Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2017 9:10:23 GMT -5
So ... you want to know more about Tunnels & Trolls, the 2nd ever FRPG? Welcome!
A Brief History: a librarian who loved fantasy books and games named Ken St. Andre borrowed a friend's copy of OD&D after hearing a lot of buzz. He didn't understand it. So he published his own game and either he, an associate, or a licensed third party has been publishing it ever since.
What T&T Is: a fantasy role-playing game with fighters, wizards, fairies, and assorted monsters from story and legend.
Which Edition Should I Try? You know how folks are always saying pre-1983 editions of D&D are all (more or less) compatible? So it is with T&T. Grab a copy of any one you find. Specifics will vary, but the general game-play is the same no matter which edition you have.
Oh, Come On! You Know What I Mean! Okay, okay ... grab either 5th edition or the new Deluxe edition (dT&T). As a side note, both are widely available in hard copy (though only the latter is still in print) and also available in PDF from drivethrurpg et al. I recommend these two editions because they are the cleanest "reads" with regard to organization, layout, etc. If you find a copy of edition 5.5? It's the same text as 5th but with an additional house rules used by Ken added as a last chapter, but it isn't in legal PDF and hard copies aren't too common.
How Is It Different From That Other Game, Anyway? Well, now that is the big question, isn't it? That's the next post! 
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2017 10:18:28 GMT -5
The Same: most of the same classes and races. Monsters are drawn from many of the same folktales and legends. Magic works, people whack each other with swords and wear armor to protect themselves.
The Differences: pretty much all the game mechanics are different, as one might well surmise. At a tyro to T&T, I found this the most surprising. I've been told for years T&T was "cheap knockoff" of D&D and this simply is not the case. Certainly, D&D inspired T&T, but these are different games. The following comparisons always list D&D first (as the oldest game) then T&T.
Magic: Vancian versus psi-based magic. In T&T the Wizard does not need to remember spells, he casts whatever spell he wishes and has the power to cast. No "fire & forget" magicks, and the Wizard can also exceed his daily casting ability at the risk of damage to himself.
Combat: matrix of level/HD & AC versus xd6 + Adds. We're all familiar with OD&D's combat matrices, level or HD of attacker rolls versus target AC. T&T has damage by weapon type, modified by Adds. These are additional points for various factors such as character level, magical buffs, enchantments, strength, etc. High roll wins, the loser's total roll is subtracted from the winner's roll and the difference is applied to the loser or losers. Magic attacks and missile fire are resolved differently ... but you still don't want to to fire an arrow into melee!
Dice: polyhedral versus d6. Lots of d6.
Armor: makes target harder to hit versus damage absorbing.
Weapons: straight d6 versus variable by type.
Fighters: basically the same. I mean, an armored adventurer with a bad attitude who likes to solve problems with a pointy object? That's your pretty basic fantasy trope right there.
Magic-Users: Wizards in T&T, these can use light armor though weapon selection is similar to, and as limited as, D&D's MU.
Clerics: no clerics in T&T, though it does have a combination Warrior-Wizard. The WW is not quite the best at fighting or magic, but they are very good at both and a powerful class. So much so, St. Andre made it tougher to be one as the game evolved to later editions.
Thieves: no thieves in T&T, though they have a rogue class that is pretty suitable for sneaky type adventurers. The rogue is much more of an almost spell-caster in the flavor of Lieber's Gray Mouser.
Summary: D&D was written by wargamers as an evolution of wargaming (and some say as a tactical wargame but I'll leave that debate for others). St. Andre wrote a game he thought captured the flavor of the fantasy novels he loved (though he is on record as stating he did play wargames so he was familiar with them) and didn't use all those weird dice. I believe this idea sums up the difference in the two games. Both are a blast to play, but I must say T&T lends itself to solo play much better. Now, I feel social interaction is the main reason I game, so this is not necessarily a selling point for me. I mention it because it is a big difference between the two rules systems.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2017 10:21:45 GMT -5
Want to try Tunnels & Trolls for yourself? Click [ here] for a free PDF of abridged rules with a short solitaire adventure included. |
|
|
|
Post by Crimhthan The Great on Sept 28, 2017 11:36:46 GMT -5
@piper, that is a useful set of posts and an excellent detailed comparison. You answered all of the questions I have had about the game.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Old Ref Himself on Sept 28, 2017 11:59:47 GMT -5
Masterful review! Well done @piper!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2017 13:07:46 GMT -5
Masterful review! Well done @piper ! Thank you! |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2017 13:12:18 GMT -5
@piper , that is a useful set of posts and an excellent detailed comparison. You answered all of the questions I have had about the game. I'm glad you found it of use, Crimhthan The Great! Let me know if you have any questions, I'll answer as best I can or refer the question to someone who does. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2017 13:38:24 GMT -5
More differences between the two rules I thought might be of some interest. More will be posted as I think of them.
Ability scores are much more important in T&T. All are used at one point or another in most aspects of the game mechanics.
No Wisdom, but Luck instead.
No alignments and by logical extension, no alignment languages.
No "end game" or "domain level" game as implied in OD&D.
No level titles (one of the least used aspects of OD&D I've seen over the years).
T&T openly encourages the use of humor (though not silliness) in the use of adventure designs right there in the rules!
|
|
|
|
Post by mormonyoyoman on Sept 28, 2017 22:55:50 GMT -5
Sadly, I have annoyed Khenn in the past by playing VERY silly scenes in his campaign. Like my centaur who tried to climb a rope ladder...
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2017 23:04:26 GMT -5
Like my centaur who tried to climb a rope ladder... I'd pay real money to see that! |
|
|
|
Post by mormonyoyoman on Sept 29, 2017 6:25:02 GMT -5
Like my centaur who tried to climb a rope ladder... I'd pay real money to see that! Lvl7SR on DEX, STR, and LUCK! On 2d6. If I had only rolled DARO a couple of times! Trollspeak translation: I had to roll more than 50 minus DEX, then 50 minus STR, then 50 minus LUCK. DARO (Doubles Add & Roll Over) might have saved me, but Chester the Centaur wasn't lucky enough to break a leg and die. NO, he had to hang there like a side of horsemeat and face the ridicule of the party. ("What were you THINKING?!") |
|
|
|
Post by ripx187 on Sept 30, 2017 14:28:39 GMT -5
Exalt @piper The promoters of Dungeons & Dragons ability to manipulate public opinion has never failed to amaze me, and T&T is one of the prime examples. How do you convince the public that T&T is the generic game for a generic game? They managed to do it. The greatest thing that D&D has is the funny dice and our love for them. T&T has always done its best to produce materials with price and value in mind. I know that they made an "alternative" to the Spelljammer setting, instead of needing to collect Box sets, which were already out of print at the time, all you needed was the one T&T book and you were ready to go! Well, now that book (the title eludes me) is a collector's item  |
|
