Chuck Tingle is best known for being an author of gay erotica featuring Bigfoot, unicorns, dinosaurs, and even anthropomorphized objects and concept. I haven't read any of Dr. Tingle's stories, but he has been nominated for two Hugo awards and has a huge following. My first concern was that this game would be some sort of erotic RPG, but it turns out that is not the case. The Tingleverse can be completely non-sexual/erotic, so this game will work with your normal open minded RPG group. The Tingleverse is a strange setting though: I strange cross of South Park, Twin Peaks, and Dr. Tingle own bizarre imagination. It's a world filled with crossed timelines, chocolate milk, and Buckaroos.
The 270 page softcover rule-book is available through Amazon (Dr. Tingle's own website redirects purchasers to Amazon) and appears to be a print on demand. My copy denotes it was printed in Middletown Delaware, "30 September 2019", which was the same day I placed my order. This also appears to be completely self published, with all work being done by Dr. Tingle himself as there are no credits for art, graphic design editing, etc. Other than the cover, illustrations of the included monsters are the only pieces of art on the book.
The book starts with a brief introduction , then jumps into eight pages of background on the setting including an overview of the Tingleverse and the default starting location of Billings Montana. The next section of the book adheres closely to the standard RPG process of character creation. Here we discover that game uses six ability scores which be familiar to anyone that has played an RPG. Here they are named Strength, Dexterity, Fortitude, Book Smarts, Street Smarts, and Charm. Players can chose from human, bigfoot, unicorn, or raptor as their 'type' (race) each with their own unique advantages and ability modifiers. There are 5 classes (called 'trots') to chose from: The Bad Boy, Charmer, Sneak, True Buckaroo, and Wizard. These mirror traditional fighter, bard, rogue, cleric, and wizard classes, but with some significant differences. There are 3 categories of saves, attack bonuses are separate for melee and ranged combat, and each class has its own defense score in place of armor class. Next each character get some "unique ways" which are similar to perks, and then character creation is rounded out with equipment.
The bulk of the book (114 pages) is taken up with descriptions of "Cool Moves" which are effectively spells or spell like abilities. Every class has their own list of cool moves and uses the same table for determining how many cool moves of each level they have available per day.
There is a brief section on experience outlining xp for personal and group actions. No specific xp rewards are mentioned beyond those for defeating monsters, only general suggestions of an xp reward for solving a puzzle or completing a quest. Dr. Tingle suggestion personal xp rewards for good roleplaying and achieving character objectives.
The following chapter details the rules of combat. The rules are simple and abstract. This section also covers Void Madness which serves the same purpose as Insanity from Call of Cthulhu.
There is one page discussing treasure followed 25 pages of magic items; some fairly standard, others unique to the Tingleverse.
Lastly, there is a sampling of 20 monsters from the Tingleverse. As previously mentioned, each of these are illustrated and are fully statted and described including xp value.
Full disclosure; I haven't read The Tingleverse cover to cover, but I feel safe in making a preliminary review based on what i have read and seen in the book. It's clear that Dr. Tingle is amazingly creative and funny. Even where he derives his content directly primary sources he puts his own 'tingle' on it. For example, the traditional Magic-User spell 'grease' is now called 'Lube'. Magic missile is 'Magical Balls'. None of the mechanics are revolutionary but that's OK. The game sits clearly within the OSR /traditional RPG space without copying a ruleset and placing a gameworld on top of it. Strip away the setting and you still have a competent set of rules with some innovation ideas that you can mine for you own games
There are serious weaknesses with this product however, which is unfortunate. The layout sets RPG rulebook design back 45 years. It is somehow actually worse that the original D&D books from Gygax in 1974. There are no graphic design elements. The tables are pure text and are often split over two pages. The book looks like it was typed up in a Word doc and sent to the press without editing of any type. There is blank space all over the place just begging for artwork. The index for the Cool Moves comes AFTER all of the moves are described! (even Gygax put the list before the descriptions). These complaints may seem a bit nit-picky for a self-published title but this is not Dr. Tingle's first book, it is only available in print, and is priced at $19.95 He may not have published an RPG before, but its clear that he has read other RPG books and should have a basic understanding and respect for the importance of layout and design. The layout is so poor that it interferes with its usefulness. In order to run a game of Tingleverse I would have to create copies of important tables for my own use. I wouldn't even be able to photocopy them because they are on two different pages and difficult to read. It's unfortunate that the book was published this way, though if it is in fact print on demand one can only hope that Dr. Tingle gets some feedback and chooses to work with a professional graphic designer that can quickly address these issues so that future purchasers get a better quality product.
My second major complaint is what is missing from the book. There is no introductory adventure. No tips on running a campaign. The only info the TM (Tingle Master) has to go on is the eight pages of background material at the start of the book and the implied setting described in the rest of the rules. This would be fine if the book was billed as a Players Handbook, but then why include the section on Monsters? Apparently Dr. Tingle is working on an expanded Monster Guide, which is needed, but without further setting materials I find it difficult to run a game in this setting. It's possible that details on the setting are found in Dr' Tingle's other writing, but if this is so it would have been nice if he had suggest a couple of titles to read. (seriously, which would be more informative: The Complete Guide to the Void or Bigfoot Pirates Haunt my Balls?) To my mind this is not an all-in-one rulebook and the marketing needed to be clear on that.
Despite the flaws, I still recommend the game for those looking for something different. The game does need more info on the setting and explanation for the TM as well as an improved layout. However, the implied setting of the Tingleverse is amazingly creative, and the differences that these rules offer are worthy of examination and potential use in your own OSR campaign. The magic items, monsters, and spells also offer some new creative material to spice up your game. Love is real. Resist the Void.
No comments:
Post a Comment