The creator of Sniper Elite is helping the oldest rival of D&D make a comeback

Tunnels & Trolls has been acquired by Rebellion, the studio behind the Sniper Elite video games and proprietor of diverse properties like the 2000AD comics and Whitaker's Almanac, nearly 50 years after its initial release.

Rebellion claims to be working on "the next chapter of Tunnels & Trolls releases" in a statement honoring the game's historic status in the annals of tabletop gaming.

The first tabletop role-playing game to be published commercially was Dungeons & Dragons by TSR in 1974. The second book, Tunnels & Trolls, was released in 1975 by a librarian by the name of Ken St. André.

Tunnels & Trolls was a big deal at launch, despite the fact that it came from humble beginnings as writings Andre did for his own gaming group. It was initially D&D's only rival (obviously), but even after additional RPGs appeared, it continued to be one of its main competitors throughout the 1970s and even into the early 1980s.

At a time when polyhedral dice like d20s were uncommon, they were marketed as a simpler, easier substitute for the relatively complex D&D. It also only required six-sided dice, making it more widely available.

However, since then, it has largely vanished into obscurity, with only sporadic releases managing to maintain its small but devoted fan base.