Roleplaying games' history is full of dungeons and also dragons. But gaming is just as full of fluffy bunnies, often carrying swords.
What is it about rabbits and roleplaying? There's a sort of evolutionary cycle to fantasy adventure. It starts with fairly serious stuff. Grim warriors wielding magic swords. And then not long after come the animals. Rabbits, mice, talking critters of all stripes take up adorable swords and adventure. The same holds true for roleplaying games.
Sure, they had their origins in Dungeons & Dragons, but not long after, during the elder days of gaming, came the bunnies. And not Bugs Bunny either--though Toon is probably worth its own place in history. But actual bunnies. The year is 1976 and the game is Bunnies & Burrows.
Bunnies & Burrows At Fantasy Games Unlimited
Bunnies & Burrows was one of the earliest RPGs. Released two short years after Dungeons & Dragons, the game was published by a company known as Fantasy Games Unlimited. They made a name for themselves in the early days as a war/board games company. But after D&D came along, it became apparent that roleplaying games were on the rise. And FGU sought to capture that energy. Their first few releases were all about giving gamers who sought more than just dungeons & dragons a place to root around. With games like Chivalry & Sorcery and Psi Wor...