Tunnels & Trolls is dead, long live Tunnels & Trolls!

I was going to do another post on "The Collection" but this topic came up and I wanted to get it out first.

No doubt long time fans of Tunnels & Trolls (T&T) are aware that the property now rests in the hands of Rebellion Unplugged and they have issued a new edition of the game, Tunnels & Trolls A New Age. While it is a perfectly fine game in its own right the honest truth is the game is comprised of new mechanics in a new setting. Old fans were hoping for something a little closer the older game. Well they are in luck because a number of creators have answered the call and I want to discuss two games that are spiritual successors to the game Flying Buffalo published for many years. One game is one the market now and the other is still in playtest stage.

If I had to describe the first game, Many Sought Adventure by Kabuki Kaiser I would say someone gave T&T the Mork Borg treatment.  The publisher's elevator pitch is:

A small, solo–friendly feral d6 fantasy engine for rogue wizards and dungeon rats and a Rosetta Stone that lets you run B/X, AD&D, 5E, Tunnels & Trolls, OSR zines, and one pagers as is.

Fast tables, stolen spells, scoundrel magic, lethal stakes.

If the name Kabuki Kaiser rings a bell that might be because of their other amazing OSR offerings such as Ruins of the Undercity, Mad Monks of Kwantoom, and Castle Gargantua. 

Many Sought Adventure (MSA) is a stripped down version of T&T updated for the modern market's publishing sensibilities. This product looks right at home next to Pirate Borg. That said it is a well done version of T&T that can easily be used to run published modules for Basic and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons & Dragons 5E, and of course any edition of T&T prior to A New Age. It also has maybe the best explanation and examples, including visual examples, of T&T stunts that I have seen in a rulebook. It really is impressive. This version also keeps the T&T trademark of rolling buckets of dice so if that is your jam you need to pick this up. 

The second product I want to point out is called Twisted Tunnels and it is currently in the playtest stage. The creator in question is John St. Gaptooth of the blog The Deep Six Delver and you can download the playtest document here: https://d6.beardedbaby.net/twisted-tunnels-public-playtest-release

I'll let John explain it in his own words:

Twisted Tunnels is a dungeon-crawling RPG. It’s a love letter to Ken St. Andre’s original 1975 Tunnels & Trolls—with gusto and gratitude. It’s not a retro-clone: it’s something that grew from running and playing in that tradition for seventeeen years and refusing to leave it alone. Desperate, foolish, or simply mad, your delvers descend into the Twisted Tunnels for fun and profit—competing for higher levels and greater fortunes than everyone else at the table.

 

What it carries forward from classic T&T:

Three types: Warrior, Magic-User, Rogue

Six abilities generated on 3d6 each; ablative—they drop when you take damage, and hitting zero means sudden death

Monster Ratings: one number defines how tough a monster is

Side-vs-side combat (the Ruckus): both sides roll buckets, compare totals, loser eats the difference…

…or Throwdowns for more intimate moments of violence

Saving Rolls: 2d6 (DARO) + ability vs. a target set by the dungeon level

Catching and taming monsters—like Ash!

Spellcasting spends Strength

Compatible with classic T&T solo dungeons (more or less)

 

What makes it its own thing:

The Terror Check.

Roughly every ten minutes of real time, the referee picks up a die and rolls it where everyone can see. Nothing happens? The pool grows—add another die. Eventually something claws its way in. The dungeon doesn’t wait for the players to be ready.

Roll a fistful, keep two (DARO).

Classic T&T’s DARO only applies to Saving Rolls—here it drives everything. You roll as many dice as the situation calls for, then pick the two you want. Doubles cascade—add them up and roll again. Big swings are possible; long addition is not.

Berserkers Revived and Streamlined.

Your fighter can go bananas and fly into frenzy. Going berserk is powerful, but you might turn on your allies. Snapping out costs Strength, but every body you drop while berserk burns through the fury and makes it cheaper.

The Pit of Ultimate Darkness.

Want to bend reality? Descend to the right dungeon level, brew the right ingredients, and make your petition. The Unseen Awful Powers will name their price. “Your shadow. It stays behind in the Pit.”

Now I do want to warn you that the playtest document isn't polished and pretty but I think if you read it you will find the kind of updated document that T&T fans were hoping to see with A New Age. This is a streamlining of the game that keeps the spirit and feel of the original game and I am really looking forward to when it is available in its finished form.

If you want to keep up with the community of older T&T fans one of the best, if not the best, place to do so is Vin's T&T Trollbridge, an old style internet forum.  

Well that's all I have this week, I'll be back in two weeks with that post on "The Collection" until then be excellent to each other!