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Sunday, April 27, 2014

Games From the Basement - Tunnels & Trolls Rulebook (Corgi Paperback Edition)


I'm a big fan of Tunnels & Trolls. I have every edition published - 1st and 3rd (oopsie - no third edition owned - cover is same as 2e - no idea the differences between 2 and 3) edition are reprints, 2nd is Ken's very own copy, 4e, multiple copies of 5e and 5.5e, unofficial 6th and 7e and 7.5e. Notice multiple copies of 5Xe? That's because there are multiple flavors.

My favorite of ALL the editions is the Corgi printing of the 5e rules from 1986.

Why?

Not because they renamed some of the more silly sounding spells (leaving Yessa Massa as is still surprises me when they changed Poor Baby - a healing spell - to Restoration).

It's because of the convenient size (slightly oversized paperback) and the affordable price, even for the time - just under 3 British Pounds.

Corgi also packed many of the classic T&T solos in double titled paperbacks. So you got two solo adventures AND a stripped down version of the T&T rules - enough rules that you could play some sessions with other players with what was provided.

Sometimes I think I'd like a copy of S&W or LL in such a convenient, portable and affordable size, but I guess that's what PDFs and tablets are for these days...

9 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. You don't have the 8ème (8th) edition?

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  3. This was actually the only edition of 5e I could hunt down for an affordable price.

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  4. That's the one edition I wished I had. I'm all about portable gamebooks, and that looks great (of course now I moved on to 7.5 so it's a moot point).

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    1. it occasionally pops up on ebay for 10 bucks or so

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  5. That's the book I have. I had a most enjoyable game yesterday in fact!

    http://hitstokill.blogspot.co.nz/2014/04/tunnels-and-trolls.html

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  6. The Corgi books are amazing for another reason: they're filled with excellent Josh Kirby art. Kirby isn't well known in America, but he did most of the original UK covers of the early Discworld books, getting his style closely associated with the series as it grew in popularity (and pegging how its definitive look for lots of fans). Kirby's bold, stylized yet somewhat gritty art id an excellent match for T&T.

    When I ordered my first T&T boxed set ages ago, it contained the Corgi pocket-sized rulebook rather than Flying Buffalo printing. I didn't see an original American version for years, so the Kirby art is at least as definitively T&T as Liz Danforth's to me.

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  7. C&C printed their rulebooks in 6x9, and they are a little hard on the eyes but you could get S&W or LL custom printed at that scale. As long as your eyes are good, it is not too bad.

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  8. Love that size: so convenient. Love a cheap paperback I can lug around. Hate the current glossy hardcover craze (and resultant pricing) of RPGs.

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