Tunnels & Trolls 5th Edition compact paperbacks cheap

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Gringnr
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Tunnels & Trolls 5th Edition compact paperbacks cheap

Post by Gringnr »

Looks like the staff at Flying Buffalo found a bunch of copies of the out-of-print 5th Edition paperback of T&T. They're selling them for ten bucks each. They are also offering four solo gamebooks for 5 bucks apiece. Each gamebook has two adventures. Add 5 bucks for US Shipping, or 20 overseas. These are normally stupid expensive when they can even be found, so this seems like a neat opportunity for T&T fans. Just thought I'd share.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1208917858299727873
It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes.

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maximus
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Re: Tunnels & Trolls 5th Edition compact paperbacks cheap

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I've never tried T&T but remember seeing their stuff at the local hobby shop in the early '80s. How different is it from D&D or C&C?

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mmbutter
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Re: Tunnels & Trolls 5th Edition compact paperbacks cheap

Post by mmbutter »

Tons of 6 siders...

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BigJackBrass
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Re: Tunnels & Trolls 5th Edition compact paperbacks cheap

Post by BigJackBrass »

maximus wrote:I've never tried T&T but remember seeing their stuff at the local hobby shop in the early '80s. How different is it from D&D or C&C?
Character class is based around magic use: Warriors cannot use magic; Wizards can fully use magic; Rogues can use some magic.
There are all manner of choices for different kindreds (races) including fairies, leprechauns and intelligent monsters.
Combat emphasises the whole battle, with attacks being combined and then compared, and damage is determined by how much one side beats the other (so if your lone warrior faces three orcs at once he's in for some serious trouble).
There's a universal Saving Roll mechanic to cover attribute checks etc. These earn XP, even if you fail.
Luck is an important attribute.
Monsters can be as detailed as a PC or described with a single Monster Rating number.
Uses six-sided dice almost exclusively.

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Gringnr
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Re: Tunnels & Trolls 5th Edition compact paperbacks cheap

Post by Gringnr »

maximus wrote:I've never tried T&T but remember seeing their stuff at the local hobby shop in the early '80s. How different is it from D&D or C&C?
I'll try to explain, specifically using the 5th Edition.

6-8 Stats depending on edition. Stats are 3d6 rolled in order.

Most editions are compatible with or without minimal adjustments.



There are three "types" AKA classes-

Warriors: get double benefit from armor and shields. Might or might not go into berserker rage, depending on IQ. They may even be able to choose whether they rage or not.

Wizards: use magic, start with all the 1st level spells. Spells cost Strength to cast, which must then be recouped by resting. Can use staffs to reduce cost of magic in STR points. Can only use low-damage weapons. Higher leveleams higher level spells. It also means lower casting cost for lower level spells.

Rogues: can use magic but not formally trained. Must buy, bwg, borrow or steal spells. Cannot use magic staffs.



Level increase means Stat increase. That's how your character changes. You get to apply these increases however you choose.

One of the core mechanics is "Saving Rolls" the reference Stats. All stats are used in this way. For Saving Rolls, doubles add and roll over. Saving Rolls involve subtracting your Stat from a target number to get the number you have to roll on 2d6. Saving Rolls start at a Target number of 20 minus Stat, and go up from there in increments of 5. So level 2SR=25-Stat, level 3 SR=30-Stat, and so on.

You get Adventure Points for every Saving Roll, pass or fail. Also for.defearing monsters. Adventure Points are XP in T&T.

Combat references Strength, Luck and Dexterity. If Strength goes down temporarily due to Magic use/Berserker rage, so does your combat ability. This affects Monsters, too. People either love or hate this "death spiral"

Monsters basically have one stat, a Monster Rating. Monster Rating determines how many dice they use in combat. Makes fighting them dead simple. Also makes coming up with one on the fly dead simple. Some people find it too simplistic. Though monsters can be given abilities or magic to personalize them a bit. I like this, YMMV. As monsters take damage they also become less powerful and "spiral" to death. As Big Jack Brass stated, you can fully stat monsters if you want.

Combat can be done as a group instead of individual attacks. Again, some people find this too abstract, I like it though. You don't have to do it this way, but it can be a good way to save time, and encourage teamwork. Damage taken by monsters in this way can be assigned within the group however the party decides.

Armor soaks damage.

Weapons have Str and Dex requirements, which really makes them more individualized than in D&D.

There is no alignment.

Constitution is your hit points. Death at 0.

If your Strength goes to 0, you die.

Combat, whether group or individual, consists of rolling the dice for your weapons, plus any bonuses from weapon s or your stats. Enemy does the same. Compare. Higher roll wins. Difference between the two is applied as damage. The idea of Combat with no "to hit" roll runs some.people.the wrong way. Missile combat involves a Dex Saving Roll, which is the closest thing to a to-hit roll.

People say the game can bog down at higher levels die to ever increasing dice pools, but I don't know whose characters are living that long.

Newer editions have added a skill system, as well as some other mechanics. But I think that's the gist. I'll defer to Big Jack Brass here. If he disagrees with any of this, I am obviously mistaken.

Thematically the game is more wacky, anarchic and fun. It's dungeons have that old school charm and "anything can happen" feel. It is also quite suitable for solo play, and there are a metric TON of solo scenarios. I like the GM scenarios as well. They don't wear out their welcome. Short, creative and FUN.

The spells have silly names. The characters have funny names. It turns a lot of people off. To me, it's great. It's more Fafhrd and Grey Mouser than Fellowship of the Rings.

Hope I've given a good enough description to help you decide whether this is for you or not.

If anyone is interested in this, 01-01-2020 is the last day of this offer.
It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes.

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BigJackBrass
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Re: Tunnels & Trolls 5th Edition compact paperbacks cheap

Post by BigJackBrass »

Gringnr wrote: I'll defer to Big Jack Brass here. If he disagrees with any of this, I am obviously mistaken.
No, that's an excellent run through the major differences and in considerably more detail than I could manage! And anyway, I'm hardly an expert: the main thing I learned from T&T was never to prioritise the rules over everyone having a good time :D

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