Quote from: JohnnyWannabeI'm not familiar with Feng Shui, but I can say I'm really impressed with Two Fisted Tales.

Well - really Feng Shui is rather similar.

Characters - serious of archetypes, that have a set starting point but then give you a points to tweak and personalize them out (though admittedly not as much as some people would like to)

Schticks, for - Fighting, Weapons, Magic, Mutant Powers etc...

Dice mechanic role 2d6 1 is a positive die one is negative subtract one from the other add your skill and that give you your success.

The big difference based on knowing Feng Shui and reading the review really seem to come from the combat system.  From the initial impressions 2FT does seem to be a little lighter in that regard, but it's hard to say until you play it if it's actually lighter (read easier) or just different.

Quote from: kryystThat's the first review that actually might have convinced me to buy a game solely based on one review.  The only thing holding me back is wondering why I'd buy 2FT and not just stick with Feng Shui.

Well, one is for martial arts/gun fu action and the other one is for pulp/noir action.

Quote from: kryystThat's the first review that actually might have convinced me to buy a game solely based on one review.  The only thing holding me back is wondering why I'd buy 2FT and not just stick with Feng Shui.

Kryyst: Because 2FT has everything set up with the archetypes and source material (and awesome RANDOM SETTING TABLES) for running a Pulp game. Its the Feng Shui of Pulp.

Trust me on this: no matter how creative your little cat-monster-thingy brain might be, there's stuff in this book you would not come up with on your own.

Stuff that the Feng Shui people didn't think of, either. Its better than Feng Shui. If FS ever did another edition, they should use these mechanics.

RPGPundit

Fair enough, if I have some extra income I may just snap it up.

Has anyone here actually PLAYED both SotC and 2FT. If so, would you please proffer a comparative view of both products in action?

I've played SotC, and while it seemed effective, it also seemed a little intellectually fiddly and way too much to read. 2FT seems a much more traditional RPG, but I haven't had the opportunity to actually play it yet.

I have a feeling that no one else in my group is going to invest in 2FT, so I'm trying to settle on one or the other.

My similar request at RPG.net has resulted in a lot of virtual blank stares. I mean, why would anyone bother to run two similar games and figure out which was better (at least for them)? After all, it's much more effective to toot the horn for one game and ignore or bash all other similar games.

Yeesh.

Quote from: rumbleHas anyone here actually PLAYED both SotC and 2FT. If so, would you please proffer a comparative view of both products in action?

I've played SotC, and while it seemed effective, it also seemed a little intellectually fiddly and way too much to read. 2FT seems a much more traditional RPG, but I haven't had the opportunity to actually play it yet.

I have a feeling that no one else in my group is going to invest in 2FT, so I'm trying to settle on one or the other.

My similar request at RPG.net has resulted in a lot of virtual blank stares. I mean, why would anyone bother to run two similar games and figure out which was better (at least for them)? After all, it's much more effective to toot the horn for one game and ignore or bash all other similar games.

Yeesh.

Johnny Wannabe HAS both games. I don't know if he's PLAYED both of them. I only have 2FT, and it rocks.

-clash

Yeah, I have both games, but I have only played SotC.

Still, I think Rumble's impression is sound. 2FT is a traditional game. It is very straightforward. In comparison, SotC is quasi-traditional.

When I get a chance to play 2FT, I'll provide more input.

Hey JohnnyWannabe, just curious if you've gotten to play 2FT yet and if so, how it stacked up in play vs. just a read.

Quote from: wulfgarHey JohnnyWannabe, just curious if you've gotten to play 2FT yet and if so, how it stacked up in play vs. just a read.

Unfortunately, I have yet to play 2FT. A series of games are planned sometime soon, but right now my playing group is more interested in Texas Hold Em than role-playing.

Quote from: JohnnyWannabeUnfortunately, I have yet to play 2FT. A series of games are planned sometime soon, but right now my playing group is more interested in Texas Hold Em than role-playing.

Kill them and take their stuff!

-clash

I've played TFT, and love it, (I'm even in the promotional copy!), and I agree with John that, at least the edition I played (first), even the "gritty" level of characters was not very gritty. It was still extremely hard to nail characters down or impede them significantly, if you applied the system as written. I haven't tried out second edition, maybe it's been adjusted. But especially with the cards, I felt that even the "low power" games were very high power. I couldn't even imagine what the top end would be like.

It's a tough row to hoe doing a "gritty" pulp game, you have to walk a lot of tightropes and it's not a huge surprise to me that TFT (along with every other pulp game out there) didn't hit a home run in that area.

That's a good point about "gritty" rpgs, pulp or otherwise.  In books, movies, etc things can be gritty but the main character still survives because..they're the main character.  In an rpg if the Pc's get gritty one too many times they'll end up dead.  I guess the grittiest rpg I can imagine is OD&D with first level characters.  1d6 hp.  That's gritty.

Our game went over amazingly well.  It was silly at times, including lost dinosaurs, Nazis, Malagasy pirates, talking apes, and a hynotic radio transmitter, but everyone really got into it, got the rules almost immediately (rare for this group) and we felt like we packed a lot of gaming into our session.

I have nothing but praise for this game.