I've played a solo battle using Tacticians Of Ahm tonight (using a google sheet as the battle grid) and I have some words about my experience doing it:
I really think this has great potential for skirmish wargaming (and tactical combat RPGs). Nonetheless I also feel it is a bit incomplete. I missed a "z-index rule" (what happens if my character gets on a higher/lower physical plane mid battle) and an economy of acts on the round considering which side the PC is facing. Without it the battle sounded too flat since there was no difference if my PC attacked from a higher physical plane (like the top of a table) or from the ground. The base rules of ToA imply the use of a grid, but at the same time I feel movement and positioning were a bit underlooked compared to damage rules.
I loved how you visually represented the attack range! So inspiring and easily understandable.
At least, but no less important, the idea for your game is too good or not having a battle AI. This alone would make the game much more enjoyable and solo/co-op/gmless compatible.
Wow, what a great write-up! I really appreciate you taking the time to play!
I think you've got great points across the board. Some of them are things I've already been taking into consideration in the most current version (it's much more expanded than this original game jam idea) but others are things I wasn't thinking of before now. I'm going to add to them to my list as I keep developing out the expanded rulebook.
Thanks again for playing (and for writing up your thoughts)!
The PDF is 8 pages, with an aesthetic that makes it feel a bit like a NES game manual.
Lorewise, you play as high fantasy warriors and mages in a realm that has mostly known peace, but is now headed into a Rough Patch.
Despite the game's brevity, there's some nice meat to the lore (as well as some hints that maybe this is canonically a universe inside of a game, with glitches creeping in). It feels easy to anticipate the game's tone and make characters and GMing decisions that gel with its setting.
Gameplay-wise, Tacticians is a micro tactics game in the style of Into The Breach or the original Fire Emblem. Combat plays on a grid. Characters have a few but very meaningful abilities. Attacks always hit. Progression is tight.
There *is* out of combat adventuring, but it's stripped down. Likewise, without modifying the rules, combat is pretty simple and direct too. However, by cutting right to the core of what the game is about, Tacticians makes itself into a fantastic one-shot or convention game---for a long campaign, you might need to either lean on your GMing skills or expand it with some homebrew.
Overall, this is a gem. If you liked dnd 4e, or if you enjoy retro tactics games, or if you're just looking for a very bite-sized, very combat focused TTRPG, you should pick this up. It's a great game to have in your library, both as a design reference, material for a mini-campaign, and a break-glass-in-case-of substitution for heftier titles.
I plan to expand pretty much the whole game in the coming months so stay tuned for more! Weapons and Equipment (plus Inventory) are next up with magic items and a starter bestiary coming next!
I love pretty much everything about this and can’t wait for an expanded version. It deliberately and effectively hearkens back to an age of 8-bit tactics RPGs, but translates them into an easy to play modern ruleset.
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Hi, there.
I've played a solo battle using Tacticians Of Ahm tonight (using a google sheet as the battle grid) and I have some words about my experience doing it:
I really think this has great potential for skirmish wargaming (and tactical combat RPGs). Nonetheless I also feel it is a bit incomplete. I missed a "z-index rule" (what happens if my character gets on a higher/lower physical plane mid battle) and an economy of acts on the round considering which side the PC is facing. Without it the battle sounded too flat since there was no difference if my PC attacked from a higher physical plane (like the top of a table) or from the ground. The base rules of ToA imply the use of a grid, but at the same time I feel movement and positioning were a bit underlooked compared to damage rules.
I loved how you visually represented the attack range! So inspiring and easily understandable.
At least, but no less important, the idea for your game is too good or not having a battle AI. This alone would make the game much more enjoyable and solo/co-op/gmless compatible.
Thank you for your work!
Wow, what a great write-up! I really appreciate you taking the time to play!
I think you've got great points across the board. Some of them are things I've already been taking into consideration in the most current version (it's much more expanded than this original game jam idea) but others are things I wasn't thinking of before now. I'm going to add to them to my list as I keep developing out the expanded rulebook.
Thanks again for playing (and for writing up your thoughts)!
Tacticians Of Ahm is a retro tactics TTRPG.
The PDF is 8 pages, with an aesthetic that makes it feel a bit like a NES game manual.
Lorewise, you play as high fantasy warriors and mages in a realm that has mostly known peace, but is now headed into a Rough Patch.
Despite the game's brevity, there's some nice meat to the lore (as well as some hints that maybe this is canonically a universe inside of a game, with glitches creeping in). It feels easy to anticipate the game's tone and make characters and GMing decisions that gel with its setting.
Gameplay-wise, Tacticians is a micro tactics game in the style of Into The Breach or the original Fire Emblem. Combat plays on a grid. Characters have a few but very meaningful abilities. Attacks always hit. Progression is tight.
There *is* out of combat adventuring, but it's stripped down. Likewise, without modifying the rules, combat is pretty simple and direct too. However, by cutting right to the core of what the game is about, Tacticians makes itself into a fantastic one-shot or convention game---for a long campaign, you might need to either lean on your GMing skills or expand it with some homebrew.
Overall, this is a gem. If you liked dnd 4e, or if you enjoy retro tactics games, or if you're just looking for a very bite-sized, very combat focused TTRPG, you should pick this up. It's a great game to have in your library, both as a design reference, material for a mini-campaign, and a break-glass-in-case-of substitution for heftier titles.
Wow! Thank you for the kind words!
I plan to expand pretty much the whole game in the coming months so stay tuned for more! Weapons and Equipment (plus Inventory) are next up with magic items and a starter bestiary coming next!
I love pretty much everything about this and can’t wait for an expanded version. It deliberately and effectively hearkens back to an age of 8-bit tactics RPGs, but translates them into an easy to play modern ruleset.
Thanks for the kind words!