RPGnet : The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Intro:

I was looking through the reviews for fun, and noticed some of my favorite "classics" weren't mentioned. I figured I would take the time to review some of these. This will give some older gamers a blast from the past, and tell some newer gamers a little something about some rare old games they may never see. Disclaimer: I'm a terrible speller, and my grammer sucks! Since I lack the computer skills to employ a spell checker...please be gentle, we are all friends here.

For the Collector:

Monsters! Monsters!

536-010./514-76. 40 pp Metagaming, 1976 (1st ed., 1st pr., Square Bound).

536-010.2/514-76. 40 pp Metagaming, 1976 (1st ed., 2nd printing, Saddle stiched).

536-010.3/300-79.40 pp. Flying Buffalo Inc., 1979 (2nd ed.)

This is a review of the 1st ed., 2nd printing. In all honesty, I doubt there are any changes in the other printings, but I have never seen the Flying Buffalo version. A new version of the game was scheduled to be released by Flying Buffalo a few years back, by Mike Stackpole, but it was never finished. Those $5$ figure book deals kept getting in the way of the pittence FBI was offering him for M!M!, Oh well!

Layout & Art:

What can I say? This was 1976!! This book is done on a typewrighter, single collumn, b&w interior, collor cover. It's easy enough to read though. I should note that it was edited by Steve Jackson, and illustrated by Liz Danforth, however this is some of their very early work. While Liz went on to become one of fantasys greatest artists, the stuff in M!M!, by todays standards, is pretty lame. Most high school artists produce better work (sorry Liz!).

The Game:

M!M! was a revolution in gaming! In this game, you take on the role of Monsters in a fantasy world. You plunder and destroy towns, build dungeons, and kill adventurers. Doesn't sound so awsome now, but in 76 this was a crazy new idea! The system is basicly the same as Tunnels and Trolls (T&T by Flying Buffalo, 5th edition still in print and avaliable...so don't believe all those guys on eBay who say it's out of print!!), it's more famous sister system. T&T and M!M! were the first games to take a light heared look at Role-playing, a hobby that consisted mostly of converted wargamers at the time.

M!M! is written in a very casual way, like your buddy is sitting there telling you how to play. It's compact and to the point, like most games of the time that didn't give you rules for every conceivable situation. Rules cover Character Creation, XP, Sequence of Play, Combat (pretty much the core of the game), Magic, and some other tidbits. There are also a few pull-out maps of an inn and the surrounding countryside, for your monsters to destroy. Most sections are rather short, and the begining of the rules makes refference to T&T as a way to expand the rules (although T&T isn't needed for play).

Character generation is simple, and pretty much the same as T&T. Roll 3d6 for Strength (also spell points), IQ, Luck (most saving throws), Constitution (hit points), Dexterity, and Charisma. Str, Lk, &Dex above 12 give you combat adds (or adds) that make you tougher in a fight. Saving rolls are made against these ability scores (mostly Luck) by rolling 2d6 adding the ability score and shooting for a variable target number (T&T was the first game to have the GM assign a variable difficulty level, something most games today use). Choose your race, and modify ability scores according to a table, get a weapon (if you need one) and go kill some adventurers!! The book includes 52 monster races you can play from a gremlin to a dragon. There are such notables as Black Hobbit, Balrogs, Shoggoth, and Tsathogua...copyright laws weren't as anal as they are today!! You'll also find things you just HAVE to play, like, Snollygoster, Slime-mutant, Giant Slug, and Human Scum! There is a brief description (and I mean BRIEF!) of each monster. EXAMPLE: "Black Hobbits: This does not refer to their skin tone, but rather to their political affiliations. They are physically the same as regular hobbits, but are not nice people. (in case you haven't read Tolkien, hobbits are small sturdy humanoids with large hairy feet and potbellies, who live in holes in the ground)".

Experience, like most games of the time, is gained mostly from combat and treasure. However, you also get points from "Destructiveness", in essence, role playing your monster LIKE a monster. Another first in gameing that has become a standard, giving XP for good role playing. XP are used to raise ability scores.

Combat is basicly, roll a # of d6 equal to your weapon (or natural weapons) combat adds. Compare your total to your opponents, whoever rolled lower takes the difference in damage to Constitution (minus any armor points). It sounds overly simple, and T&T/M!M! combat has always been the victim of massive house rules, but it works and is quick and fun. Once characters get to higher levels, stalemates in combat become frequent, as adds get higher, and the randomizers become less of a factor.

Magic includes a few spells (of course there are more in the T&T rulebook). These are cast using spell points (your Strength score).

My Opinion:

M!M! was a hoot in the day! It's still a fun game with a creative GM, and it's a great pick up game or something to get your kids into role playing. If your a game collector, it's pretty rare, but a fun read and great addition to an old game collection (it oooozes of early role playing). T&T fans are pretty fanatical, so good luck finding a copy. When they turn up on eBay, I usually see them go for about $30-$40. If you just want to play the game, just get the T&T 5th edition. It contains all the same rules, and has a condensed monsters table, and it's a LOT cheaper!

It's worth noteing that T&T (and shortly therafter, M!M!) was the first game to be released after D&D. It's popularity has dwindled to nastolgic fans, but they are fanatical (as I've stated). These 2 games, though not given credit much, include MANY of the concepts most games today use. Awarding XP for role playing, Saving rolls based on a variable table determined by the GM (something that D&D d20 has finaly started using with their difficulty class), a spell point system, and the crazy concept of playing the MONSTER!!

Monsters! Monsters!
Monsters! Monsters! Capsule Review by grubman on 17/02/02 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average) M!M! A hard to find older game, revolutionary in it's time, and still good fun! Product: Monsters! Monsters! Author: Ken St.Andre Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Metagaming or Flying Buffalo Inc. Line: T&T Cost: 5.95 (Ha!) Page count: 40 Year published: 1976 ISBN: SKU: 536-010.2/514-76 Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by grubman on 17/02/02 Genre tags: Fantasy	Intro: I was looking through the reviews for fun, and noticed some of my favorite "classics" weren't mentioned. I figured I would take the time to review some of these. This will give some older gamers a blast from the past, and tell some newer gamers a little something about some rare old games they may never see. Disclaimer: I'm a terrible speller, and my grammer sucks! Since I lack the computer skills to employ a spell checker...please be gentle, we are all friends here. For the Collector: Monsters! Monsters! 536-010./514-76. 40 pp Metagaming, 1976 (1st ed., 1st pr., Square Bound). 536-010.2/514-76. 40 pp Metagaming, 1976 (1st ed., 2nd printing, Saddle stiched). 536-010.3/300-79.40 pp. Flying Buffalo Inc., 1979 (2nd ed.) This is a review of the 1st ed., 2nd printing. In all honesty, I doubt there are any changes in the other printings, but I have never seen the Flying Buffalo version. A new version of the game was scheduled to be released by Flying Buffalo a few years back, by Mike Stackpole, but it was never finished. Those $5$ figure book deals kept getting in the way of the pittence FBI was offering him for M!M!, Oh well! Layout & Art: What can I say? This was 1976!! This book is done on a typewrighter, single collumn, b&w interior, collor cover. It's easy enough to read though. I should note that it was edited by Steve Jackson, and illustrated by Liz Danforth, however this is some of their very early work. While Liz went on to become one of fantasys greatest artists, the stuff in M!M!, by todays standards, is pretty lame. Most high school artists produce better work (sorry Liz!). The Game: M!M! was a revolution in gaming! In this game, you take on the role of Monsters in a fantasy world. You plunder and destroy towns, build dungeons, and kill adventurers. Doesn't sound so awsome now, but in 76 this was a crazy new idea! The system is basicly the same as Tunnels and Trolls (T&T by Flying Buffalo, 5th edition still in print and avaliable...so don't believe all those guys on eBay who say it's out of print!!), it's more famous sister system. T&T and M!M! were the first games to take a light heared look at Role-playing, a hobby that consisted mostly of converted wargamers at the time. M!M! is written in a very casual way, like your buddy is sitting there telling you how to play. It's compact and to the point, like most games of the time that didn't give you rules for every conceivable situation. Rules cover Character Creation, XP, Sequence of Play, Combat (pretty much the core of the game), Magic, and some other tidbits. There are also a few pull-out maps of an inn and the surrounding countryside, for your monsters to destroy. Most sections are rather short, and the begining of the rules makes refference to T&T as a way to expand the rules (although T&T isn't needed for play). Character generation is simple, and pretty much the same as T&T. Roll 3d6 for Strength (also spell points), IQ, Luck (most saving throws), Constitution (hit points), Dexterity, and Charisma. Str, Lk, &Dex above 12 give you combat adds (or adds) that make you tougher in a fight. Saving rolls are made against these ability scores (mostly Luck) by rolling 2d6 adding the ability score and shooting for a variable target number (T&T was the first game to have the GM assign a variable difficulty level, something most games today use). Choose your race, and modify ability scores according to a table, get a weapon (if you need one) and go kill some adventurers!! The book includes 52 monster races you can play from a gremlin to a dragon. There are such notables as Black Hobbit, Balrogs, Shoggoth, and Tsathogua...copyright laws weren't as anal as they are today!! You'll also find things you just HAVE to play, like, Snollygoster, Slime-mutant, Giant Slug, and Human Scum! There is a brief description (and I mean BRIEF!) of each monster. EXAMPLE: "Black Hobbits: This does not refer to their skin tone, but rather to their political affiliations. They are physically the same as regular hobbits, but are not nice people. (in case you haven't read Tolkien, hobbits are small sturdy humanoids with large hairy feet and potbellies, who live in holes in the ground)". Experience, like most games of the time, is gained mostly from combat and treasure. However, you also get points from "Destructiveness", in essence, role playing your monster LIKE a monster. Another first in gameing that has become a standard, giving XP for good role playing. XP are used to raise ability scores. Combat is basicly, roll a # of d6 equal to your weapon (or natural weapons) combat adds. Compare your total to your opponents, whoever rolled lower takes the difference in damage to Constitution (minus any armor points). It sounds overly simple, and T&T/M!M! combat has always been the victim of massive house rules, but it works and is quick and fun. Once characters get to higher levels, stalemates in combat become frequent, as adds get higher, and the randomizers become less of a factor. Magic includes a few spells (of course there are more in the T&T rulebook). These are cast using spell points (your Strength score). My Opinion: M!M! was a hoot in the day! It's still a fun game with a creative GM, and it's a great pick up game or something to get your kids into role playing. If your a game collector, it's pretty rare, but a fun read and great addition to an old game collection (it oooozes of early role playing). T&T fans are pretty fanatical, so good luck finding a copy. When they turn up on eBay, I usually see them go for about $30-$40. If you just want to play the game, just get the T&T 5th edition. It contains all the same rules, and has a condensed monsters table, and it's a LOT cheaper! It's worth noteing that T&T (and shortly therafter, M!M!) was the first game to be released after D&D. It's popularity has dwindled to nastolgic fans, but they are fanatical (as I've stated). These 2 games, though not given credit much, include MANY of the concepts most games today use. Awarding XP for role playing, Saving rolls based on a variable table determined by the GM (something that D&D d20 has finaly started using with their difficulty class), a spell point system, and the crazy concept of playing the MONSTER!!