Something Old, Something New

Reflections on Past, Present and Future
So, I have been reading my way through Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls this week and it feels much like spending time with an old friend.  In the 35+ years I have been playing at this hobby many things have changed, many things remain the same and a few have been there and back. Deluxe T&T is both old and new and yet something more. I will try to explain what I mean by that statement a little later on.
Back in 1974 Mr. Gygax and Mr. Arneson brought forth the LBBs and introduced a new way to play tabletop games and a new hobby was born as the dungeon game spread and variant rules were created then new games appeared based on the dungeon/adventure game concept (we didn't call it role-playing until later). The odd dice required for the LBBs' alternative combat method (which quickly became THE d20 combat mechanic) were rather hard to come by at first and possession of said "funny dice" was the mark of a hobby initiate. The White Box and other early games such as T&T encouraged a do-it-yourself, innovative and imaginative approach to the game. The action was described by the referee and imagined in the player's mind.
With the coming of AD&D the hobbyist was encouraged to play by-the-book and Mr. Gygax attempted to add detail and "crunch" to the rules making the game more complex and perhaps more "realistic" (if such a term is ever appropriate in fantasy gaming). The trend caught on and many of us, desiring even more detail and realism, sought newer and better rules. My group settled on Runequest, but there were other games, such as Rolemaster, GURPS, etc. that offered crunch and realism. This was also the time of the "backlash" when the role-playing hobby was unjustly blamed for turning kids to Satan (and other nonsense). The hobby grew despite the bad publicity and the idea of role-playing was ported over to the then new personal computer technology (although I am not sure "role-playing" is the best way to describe that type of game). Using the newest gaming options, the action frequently moved from "theater of the mind" group imagining to miniature figures on a grid or graphics on a computer screen.
Wizards of the Coast acquired AD&D when they bought out TSR which had continued to add more and more rules and publish lots of setting world and other play aids. WotC dropped the AD&D/Basic D&D distinction in favor of D&D 3rd Ed. and the game became more like some of it's chief competitors IMO. Skills and feats allowed a great deal of customization and the number of additional books released added official new character classes, feats, spells and monsters in great number. The internet allowed hobbyists who enjoy the electronic side of role-playing to engage in multi-player games with their friends and even to play a tabletop game online using Skype or Google+ Hangouts, etc. The widespread popularity of the MMORPGs has made the once niche hobby practically mainstream. Recently the hobby has seen the publication of several books about role-playing, one a multi-volume study of the history of the hobby. So I guess it's a real thing.
Deluxe T&T addresses all this as it traces it's own 40 year history. The dT&T authors, Ken St. Andre and friends, have been involved from the hobby beginning, both from the tabletop, pen and paper side and the electronic side having once done a T&T computer game. Packed into dT&T's 386 pages is the Core or Basic game, which is pretty much as it has been since the 1970's, as well as the Elaborations which are newer rules the player can add or not, or be inspired by to create their own Elaborations. The Trollworld Atlas gives us information on the setting/playground Ken St. Andre and friends have adventured in from the early days. Deluxe T&T tells its own story, how it has evolved over the years. A game like dT&T (or the White Box) remains a living changing thing as long as people use the rules to inspire their imaginations, adding to and innovating upon the game, taking the game beyond what is written and making it something new and unique. Reading through dT&T this week I am reminded of past T&T games played and have thought of several possible adventures yet to come, games I want to play in the future.
At Gencon this past weekend I sat at the table with kids as young as ten together with older folks. The kids seemed to get into the face-to-face tabletop experience as much as any of us older gamers and I think the future of the hobby is promising. The so-called edition wars and Old School Renaissance (OSR) has demonstrated that there is an interest in playing the older games and continuing to produce new material for said older games. The popularity of specialty cons directed at the OSR hobbyist continues to grow. At the same time creativity in the hobby remains strong with new and innovative games being released almost every year. Electronic support for the hobby also increases as new products and apps continue to be released. I see no reason for pessimism and am predicting we can look forward to being pleasantly entertained for many years to come!