TFT - Racial Equality

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

Chapter V of The Fantasy Trip (TFT) starts by going more in depth on the various races a character can play. The default character generation is based off of the Men (or human) race but allows for random generation of race. This section goes into what happens if a player rolled a non-Men race. It is interesting that TFT allows for "non-standard" races. They have Men, Orcs, Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Halflings, Prootwaddles, Centaurs, Giants, Gargoyles, Reptiles, and Mermen, all available as a player race.

In the early days of rpgs one of the first ways players wanted to change the games was with race. Players were always asking if they could play this or that race, often based off of a monster type. TFT seems to have embraced that allowing for a wide range of races and even creating a new one, the Prootwaddle (a sort of human kobold).

There was some semblance of attempting to balance the various races, mostly by limiting how high certain Attributes could go, but it was possible to quickly unbalance some characters. Given where rpg games were at the time, this is not unexpected.

One thing that irks me, and has for some time, is the useless-unless-special-circumstances-occur race. In this case it's the mermen. As expected they are aquatic based and require a spell to be cast for them to function on land. Assuming the character has easy access to this spell, they are still hampered on land by having their DEX attribute reduced significantly. Sure, in water they will always have the advantage, but how often will that occur in a non-contrived campaign? Why would anyone play such a character (other than some inane desire to be wholly different)? Why include it as a possible player character race?

TFT - Example of Play

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

One thing I think all rule books require are examples of play. This is when you give a narrative that showcases the players making decisions and how those decisions are enacted by the characters. Sometimes the way rules interact between player and character can be lost. A player thinks "I want the character to do X" but sometimes the rules are unclear how a player should state that or when or what mechanics to use. Examples of play can solve those issues.
All rpgs have their own vocabulary. In order to play the game everyone needs to have the same vocabulary. An example of play can facilitate that.

The Fantasy Trip (TFT) includes an example of play.

It shows how a GM can combine descriptions with mechanics. "You see a big hole - a whole megahex around. Stairs lead off down to the southeast."


It shows how to implement a rule. "Okay. We enter. We all have torches. Here's our march order. (He shows the GM the counters representing their characters, lined up on a set of tunnel megahexes.)"

It shows how dice work and how the results can be conveyed. "Starting from the first hex after the stairs, then, you go one east, one northeast, two east. (At this point he rolls the dice several times. There is a hidden door at No. 2 on the map, and the party is now passing it. He is rolling against the party's IQs to see if any of them spot it. They have bad luck; none of them do.) Nothing happened to you guys there."

Along with helping to see specific rules in action they also help to give a feel for the setting as well. Some settings are gritty and some let magic fly loose. Examples of play can also be similar to the stories some rpgs sprinkle throughout their books. Those stories are used to evoke a mood for the game; an example of play can show how that mood comes into play.

When a rulebook does not include examples of play I definitely miss them. In a way, I feel that the authors "cheaped out" on the book. How important do you think examples of play are?

TFT - Map Narrative

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

The Fantasy Trip (TFT) suggests that the DM give directions when using map narrative. Usually I use directionless descriptions such as "you see a door on the left and a hallway extends straight ahead". Instead TFT suggests you say something like "there is a door on the west wall and a hallway extends off to the north".

What method of map narrative do you use? Is there a reason why you have a preference?

TFT - Party Leader/Party Spokesman

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

One thing that has fallen out of favor with more recent games is the concept of the party spokesman, often called the party leader. Basically this is when the group allows one player/character to speak for the party the majority of the time. This would range from fairly mundane to the specific actions of other characters. Of course, players were able to declare the actions of their own characters as they felt, especially during combat, but the default was that the party leader called the actions.

The fairly mundane could include such things as...
"We all head to the tavern."
"We leave town an hour before dawn."
"We attack the goblins."

The specific things could include such things as...
"The thief checks for traps with the fighter pressed up against the wall to the right of the door, while the mage hangs back at least 10'."
"The mage tries talking the guard into letting us into the city without paying the tax."
"The fighter watches the north door, while the thief tries to pry the gem out of the statue's eye. The priest will start bandaging up the mage's wounds."

The Fantasy Trip (TFT) embraces the concept of the party leader. However, they did not make it mandatory. If the group decided to choose a party leader there were actual in game benefits for doing so. If there was a party leader it was assumed talk within the group was kept at a minimum and thus the party received a bonus to moving quietly through a dungeon. Without a party leader, the group was assumed to be talking and the noise could be heard by whatever denizens were nearby in the dungeon.

What do you think about a stringent party leader? Do you think its okay, or that each player should always call the actions of their own characters?

TFT - Guilds and Game Design

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

The concept of guilds in world settings has been with us for many years. Likely we've all heard of the Thieves' Guild. Other worlds have other types of guilds as well, such as the Mage's Guild or Bard's Guild. The Fantasy Trip (TFT) embraces the concept and brings it to a new level of interdependence. In TFT the guilds provide both an in-game and mechanical interaction.

The Wizard's Guild is all pervasive and can be found in almost every corner of the world. 99% of all wizards are members of the organization. In addition, they are one of the few places a character can go to "forget" a spell or talent allowing a character to learn a new or improved spell/talent. In effect, the Wizard's Guild provides a game mechanic. Likewise, the Thieves' Guild is the only place a character can learn certain abilities. There are no other places to learn something like Detect Traps. Again, the Thieves' Guild provides a game mechanic.

Do you like this close tie between in-game organizations and game mechanics?

The world setting of TFT, Cidri, has other guilds such as the Scholars' Guild, Mercenaries' Guild and Mechanicians' Guild - all them also spread throughout the world. All of them provide an in-game service. As a result of this they quickly become a focal point for characters. Characters know where to go to have certain questions answered or services rendered. This helps to keep a campaign moving. Instead of wandering lost, characters know exactly where to go. This is a good thing in my opinion.

Another thing pervasive guilds bring to a game is "expansive interactions". In most games character will make a name for themselves with the local organizations whether it be a king, temple or other group. However, once the characters move on from that area they have to start over, making new contacts and ties. Guilds are outside the bounds of regions and allow characters to keep their status and contacts beyond a limited area. Again, this is a good thing.

TFT - Cultural Law

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

The Fantasy Trip (TFT) goes into a nice discussion on laws and culture. It gives some examples of unique cultural laws that are unusual, such as not singing sad songs after a certain hour or requiring a physical action as a person passes a holy place. It then goes into what happens if a character breaks the law of an area with various rules for trials and jail time. However, its the concept of unique cultural laws that intrigues me.

I like the idea of unique cultural laws. They can enhance an area, making it feel different. All too often many fantasy worlds can quickly become generic and too similar. Adding in cultural laws brings out the uniqueness of the area and people. Think about the real world. We have unique customs and laws throughout the world and even within a given nation. It makes sense a fantasy world would as well.


One thing of note is that in TFT it is possible to quickly research what the unique local laws are in a new area when the character get there. This means that if the characters are smart and take preventative steps they can avoid be blindsided by some unique and unexpected new law. I am not a fan of blindsiding characters with new rules unless they have a chance to proactively deal with them. Otherwise it's just a DM being a jerk by springing something new on them that they never had a chance against.

TFT - Playing When You're Not Playing

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

The Fantasy Trip (TFT) has a mechanic in place for character "down-time". This is the time a character spends in their life that is not taken up with an adventure. Each character has a job, such as baker, blacksmith or assassin. There is a base salary for each of these occupations and each span of down-time (one week) a character gets to roll to see how they fared. The results range from gaining money to gaining an attribute point (which is a huge considering the game is attribute driven) or taking hazard damage.  Different jobs offer different payment scales and different chances to succeed or fail. TFT sums it up with...

"...characters have lives of their own. A character can earn money, get experience, and get killed ... all without ever going on an adventure ... just like real life."

One one hand, I like the concept of things happening to characters when they are not adventuring. It adds a level of realism to a campaign. It also removes the concept of "murdering hobos" from the campaign. The campaign can focus on adventure and setting things right rather than the pursuit of gold.

However, I am not a fan of such huge changes to a character. I feel advancements should come as a result of adventure, not from toiling away as a clerk in a store. One question some players have is...why does my character adventure? If the benefits of not adventuring are as good as adventuring, why bother adventuring? It also removes the concept of choice. Rolling for downtime is a single die roll with no choice to be made by the character. During adventuring characters are constantly making choices - I prefer that over a simple die roll.

All that being said, I like downtime rolls - just keep any changes to a character at a low scale. Your thoughts?

TFT - The Universal Language of Maps

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

They say that Math is the universal language; no matter what language you speak math is the same everywhere. In a way, rpg maps are also universal. There is a common language with rpg maps (maps) wherein the symbols used are used the same from rpg company to company. Even when there is some deviance, such changes are generally small and understandable.

Map blatantly stolen from cartographersguild.com (Turgenev)

The above map can be easily read by anyone that has done any sort of rpg gaming. Doors, secret doors, rooms, corridors, traps, stairs, pillars, statues are all in there and understandable. For example, look at room #6 and then give a verbal description of it. Likely, this description, solely based on the map, will be the same regardless of which gamer is giving the description. This common ground is a strength and something that subtly ties the gaming community together.

However, sometimes a rpg company wants to break the mold, be mavericks that set a new trend. TFT went with another approach with their map symbols. First they used hexes for their maps instead of squares. This decision was likely based off the fact their Melee combat rules, which pre-dated TFT, was hex based for better simulation of movement. This is not necessarily a bad thing though it does make buildings awkward in design with no straight lines.

Where their mapping became radically divergent was their use of symbols. They created completely new symbols for the most basic dungeon features. They also added in such things as various shading and symbols to signify different levels and elevations. Here is a sample dungeon from the In The Labyrinth book...

I'll be honest and say that I have no idea what this map is representing. They broke from the conventions of rpg mapping and it did not work out. It might be wise for any aspiring publishing company to keep to the traditions of mapping.

TFT - Science Fiction in Your Fantasy

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

The world of The Fantasy Trip (TFT) is huge, and as already mentioned, a kitchen sink of styles and tropes. It is a melting pot of other worlds, including some with futuristic elements. In fact, artifacts in TFT are nothing but modern/future items in a medieval-type fantasy setting. These include such things as a BB gun, walkie talkies, a tape recorder, and a pen. Similar to how artifacts are handled in other games, these are rare items full of mystery (determining a use for these is a series of die rolls).

It's interesting that artifacts in TFT are not the extra-powerful magic items found in every other fantasy setting. I kind of like the concept for a few reasons.
-It makes their inclusion easy to explain as you don't have to bend the setting to explain why there are potentially world-ending items in play.
-They are still unique without being powerful.
-They are something different from the usual "lump-a-bunch-of-powers-together" or the "take-a-known-power-and-make-it-much-more-powerful" artifacts we too often see.

I know this is not a new idea; D&D did it all the way back in Expedition to the Barrier Peaks (1976). I myself remember running around a dungeon in a home-brew setting with a bazooka blowing rust monsters up. Through the years there have been other fantasy adventures and settings with science-fiction thrown in.

What do yo think about modern-day/futuristic items in a fantasy setting? Do you like the randomness and touches of the unexpected in your game? Or do you feel it detracts from a purely fantasy/medieval-based world? Is it alright in certain campaigns? Should the players know ahead of time that the fantasy setting will have science-fiction elements in it?

TFT - Unrandom Random Monster Set-Up

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

Chapter III of In the Labyrinth covers Creating A World and starts immediately with the dungeon (or labyrinth). In part of the section on Stocking The Labyrinth, they mention writing up some index cards with stats on them for some of the monsters the characters will encounter. This is not a radical idea as I've seen it mentioned in various places over the years. However, they take it up a notch and in a slightly different direction.

TFT suggests using such index cards to add a random element to what could be rather ordinary "crunchy" encounters. Prepare a number of cards with a different monster on each card. If the labyrinth is full of goblins, make a bunch of relatively equal in power goblins and give each of them a separate card. You can then mark your map with something like 4 goblins, 10 goblins, 2 goblins. Then you simply pull out that number of cards from your pile when the characters get there.

This will make sure the monsters feel organic as opposed to a set encounter done for the sake of ease. To me, it can be jarring when all of the monsters in the room are wearing the exact same armor type and using the exact same weapons. This makes it so the characters are fighting the goblin with the spear, instead of goblin #3.

While it will take a bit more prep time, I like the idea.

TFT - Where Did You Get That Ability?

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

In The Fantasy Trip (TFT), when a character gains xp and earns enough to get a new ability, they do not just pick one and add it to their character sheet. They have to have "studied" it. In TFT, a character can be in the process of studying up to 3 different Talents at a time. When the character is able to purchase a new Talent it must be chosen form one of the 3 they were studying. In addition there are some Talents that they must "learn" from an outside source; certain abilities must be taught by the Thieve's Guild or the Mechanicians' Guild.

What do you think? Should abilities gained after play starts be given right away, or should there be a waiting process involved?

TFT - No Skills

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

The Fantasy Trip (TFT) does not have skills. Instead, it has Talents. Talents allow a character to do things that characters without Talents can not do. Talents consist of such things as Swimming, Boating, Literacy, and Fencing. Talents can either allow a character to make use of an ability that they normally could not (such as Swimming - without this you will drown), or provides some sort of bonus with another ability (such as Fencing which increases your crit chance with a sword). Some Talents, such as Sword, can actually be used without the Talent, but with a penalty; this makes some Talents similar to Skills in other systems, but the majority of Talents do not allow their use unless you know the Talent. This sets TFT apart in its use of "skills".

Talents are also the core of the system; the thing that sets characters apart from each other. TFT really does not have classes. At character generation, a player must decide to either be a spell-caster or a non-spellcaster; those are the only two choices available. And this choice confers no abilities to a character, other than the ability to cast spells. It's the Talents wherein a character gains definition. If you want to play the typical fighter you take the appropriate weapons and armor Talents. If you want to play a thief you need to take the right thiefly Talents, such as Remove Traps.

TFT Talents are different from Skills in other systems in a number of fundamental ways...
-They do not require a die roll to use them (other than combat). A Talent either works or doesn't.
-They never change. Some systems allow for Skills to get better as a character progresses, but not TFT.
-They all have requirements. Every Talent requires a certain level in Intelligence (IQ) before it can be taken. Your character can be too dumb to take certain Talents. Some Talents also have additional Talents (such as the Fencing Talent which requires the Sword Talent and a Dexterity (DX) of at least 14).

Again, this is an interesting approach. Of course, because the system is so tightly bound to the stats as the driving force behind getting anything done, they can get away with not having any extra system for resolving actions.

TFT - Redoing Abilites After Play Starts

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

One of the "innovations" for 4E D&D was the capability to swap out spells, feats, skills that a character had for another one of equal level. One of the "problems" with earlier versions of D&D was that a player could "make a mistake" in some of their choices either by choosing an ability that was useless or under-performing for their class. Some people liked the idea (my players certainly do) and some bristle at the notion of altering characters after the fact. However, 4E was not the first to introduce this concept as The Fantasy Trip (TFT) was doing it back in 1980.

TFT has a special section included that describes the various methods by which a character can "forget" a spell or talent. This is done to open up slots for more powerful spells and talents. In TFT a character is limited to how many spells or talents they can have. As the characters adventure they can gain access to more powerful spells. In addition, as they level up they also gain access to new talents which may cost more than the character can afford...unless they ditch some earlier choices.

TFT has very specific ways of "forgetting" abilities and they are tied into the world and in-character choices as opposed to a purely mechanical one as in 4E. They are...
-Wish. Wishes in TFT are not generic "get anything you want" things. Instead a wish provides a list of things a wish will do. Forgetting an ability is one of the choices.
-Wizard's Guild. The Wizard's Guild (TFT makes an assumption that they exist in every TFT world setting) is able to cast a spell that makes the target forget an ability. It is interesting that the system then also goes on to explain that this is not often a good idea since the Wizard's Guild also has access to the target's mind and memories as they cast the spell.
-Dragon. Apparently dragons can also cast a spell that makes a person forget an ability, but without the mind probe of the Wizard's Guild. It then mentions that talking to Dragons presents it's own challenges.
-Do Not Use It. A character can simply choose to not use the ability for an set amount of time and they will then "forget" the ability thus opening up new choices.

What do you think? Should characters be allowed to forget abilities and replace them with new ones?

TFT - Political Correctness

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

"Where a player's character is concerned, an IQ of 6 represents a moron."
This is a quote from In the Labyrinth, under the Intelligence section. When I first read it I was surprised. It was the first time I had seen such a term used in an rpg before. At first glance my thought was that they had deliberately put this in to sound "hip" or to elicit some sort of shock value from it.

RPGs are written for a mass audience, even if that audience is a small, niche market. Thus the general concept when choosing terminology is that it is better to offend none than to insult some. I can understand this point of view. And really, what advantage is there is using terms that some might find offensive? From a purely economic viewpoint, it is the sensible thing to do.

However, there are two things to remember when looking at TFT.
-First is the fact that it was written in 1980. This was in an age before political correctness became what it is today. In fact, it wasn't until around 1991 that the term became a part of the broad US vernacular. Back in those days you could get away with such terminology.
-Second is the fact that in 1980 "moron" could still be construed as a technical term. "Moron" was once a legitimate psychological term used to describe someone as "dull" (the meaning of the root word "moros") and with an IQ between 51-70. Of course, the term is no longer used in the field of psychology since it began to be used as an insult.

It's interesting to see the change in times and social mores. In it's own way, TFT is a time capsule of 1980 and what a writer could and could not get away with.

What do you think about political correctness in rpgs? Are there some things an rpg should not bring up, certain words or concepts that should not be used?

TFT - Stats as Abilities

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

The Strength (ST) stat in The Fantasy Trip (TFT) has an interesting mechanic as the stat gets higher. Usually in most games there are a set number of things that a stat can affect. For example, in most games Strength will increase how much melee damage is done in combat, how much a character can carry and sometimes the percentage chance to bend bars. All of these progress as the stat rises. However, almost never does a character get new abilities as the stat increases.

In TFT, as ST goes up the character can use more difficult weapons (weapons require a certain level of ST before they can be used - often due to the size of the weapon) and gains a larger health pool. These are similar to other systems. However, in TFT a character also gains unique abilities. These include hitting doors with your foot as if it was a blunt weapon and wielding a two-handed weapon with one hand.

This is an interesting concept. TFT can get away with this because it is such a stat driven system, everything is resolved vs. their stats. When a character "levels" up by spending xp, the only thing a character can increase is their stats. In effect, their level is defined by how high their stats are.

It would be interesting to see if a system could be designed wherein everything is completely stat driven. Where a character's talents, advantages, abilities are all defined by their given stat. There would be no skills. This system would have new abilities unlocked as the character's stats go up. Interesting idea.

TFT - The Dump Stat

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

The Fantasy Trip (TFT) uses only 3 stats for characters, Strength (ST), Dexterity (DX) and Intelligence (IQ). Stats are also the driving component of the game as almost everything a character does is based directly off the value of their stat (players try to roll below their stat value to accomplish tasks). At first glance only having 3 stats makes it harder to find a "dump stat". In traditional D&D, which has six stats, there are often dump stats. For example, a fighter has no need for Wisdom or Intelligence and thus those tend to be where a player playing a fighter will put the lowest value for a stat. With only 3 stats, TFT, looks like it can circumvent that habit by making each of them important to the success of a character. However, looks can be deceiving...

A magic-user in TFT uses all of the stats with equal need. ST is used as a measure of how often a magic-user can cast. Each spell has a ST cost and each time a magic-user casts a spell, it comes off their ST. Thus they are limited by how often they can cast spells. DX is used to hit a target with a spell. A lower DX means the caster will miss more often thus wasting ST and time. IQ is used as a limit to how powerful a spell the magic-user can cast. Spells are rated by the IQ required to cast them. If a magic-user wants to cast an IQ 16 spell, he needs at least a IQ of 16. IQ also sets how many spells a magic-user can know. Thus we can see that a magic-user needs all 3 stats equally. There is no dump stat for a magic-user.

A fighter needs ST as it determines how much damage his melee attacks will do. A fighter also needs a good DX as it sets his chance to hit with his weapon. However, IQ is not as essential for a fighter. IQ allows for certain Talents to be purchased (Talents are small abilities a character can have, similar to Advantages in other game systems). Talents are not necessary for a fighter though. With the base IQ every character starts with a fighter can get a good selection of Talents. IQ is a dump stat for a fighter.

Ranged fighters actually have 2 dump stats. ST does little for a fighter that is primarily using ranged weapons. DX is the main stat for such a character. Thus both ST and IQ are dump stats for a ranged fighter.

We can see that, for a change, magic-users get stuck with having to take more stats than other character types. It makes for a weird dichotomy between classes to have one require so much more in stats than the others. Non-magic-users are able to "stack" their stats to increase their chances for success; magic-users can not do this "stacking" without giving something up in exchange. Perhaps this was intentional as a limit to the power of the magic-user (which often became far more powerful than the other classes in other game systems).

This all goes to show that simply paring down the number of stats in a system is not enough to remove dump stats.

TFT - Tanks

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

As part of the character generation system, In the Labyrinth, provides some examples of types of characters people might want to play. These are not classes, but rather suggestions on how to build a specific style of character. Examples are swashbuckler (make him Dex based and take certain talents) and Ranger (again Dex based and give it ranged and nature talents). The first example listed is Human Tank. The Human Tank is a bare bones fighter with high Str and it is recommended they wear heavy armor. Sounds like your typical Tank character.

The interesting thing is that the concept of a Tank is strongly tied into the world of MMOs. If you mention a Tank character most people equate that to an MMO. In MMOs Tanks are the class that take lots of damage and can mitigate it. Almost exactly like the Human Tank from TFT. This got me thinking, what is the origin of the term "Tank"?

Doing some research, the first response is that it is an MMO term. Doing some more digging, it is suggested that the Tank originated in MUDs starting in 1994. And yet, here we have the exact same term, with the same meaning, in 1980. Was TFT the first to coin the phrase "Tank" with the meaning of a warrior that takes lots of damage for the group? Did they use a term already in use?

It's an interesting thought that The Fantasy Trip may have created the term "Tank" that is used so prevalently in modern day gaming.

TFT - A World Built For Adventure

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

The default world of The Fantasy Trip (TFT) is Cidri. The setting is a huge kitchen sink of adventure. The premise behind the setting is that on a world in the past one family had the ability to travel across dimensions into other worlds. From these worlds they plundered technology, magic and people that made them more powerful. With this power they built the huge world of Cidri, populating it with people, items and creatures of mythology and wonder according to their individual whims. And then they left the world to itself. Cidri is a huge world (far larger than Earth) with all sorts of interesting and unique things on it. Basically, if you want something in your TFT game you can have it. There is a default in-game rationalization for including anything a DM would want to include. Cidri is built for adventure.

And that is what every good world setting is needs to be...

-A setting needs to allow for a wide range of adventure types. If a setting only allows for urban intrigue then you will lose the players who enjoy a good dungeon crawl at times.

-A setting needs to be able to accommodate the things a DM (and players) will want to bring to the setting. If a setting is too restrictive a DM will feel that restraint and this will turn them off. DMs like to be creative and if a a setting doesn't let them have their fun, then it is not a setting they will like.

All that being said, some groups want a setting that is restrictive. Obviously if the group wants hard science-fiction then a DM adding magic, or even psychic abilities, to the rules will go counter to what the group wants. However, that is a choice a group makes in their personal game style choices. It is usually always best if those choices are left to the gaming group and not a default of the game system. Remember, a setting needs to be able to reach a wide audience of varying styles. That is not to say that every game needs to be a complete kitchen sink, but a good setting will allow for some flexibility.

TFT may have gone a bit far in their setting. While it allows for anything to be included within the setting, it may be too much. There is a definite lack of world cohesion. Players may begin to doubt the logic of the world when things change radically from one section of the world to another. Of course, a DM can decide to curtail the options themselves, but with the broad slapdash of setting, the temptation will always be there to throw something oddball at the players.

TFT - Setting First

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

The Fantasy Trip (TFT) comes with a fairly generic setting, Cidri. Many game systems now come with a default world setting described in the rule book. Within In the Labyrinth, out of the entire rulebook, about 3 pages is allotted to describing the setting and most of the information is at the very front of the book. I'll get more into the actual setting in the next post, but the question I have is...where in a rulebook should a description of the setting go?

A setting is in a rulebook for a number of reasons...

-Get the reader excited about the game system.
An evocative setting description can get a group excited about playing the game. As the readers take in the setting they begin to imagine what it would like to play characters in such a world. If the setting is "cool" then the reader wants to play the game. 

-Show how the rules can be used in-game.
Some rule systems provide unique interpretations of established gaming conventions. If a rule system provides a magic system that causes damage to the caster for every spell they cast, then the setting will reflect the ramifications of this. By showing a setting, it can highlight the differences between the game system and other systems out there. It also shows the players what can be expected.

-Let a group start playing right away.
Once someone is excited about a game system they often what to start playing right away. If time must be spent designing a setting interest can wane in a group. By providing a setting, a group can get right into the game without a long set-up time.

-The setting is the game.
Some rule systems are really nothing but a vehicle for a world setting. As an example, Shadowrun is less about the rules and more about the world in which the characters will play.This sort of game is all about the setting and less about the rules. 

-The setting is a teaser for more supplements.
After a rule book has been published the publisher often wants to make more money off the intellectual property. One such money-maker is a sourcebook detailing a setting for the rule system. By providing a default setting it garners immediate interest in future products.

As can be surmised there are times when a designer would want a setting description to come first in the game book. If they are trying to sell the setting and the rules are secondary to the setting, then having some setting description up front makes sense. However, if the rules are the truly innovative part of the book then it makes more sense to showcase the rules first and then how the setting plays into it.

There is often a synergy between a rule system and a setting. A setting can describe a new type of magic and the rules provide for mechanical means to realize that new type of magic. One trick some designers use is to slip a bunch of setting material into the rules sections. For instance, while describing the mechanics for building characters some world information is imparted as well. If the system grants bonuses to a character based on where in the setting they are from (or certain character types can only be from certain setting regions), this is a way of providing setting information and to tie it directly into the rules.

As for TFT, the setting is fairly generic, but this is a reflection of the rule system itself. The rules were originally designed to be generic and integrated into other systems. Thus pinning the rules to a specific setting would be counter-productive as it might inhibit integration. Should the setting information for TFT have been at the beginning of the rule book? If the goal was to show that the rules could be used for any setting then sure, the setting information on Cidri was bland enough to show it could easily be used in any setting. However, since the focus of the book was actually the rules, it might have been better to provide the setting information at the end of the book as an example of how a setting could be built with their rules.

Personally, I prefer the rules up front and the setting at the end. If you are going to tell be Blood Mages are a part of the world, I want to know what that means in game terms before I can fully understand their place in the setting. What is your preference?

TFT - Modular System Rules

The Fantasy Trip was a role-playing game that came out in 1980 with the release of In The Labyrinth, the core rule set. It also included Melee (tactical combat) and Wizard (spellcasting), as well as the Advanced versions of them. The game was written by Steve Jackson who later used the system as a base for GURPS. This series of articles is a look at the rules of The Fantasy Trip as seen through modern eyes.

The Fantasy Trip (TFT) really began with In the Labyrinth in 1980. It had an odd system of rules distribution. D&D has followed the format of main rule book (Player's Handbook), advice and additional rules for the DM (Dungeon Master's Guide) and monsters (Monster Manual). While TFT was also divided into three books, they followed a different system. In the Labyrinth was the core rule set which outlines the basic rules such as character generation/advancement. Melee is the combat rules. Wizard is the spellcasting/magic rules. A person really needs all three books to be able to play the game. Why did they take this approach?

While Melee and Advanced Melee is part of TFT, Melee actually came out 3 years before TFT (in 1977). Originally it was designed to be a supplement for any fantasy rpg game, including D&D. It was a very tactical and simulationist approach to combat. It was meant to replace the combat system of whatever rpg a group might be playing. Likewise, Wizard (released in 1978) was also meant to provide a separate magic system, though it was also meant to work smoothly with Melee. Thus both books could be used in tandem to replace systems in other games. In the Labyrinth, the character rules, came later and was built around the combat and magic rules.

This is an interesting approach to rule systems. Most modern day rpg games have highly integrated characters rules, combat rules and magic systems. In addition, most systems these days also have a heavily integrated world setting that is also tied into the game system. Shadowrun is an excellent example of this level of integration. With most modern games their rule components are designed for that specific system and integration into another game is often impossible, or certainly not worth the effort.

I'm not sure such modular rule systems is something that is viable in the current rpg marketplace. As I already mentioned most systems are heavily integrated within themselves. Adding or replacing rule sections can be a nightmare. And, really, most gamers rate a game system as a whole. Seldom do they choose a system with the intent of cobbling together separate systems. Sure they may alter some rules but most groups keep the core rule components and only tweak things slightly.

One thing that I have mention on the topic of modular rule systems is Rolemaster. Originally released between 1980 and 1982, they also presented a series of modular system rules similar to TFT. Arms Law (combat rules), Spell Law (spell rules), Claw Law (monster rules), Character Law (character generation/advancement) and Campaign Law (GM rules) were all designed to replace existing rules systems in other games (again specifically D&D). It eventually grew into its own rpg game. The main difference between TFT and Rolemaster is that Rolemaster proved to ultimately be far more popular (or more supported) and continues to this day (there is a playtest going on right now for the next edition of the rules). However, this version of Rolemaster is being presented as a complete rule system and not as modular system rules to be used to replace other game system components.