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Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ariosto" data-source="post: 4897835" data-attributes="member: 80487">MoogleEmpMog: I can dig it.Just for fun, here's a review originally posted by Mythmere at Knights & Knaves Alehouse:Hungry Hippos (Hasbro) is a fantasy RPG dating from roughly the same period as AD&D, originally appearing in 1978 (the MM1, first of the AD&D hardcovers, was published in 1977). In a way, Hungry Hippos can be seen as one of the first rebellions against the trend toward "restrictive" rather than "open-ended" fantasy gaming, in that its relatively sparse ruleset harks back to OD&D, although its focus on "official," tournament-like rules is a precursor to exactly the same approach taken by TSR in the introduction of AD&D as a replacement for the free form rules of OD&D.  The game (read-as-written) follows the basic pattern of RPGs common in the 1970s, which is a group of iconic, class-specific characters pursuing treasure in, basically, a "pit." Nevertheless, the game can clearly be used for wilderness-type adventures as well. No rules are provided for aerial combat, but the game's basic resolution system is easily adapted. Some players may argue that extending the game into aerial role-playing lacks realism, but I think it is obvious (IMO) that this is a FANTASY game, people. Look, if you can accept hippos that eat marbles, there's no reason to try and import realism into the question of whether they can fly. Anybody who can't grasp the willing suspension of disbelief required in fantasy role-playing ought to stick to games like Axis & Allies, and get out of the faces of real RPG gamers like those playing Hungry Hippos.  Fans of modern RPG systems may find that the character classes and treasure types available in Hungry Hippos are relatively limited, and may also be turned off by the fact that the rules offer few guidelines or specific rules for the role-playing side of the game. Nevertheless, even though the rules tend to focus on tactics rather than role-playing, Hungry Hippos is fairly resistant to rules-lawyers. The diceless resolution system basically negates the possibility of roll-playing and opens up the full-scale vista of role-playing.  Most games such as D&D, have "modernized," from edition to edition with more and more rules and restrictions in each edition. 4e D&D may retrench in the direction of Hungry Hippos rather than 3e, but we'll have to see.  If so, it will certainly be due to the influence of HASBRO over WotC. Hungry Hippos has not basically changed from its original, old-school RPG rules format of 1978.  It should be noted that you can't effectively play the game without the HASBRO miniatures provided. In this sense, HASBRO actually beat WotC into the strategy of mixing miniatures and role-playing by a good 20 years. Frankly, this might have been part of the reason for HASBRO's takeover of WotC - the synergies between HASBRO's existing miniatures-based RPG Hungry Hippos and WotC's ownership of the D&D franchise make it clear that the two companies were on a parallel track.  In summary, although the limited number of character classes and treasure types are a minor flaw in this game, it offers limitless role-playing potential if the players are creative enough to take advantage of the game's minimalist (but highly elegant) roleplaying rules. Those who began roleplaying with 3e, in particular, may have trouble making this leap. HASBRO's role in the creation of 4e may even lead to a fair degree of compatibility between the two games. We will have to see how easily 4e modules can be adapted to Hungry Hippos.  I am particularly pleased, although it has little relevance to the actual rules, that Hungry Hippos has so far avoided the "Dungeonpunk" aesthetic of so many recent RPGs.  That's just my bias as a crusty old 1e player.  My 2 cents on this wargame/RPG from the old days, which seems (unjustifiably) to have almost no representation at modern RPG conventions, even though it is, in numerical terms, a far bigger seller than D&D 3e.</blockquote>

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