Tunnels & Trolls is one of the oldest fantasy roleplay games out there, second only to Dungeons & Dragons as far as I am aware. In 1975 a group of gamers lead by Ken St. Andre came up with an easier and more accessible alternative to the D&D rule system. Instead of needing three core rulebooks T&T would use just one. It was sold without dice to cut out extra tax and purposely avoided the use of specialist dice. You could easily obtain six-sided dice cheaply or even take them from boardgames you already owned.
The game is still going strong today and with the accessibility of the Internet, more and more groups of players have merged their efforts. Ken St. Andre still runs numerous events for adventurers and the game has found a new surge of support via Kickstarter to release a deluxe edition.
Game Editions: Although 1975 was the release date of the original game I shall be reviewing Tunnels & Trolls based on the 5th edition from 1979 plus maybe a few mentions of the Anniversary edition known as 7.5 from 2005.
Game Setting
Tunnels & Trolls takes place in a (non-specific) fantasy world, described in the book as a simpler cosmos, where numerous tunnel complexes exist. Determined men and women arm and provision themselves to venture deep into these ancient dungeons in search of great treasures.
There are some brief descriptions of the "Trollworld" the developers used for their game but all in all you are encouraged to make your own fantasy realm. Later editions would include more details of the developers Trollworld and included a colourful map as well as historical time lines.
In a 1986 interview Ken St. Andre said the T&T setting was what Lord Of The Rings would have been like if done by Marvel Comics. Based on many of the published adventures for the game this is evident in the amount of freaks, mutants and super-heroic characters you encounter. The players themselves may also expect to find themselves fused with giant cave bears, having their arm turned to magic crystal or finding their personal attributes raised to godlike levels.
Characters
As with Dungeons & Dragons, each player has six main attributes representing their personal ability. Higher attributes give bonuses to combat, lower ones cause penalties. The game uses only three character types: Warriors, Wizards and Rogues. There is also one cross-class type of Warrior Wizard but these are rare indeed. Flexibility is possible in Tunnels & Trolls but restrictions do apply.
Warriors: Described in the game as based on characters such as Robert E. Howard's Conan, they understand force over all else. Warriors can use any weapon in the game and have a massive advantage when wearing armour (knowing how to use it rather than just wear it). They may never learn how to cast spells but can and will use any magical device they can find.
Wizards: As can be expected, Wizards can cast spells. As with most games they get more powerful with experience. Unlike most games they actually start with some serious firepower and may also wear any armour they can afford. Their weaponry is restricted but a well thought out wizard could easily be mistaken for a ranger or warrior until they start slinging their magic around!
Rogues: This can be a misunderstood class. Rogues are not thieves in T&T although they can be if the player chooses. A rogue is someone who had the potential to become a wizard but either lacked the fortune or incentive to learn at the right age. They can learn spells but never as well as a true wizard. They may use any weapons effectively but will never benefit from the defence training warriors have. Rogues get by mainly on their wits and sheer luck.
Warrior Wizards: These are a slightly elitist lot and are often better served as challenging villains than player characters. They can cast spells and fight like a warrior. They are not quite as good as a true Wizard in the field of magic however.
There are rules for playing dwarves, elves, hobbits and even leprechauns or fairies! The effect of kindred advantages are not balanced however. The game often seems to teach you that things are not always fair. As combat activities are mainly team based it is not a big issue however.
Aside from that you have no specific skills. The players are encouraged to come up with their own ingenious solutions to their problems and are not held back by shackles of skill deficiency. You don't have to roll to cook a meal or set up camp in T&T. That's not the part we're interested in. You're heroes and so we save the die rolls for the fun parts!
Gameplay
Combat is a chaotic and furious affair. Each player rolls an amount of dice specific to their weaponry and adds the bonuses from their attributes. Monsters usually have a simple Monster Rating which gives them dice and bonuses of their own. Melee combat is contested and also team based, adding together everyones' rolls against the combined monster attack. For this reason you may have dozens of dice on each side and it can get a bit out of control (which is part of the fun in the game). Combat can sometimes be a long and drawn out affair and so players are often encouraged to find ways to gain advantage using their own ingenuity.
Other daring feats are done by Saving Throws. This simple mechanism has made Tunnels & Trolls one of the most flexible games out there. Pick an attribute, pick a difficulty level, roll two dice. Simple as that! Doubles of the same number are added and re-rolled meaning that any player stands at least some chance of succeeding.
The simple systems of T&T have made it ideal for solo-play too. Many adventures have been published over the years for solitaire adventures and you can find many more across the internet.
Obviously the game is not without flaws and combat can get particularly cumbersome at times. This has encouraged players to think outside the box and even create their own house rules. The flaws almost become part of the charm.
Presentation
The edition I originally played with was a simple stapled book, black and white inside with a yellow cover. However a 5.5 edition came out in 2005 with a full colour cover, although the pictures are all still in black & white.
The book is extremely readable but laid out in a slightly odd way. You are given enough information to run a game first, followed by more rules are expansions. Throughout the book are wonderfully inked illustrations by artist Liz Danforth who really gave to game a unique feel. Although simple in comparison to what you may expect from Wizards Of The Coast these days you must remember that at the time TSR's Dungeons & Dragons were mainly ink illustrated too and not as beautifully as Danforth's work.
Conclusion
I worry that I may wear my nostalgia goggles too much but I really miss these sort of games where you had your own input and the gameplay was more important than selling a product. More elitist RPG fans may look down at T&T with it's simple single rulebook and pen & ink illustrations. I say they are losing out and they have certainly forgotten their roots.
Games like T&T are often created in reaction to the expensive or overly complex games that are marketed at us. Remember that we all make these games special, not just the people listed on the credits. Ken St. Andre and his gang of merry delvers gave us a chance to remember that back in 1975 and we should remember it now.
Nostalgia goggles or not the game gets 9/10 from me.
