- Or Is It a Farewell to the Original, Unfiltered Spirit and World, and a Lost Vision, Paved by a New Beginning? This has been a long time coming!
World-renowned independent creative studio Rebellion announced a while ago its acquisition of Tunnels & Trolls, a true pioneer of the fantasy roleplaying game genre. Published in 1975, it stands as the second roleplaying game ever released, predating many of the iconic titles that followed and carving its own unique path in the world of tabletop gaming.
This acquisition marks an exciting new chapter for Tunnels & Trolls, a game celebrated for its accessible rules, solo adventures, and whimsical charm. Created by Ken St. Andre, Tunnels & Trolls has fostered a dedicated and passionate fanbase for decades, offering a different flavor of fantasy roleplaying that emphasizes storytelling and individual exploration within the distinctive setting of Trollworld.
Rebellion, known for its diverse portfolio of successful video games, comic books, and board games (including the popular Sniper Elite and Judge Dredd universes), is eager to bring its creative energy and resources to this beloved classic. The studio recognizes the rich history and enduring appeal of Tunnels & Trolls and is committed to honoring its legacy while exploring new possibilities for the game.
Adding to the intrigue, Rebellion announced their acquisition on January 23rd, 2025, and have already hinted at their vision for the future of Tunnels & Trolls! They teased a "reimagining" of the game, promising a fresh take that retains the core appeal while enhancing key aspects. However, it has also been announced that this reimagining will not be set in the traditional world of Trollworld, but rather in a completely new setting developed by Rebellion for their own uses.
According to Rebellion's earlier announcement, this reimagined Tunnels & Trolls will feature:
- Combat that is both easy and lightning-quick, yet immediate and thrilling. This suggests a streamlining and modernization of the classic combat system, aiming for faster and more engaging encounters.
- Characters who are at once ordinary and fated heroes. This hints at a focus on relatable starting characters who can rise to extraordinary destinies through their adventures.
- Adventures that delve deep into dark tunnels and bring players face-to-face with ancient trolls and powerful magicks – albeit in a new, as-yet-unnamed world. This signals a significant departure from the established lore and geography of Trollworld.
- A launch planned for 2025. This confirms that fans won't have to wait long to see Rebellion's vision for T&T come to life in its new setting.
For many long-time fans such as myself, that the acquisition of Tunnels & Trolls by Rebellion evokes a complex mix of emotions, heavily tinged with skepticism, now compounded by the news that the reimagining will abandon the beloved setting of Trollworld. The history of the game under its previous ownership, including the decision to retroactively rename spells – a move some saw as unnecessary pandering – has left a lingering sense that the original spirit has been compromised. While T&T might be categorized as "green" on certain community-maintained lists tracking ideological leanings in TTRPGs, even minor gestures towards prevailing trends have been enough to disillusion some long-time supporters.
The announcement of a "reimagining" in an entirely new world further fuels these concerns. The worry is that Rebellion, a company with no prior direct connection to the Tunnels & Trolls legacy, is not only changing the rules but also discarding the established setting that was integral to the game's identity. This feels less like a continuation and more like a complete reboot in all but name. My point exactly: Tunnels & Trolls as we knew it is done, it's finished. Everything the original team was able to do with it concluded with the sale of Flying Buffalo. It's worth remembering that Ken St. Andre himself had new plans and adventures envisioned for Trollworld, but those plans were unfortunately curtailed when he had to sell his rights during the Flying Buffalo acquisition – a genuinely sad day for many dedicated fans. Reviving the name while discarding the setting and seemingly the unfulfilled vision of its creator feels like kicking a dead horse and then trying to glue its parts onto a completely different animal for the sake of profit or ideological proliferation.
You know, you probably won't even be able to screw an old lady, win a big-breasted sex slave, or get turned to stone by your Medusa lover in the City of Terrors anymore – and now it won't even be in Trollworld, potentially erasing even the possibility of those kinds of darkly humorous scenarios. Or remember Beyond the Silvered Pane, where your sorcerous lover gifts you invisible leather armor and an ass tattoo of their name? Good luck finding adventures like that in Rebellion's new, sanitized setting.
I don't know. I guess it depends on whether you see stuff like that as juvenile and crass or sophisticated and outré. To my mind, there will always be a place and a market for things that some would consider in bad taste, and Trollworld certainly had its share. The real question is whether Rebellion intends to be associated with that spirit and risk the ire of the outrage brigade, or if they will make a stand for teenage boys (and those with a similar sensibility) everywhere – and it seems their decision to create a new world suggests they are choosing the former.
In conclusion, it's worth noting that the original creative forces behind Tunnels & Trolls have seemingly moved on, focusing their energies on a brand-new roleplaying game: Zimrala. This World of Monsters Monsters RPG represents a fresh start and a new creative endeavor from the team that brought us the beloved classic in the world of Trollworld, a world that even its creator had more stories to tell in. For some, including myself, Zimrala represents the true future of their tabletop gaming interests, especially since Ken St. Andre himself allowed me to create my own unique part of that world with my Tygerians as a playable race and the establishment of the Tygerian Isles. With Rebellion not only reimagining the rules but also abandoning Trollworld entirely for their own setting, this feels less like an acquisition and more like the end of an era, and the potential loss of Ken St. Andre's remaining vision for his creation, now being supplanted by new fan-driven creativity within the Zimrala framework. As such, the reimagined Tunnels & Trolls from Rebellion will likely remain unpurchased by me becuse i have my Tygerian Isles on Zimrala and I am oart of the creative team helping to create bew game master adventures for Monsters Monsters RPG.
What are your thoughts on this acquisition and the future of Tunnels & Trolls, especially with the move to a new world and the knowledge of Ken St. Andre's unfulfilled plans, alongside the burgeoning creativity within the Zimrala community? Are you hopeful for Rebellion's vision, cautiously optimistic, or do you share the sentiment that the game's original, unfiltered magic and its unique setting – along with the creator's further ideas – have been effectively retired, making way for new, fan-supported horizons? Let us know in the comments below.
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