How I'm playing TFT right now and my Findings

[CJM]

Issue; Survival- I wanted to give the PC's a little better chance to survive a combat but not to much as to make it like so many other games that make combat a time to take a nap, ZZzzzzzz. This is how I'm playing right now.

1) when a PC reaches 0 hit points in combat they fall unconscious and start to bleed out. They must make a 3d/ST test to stabilize or they be dead. Now if they get hit below 0, lets say...below by 3... then that roll is at a -3. They roll every round until they stabilize or "they be dead". This is not my rule, but one I have come across someplace over the years...I like it.
2) Physicker; does what it does, but also can stop the bleeding of an unconscious PC on a 3d/IQ roll, thus keeping a PC from bleeding out. If the roll is made the injured PC goes back to 0 hit points, but stay unconscious.
3) healing potions do not take effect until an hour after ingested, so no more drinking a healing potion in the middle of a fight and keep fighting, and no unconscious PC can drink one. Ever try and drink something while you sleep...not going to happen. Think acid reflex.....gag...gag...gag...
4)Healing balm; stops the bleeding...Stabilize.
5) healing spell is the only way to give a player instant healing during combat.
This works well, keeps the PC alive but not invincible...creates a lot of risk management decisions during combat for the party. I still have plenty of PC's kicking the bucket.
Issue; XP
I'm also using the XP rules that SJ introduced originally with the caps on learning talents/spells that Zot and others came up with. I love these rules, though I have to admit I haven't used them much yet...just started the champagne and am only three weeks into it. I had five PC's, this is how they spent their XP... two saved them and are waiting to increase their attributes at a later date. One increased their Staff mana capability as per the recent rules that we see on the forum. One got a talent, and one had such a low attribute score that he increased his low one. It really spread things out nicely and it was fun to see how they thought about spending their XP. Two of my players are teenagers and they are loving it. They like that it's easy to play but surviving is hard.
Misc:
One of the teenagers rolled up a Gargoyle, they love it, please don't get rid of gargoyles as PC's....keep them for the children...think of the children....Think of Me, cuz I will have to explain to my kid why you took them out;-) Anyway thanks for all your hard work...it's been fun seeing the success of the KS. TFT is a great product that's just going to get better.