The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I'm a big nut for old games. I'm the guy that's cruising the Ebay, looking for that weird old title that I remembered reading about years ago. So, when I spotted a Tunnels & Trolls box set a couple of years ago, I immediately bought it with the idea that this would be another one for the collection and would probably never see the light of day again.

Wrong.

Tunnels & Trolls is one of the oldest fantasy games around and one of the first competitors for Dungeons & Dragons. Although now in it's fifth edition, it is still a very basic level and class style system borrowing heavily from the aforementioned TSR product. There are four very broad character classes: Warriors, who excel at arms, Wizards, who use spells but not much in the way of weaponry, Rogues, who know a little of both war and wizardry and the rare Warrior/Wizard, who is kind of a super-Rogue. There are five non-human races that your character can be: Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits, Fairies and Leprechauns, with options in the rules to play anything from an Orc to a terrible Balrog.

Sounds very familiar and a tad trite at first, right? But then I began to see the wonderful options that this game unfurls. Wizards start with nine spells, rather than one or two that other systems of this nature let you have, making them a bit more likely to survive their first adventures. Another thing I enjoy is no Clerics!

No character is forced to be the walking first-aid kit for the party and also allows the GM to be a lot looser with deities and religion.

Combat is also incredibly simple. Both sides roll for damage, and whoever has the higher roll wins. The losing side's characters take the difference between the two rolls in damage, splitting the damgage as evenly as possible among them, of course. Combine this with the fact that creatures are handled using just one number for their stats and you have very fast paced combat. Rather imaginitive players and GM's are helpful in making combat more interesting than " We hit him, he takes 12 points".

Imagination is what drives all RPGs, but moreso in T&T. There are no expansive lists of creatures or magic items in the rules. This and the very simple statistics for creatures gives the GM a chance to really let their hair down and create whatever their hearts desire. It also allows the GM to control the amount of magic their characters are lugging around, since he creates all of it and none of it is ever given out on a random roll. Not everyone is lugging around five +3 daggers and a +8 sword of people slaying.

Obviously this is not a game for everyone. Players who like to tweak their characters and enjoy intricate combat systems will not like this game. But if you just enjoy getting together with friends and having some good beer and pretzels style gaming, Tunnels & Trolls is your game. It's fun, it's cheap, and it really is a complete system with no other supplements to be purchased. It can also be playing solo, with many solitaire adventures available for it, making it a fun alternitive for gamers who cannot find other players in their area.

This is the game I wish I had bought first when I started gaming. It may be old, but it sure is fun!

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Tunnels & Trolls
Author: Ken St. Andre Category: game Company/Publisher: Blade/Flying Buffalo Line: Tunnels & Trolls Cost: 15.95 ISBN: 0940244004 SKU: Blade 9101 Capsule Review by Steve Zieser on 09/29/99. Genre tags: Fantasy	I'm a big nut for old games. I'm the guy that's cruising the Ebay, looking for that weird old title that I remembered reading about years ago. So, when I spotted a Tunnels & Trolls box set a couple of years ago, I immediately bought it with the idea that this would be another one for the collection and would probably never see the light of day again. Wrong. Tunnels & Trolls is one of the oldest fantasy games around and one of the first competitors for Dungeons & Dragons. Although now in it's fifth edition, it is still a very basic level and class style system borrowing heavily from the aforementioned TSR product. There are four very broad character classes: Warriors, who excel at arms, Wizards, who use spells but not much in the way of weaponry, Rogues, who know a little of both war and wizardry and the rare Warrior/Wizard, who is kind of a super-Rogue. There are five non-human races that your character can be: Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits, Fairies and Leprechauns, with options in the rules to play anything from an Orc to a terrible Balrog. Sounds very familiar and a tad trite at first, right? But then I began to see the wonderful options that this game unfurls. Wizards start with nine spells, rather than one or two that other systems of this nature let you have, making them a bit more likely to survive their first adventures. Another thing I enjoy is no Clerics! No character is forced to be the walking first-aid kit for the party and also allows the GM to be a lot looser with deities and religion. Combat is also incredibly simple. Both sides roll for damage, and whoever has the higher roll wins. The losing side's characters take the difference between the two rolls in damage, splitting the damgage as evenly as possible among them, of course. Combine this with the fact that creatures are handled using just one number for their stats and you have very fast paced combat. Rather imaginitive players and GM's are helpful in making combat more interesting than " We hit him, he takes 12 points". Imagination is what drives all RPGs, but moreso in T&T. There are no expansive lists of creatures or magic items in the rules. This and the very simple statistics for creatures gives the GM a chance to really let their hair down and create whatever their hearts desire. It also allows the GM to control the amount of magic their characters are lugging around, since he creates all of it and none of it is ever given out on a random roll. Not everyone is lugging around five +3 daggers and a +8 sword of people slaying. Obviously this is not a game for everyone. Players who like to tweak their characters and enjoy intricate combat systems will not like this game. But if you just enjoy getting together with friends and having some good beer and pretzels style gaming, Tunnels & Trolls is your game. It's fun, it's cheap, and it really is a complete system with no other supplements to be purchased. It can also be playing solo, with many solitaire adventures available for it, making it a fun alternitive for gamers who cannot find other players in their area. This is the game I wish I had bought first when I started gaming. It may be old, but it sure is fun! Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty)