Anybody play T&T anymore, or is it dead?

Dion

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The most important thing about role playing games are easy rules. When the rules are easy like the rules in T&T the game just flows, as a result the players really feel like they are playing the role of an adventurer. When miniatures, strict rules, or anything else overshadows the game, the game suffers. But T&T rules are so simple that its almost like the game has no rules. For this reason I think T&T is the best role playing game there is, and I hope there is still many players playing the game.

:nuts:
 
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Palantir

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The bigger question is how many people now even know what T&T stands for! :laugh: And no it's not Turtles & Trees! :p

I think the system is dead, it's simply been overwhelmed by the marketing of AD&D as were Arduin Grimorie & a dozen other early RPG's.

I agree 100% that complicated rules kill a RPG. Gygax has some of the most intriguing games/systems out there but try and understand those takes forever. And then you have to try explaining them to the players. :nuts:

Way back before D&D came out its predecessor "Chainmail," which I cut my RPG teeth on, was simply a book of fantasy ideas & "things." The GM did everything else and put those things in his game. Then came the free wheeling "White Box D&D" system and from that point on each new version came with "stricter" rules. With players crying that in one DM's game a "Shrink Spell" worked on everything but another DM said it worked only on non-living matter, yada yada yada! Who was right dang it! :cry:
I could answer that one- whatever your DM says is right- you whiners! :(

However, the creation of RPG tournaments that required set rules that were "fair" & known to everyone really put the nail in "your own imagination" role playing. From then on it was the AD&D way or no way. :blab:

I've been running an RPG on & off for over 30 yrs and have incorporated many systems into my own. The two main ones are Rolemaster (for character generation & creatures) plus AD&D magic/spells- (modified for D100 usage). Right of the bat I said screw them, you're not running my world I am! :bite:
I think I've now modified every single aspect of my world/system to play the way I want it. It's about a complicated as the new AD&D but I have cheat sheets that cut right to the basics & lets new players hit the ground running.

The most fun however is always the getting together with friends part! :D
 
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Aries

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Puts hand up and says, yes, I recall Tunnels and Trolls :)

D&D3 was originally billed as a simplication of the game, and a you only need the players and dm's guide notion.

What unmitigated horse pukey :)

If you told me you'd give me 100 bucks for a list of every D&D3 manual released since day one of that series, plus a bonus 1000 bucks for a list of everything done under the d20 open licence. Well, I would likely have trouble getting the 100, and likely would have no chance at all on the 1000.

Just so frickin many manuals out there being force fed to the gullible consumer.

I'm a champion of the Alternity design actually. I have the Players, plus Gamemasters manual, and I can actually say you really CAN get a great straight forward gaming experience with just those. The design is nice, and not too danged over the top detailed.

But, rolegamers I think like zillions of manuals, in direct comparison to how wargamers like excessive rules accuracy. We basically doom ourselves with our over indulgence.
 

Palantir

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Nice one Aries,

The way I run mine is this way: throw a fireball, where does it hit, "about there" how much area does it cover "about that much" what damage does it do- roll a save / check a simple blast damage chart / apply damage and on we go, next spell & next fight!

I've found that my players don't want to be checking books every two minutes & wasting time to find out that their FB spell covered a 25'R when I said it covers "about this much" and they find out I'm off by 2 whole feet!

They want to roleplay not wade through a hundred pages that kills another 5 minutes of game time. So we don't we flow with what feels right as long as "I" stay consistent, & after 30 odd years I'm pretty good at what works & what doesn't.

Edit- well that makes 3 of us that know what T&T is: I always found it funny that they went with a X&X title for their system. Nothing like riding the coattails of a good thing! :)
 
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Whizbang1963

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Dion said:
The most important thing about role playing games are easy rules. When the rules are easy like the rules in T&T the game just flows, as a result the players really feel like they are playing the role of an adventurer. When miniatures, strict rules, or anything else overshadows the game, the game suffers. But T&T rules are so simple that its almost like the game has no rules. For this reason I think T&T is the best role playing game there is, and I hope there is still many players playing the game.

:nuts:

Never played, was always a D&D fan myself, but a local Arizona game store has the latest version of Tunnels and Trolls for sale. It is an anniversary edition. There must still be a following for it...

What I'd like to find are mint/near mint copies of All the Worlds Monsters published in the 80's for use with AD&D...There were tons of really cool add ons published back then..wish I'd kept it all.....

sigh...
 

Aries

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I think T&T grew out of a board game that was not expected to be anything but a board game.
 

Palantir

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I believe you are right Leslie. Sort of took hold and grew, but as with other good stuff it was beaten nearly to death by the D&D tidal wave.
 

Whizbang1963

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Palantir said:
I believe you are right Leslie. Sort of took hold and grew, but as with other good stuff it was beaten nearly to death by the D&D tidal wave.
I know in the late 70's early 80's we ridiculed the guys playing T&T pretty badly becuase we were all playing D&D/AD&D and had dozens of folks playing where they'd have 2 or 3 maybe....we were so bad...
 

Maedhros

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Aries said:
I think T&T grew out of a board game that was not expected to be anything but a board game.
T & T was created by Mike Stackpole as an alternative to Gygaxian D&D - he didn't like the direction D&D was going and wanted to create something simpler. Stackpole wanted to be able to draw up, stock and play a dungeon crawl in a single evening without having to consult a large number of source books to do so.

T & T is, in 2006, hopelessly obsolete. It was designed for dungeon crawls and precious little else. There are extensive weapon lists, but NO skills and only a scant Magic system. T & T is also very tongue-in-cheek and not intended for "serious" roleplaying IMO.
 

Maedhros

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Dion said:
The most important thing about role playing games are easy rules. When the rules are easy like the rules in T&T the game just flows, as a result the players really feel like they are playing the role of an adventurer. When miniatures, strict rules, or anything else overshadows the game, the game suffers. But T&T rules are so simple that its almost like the game has no rules. For this reason I think T&T is the best role playing game there is, and I hope there is still many players playing the game.

:nuts:
[drumbeating mode ON]

You should look into FUDGE - the "Freeform Universal Do-it-yourself Game Engine" (go to www.fudgerpg.com). It grew out of the alt.fantasy.roleplaying newsgroup discussions in the early '90s - it's an "open source" game system that was put together collaboratively. Moves fast, very little overhead as far as rules go, precious few "charts" or lists, completely malleable to whatever style you prefer.

And the basic rules can be downloaded for FREE.
[drumbeating mode OFF]
 
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