How To Be Helpful

[Steve Jackson]

I’m spending a lot of time on the forum right now, looking for feedback on TFT. Presumably, all of you wish to be helpful; at least, if anyone is simply trying to drive me mad, that’s not obvious. For which I thank you.

But my time for this is limited. So here’s how you can get me to read the comments that you are taking the trouble to write.

• Relevant comments are best. If the subject line is “missile spells,” anything that doesn’t seem to be about missile spells within the first couple of lines might get skipped. If the subject line isn’t clear, I may not be reading the thread at all!

• SHORT comments are best. A lot of you can type faster than I can. Some of you seem to be able to type faster than I can read. And there are a lot of you. Aieee.

• Nevertheless, I do like it when some reasoning is given. It just doesn’t have to go all the way back to Plato.

• If I ask “red, or yellow?,” the reply of “Howitzers!” will have to get very persuasive, very fast, or I’ll jump past it and return to tallying comments about red and yellow.

• With the planned changes in XP and character advancement, I’ve hit my limit on structural mods to the game, so suggestions like “Here’s a different way to do combat!” are, not out of order, but being written for the entertainment of your fellow readers and not for me. I’m now looking to buff details to make it a smoother and more-fun experience, and I actually hope not to write any more rules.

Thank you - sj

[Wayne]

Steve,

Thanks for that and all you are doing. I suspect I've been guilty of howitzer comments in the past.

What would be particularly useful is where you have posted a draft section for comment as you did on Experience Points.

This gives us a clear and specific topic for asking clarifications etc.

Now obviously you're unlikely to post the entire book piece-meal here but that approach may direct our efforts in a more helpful way for you.

Thanks,

Wayne

[Kirk]

I think everyone here wants TFT to be a great product, and all with different druthers.

I might have missed references or be out of the info loop, but if there is a set of rules changes drafts or even a pre-beta writeup of rules that can be accessed, perhaps even with specific TBD areas under consideration or delta areas marked and open for comment, that might be helpful to everyone on this forum.

[Terquem]

I'd like to be helpful. But, why is it taking so long for you to just take my money?

[Chris Rice]

Originally Posted by Steve Jackson

I’m spending a lot of time on the forum right now, looking for feedback on TFT. Presumably, all of you wish to be helpful; at least, if anyone is simply trying to drive me mad, that’s not obvious. For which I thank you.

But my time for this is limited. So here’s how you can get me to read the comments that you are taking the trouble to write.

• Relevant comments are best. If the subject line is “missile spells,” anything that doesn’t seem to be about missile spells within the first couple of lines might get skipped. If the subject line isn’t clear, I may not be reading the thread at all!

• SHORT comments are best. A lot of you can type faster than I can. Some of you seem to be able to type faster than I can read. And there are a lot of you. Aieee.

• Nevertheless, I do like it when some reasoning is given. It just doesn’t have to go all the way back to Plato.

• If I ask “red, or yellow?,” the reply of “Howitzers!” will have to get very persuasive, very fast, or I’ll jump past it and return to tallying comments about red and yellow.

• With the planned changes in XP and character advancement, I’ve hit my limit on structural mods to the game, so suggestions like “Here’s a different way to do combat!” are, not out of order, but being written for the entertainment of your fellow readers and not for me. I’m now looking to buff details to make it a smoother and more-fun experience, and I actually hope not to write any more rules.

Thank you - sj

Hi Steve, I'm glad you're looking at the feedback (and there's a lot of it!). So am I right in thinking that, for the moment anyway, you'd prefer us to confine ourselves to comments on areas of the existing rules where we think they could be clearer?

[Steve Jackson]

Yes. Maybe "confine" is too strong a word, but "emphasize."

I have read some things that cannot fit into the initial campaign but would make great splat (or whatever) books for later.

Thanks, all.

[Soyt Gose]

Thanks for the heads up, and thanks for TFT in the first place.

[Tolenkar]

I'm just thrilled (and I suspect that I'm not alone) to possibly have an influence on the redesign of the best role playing game ever created. Yes, I really feel that way. Thanks, SJ, for the focusing comments.

-Tolenkar

[Steve Jackson]

Time for the reminder that if it's a wall of text I may not read it at all.

I need input but I have to manage my time. Please try to be concise.

[Nils_Lindeberg]

I have a set of house rules that have been tested during play. Most people I have come in contact with that play TFT have some house rules for their campaigns as well. Sometimes it's the whole that works and not the atomic parts of it. How should we present these to you and possibly the forum members?

Mine are in a very concise 3 page open office document? Some of the individual rule changes and additions might be new to you, some are old stuff that many groups use slightly different versions of, and others might not really be needed at all because of new additions you have already planned for.

You want me to send it over to you, or should I try to "sell" every rule change separately on the forum? Personally, I am not that interested in selling them to people. Everyone like their own babies more, so to speak. I mostly want to make sure you have seen all the versions that are out there before you go to print. :-)