Warm regards, Rick.

Re: the longest playtest run ever
 

FOUR decades, just to be accurate... and counting ;-)

JK

Re: the longest playtest run ever
 

I think there's a distinction that should be made here. Sure, other games may have been in existence as long or even longer but they have all changed significantly in that time. TFT has not changed at all. All the "playtesting," along with the changes and variants made by us fans has been completely unofficial. The actual game stands as it was last published in the early 80s.

This really is quite a unique situation, and a tremendous opportunity, but is also fraught with danger. I think it would be unwise to try to jump forward 7 editions in one go, making wholesale changes. From Steve's comments I think changes will be kept to tidying up the existing rules and presenting them in a modern, attractive package. I think that's the wise thing to do.

Re: the longest playtest run ever
 

Tunnels and Trolls play mechanics have changed only slightly in that time. (The advancement mechanics took a major turn around 1997.) Old modules play nice with new characters and vice versa.

I ran into a guy today who is still playing Star Frontiers from the original rules (1981), and doing a mixed happy-dance/sad-mope about Star Frontiers Now and Forever having to shut-down; the current edition is just the originals reprinted POD in a single volume, which he got.

Call of Cthulhu 7 is still close enough to 1E that you can't tell the characters apart without the actual sheets.

Until the GURPS 4e revision, telling the difference between 1E, 2E, 3E, 3ER, 3E+C1+C2 was a matter of knowing the skills list differences. Until 3R, it was pretty much errata only.

Monsters Monsters is still the edition that Steve Jackson did in about 1980. For 7th ed T&T and later, most of the unique content of MM was migrated into the core, so no revision was/is needed. About 2 pages worth. (MM was playing the monsters, using the T&T engine.)

A number of other smaller games have had reprint editions, too, with nought but better layout and maybe new art. Greg Stafford's Prince Valiant, for example. Not quite as old as TFT, but the reprint was just a facelift.

Re: the longest playtest run ever
 

Good points Aramis, and I can't comment on the edition changes of these games as I haven't been through them, but the TFT situation really is pretty unique as the game has been completely untouched for 35 years.