Re: GenCon: Yet another review

> This ties in with what I've seen locally. If you can get people to try
the
> rules, they love it. However, they mostly don't want the trouble of
having
> to invent the ships on their own......

I'd have to agree with you on this point.  There has been at least two 
occasions that I've had to turn down playing FT with new people solely 
because I; (A) didn't have a fleet built up, (B) wasn't sure what "house

rules" they'd be using to build said fleet.
 
> There's one other thing: players like games with a lot of support. It
makes
> no sense, but there it is....

For me, yes and no.  Back in the Dark Ages, I liked playing AD&D because
it 
had good set of rules, lots of modules, etc. I got out of it because
(well, 
other than I grew up  :) ) they changed the rules format, and added a
whole 
bunch of "stuff" that I didn't want;  the players' class collections
(you 
know, those boxes of "stuff" players needed to buy in order to make a 
particular class of character), bunches of spell book additions,
character 
sheets (which I rarely used), etc.  Got me wanting to play basic D&D
again, 
(and I HATE basic D&D).
 
> > They are looking to get quickly into a game but do not want to spend
the
> > time and effort designing a fleet.

I'm on the list, and I don't disagree.	I get to play usually twice a
month, 
and I don't have time in the interum to build up fleets and make
scenerios, 
etc.  Our twice monthly playtimes are eaten away by doing this instead.

>....FT doesn't have any ability to just play a pick up game with little

> pregame work....

I agree.

> My fear is that the changes in FT3 will not be readily accepted.... 

This may sound like sucking up to JT, but I have full confidence in his 
abilities to make FT3 compatible with FT and MT.  Any changes in FT3
will 
most likely be under the heading "Optional Rules" or some such.  The
only 
thing Cons will need to state in FT games are what rules will and will
not be 
in effect.  Either that or allow the players set the ground rules before

starting.

> We'd like to see the point system fixed (there's the A battery over
price, 
> the unbalanced Kra'vak weapons, etc.).....

This brings up one snag in new rules; ship costing changes.  I guess
players 
will have to agree beforehand which prices to use.  I agree with the A 
batteries being a tad low, but as to Kra'Vak; hey, who said the universe
was 
fair?

Glad I picked up on this thread; I've been tossing all "*.con) threads 
altogether.  Since we are on the topic of GZG improving FT, if there was
one 
thing I'd like GZG to come up with, it would be a scenerio book or some
type. 
I'm not much of a scenerio builder; don't know what should balance what
and 
all.  I would like to see this book include scenerios that can tie in
DSII 
and SGII;  Maybe have chapter one be ship invasion, chapter two be
beachhead 
attempting, and chapter three, actual land warfare.  Something along the

lines of that.

For what its worth, our FT leader is trying to build a universe set
around 
the framework of 19c. Europe.  Lots of angst there, I guess.  Basically,
take 
the 19c. skirmishes, and update them for space opera.

Jeff Shoffner

"all these tag lines are getting annoying"
				J. Shoffner