Tunnels and Trolls is one of those games I hear mentioned a lot, but no one seems to talk about. I didn’t even know it was purchased by someone new! I need to check it out, especially its solo content.
I love Troika! and its bizarre world-building. Ran it once and had a blast! I once heard it described as “David Bowie’s entire discography as an RPG,” which feels as appropriate a description as any.
I also really want to get into Castle Falkenstein at some point. I took one look at its contents, though, and had to put that on hold. There is so much world-building tied to the mechanics that unpacking it all is going to require a lot of free time.
Thanks for the article! I look forward to your future recommendations!
The solo content does vary wildly in quality/gonzoness. City of Terrors is very strong and I have fond memories of Arena of Khazan. If one solo doesn't quite vibe with you, others might. Mike Stackpole and Ken St. Andre have very different narrative tastes.
Thanks for highlighting Champions and mentioning that points were "rigorously balanced mathematically". I always enjoyed working on the math.
I'd also like to recommend Scott Bennie's VIPER book and Normal Unbound by Brannon Boren and Patrick E. Bradley. Both are wonderfully fun reads that can inspire and spice up any superhero campaign.
Tunnels and Trolls is one of those games I hear mentioned a lot, but no one seems to talk about. I didn’t even know it was purchased by someone new! I need to check it out, especially its solo content.
I love Troika! and its bizarre world-building. Ran it once and had a blast! I once heard it described as “David Bowie’s entire discography as an RPG,” which feels as appropriate a description as any.
I also really want to get into Castle Falkenstein at some point. I took one look at its contents, though, and had to put that on hold. There is so much world-building tied to the mechanics that unpacking it all is going to require a lot of free time.
Thanks for the article! I look forward to your future recommendations!
The solo content does vary wildly in quality/gonzoness. City of Terrors is very strong and I have fond memories of Arena of Khazan. If one solo doesn't quite vibe with you, others might. Mike Stackpole and Ken St. Andre have very different narrative tastes.
Thanks for highlighting Champions and mentioning that points were "rigorously balanced mathematically". I always enjoyed working on the math.
I'd also like to recommend Scott Bennie's VIPER book and Normal Unbound by Brannon Boren and Patrick E. Bradley. Both are wonderfully fun reads that can inspire and spice up any superhero campaign.
Normals Unbound is an amazing sourcebook. It revolutionized the way I thought about GMing.