Eposic: RolePlaying Games

May 5, 2008: Welcome to Eposic! There's little changed here so far this year, except for the occasional update to the UGH Monster Attacks! game. But I do have some cool news to report! I've had three short stories published by Peryton Publishing, in their new Sword & Sorcery anthology entitled Troll Tunnels, a tribute to the Tunnels and Trolls game. My stories aren't based on any actual T&T gaming sessions, but if you're familiar with T&T, you'll see many connections between the story and the game. However, my intent was to write some good old S&S tales that anyone interested in the genre could enjoy. This product is so new I don't have a copy of it in my hands yet, so I can't say how the other stories read, but let me give you some teasers from my own tales...

My three stories in the anthology are: The Frog or the Lion?, All Quests Great and Not So, and The Returning. They are a linked set of stories, and should be read in order. They each feature at least two Trollhalla members.

In The Frog or the Lion? Taran Dracon encounters the scorpion man, Umslopaagas of the Shiny Teeth. T&T fans should recognize old Umslop, and understand the significance of the Frog and the Lion with regards to the scorpion man. But you won't need to have played the Deathtrap Equalizer Dungeon solo to enjoy this tale of misdirection and misadventure.

All Quests Great and Not So takes you on a trip to the sacred halls of Trollhalla, from whence you follow the adventures of a small group of the Elite as they compete against other groups to complete a list of quests at the behest of the Trollgod. Who's in the group that we follow along? There's Ea, a female trelf who's pretty decent with a terbutje. Then there's Grumlahk, a pot-bellied, nearly blind homunculus that seems to get around pretty well for someone pot-bellied and nearly blind. And, well, there's my alter-ego, Khayd'haik the wizard; he's a trolf, which is half-troll, half-elf, as opposed to the trelf, which is, um, half-elf, half-troll. Also in the group are the mysterious Wilforce, whose name becomes well-known to many even if his identity doesn't, and a heavily armored, bearded stranger that everyone except Khayd'haik seems to recognize. Send this group after a list of quest items, competing against the likes of Quoghmyre the southern troll and Dekhurrrsio the goblin, and you end up with a tale of grand adventure culminating in a grand wager that pays off grandly, for someone.

Then in The Returning, we visit again with Umslop, who enlists the help of Cathal the forest troll in trying to locate the infamous Taran Dracon, because of events that occurred -- you guessed it -- back in the first story. It's a classic "three wishes" tale, but with a twist the likes of which I've not seen before. I'm betting you haven't either...

The anthology also includes a story by Ken St. Andre, creator of Tunnels and Trolls and other games. Other authors include Christina Lea (who also served as editor), Michael Lea, Tom K. Loney, and James L. Shipman. The awesome cover art is by Simon Lee Tranter; get a glimpse of it in the right margin near the top of this page. Interior art is by Régis Moulun, Mike Hartlieb, and Diego Gisbert Llorens. 166 pages of imagination and wonder. If you're interested, you can get your own copy of Troll Tunnels via the Peryton Publishing web site; just click on the cover art image to visit the Peryton Publishing site.

If you are a Tunnels and Trolls fan, then I encourage you to join Trollhalla, on which site I'm an admin. Most of what I do on my eposic.org site is primarily for Trollhalla members. Joining Trollhalla is free, unless you want to be able to win prizes from the Trollgod's contests. But that's entirely up to you. Nothing on my site will require you to have a paid Trollhalla membership; a free membership will suffice.

If you're not a fan of Tunnels and Trolls, then you may still find the old RPG tools, the example source code, or other existing items on this site of interest. So you're welcome, too. Feel free to browse. And who knows, I might get a wild hair and decide to do something strange and spontaneous unrelated to T&T. Just don't hold your breath.

Yours truly,

Michael (aka Khayd'haik, on Trollhalla)