The (Unintentional?) MMO End Game of TFT

[Tywyll]

So it occurred to me yesterday that, intentionally or not, the new XP rules for TFT create an MMO-Like End Game for TFT Characters.

For those who are unaware, most MMOs have some sort of level cap, where characters stop developing after a certain point. Then, the character can continue to develop by going on raids against huge boss monsters to get better gear. Advancement is solely in the form of gear after their level cap is reached.

TFT does this with the new xp system. Characters hit a developmental wall around 38-40 stat points. They have reached their ‘level cap’ (unless GMs start giving out huge xp bonuses). Their ability to progress is now solely dependent on items and wishes.

‘High level’ characters now need to ‘grind’ greater wishes. This is difficult and dangerous (kind of like a Raid). But it results in them being able to improve stats (that are under 16) so they can continue to develop.

While this is happening, they of course will want to get items that also boost their stats. Preferably combined into a single item. A ring with +5 to all three stats would be optimal, but they will undoubtedly go through lesser stat boosting items as they continue towards their Final Form!

This actually has another hidden impact. A character has the most advancement potential if they put all their points into a single stat. A 24, 8, 8 character could get an additional 16 character points through wishes, where as a 14, 14, 12 could only get 8 extra points. However, such a lopsided character probably could not survive (unless they had a 24 Dex and even then, it would be dicey) so players will have to accept some degree of ‘suboptimal-ness’ if they hope to survive and see the end game. Still, it means players who desire to achieve the strongest characters will need to build in specific fashions to get the most out of wishes in the end game.

For example an optimal wizard probably has a 20 IQ, 12 DX and 8 ST. He can get 12 more points from wishes, for a 20 IQ, 16 DX, 16 ST, then he dons his Ring of the Wizard King for +5 to all three stats for a 25 IQ, 21 DX, 21 ST. That is what a very powerful high-end wizard or world threatening sorcerer king could reasonably look like with the new rules system.

Meanwhile, his dark lieutenant, a warrior with a more reasonable 14, 14, 12 stat block would end up looking like 21, 21, 21 after wishes and a similar ring (though honestly the warrior probably wouldn’t bother with an IQ above 14, saving 2 wishes or making that part of the ring enchantment much cheaper/easier).

So the new xp system doesn’t really prevent stat ‘bloat’, at least not as long as magic items and greater wishes are out there and the characters can generate or create them themselves. It just takes the character’s ability to be self-reliant away and instead puts a reliance on items and external sources of power…much like an MMO.

I am definitely not a fan. The new system doesn’t actually accomplish the goal of ending stat bloat, it just pushes the means to achieve it in a different direction. I think a better means of coping with it would have been to create ‘high-level’ options where characters roll 4, 5, 6D to accomplish super cool things, then the stat bloat wouldn’t matter because there would always be more to achieve. Maybe, hopefully, one day we’ll see some optional rules for that sort of play.