[GZG] Comments on FT Light

Just a few comments on FT Light after looking over it for an
evening......  

Likes:

General Concept - It's nice to have a simple sheet of rules that can be
handed out to new players.  The rules are abbreviated, but not to the
point that a 'full' game can't be played.  Still meaty enough to have
fun, while whetting the appetites for more.  And as the complete rules
are also online for free, it's quite easy to upgrade after a few games

Recording Clock Facing - Brilliant!  And so simple.  After all the
moving around, an easy mechanic to zero your ship to it's proper
orientation.  Helps solve questions of whether ships are in arc after a
person manually moves a ship and questions arise if it was
moved/oriented properly....

Dislikes:

No Rerolls - I understand limiting weapon selection to simpler systems
for an easy to play ruleset, but rerolling 6's is a lot of the fun of
beam dice.  The look of glee on a new player's face when they happen to
string a few 6's together is priceless.  And also gives a good building
point for additional rules (shields and armor come to mind)

Icons - Namely, for Pulse Torps.  May just be a factor of being used to
what the 'old' icons look like, but it's nice to look down on an SSD and
at a glance know what weapon systems you have.	Only time I looked
inside the arc circle would be to see what size beams I have, knowing
Pulse Torps were a line, needle beams a line and a dot, etc....  If this
is the way that the weapons systems are going, then I vote for the old
icons, but YMMV.

Unsure:

Two engine slots - I do like that it's easier for new players, that they
don't have to worry about halving an engine on the first hit.  My only
concern is the unlucky threshold check rolls (or standard Indy rolls)
that take out full maneuverability with one check.  And as there are no
repair rolls in FTL, it kinda sucks for a new player's ship to be dead
in the water after sustaining a first threshold.  Granted, that's a 1/36
chance, but some people's 1/36 happen more often than others.....  (You
know what I mean....)

Final Question:

These rules are intended to draw people into the game, and ultimately
sell some miniatures.  For me, the best spot to do this would be a
buddy's comic book store where he has heroclix games from time to time.
We all know how easy it is to order online from Jon, and quick to boot,
but what do I tell my buddy the store owner that would prefer to sell
the minis through his shop?  I know he won't stock them on a shelf, but
I could see getting an order together from people playing.  (Granted,
this means I need to get myself motivated and PAINT my minis...... And
then put on some demos. :-))

Conclusion:

All in all, I like the FTL ruleset.  It's what I'll use to bring my
daughter into the fold.  I have a few concerns, but ultimately they're
minor, and I can always move up when she's ready.  :-)	Thanks for
making these!

_______________________________________________
Gzg-l mailing list
Gzg-l@vermouth.csua.berkeley.edu
http://vermouth.csua.berkeley.edu:1337/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gzg-l