I spent a lot of time this weekend with an old friend - Tunnels & Trolls (T&T). Tunnels & Trolls describes itself as the second published role-playing game ever. It is designed by Ken St. Andre, a now retired Phoenix librarian and man of much humor and good cheer. Trollgod St. Andre claims he came up with the rules (1975) after reading a borrowed copy of The Original RPG (The Little Brown Books) which he thought were confusing and unnecessarily complex. So he wrote his own game he and his friends would enjoy. This game became quickly popular in his local area and he was encouraged to publish it for sale which he did coming up with the name Tunnels & Trolls (an obvious homage to The Original Game?). Rick Loomis of Flying Buffalo Inc. became his publisher and also wrote the first solo adventure for an RPG, Buffalo Castle.
I find it fascinating that shortly after the publication of the Wood-grain Box version of The Original RPG, creative folks around the country and abroad started to take the game in various directions, often heavily modifying the rules as they interpreted and re-invented system mechanics and developed their own unique styles of play. I assume this is what the creators of The Original Game had in mind. The Original Game, White Box as I usually refer to it because that was my first version, developed from the campaigns of authors Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in the Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and Twin Cities, Minnesota areas respectively. Both campaigns are reflected in official Supplements, Mr. Gygax's Greyhawk and Mr. Arneson's Blackmoor. Although it was not part of the designer's goals to have others play the exact adventures and try to recreate the original campaign experiences, they did provide enough content for us to glean a bit of insight into how they played the game.
The Original Game sparked imaginations in various hotspots around the country and abroad. Tunnels & Trolls was on the table in Arizona by 1975. Folks in northern California around the bay were playing an all-out "gonzo" style of the game in Dave Hargrave's Arduin campaign with lots of new races, classes, spells, monsters - lots of everything! Also in that hotbed of imagination, Greg Stafford was sharing his Glorantha with a number of creative minds who would design RuneQuest after some attempts at using the LBBs. Further south around Pasadena, a variant of The Original Game was developing called Warlock later published by Balboa Games. This version would be Dr. Eric Holmes introduction to the hobby and he would soon edit The Original Game material into the first Basic Game in 1977. In Austin, Texas a slightly different take on the hobby developed under the hand of Steve Jackson who worked for Metagaming Concepts and authored The Fantasy Trip starting with the Microgames Melee and Wizard. Pete Fenlon, S. Coleman Charlton and Kurt Fisher developed houserules to support their Middle Earth game at the University of Virginia which eventually saw print (Arms Law, Rolemaster, M.E.R.P.) under their corporate name Iron Crown Enterprises (I.C.E.). Looking back on it now, this phenomenal burst of game creativity amazes me!
Being number two, and a major departure from the LBBs as written, T&T has been unique from the start. Weapons galore means that customization of each Warrior and later Rogue character is as aspect of the game when many other games lacked individualization of characters. Even Wizard characters have a host of 2-die weapons to choose from in the form of various daggers, dirks, stilettos and bodkins. Armor can be pieced out or worn in complete suits, stops hits taken and can even be worn by a Wizard, though that might not be the best idea. Saving throws generally rely on Luck score, but the mechanic can be used as a universal resolution system for just about anything a player attempts. Spells are magic point based and are therefore scalable and fatigue the caster, oh yes, and carry light-hearted names. T&T is built for fun and author Ken St. Andre doesn't let you forget that.
The unique rules of T&T have stood the test of time - the core rules remains the same through the various editions including the latest, Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls released in 2015. While many other systems which saw their beginnings in the 1970's have radically altered their mechanics, T&T stays true to its unique brand. Combat is still a group endeavor with each player adding their combat score together to form a group total which is compared to the monster(s) total and if the party loses the round, the group divides hits among characters. No other RPG I have come across emphasizes the "group" dynamic quite so obviously.
The Deluxe Edition is a book dedicated to "old school" games, and gamers. The crew that worked on the project are those who were originally involved in the creation of T&T...and it shows. There is a consistency in mechanics, style, writing and artwork that goes all the way back to 1975. There isn't really anything else in the hobby quite like T&T. Every time I open any edition of T&T I am reminded how much fun this game is and how many good memories I have connected to it. T&T is like that old pair of comfortable jeans that just feels so right...bell bottoms and all!
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