by Ben Milton
For anyone who has ever watched the movie Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, the idea of turning it into a tabletop RPG might seem to be a curious choice. While it was definitely a work filled with whimsy and memorable visuals, it hardly had the worldbuilding to sustain a fully realized RPG world. If anything, Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal would make a far better TRPG experience. And while there is just such a game for The Dark Crystal, there is also one for Labyrinth as well. And while it doesn’t have dense worldbuilding, statistics and tables, it is still absolutely worth looking over for anyone who wants to dip their toes into the TRPG experience.
For a start, the book itself is about the size of a standard novel, rather than a dense, encyclopedic tome. The rules span twenty-something pages and are extremely general. The stats for characters are fairly bare-bones and everything functions on six-sided dice rolls (amusingly, the dice in question are tucked into the very pages of the book). Players choose a smattering of open-ended skills and traits that offer a situational advantage or disadvantage on their rolls and can acquire items that can be used to likewise offer bonuses. But if you’re looking for feats, spell lists or anything so in-depth, you would need to look elsewhere.
And as you flip through the pages further, you are will find something more like the old Choose Your Own Adventure paperbacks [for example: Space and beyond] than a “Proper” tabletop gaming module. The titular labyrinth is essentially a number of randomized scenes that players travel through from page to page, each segment offering its own little puzzle or encounter for them to navigate. Much is left to the hands of the Goblin King (who serves as the game master/GM for the game) in how to handle the flow of gameplay.
But if all these points haven’t scared you away, I would strongly recommend that you give this game a shot. If you are a seasoned TRPG player who wants to offer others the chance to get into the hobby, this game is an excellent opportunity to show newbies how these games work without scaring them away with excessive rules. Or, alternatively, if you are looking for a casual one-shot game to pass the time, this game would absolutely fit the bill. The game doesn’t even require players to have even seen the movie it’s based on to properly enjoy it, but those who have will certainly appreciate the fleshing out of the classic film.
It is always important to remember that while the complexity of tabletop gaming can be fun for some, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a more “cozy” gaming experience. And Labyrinth: The Adventure Game is nothing if not a cozy experience, not unlike the movie it’s based on.
