Total Recall
Tunnels & Trolls
Personal recollections of cherished sci-fi and fantasy
David West, freelance writer
Liz Danforth’s iconic cover art for the Fifth Edition.
“ The Rock Demon goes totally berserk and hurls the magic keg. You are hit in the head, and your brains turn to beer. This character is totally useless from this point on – close the book.”
© LIZ DANFORTH
Ouch. If Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was the serious, grown-up RPG with its exhaustive rule system chronicled in weighty, expensive hardcover volumes, Tunnels & Trolls – which marks its 50th anniversary this year – was its goofy kid brother. Superficially, the two systems had plenty in common, with players rolling dice to determine the outcome of events and character traits like Strength, Dexterity and Intelligence, but that’s where the similarities mostly ended.