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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Some Dude" data-source="post: 9814357" data-attributes="member: 6980080">I had expected one when Wizards pulled the plug on those Star Frontiers fan sites...This isn't "modernizing" or "streamlining," this is completely replacing. Leaving aside the entirely subjective question of whether ANA is good or not, these rules are seemingly not descended from any iteration of T&T's rules in any meaningful sense. To pretend otherwise is just silly. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. I'm just saying it's a thing.They "key innovations" of 1E T&T were simplicity (kind of - those missile rules, ugh) and lack of redundancy. ANA clearly fares no better than OG (OK, maybe 5E) T&T on either count. It's more complex up front (tbf T&T's complexity could be sneaky, often buried in rules minutiae), and does things like separating CON and Hit Points (Stamina in ANA). You may disagree, and that's fine. From what I've seen those who have played ANA seem to think that overall, it plays quick, but is slowed by tracking things.Now, ANA is definitely more modern in its design and overall "feel." Which is fine. All I'm saying is, it seems like Rebellion is attempting to reach a new audience with this. Also fine. It's their IP, they can do whatever they want. No one is saying they can't.I... don't know about that. Most of the T&T grogs I've seen have absolutely read and/or played ANA before going off about it "not being worthy of the name." And even they aren't in the majority from what I've seen. There have been just as many, like myself, who've said, "Hey wish 'em luck, but it ain't for me." I have a couple of polls up in different places, and the spread seems to be almost evenly split between "Don't Like" and "Undecided " with a small fraction in the "like" column. Those aren't the numbers I'd wanna see if I were Rebellion.Yes, some are disappointed about its not being "like" old T&T. But I'm not seeing a lot of intellectual dishonesty, most old heads just don't seem to like it. To accuse everyone who doesn't like nu-T&T of simply being close-minded and reactionary not only isn't true, but it's also not gonna help a game that, let's face it, is already struggling to attract the old fans (if that's even what Rebellion is trying to do at this point, I'm not really so sure).Yeah, I've been gaming since 1981 or so, I remember. The Jeffersons, All In The Family, Alice, Benny Hill, etc., etc. My high school had a smoking section... for students.When I said I wondered about the thought process. I was referring to Corgi keeping some silly spells and jettisoning others. I would absolutely consider "Zappathingum" to be silly, especially when compared to other FRPGs of the day. All of the spells I listed were. T&T has a reputation for silly spell names. Always has. You may not consider them silly, but that's anecdotal, and you're likely in the minority there. Reviewers have been calling T&T's spells names "silly," or even "tacky," almost since the game was first published.It could be a matter of "dialect," as you say. But I would wager that at the very least plenty of UK gamers understood full well the racial implications of the word, "massa." It has appeared in literature and film, from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to Gone With the Wind.I think you may be conflating your own experience and perspective with those of gamers as a whole, as relates to old-school T&T. This is not intended as an insult or an argument.I have read the Charisma rules, which make it quite clear that in T&T, Charisma is not a matter of good or evil:"Monsters with a negative Charismas do not inspire positively-rated beings to riot and berserkly attack - as noted earlier, a griffin with a CHR of -30 is just as stunning as an elf with a CHR of +30. It's all a matter of perspective, and how close a character's rating is to 0. Slaves and other social outcasts have CHR's of 0."The rules do refer to players as "the good guys" and Monsters as "the bad guys" a time or two. But there are also rules for PCs who wish to buy and own slaves, so the game's morality is obviously highly relative. Ken himself has also said that there are no clerics, gods, or alignment in T&T largely because of his generally irreligious outlook at the time he first wrote it.In closing, I'll say this: I understand why Rebellion would want to distance itself from racist, misogynist "jokes" and slavery rules. I understand why Rebellion would distance themselves from some of the game's old creative team. But, speaking just from my perspective, it seems as though Rebellion, almost from the beginning, has shown little interest in fostering, or even being part of,  a T&T community. There was no real outreach to the existing fans, and I know for a fact that many folks suggested to Rebellion that they chat with folks at the Trollbridge. Heck, even Webbed Sphere did that! There was a resurgence of hope and enthusiasm when Rebellion bought T&T after the Webbed Sphere fiasco. And Rebellion, frankly, seems to have squandered it. Between the standoffish nature Rebellion prior to the release of the alpha, and the vastly different rules set, some see it as a bit of a rug pull.I'm of the following opinions (just opinions, take with BIG grain of salt):1. ANA as a rules engine likely existed as one of Scott Malthouse's designs prior to being used or adapted for ANA. I'm not saying T&T wasn't influential, at least conceptually. But the feeling that I get is that this began life as its own thing. I fully admit that I may be talking out of my hat here, this is just a hunch.2. The die has largely been cast, and any changes to ANA going forward are not likely to be of the kind that will change the game significantly from its present form. Refine, yes, rewrite, no. Both Rebellion and Malthouse seem pretty locked into this overall design. So I'm not gonna bitch and moan about what Rebellion is doing here, but I'm also not gonna pretend it's something it's not.3. T&T is very much a community. As a longtime member and contributor, Malthouse has friends in it. There are some, including but not limited to fellow authors, who want to see him be successful. Totally understandable. I want him to be successful. I don't know Scott personally, but he seems like good people. When he had his tiff with Ken years ago, I was firmly on Team Malthouse. And the years since have reaffirmed that Scott was absolutely correct in the position he took. There are some in the community who were/are on the other team, and, well, I'd best not say anything about that, except that I still agree with Scott 100%.4. There will be some kind of OG T&T books/reprints attached to the ANA Kickstarter, in an attempt to get some interest from the old guard.</blockquote>

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