I was hooked on Metagaming games back in the late 70s. I still use Melee and Wizard for my mechanics. I like the TFT idea of not using classes, but having skills. It always felt so much more realistic.
@@CastleArchon At the time, there were really very few RPGs in existence, and only a couple of them were fantasy based. I feel like DnD's system was borne out of the wargaming background - thinking of the players as specific soldier types, like most of the wargame rules - infantry, machine gunners, etc.
@RichardChappell1 : Just wondering how you adapted your Clerics for TFT? Did you create a talent package and add Clerical spells or abilities? HOW gives them like a Detect Evil skill and a Turn Undead mechanic…thanks!
@@Coramonde97 I call the cleric's equivalent of a spell or skill a "blessing." The clerk can call for blessings he has learned at any time, but his success will depend on his faith and "divine favor." Clerics gain their abilities by demonstrating their devotion to their deity. This is represented by faith points, which are accumulated through acts of devotion, adherence to their deity's precepts, and ritualistic practices. I haven't got a full list of possible blessings created, but have used D&D and others as ideas. I tend to put a higher cost on them that the D&D skill level so they aren't too over powered. I do use the 6 D&D stats, and use Wisdom as the basic Cleric stat. In the same ways as other skills, the wisdom score represents the cleric's capacity to learn certain blessings (which can only be learned at their religion's version of a church/monastery/temple with a mentor, who must know the blessing(s) being learned - a week spent per point of ability - learning the rituals and searching his deity for wisdom on application. Each cleric has to start with defining his faith, along with the various regular rituals that define their faith. Maybe it's stopping and facing a direction for prayers several times a day, or maybe it's an attempt to proselyte someone (only a mechanic, no actual missionary work at the table, although some role play here is ok and fun depending on the user). I use the Mystara setting, so it comes with a bunch of defined faiths, but users can define their own that makes sense in the world, and we agree on how their religion demonstrates/practices faith before play starts. I use D&D alignment, so the faith has to be defined along an alignment with the blessings appropriate for the alignment (LE can't bless, but can curse for example). Faith points are like hit points, and are expended with the calling for a blessing. A cleric blesses water, which is 1 FP, loses a faith point, and on and on, until he is out of faith points and will no longer be able to call for blessings, until he can replenish them. For actual application, the cleric starts (generally daily) with a number of faith points equal to his wisdom and 2 points per priestly rank (there are 5 from acolyte to pope equivalent). The priest expends the point value of the blessing until they get renewed (through their religious ritual). Success is rolling 3d6 under the wisdom stat, with the allowance of the DM to add up to 3 points of "Divine Favor" based on how he decides the cleric is practicing his faith. The number can increase by 1 with each priestly rank. Yes, it's a bit arbitrary, but it represents the kind of fits with the "mysteries of God." Initially a cleric can start with the number of blessings learned with a faith point value totaling up to his wisdom number. A wisdom of 12 will allow blessings totaling 12 faith points initially - and any individual blessing can't be a higher point value than his wisdom score (regardless of his faith points). I don't have any limits to the number of abilities a cleric can learn. A cleric could learn a hundred blessings. How many he can actually use depends on his current level of faith (faith points). The faith point cost increases with the impact of the blessing. A Bless, Detect, Purify and other minimal impact blessings are 1 or 2 faith points, while a Raise Dead is going to be about 8 or 9 faith points. I have a special set for Healing Touch - it has a 2 faith point threshold to heal 2 HP, with an additional point cost per additional HP of healing. So healing 6 HP will cost 6 faith points. So the cleric can apply some strategy to the application. Faith points can be gained/restored with a night's sleep, or through acts of faith - ie the practice of the predefined rituals. The effort of the ritual determines the amount of faith gained - Daily Prayer (Spend at least 1 hour in prayer and meditation to regain 1d4 FP), Weekly Sermon (Conduct a sermon to a group of at least 5 followers to regain 1d6 FP), Monthly Holy Ritual (Perform a significant ritual in a holy place, regaining 1d8 FP), etc - based on predefined rituals per religion. It sounds pretty technical, but hasn't been any harder to manage mechanically, and it makes the cleric feel like a person of faith rather than just another spell caster.
One other system rule I have pulled into my TFT game is armor absorbing different amounts against the three types of damage (S, C, I). For example, chain is good against slashing, but not against crushing and plate is good agist all three - I got that from HarnMaster.
I played GURPS with my brother and nephews before TFT was re-released (when we were young my brothers and I played TFT instead of D&D because, well, the rules actually worked). As soon as TFT was re-released I dropped GURPS - I personally prefer the simplicity of TFT as it allows much faster game play, especially in combat.
@@CastleArchon It's an interesting question. SJ Games' Space Gamer articles were already adding super powers and advantage and disadvantage-like abilities (inspired by Champions). The primary difference I really found (hence my variant) was the Runequest-inspired active defense rule. In TFT you may be a DX 15 fencer, but you simply can't parry effectively and still fight, so you could never really simulate any sort of heroic fantasy fiction where people who are faster can parry and still attack, like the fights in the amber novels or in conan stories or in any sort of swashbuckling movie from Robin Hood to the Princess Blade to Three Musketeers to lightsaber duels in Star Wars. TFT (original) works well for a samurai movie where the first strike is the decisive one, or where it's armored knights hacking at each other but relying on shields for defense, but otherwise while it PLAYS very well, it doesn't emulate the fiction for me. So given that the parry rule is - for me - the big mechanical difference between TFT combat and GURPS combat (I think the the cut/impale/crush thing is a minor modification relative to that). But I think having a defense system of some sort is the change that SJ would have made. Maybe not a parry system -- it might have just been something like a stronger penalty to hit for characters with Fencing or something like the Expert and Master swordsman talents giving a DX penalty to enemy attacks - but I think there would have been added.
Dark City Games effectively added Active Defense to TFT. You can download the rules for free at their site and they work nicely, at least for me playing solo. One of the Defenses is Counterstrike so if you live through the attack you get one attack roll. Thing is if you decide to use this option you lose your next turn, as per their adaptation.
@@Coramonde97 I've seen their system. It produces a very interesting dynamic of "being pushed back" that mimics cinematic fencing when DX 12+ is involved. However, it can be pretty frustrating in a one-on-one between two high DX fighters as someone will be forced on the defensive for MANY terms until the other one gives them an opening by missing, then it will swing back. But when you get DX 14+ this can be a bit too extreme. It is NOT a big problem in solo games but while I like it from an atmospheric level, it can be super frustrating to do this system in GMed games, as one person can be on the defensive constantly. (Also, it does mean that outnumbering an enemy is really, really potent -- if one person is fighting two fighters who are high DX, they'll just keep you on the defensive and finish you quickly. ) To mitigate this frustration I tried using the Active Defense system with a Runequest-style rule where attacks and defenses are divided into single or double successes. A double success occurs whenever you hit or defend and roll doubles or triples (rather than the usual 3-4); it beats a normal defense but is blocked by a double defense. It does double damage if the target fails to defend, and if the defender gets a double defense against a normal attack and you're using "Dark City" rules, the defender DOESN'T lose their action. This, I found, made things a bit more dynamic. (A mitigated version of this system is that a double success only occurs on doubles if you're an Expert; otherwise you need triples.) I've also tried this system without forfeiting your defense at all (i.e., active defense is GURPS style but is vs. full DX instead of half dX+3) with the double success/failure option. Instead, I allow a double defense vs. a normal attack to hit the attacker for half damage, disarm, or trip (depending on the situation and weapons or lack involved). The results have been some really dynamic fights, but they've also occasionally led to some overly extended combats.
Fun video! The main GURPS-TFT variant I use is that I let TFT characters make defense rolls at (DX/2) + 3, or (DX/2) + 4 if they retreat into a rear hex.
@@CastleArchon It mostly depends on how you design the opposition. I've not used it with games where people are routinely DX 16+. In games where I usually restrain myself and have most foes at DX 10-12 it adds maybe 50% to combat lengths; it tends to be mitigated because the system strongly encourages higher DX PCs to *not* wear more armor (unlike GURPS) and this reduces the length of combat, though beware gaming the system when it is combined with stuff like no energy cost Stone Flesh rings. I mostly like it for games where I want to keep DX 14+ PCs alive longer without over-reliance on magic etc.. Note that this is adjusted DX, obviously. I''ve also used it with a few other experimental variations, including "partial armor" (if you buy partial armor, wt. and cost halve, but so is the armor DX penalty is halved, but the armor can be bypassed on any called shot to do so made at a -3 DX).
@@aqrxv I would imagine maybe eliminating the +3 might make it better for DX16+ to be in it without making it real long. Sure, most people won't dodge well, but with the RAW they wouldn't have a chance anyway.
@@CastleArchon Mostly depends on the power levels you play at. I usually like games where most people are DX 12-14, and with a plus 3, even someone like Belladonna (DX 15) would be only stopping things one time out of six (only 1 in 11 tries if DX 12 and less than 1 in 20 if DX 10). At that point you're wasting more time with fruitless die rolls that don't do anything and with delayed combats from attacks getting blocked. An interesting sub-variant, though, is to allow a defense roll at higher probability but to require it cost 1 ST as fatigue....
@@aqrxv OK. You use (DX/2)+3 right? But if Bellonda has a DX 15 that would make her dodge (15/2=7 round down assumed)+3, so 10 final. That's 50%. Far from 1 in 6. So what am I missing? Are you using 4 dice for this roll? Ah, I think you are am I right? Because rounding that up instead of down would be 11, which on a 4/DX would be 16%, or 1 in 6.
I combined elements of Melee, GURPS and Harn into our Dark Age fantasy game called Teranor. For weapon damage cutting weapons do listed damage. The first point of crushing damage is treated as a point of fatigue. Impaling weapons that roll 3 less than adj DX or less do 1.5x damage (vital organ hit) after subtracting target DR (but a 3 or 4 only does 2x damage).
I just use TFT for my mechanics and use the Mystara environment. I have created a different game mechanic for clerics as TFT didn't really like them and DnD treats them as just another spell caster.
@@CastleArchon We use a DR of 4/3 crushing for mail armor. Whips also do crushing damage. This allows punches, cleric maces, constable clubs and whippings to be less lethal. Fatigue + damage totaling ST or more results in unconsciousness. Damage totaling 1.5x ST or more results in death.
Another thought on the Health thing versus TFT is that you could simply state that the character's HP are 2x ST. Basically this would "solve" the old conundrum in TFT where you enter a dungeon, tangle with a couple of orc guards, lose half your strength or more and then run across some piddly little thing that instantly kills you in the next room, or, you realize that's probably what's going to happen, so after your first encounter you flee the dungeon, return to town, heal for several weeks, and then go back and try to clear that first room again... Clearly Steve recognized this issue when he was first designing GURPS (after he lost TFT to Howard Thompson for 35 years), since he purposely included a Health stat in GURPS to help overcome this very issue. Of course, another way to solve this would be more ways to heal efficiently -- healing potions, healing magic, First Aid rules, etc, and indeed, SJ addressed this in the new edition of TFT to some extent. but I still like the idea of increasing native HP in some way. I get the argument that doubling HP doesn't really reflect the reality of how wounds and healing work, but on the other hand, it's called The FANTASY Trip, not The REALITY Trip, and doubling HP this way would certainly smooth the flow of play instead of the old 1-2-3, kick method of dungeon adventuring. Also, why insist on absolute "reality" in this one aspect of the game, when you're talking about some guy that routinely violates all known physical laws with his mind?
I do think GURPS movement distances is far superior to TFT for the simple reason that moving half as many hexes (4-6 for humans and 10-14 for horses) fits much better on a game map than 6-12 hexes for humans and 16-24 hexes for horses. The latter tends to run off the map. Making hex maps for TFT adventures is a pain because characters move off the map so easily! So I prefer the halved speeds in GURPS. How to do that in TFT? The simplest solution is to just massage the turn length or hex scale slightly. Go to 2m or 6 feet hexes (which actually fits better with the scale of TFT counters -- a person fills the entire hex when lying prone, not two hexes, and it makes dragons etc. look more impressive, while still working for horses!) and maybe 3 second turns (20 to a minute instead of 12). None of that hurts anything else in the game, and I think it works better with the look of buildings and dungeons.
I think to "fix" fantasy trip you need to split up the three functions of DX. Raising sword use should not improve spell casting. Runequest was the first game made by SCA players. Gurps is a conversion to 3d6 along with the inclusions of champions advantages.
@@CastleArchon As I recall, DX was used to cast spells. So yes you raise dx and your attacks, skill use, and spell casting improved. FT was a good solo system though. One of the few where a tank build actually made sense.
@@danielward7747 Attribute raises do effect everything else for that category, but I find that true in other games as well. There are specific skills to raise weapon skills that do not cause magical skills to raise. However, I do understand the idea of attributes raises being overly generic, but that is what is solved, as I see it anyway, with the GURPS skill system.
I was hooked on Metagaming games back in the late 70s. I still use Melee and Wizard for my mechanics. I like the TFT idea of not using classes, but having skills. It always felt so much more realistic.
Open skills in TFT and different damage types in GRUPS I think were both a first when they came out.
@@CastleArchon At the time, there were really very few RPGs in existence, and only a couple of them were fantasy based. I feel like DnD's system was borne out of the wargaming background - thinking of the players as specific soldier types, like most of the wargame rules - infantry, machine gunners, etc.
@@RichardChappell1 Yes it was and Steve's games aren't much different in wargaming in its simplicity (TFT) or detail (GURPS).
@RichardChappell1 :
Just wondering how you adapted your Clerics for TFT? Did you create a talent package and add Clerical spells or abilities? HOW gives them like a Detect Evil skill and a Turn Undead mechanic…thanks!
@@Coramonde97
I call the cleric's equivalent of a spell or skill a "blessing." The clerk can call for blessings he has learned at any time, but his success will depend on his faith and "divine favor."
Clerics gain their abilities by demonstrating their devotion to their deity. This is represented by faith points, which are accumulated through acts of devotion, adherence to their deity's precepts, and ritualistic practices.
I haven't got a full list of possible blessings created, but have used D&D and others as ideas. I tend to put a higher cost on them that the D&D skill level so they aren't too over powered.
I do use the 6 D&D stats, and use Wisdom as the basic Cleric stat. In the same ways as other skills, the wisdom score represents the cleric's capacity to learn certain blessings (which can only be learned at their religion's version of a church/monastery/temple with a mentor, who must know the blessing(s) being learned - a week spent per point of ability - learning the rituals and searching his deity for wisdom on application.
Each cleric has to start with defining his faith, along with the various regular rituals that define their faith. Maybe it's stopping and facing a direction for prayers several times a day, or maybe it's an attempt to proselyte someone (only a mechanic, no actual missionary work at the table, although some role play here is ok and fun depending on the user). I use the Mystara setting, so it comes with a bunch of defined faiths, but users can define their own that makes sense in the world, and we agree on how their religion demonstrates/practices faith before play starts. I use D&D alignment, so the faith has to be defined along an alignment with the blessings appropriate for the alignment (LE can't bless, but can curse for example).
Faith points are like hit points, and are expended with the calling for a blessing. A cleric blesses water, which is 1 FP, loses a faith point, and on and on, until he is out of faith points and will no longer be able to call for blessings, until he can replenish them.
For actual application, the cleric starts (generally daily) with a number of faith points equal to his wisdom and 2 points per priestly rank (there are 5 from acolyte to pope equivalent). The priest expends the point value of the blessing until they get renewed (through their religious ritual).
Success is rolling 3d6 under the wisdom stat, with the allowance of the DM to add up to 3 points of "Divine Favor" based on how he decides the cleric is practicing his faith. The number can increase by 1 with each priestly rank. Yes, it's a bit arbitrary, but it represents the kind of fits with the "mysteries of God."
Initially a cleric can start with the number of blessings learned with a faith point value totaling up to his wisdom number. A wisdom of 12 will allow blessings totaling 12 faith points initially - and any individual blessing can't be a higher point value than his wisdom score (regardless of his faith points). I don't have any limits to the number of abilities a cleric can learn. A cleric could learn a hundred blessings. How many he can actually use depends on his current level of faith (faith points).
The faith point cost increases with the impact of the blessing. A Bless, Detect, Purify and other minimal impact blessings are 1 or 2 faith points, while a Raise Dead is going to be about 8 or 9 faith points. I have a special set for Healing Touch - it has a 2 faith point threshold to heal 2 HP, with an additional point cost per additional HP of healing. So healing 6 HP will cost 6 faith points. So the cleric can apply some strategy to the application.
Faith points can be gained/restored with a night's sleep, or through acts of faith - ie the practice of the predefined rituals. The effort of the ritual determines the amount of faith gained - Daily Prayer (Spend at least 1 hour in prayer and meditation to regain 1d4 FP), Weekly Sermon (Conduct a sermon to a group of at least 5 followers to regain 1d6 FP), Monthly Holy Ritual (Perform a significant ritual in a holy place, regaining 1d8 FP), etc - based on predefined rituals per religion.
It sounds pretty technical, but hasn't been any harder to manage mechanically, and it makes the cleric feel like a person of faith rather than just another spell caster.
One other system rule I have pulled into my TFT game is armor absorbing different amounts against the three types of damage (S, C, I). For example, chain is good against slashing, but not against crushing and plate is good agist all three - I got that from HarnMaster.
That would work!
many happy memories playing TFT. Still on the shelf.
Get it on the table! :)
I played GURPS with my brother and nephews before TFT was re-released (when we were young my brothers and I played TFT instead of D&D because, well, the rules actually worked). As soon as TFT was re-released I dropped GURPS - I personally prefer the simplicity of TFT as it allows much faster game play, especially in combat.
I wonder what TFT would have looked like if it stayed in Steve's hands on his split from Metagaming.
@@CastleArchon I think we kinf of know - GURPS...
Part of the problem is publishers' need to add and justify new editions.
@@CastleArchon It's an interesting question. SJ Games' Space Gamer articles were already adding super powers and advantage and disadvantage-like abilities (inspired by Champions). The primary difference I really found (hence my variant) was the Runequest-inspired active defense rule. In TFT you may be a DX 15 fencer, but you simply can't parry effectively and still fight, so you could never really simulate any sort of heroic fantasy fiction where people who are faster can parry and still attack, like the fights in the amber novels or in conan stories or in any sort of swashbuckling movie from Robin Hood to the Princess Blade to Three Musketeers to lightsaber duels in Star Wars. TFT (original) works well for a samurai movie where the first strike is the decisive one, or where it's armored knights hacking at each other but relying on shields for defense, but otherwise while it PLAYS very well, it doesn't emulate the fiction for me. So given that the parry rule is - for me - the big mechanical difference between TFT combat and GURPS combat (I think the the cut/impale/crush thing is a minor modification relative to that). But I think having a defense system of some sort is the change that SJ would have made. Maybe not a parry system -- it might have just been something like a stronger penalty to hit for characters with Fencing or something like the Expert and Master swordsman talents giving a DX penalty to enemy attacks - but I think there would have been added.
Dark City Games effectively added Active Defense to TFT. You can download the rules for free at their site and they work nicely, at least for me playing solo. One of the Defenses is Counterstrike so if you live through the attack you get one attack roll. Thing is if you decide to use this option you lose your next turn, as per their adaptation.
@@Coramonde97 I've seen their system. It produces a very interesting dynamic of "being pushed back" that mimics cinematic fencing when DX 12+ is involved. However, it can be pretty frustrating in a one-on-one between two high DX fighters as someone will be forced on the defensive for MANY terms until the other one gives them an opening by missing, then it will swing back. But when you get DX 14+ this can be a bit too extreme. It is NOT a big problem in solo games but while I like it from an atmospheric level, it can be super frustrating to do this system in GMed games, as one person can be on the defensive constantly. (Also, it does mean that outnumbering an enemy is really, really potent -- if one person is fighting two fighters who are high DX, they'll just keep you on the defensive and finish you quickly. ) To mitigate this frustration I tried using the Active Defense system with a Runequest-style rule where attacks and defenses are divided into single or double successes. A double success occurs whenever you hit or defend and roll doubles or triples (rather than the usual 3-4); it beats a normal defense but is blocked by a double defense. It does double damage if the target fails to defend, and if the defender gets a double defense against a normal attack and you're using "Dark City" rules, the defender DOESN'T lose their action. This, I found, made things a bit more dynamic. (A mitigated version of this system is that a double success only occurs on doubles if you're an Expert; otherwise you need triples.) I've also tried this system without forfeiting your defense at all (i.e., active defense is GURPS style but is vs. full DX instead of half dX+3) with the double success/failure option. Instead, I allow a double defense vs. a normal attack to hit the attacker for half damage, disarm, or trip (depending on the situation and weapons or lack involved). The results have been some really dynamic fights, but they've also occasionally led to some overly extended combats.
Fun video! The main GURPS-TFT variant I use is that I let TFT characters make defense rolls at (DX/2) + 3, or (DX/2) + 4 if they retreat into a rear hex.
Interesting. How much does it elongate play?
@@CastleArchon It mostly depends on how you design the opposition. I've not used it with games where people are routinely DX 16+. In games where I usually restrain myself and have most foes at DX 10-12 it adds maybe 50% to combat lengths; it tends to be mitigated because the system strongly encourages higher DX PCs to *not* wear more armor (unlike GURPS) and this reduces the length of combat, though beware gaming the system when it is combined with stuff like no energy cost Stone Flesh rings. I mostly like it for games where I want to keep DX 14+ PCs alive longer without over-reliance on magic etc.. Note that this is adjusted DX, obviously. I''ve also used it with a few other experimental variations, including "partial armor" (if you buy partial armor, wt. and cost halve, but so is the armor DX penalty is halved, but the armor can be bypassed on any called shot to do so made at a -3 DX).
@@aqrxv I would imagine maybe eliminating the +3 might make it better for DX16+ to be in it without making it real long. Sure, most people won't dodge well, but with the RAW they wouldn't have a chance anyway.
@@CastleArchon Mostly depends on the power levels you play at. I usually like games where most people are DX 12-14, and with a plus 3, even someone like Belladonna (DX 15) would be only stopping things one time out of six (only 1 in 11 tries if DX 12 and less than 1 in 20 if DX 10). At that point you're wasting more time with fruitless die rolls that don't do anything and with delayed combats from attacks getting blocked. An interesting sub-variant, though, is to allow a defense roll at higher probability but to require it cost 1 ST as fatigue....
@@aqrxv OK. You use (DX/2)+3 right? But if Bellonda has a DX 15 that would make her dodge (15/2=7 round down assumed)+3, so 10 final. That's 50%. Far from 1 in 6. So what am I missing? Are you using 4 dice for this roll? Ah, I think you are am I right? Because rounding that up instead of down would be 11, which on a 4/DX would be 16%, or 1 in 6.
I combined elements of Melee, GURPS and Harn into our Dark Age fantasy game called Teranor. For weapon damage cutting weapons do listed damage. The first point of crushing damage is treated as a point of fatigue. Impaling weapons that roll 3 less than adj DX or less do 1.5x damage (vital organ hit) after subtracting target DR (but a 3 or 4 only does 2x damage).
TFT/GURPS is perfect for Hârn!
For that point of crushing damage, I assume no defense for it? Interesting take on impaling.
I just use TFT for my mechanics and use the Mystara environment. I have created a different game mechanic for clerics as TFT didn't really like them and DnD treats them as just another spell caster.
@@CastleArchon We use a DR of 4/3 crushing for mail armor. Whips also do crushing damage. This allows punches, cleric maces, constable clubs and whippings to be less lethal. Fatigue + damage totaling ST or more results in unconsciousness. Damage totaling 1.5x ST or more results in death.
First crushing damage as fatigue is a neat rule
Another thought on the Health thing versus TFT is that you could simply state that the character's HP are 2x ST. Basically this would "solve" the old conundrum in TFT where you enter a dungeon, tangle with a couple of orc guards, lose half your strength or more and then run across some piddly little thing that instantly kills you in the next room, or, you realize that's probably what's going to happen, so after your first encounter you flee the dungeon, return to town, heal for several weeks, and then go back and try to clear that first room again...
Clearly Steve recognized this issue when he was first designing GURPS (after he lost TFT to Howard Thompson for 35 years), since he purposely included a Health stat in GURPS to help overcome this very issue. Of course, another way to solve this would be more ways to heal efficiently -- healing potions, healing magic, First Aid rules, etc, and indeed, SJ addressed this in the new edition of TFT to some extent. but I still like the idea of increasing native HP in some way.
I get the argument that doubling HP doesn't really reflect the reality of how wounds and healing work, but on the other hand, it's called The FANTASY Trip, not The REALITY Trip, and doubling HP this way would certainly smooth the flow of play instead of the old 1-2-3, kick method of dungeon adventuring. Also, why insist on absolute "reality" in this one aspect of the game, when you're talking about some guy that routinely violates all known physical laws with his mind?
Sweet!
Agreed! :)
I've purchased GURPS books as references, and they are excellent writers' references. I've always wanted to play. Maybe next conention.
They are exactly that!
I do think GURPS movement distances is far superior to TFT for the simple reason that moving half as many hexes (4-6 for humans and 10-14 for horses) fits much better on a game map than 6-12 hexes for humans and 16-24 hexes for horses. The latter tends to run off the map. Making hex maps for TFT adventures is a pain because characters move off the map so easily! So I prefer the halved speeds in GURPS. How to do that in TFT? The simplest solution is to just massage the turn length or hex scale slightly. Go to 2m or 6 feet hexes (which actually fits better with the scale of TFT counters -- a person fills the entire hex when lying prone, not two hexes, and it makes dragons etc. look more impressive, while still working for horses!) and maybe 3 second turns (20 to a minute instead of 12). None of that hurts anything else in the game, and I think it works better with the look of buildings and dungeons.
I think to "fix" fantasy trip you need to split up the three functions of DX. Raising sword use should not improve spell casting.
Runequest was the first game made by SCA players. Gurps is a conversion to 3d6 along with the inclusions of champions advantages.
You mean raising DX improves both spellcasting and sword skill?
@@CastleArchon As I recall, DX was used to cast spells. So yes you raise dx and your attacks, skill use, and spell casting improved. FT was a good solo system though. One of the few where a tank build actually made sense.
@@danielward7747 Attribute raises do effect everything else for that category, but I find that true in other games as well. There are specific skills to raise weapon skills that do not cause magical skills to raise. However, I do understand the idea of attributes raises being overly generic, but that is what is solved, as I see it anyway, with the GURPS skill system.