Now that Steve Jackson has the rights to The Fantasy Trip, Steve Jackson Games is pressing ahead very quickly to update the rules for a new release. There has been a lot of discussion on the SJG Forums about what people want to see changed or not changed in the new Fantasy Trip. I guess I am a purist at heart–I only want to change a few things…
Rules Organization
So what do I want? Beyond just incorporating the errata found over the years, I would like to see the Advanced Melee and Wizard rules and In The Labyrinth incorporated into one volume, especially with a good table of contents and index. From what has been announced, this is being done.
Back in the day, this was supposed to be the next step for TFT. A box set was planned, and it was to include all 3 booklets, some dice and other items. But these plans fell through. And when Steve Jackson left Metagaming, well, the rest is history.
The plan that SJG has today is to bring the three rulebooks back into a single volume. From what I understand, a Kickstarter is planned for the project. I don’t know about you, but I will be shelling out cash for the project!
Attribute Bloat
Next, my single biggest complaint with the rules themselves is about the bloat in attribute levels, specifically ST and IQ.
So, let’s face it: TFT is a dangerous game for characters. ST is used for both hits and for fatigue. You need a character with a high ST to be able to survive, and to be able to cast spells. That means you may have an old wizard that should be frail, but with a ST of 20 or more–just so he can survive.
Even more of a problem is that of IQ. For a hero or wizard to be able to obtain the talents and/or spells he wants, the character has end up with a huge IQ. This is what has been referred to as "Conan the Genius" problem–what should be a dumb fighter with a superhuman IQ, just to have all the needed talents.
Both of these problems have had solutions presented on the Interwebs over the years, but none that I’ve been entirely satisfied with. I’ll be honest: I don’t have a simple, elegant answer. There may not be one. I just wish there was…
The Small Things…
Beyond that, I’m pretty happy with the rules as written. I’m not a member of the SCA, so I can’t speak from experience on the simulation of the combat. I’m not an economist, so I also can’t talk to the various issues with the economic system…
Instead, I just have some small tweaks I want to see… These include some form of fright check. If you have read much on this site, you know I’m big on that. This is in GURPS already, so it should not be hard to migrate the mechanics to TFT. I think that would help drive the roleplaying of the system, without much burden.
One more change would be the addition of some way to play TFT solo. Historically, that meant the familiar play-by-numbers method of solo play. Other, more modern games have newer ways for players to play the games by themselves–but I don’t see this happening in TFT. (I traded some emails with Steve about my ideas, and he was not impressed…)
Yet another addition I would like to see is some way to have ceremonial magic–beyond what is listed for magic item creation. I think one last thing would be a better Bestiary. There is just so much more that could be done with the bestiary than what was in the original ITL.
In the end, though… I am just super pumped that Steve Jackson is doing this in the first place! I can’t wait to see what SJG comes up with, and I’m sure I will not be disappointed…
Marko ∞
(Originally published on inthelabyrinth.org, on 6/1/2018.)
