Rarely does a first issue debut with the usability as Pocket Troll has. Though you can read it or print it in "regular" type format, it's even more fun if you print it in PocketMod format. Makes for a cockeyed booklet about 2.5 x 2.5 inches - you've seen PocketMod calendars and planners, so you know what this looks like.

Quick to read, quick to play with, and fun to replay with - both the articles and the solo. It's fun and funny. Hope to see the funny increased in quantity next time!

You'd have to be a Very Boring Person to not have fun with this. And if you play T&T, you're probably NOT a boring person.

Originally posted at: http://diehardgamefan.com/2012/09/04/tabletop-review-pocket-troll-0-tunnels-trolls/

“I’ve got something in my front pocket, for you…”

Look, I’m gonna be straight up honest with you right out of the gate: buying this microzine would be like buying one of those stories where each person writes a paragraph on a sheet of paper, except none of the paragraphs have anything to do with each other. It’s like these guys sat down in English class in a little workgroup and banged this out over the course of a period filled with horsing around, mom jokes, and crayon drawings. It’s terrible!

But look, to be fair, I don’t know much about Tunnels & Trolls except that it is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek classic RPG, much in the style of Dungeons and Dragons. So I can’t completely judge it on what it would add to my T&T experience, but I can read and I have played games before.

Anyway, here’s what you get:

• A hand-drawn map from the author of Tunnels & Trolls, Ken St. Andre, that is from his earlier days.

• A brief article that tells you it’s OK to use talents in a solo game.

• A “Big Ass Bullfrog” creature who is, basically, a giant bullfrog, and has the ability to swallow characters or stun them with its mighty croak.

• A Pocket Troll race that comes from some strange affliction that occurs in pixies who eat young trolls.

• Space Balls. Giant spheres that are called Leviathans and supposedly swallow ships out in the reaches of space… but really, they are Space Balls.

• The lair of a dragon. This is the strongest and the longest article in the microzine (clocking in at 1.5 micro-pages), it seems to actually attempt to make a cohesive, coherent, and possibly useful location. Everything else in the ‘zine is useless for practical purposes, and only good for a few seconds of novelty contemplation.

But wait there’s more! On the other side of the ‘zine is a solo adventure! Now this is the real reason I wanted to check out this item, because I am a huge fan of solo adventures. Basically, you fall down a pit and wander around down there trying not to get killed by a Pocket Troll until you either find a way out or die. Not the best thing ever, but still a little enjoyable. As the adventure states, you can put it into any other solo adventure or just play it by itself.

Wait there’s more! BURP No just kidding there is no more. Did I find the microzine enjoyable? Sort of, but really, it took me less than five minutes to browse the articles, and then another five to play the adventure. Is it worth ten minutes of mediocre entertainment? Eh, not really. Unless you’re a T&T completist, or just really curious, skip this altogether.

Okay my stuff appeared in this issue, but despite that I still think the Pocket Troll is one of better fanzine ideas in a while for the T&T game.

Izzat a troll in yer pocket? This little 'zine packs a big wallop! The contributors are all well known in the T&T community, and have made this inaugural edition a really fun read. Using the PocketMod format is a great idea for a quick little read to help get your creative energies charged up. Let's hear it for Troll Hammer Press, Huzzah!