Originally posted by IRIS Inquisitor #68:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Aramis:
T4 was lambasted primarily over three things: Chris Foss, the Task System, and the lack of editing. Only one of the three was really MWM's area, and he's been ignoring the players on that for not just a few years, but almost a decade now. And still touting that same task system.
While cool, Chris Foss' work isn't Traveller.
The task system. Is it true that, at that time, a large percentage of the TML was in favor of Marc's multi-dice task system? </font>[/QUOTE]No. Not between release and when I left the TML
The list was jammed for MONTHS with alternate task system discussions. Several came to mind: KB's d66 system. One similar to CORPS or Fudge.
At some point, someone did a poll, and the "published" results were NOT supportive of it over all, but since the poll was a "Which task system do you want", it came out with a slim lead over MT and TNE variants.
I know that, even at the time, I polled my own associates who played traveller. Without fail, all hated the multi-die system.
It is, sadly, too wide for the range and linear nature of stats presented. If it started at 1d and went up by half-D, it would model far better to the other editions.
Now, the few people I know who got INTO traveller solely with T4 (and most of them because of bargain bins), the relative difficulties of the tasks are far different.
See, it boils down to "modeling factors", how are we modeling the difficulty.
The numbers work fine across the board for all task-system version. However, T4 encourages High-Stat, broad and shallow skill base. For normal operations of a starship, you need no more than level three in any skill. So, unless you plan on modeling Starbuck, Anakin, or Han, you never need the sufficient level of skill to do the "Staggering 4" or "Impossible 5" dice rolls, even with the t4.1 This Is Hard rule. (Which, BTW, was a fix post publication, added within weeks of release due to complaints).
Additionally, classic "Uncertain" tasks, and tasks of Unknown Difficulties, are much harder to do in t4, and become intrusively mechanical.
The biggest gripe was about the half-die; most of my group also played hero, so half dice were no big deal.
The methodology of variable numbers of dice vs a fixed asset was the second largest gripe, and my largest.
Now, the three most popular methods for "Fixing" T4 were to graft on entirely new task systems. The TNE task system grafts nicely on to the levels provided. A 3d6 5-point levels and +1/3 att task system similar to MT works exquisitely. KB had some form of d66 system, which I never understood, but it had a similar number of proponents.
Over on Traveller5.com, a number of alternate task systems have been suggested. Even here some alternates have been suggested. If you check my website, you'll find a fudge/corps derived variant.
No one task system was a clear alternate, but it boiled down to the 3 above. TNE's was a non-option due to MWM's obsession with cubes... (D6's)
Marc even flat out refused to consider a fixed number of dice system at one point, and all but forbade IG to put variant options in T4.1; a common request at the time.
So, from the standpoint that more people playing T4 wanted to keep a variable number of dice task system than any single other system, they were, in fact, still a minority of T4 players.
