Tunnels & Trolls (T&T) is a class based fantasy role-playing game (RPG). Players of the first edition choose from a warrior or a wizard character class. Warriors are typical fighting men (or women) who excel at using weapons and armor. Wizards are the magic users who cast powerful magic spells, but are weak in weapon use. Warrior and wizard characters are the archetypes of sword & sorcery fiction which is an inspiration for the hobby. By applying a little imagination to the basic concept of warrior and wizard many if not all of the characters encountered in fantastic literature can be modeled.
The Rogue character class appears in the 4th Edition of Tunnels & Trolls (maybe earlier, I don't have access to editions 2 or 3) as an in-between character. Rogues are decently competent in combat, but not as efficient with armor as warriors. Rogues can cast a few magic spells, but lack the magic expertise of the wizard class. They are not the thief-like characters of Rogues in later editions of The World's Most Popular RPG. There is no provision in T&T for the Rogue to be any better at sneaking, picking pockets or opening locks than warriors or wizards. I like that.
One of my gripes about Supplement I: Greyhawk is that by including the Thief as a class based on the abilities of sneaking, hiding, backstabbing, opening locks, finding and removing traps, etc. the referee (and player) is left to wonder whether non-Thief PCs can attempt such actions? Does the absence of a Thief character mean a locked door stymies the party? Prior to Greyhawk, many referees, including myself, assumed that any adventurer possessed the basic adventurer skill set of sneaking, hiding, picking locks, etc. Of course it is possible to interpret Greyhawk as allowing for any character to attempt these tasks, only that Thieves are better at them. The starting Greyhawk Thief only has a 10% chance of success when removing traps or hiding in shadows, a 15% chance to open locks and a 20% chance to pick pocket or move silently. If Thieves are "expert" at these activities, how much worse are the other character classes?
The T&T Rogue is a "rogue" user of magic - one with the aptitude for magic, but perhaps with no formal training, or one with some early training in magic use, but no real aptitude. Regardless, Rogues are never members of the wizard's guild, cannot learn spells from the guild, do not benefit from a staff or wand and never gain the ability to reduce the strength cost of spells the way wizards do as they advance levels. It is interesting to note that both the Greyhawk Thief and T&T Rogue model aspects of the iconic Gray Mouser character of Fritz Leiber's "Swords..." fictions, though each seem to focus on different abilities.
In earlier editions, the T&T Rogue would eventually reach a point in his/her progression where the player must choose between continuing as a Warrior or as a Wizard and thus losing the abilities of the profession not chosen. In later editions the Rogue is a full class to the end and no choice is ever enforced. Also in later editions a skill mechanic is introduced and Rogues, like other classes, may take skills in thievery or other areas of expertise thereby further customizing each character.
I like the T&T Rogue character class. Of course I bring my own interpretation regarding the class into play when I think of the Rogue as a Jack-of-all-trades sort of character. Luck is an important attribute for the Rogue as I anticipate the Saving Throw mechanic coming into play often. Rogues live by their wits, not overly concerned with societies rules and expectations. Charm and possibly deceit are useful tools for the Rogue who definitely gets into many adventures of opportunity. Adding that bit of magic ability just makes the Rogue class that much more interesting.
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