Comments About T&T & Gaming In General

It occurred to me that I may have come off as being against Tunnels & Trolls, and I hope that's not the case. I'm a fan of this game and Flying Buffalo for staying true to their vision all these years. I see a few places where the book could be explained better, particularly for Game Masters who want to get into it.

I'll relate a couple of T&T experiences. I believe it was my friend Brian who introduced the game to me, same as with D&D. I got the box back in 1982, I think. I still have that rulebook and Buffalo Castle Solo Adventure. Rules seemed simple enough to me, and I jumped in to play Buffalo Castle. It was fun. It's been years, so I may revisit it soon. I don't recall if Brian GM'ed me at all back then, but I showed the game to my brother and others at my table. Nobody seemed interested, and the game went on the shelf.

When Free RPG Day came, T&T was at the top of my list of things to check out. I grabbed a copy of the Quick Rules and Goblin Lake. An experienced gamer can take that Quick Start Set and GM a game with only a little preparation. Plus, there's a solo adventure and an adventure a GM can use. The rules are the same. Imagine that!!! I'll get back to that point in a minute as I may rant there.

My Goblin Lake Adventure lasted briefly. I rolled up a Goblin as suggested, and he lasted about 7 or 8 panels in before dying as part of the Goblin King's Army : ) That made me laugh. The adventure was a little lethal as I read on, but maybe that was what they were going for.

Now, let me just say that the T&T Rulebook could use a face lift, but the rules are fine. From start to finish, the rules could be explained better, more charts could be useful in places and the monster section is lacking. The treasure section is lacking. I would not be for changing the rules or the art in that book as this is what makes T&T special and unique. However, the rules could be explained better. Might even get more people to try this diamond in the rough out for the first time.

Things I like about T&T:

1-Character Generation is simple and easy.
2-Combat system is easy. Love the six sided dice idea. The way the rules are laid out, a group of characters, working as a team, are a match for some of the bigger creatures, like dragons, on occasion.
3-You can't get every cool basic item at start. This is something I am working on in HotDC, and T&T had it right from the start. As you gain money and levels in T&T, you can get better weapons and armor. Your strength in T&T dictates what weapons and armor you can use.
4-Armor Absorption. Your armor actually absorbs some of the hits from your opponents. I'm exploring an optional rule in this area for HotDC, but I'm not sure it will work out. My desire is not to copy others, but if I see aspects that are adaptable to HotDC, I will give them a look.
5-Buying Spells. The Magic User in T&T can buy spells. He can only cast his level in Spells, but the list goes up to 20th or so (I'd have to check). It costs the Magic User strength to cast.

This is a neat little game, and T&T was always meant to be different from D&D and easy to play. The rules are so simple I would love to find a game in my area and give it a try. One thing I like about T&T is that they didn't feel the need to change all the rules to make them "better" like some others have done with their games. The layout could use some work, but the rules in that book are fine.

I'm getting just a little bit frustrated with the way gaming is going. I've gotta be honest. The rules for D&D 3.5 just don't do it for me. I feel they are designed for computer rpg's or to sell miniatures. I wasn't a big fan of AD&D, but at least I understood that game. It seems what Wizards has done is make their own game and use the title coined by Gary Gygax and TSR all those years ago, which they own and have a right to do. What's wrong with the game Gygax and Dave Arneson made all those years ago? Not a damn thing, in my opinion.

What really frustrates me is I don't see much on the shelves that I really even want to play. That version of D&D is foreign to me. I feel like if that's the game I must play, why not go back to Neverwinter Nights? All I need to do is click and play and not get a headache trying to figure out what roll I need to make. I'm told that's the way it is now. There's not much call for the old school stuff. Who made that decision? Wizards? Did they just decide this stuff needed to be pushed and everybody just fell in line?

I know better than to think there is no interest in the old school style, but it's been a quiet, but growing movement. It reminds me of the movie Barton Fink, where the guy wrote a book, but the publisher owned it and was putting it on the shelf for nobody to see. Wizards has no reason to whip out 1st Edition AD&D and Moldvay/Cook Basic/Expert D&D for even a limited printing for those of us who care, because they make enough money anyway.

But things like Hackmaster, Castles & Crusades, OSRIC, Basic Fantasy and Labyrinth Lord prove there is a growing interest for old school gaming. I don't believe there is no interest, but the big companies don't seem interested in giving the people in this market what they want. It seems wrong to own a set a rules that people have loved for years and keep them in the vault, telling those who want them to just play your new version of the game. It's their right to do that, but that doesn't make it the right thing to do.

I still worry about OSRIC and LL, because I just don't see how this is legal. They have lawyers working on OSRIC, and I still feel uneasy about it. I really want LL to work, and I'd love to design an adventure for it. What happens when they sick the lawyers on them? Considering some of the things going on lately, I see that as a possibility. Wizards could be simply watching and waiting. They could do nothing. They could, if we were lucky, see that there is a growing interest in this stuff and open the damn vaults. With lulu sitting out there, they could take advantage of that as a way to save costs on releasing the old stuff.

Whatever the case may be, I guess I just felt the need to rant a little bit. If the gaming public is happy, than what does it matter what my opinion is on the matter? It still say a basic game is needed and could sell if done correctly. It worked before anyway. In the meantime, I'll just keep plugging away at Heroes of the Dungeon Crawl in the hopes of making it available for anybody interested in the not too distant future.