Tunnels & Trolls
Ken St. Andre, a public librarian in Phoenix, Arizona, wrote the first edition of Tunnels & Trolls and self-published it in April 1975. He had read Dungeons & Dragons rule books from a friend but found them confusing and expensive. "I just wanted something I could play with my friends at a reasonable price," he said. Flying Buffalo Inc. published a second edition in June 1975 that became a serious competitor to D&D. The game used only six-sided dice instead of polyhedral ones. It offered similar statistics and character classes to its rival but relied on a magic system based on points. Michael Tresca noted later that the game explained its rules better overall. He added that it brought a sense of impish fun to the genre.
The game underwent several modifications between the original release and when the fifth edition appeared in 1979. This edition was translated and published abroad in countries like Germany, France, Italy, Finland, and Japan. In Germany, Tunnels & Trolls was released as Schwerter & Dämonen in September 1983, two months earlier than Dungeons & Dragons arrived there. In 2005, Flying Buffalo updated the fifth edition rules with a "5.5" publication adding about 40 pages of extra material. That same year, Fiery Dragon Productions produced a 30th Anniversary Edition under license. Ken St. Andre used this opportunity to update the style of play and introduce new role-playing concepts. The 7th edition introduced a skills system and changed how character levels were determined by attribute statistics rather than arbitrary experience points. The 7.5 edition followed in 2008 as an update and clarification. In August 2015, Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls was published with design input from Liz Danforth and James "Bear" Peters.
Eight prime attributes define characters in Tunnels & Trolls including Strength, Intelligence, Luck, Constitution, Dexterity, Charisma, Wizardry, and Speed. A new character begins with randomly generated scores for each attribute by rolling three six-sided dice. Combat is handled by comparing dice rolls between a character and his opponent. Both sides roll a number of dice determined by which weapon is in use then modify the result by personal adds. Totals are compared with the higher roll damaging the opposing combatant by the difference in totals. Armor absorbs damage taken while any remaining amount subtracts from the Constitution attribute. The game conducts mass combat resolution with one set of rolls applying to combat between any number of opponents. Personal adds are determined by Strength, Luck, and Dexterity where every point above 12 grants a one-point bonus. In the 7th Edition, the formula included Speed in the personal adds. The 5.5, 7th and Deluxe editions include spite damage whereby each 6 rolled on the combat dice causes minimum one damage regardless of armor or totals.
In the third issue of The Space Gamer, Brant Bates called the first edition very playable and recommended it for fantasy fans who were not purists. Lewis Pulsipher reviewed Tunnels & Trolls for White Dwarf #2 stating that anyone who liked it would sooner or later graduate to the much more satisfying Dungeons & Dragons. Five years later Steve Jackson said of the fifth edition that it was worth the price for adventure gamers just for the ideas and comments it held. Eric Goldberg dismissed the fifth edition as a pleasant puff piece in Ares Issue 3 though he agreed production values had increased from amateur status to nearly professional standard. Jon Freeman commented in The Complete Book of Wargames that the game was both cheaper and faster but not better than its rival. He found combat unsatisfyingly gross and objected to tacky spell names like Too-Bad Toxin and Dum-Dum. Rick Swan liked several aspects of the fifth edition in Dragon Issue 184 noting players would find the magic system exceptionally clever despite imprecise rules. In his 1990 book The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games, Swan gave the game a solid rating of 3 out of 4 calling it one of the earliest and most enduring fantasy RPGs.
Tunnels & Trolls was the first system to publish a series of fantasy-themed gamebooks designed to be played by one person without a referee. At least twenty such adventures were published by Flying Buffalo including titles like Buffalo Castle by Rick Loomis and Deathtrap Equalizer Dungeon by Ken St. Andre. The Fighting Fantasy series achieved great popularity using this format later. Both T&T's simplicity and reliance on six-sided dice contributed to its success in this genre. Other notable solo adventures included Dargon's Dungeon by Michael Stackpole and Weirdworld by Keith Abbott. The list expanded over decades with releases like The Amulet of the Salkti by David Steven Moskowitz in 1986 and Vaults of K'Horror by Andy Holmes and Ken St. Andre in 2018. These publications established the gamebook genre while allowing individual players to explore dungeons alone. GM adventures also existed including The Dungeon of the Bear by Jim "Bear" Peters and Uncle Ugly's Underground by Ugly John Carver. Pocket solo adventures like Goblin Lake by Ken St. Andre offered shorter experiences for quick play sessions.
In July 2021, Webbed Sphere bought Flying Buffalo along with its catalog but not including its Play By Mail games. In 2023, Webbed Sphere terminated licenses previously granted by Rick Loomis and Flying Buffalo to third party publishers of Tunnels & Trolls products. During their ownership of the company and the intellectual property, Webbed Sphere did not release any new versions of the game. In May 2023, Webbed Sphere sold Tunnels & Trolls as well as Flying Buffalo's entire range of role-playing games to Rebellion Unplugged's table top role playing game division. This sale included Citybook and Grimtooth products alongside Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes. The transition marked a significant shift in how the franchise would be managed moving forward from decades of independent publishing under Flying Buffalo Inc.
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Common questions
Who wrote the first edition of Tunnels & Trolls and when was it published?
Ken St. Andre, a public librarian in Phoenix, Arizona, wrote the first edition of Tunnels & Trolls and self-published it in April 1975.
When did the fifth edition of Tunnels & Trolls appear and which countries received translations?
The fifth edition appeared in 1979 and was translated and published abroad in countries like Germany, France, Italy, Finland, and Japan.
What are the eight prime attributes that define characters in Tunnels & Trolls?
Eight prime attributes define characters in Tunnels & Trolls including Strength, Intelligence, Luck, Constitution, Dexterity, Charisma, Wizardry, and Speed.
Which company bought Flying Buffalo in July 2021 and what happened to new game versions during their ownership?
Webbed Sphere bought Flying Buffalo along with its catalog in July 2021 but did not release any new versions of the game during their ownership.
When did Webbed Sphere sell Tunnels & Trolls to Rebellion Unplugged and what products were included in the sale?
In May 2023, Webbed Sphere sold Tunnels & Trolls as well as Flying Buffalo's entire range of role-playing games to Rebellion Unplugged's table top role playing game division. This sale included Citybook and Grimtooth products alongside Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes.