Rebellion has announced the acquisition of Tunnels & Trolls, the classic Flying Buffalo Inc. roleplaying game.
Tunnels & Trolls, designed by Ken St. Andre, was published in 1975 and is considered the second roleplaying game ever published. The game was designed to be a streamlined, more accessible fantasy RPG and offered as an alternative to the more complez Dungeons & Dragons rules set. It could be played with a group, but the RPG also offered solo and play-by-mail gameplay options. Tunnels & Trolls saw 9 editions from 1975 to 2015, and then, after the passing Flying Buffalo founder Rick Loomis in 2019 (see “R.I.P. Rick Loomis“), the IP was sold to Webbed Sphere, Inc. in 2021 (see “Acquires Flying Buffalo, Inc.“). And now, Tunnels & Trolls found a new home at Rebellion Unplugged:
“Tunnels & Trolls is an unrecognized trailblazer in the games industry,” said Duncan Molloy, head of Rebellion Unplugged. “The team at Flying Buffalo responded to an entirely new medium by focusing on how roleplaying could be more approachable, more accessible, and more fun. So much of the modern era of roleplaying from old school hacks, to streamlined systems, to solo play, can directly trace its roots directly back to this series.”
Rebellion has also assumed control of the rest Flying Buffalo’s entire line of roleplaying games as part of the deal. This includes Citybook, Grimtooth, and the Merchants Spies and Private Eyes series. They will also keep the entire catalog of Flying Buffalo PDFs available for online purchase.
Source: ICv2
