Sewers of Oblivion (1982) is a sort of sequel to my favorite Tunnels & Trolls solo, City of Terrors, in that it takes place under that city. You get mugged, you get pitched into the sewers, and voila. I guess that is one way of limiting your starting equipment. It’s kind of funny that you are expected to take solo characters through gamebook after gamebook, getting more and more stuff, but the later books recognized how impossible it was to balance for all these potential magic items, so they went to greater and more improbable lengths to take all your kit away at the start. The muggers, you’ll be relieved to know, are caught while you are on your sojourn and the city guard has your stuff waiting for you back at the precinct house.

Anyway. Lots of underwater combat here. Lots of potential for catching diseases (there is a two-page appendix full of ‘em to choose from). A surprising number of potential amorous encounters for a sewer adventure, too. You get a guide, which is neat. For the most part, its a by the numbers dungeon crawl. Which is fine, its just a little disappointing after City of Terrors, which so often feels like exploring a bustling, ever-changing city.

Liz Danforth art throughout, and we’re all the better for it. I really love the one of the guy pitching it at that waif over the bleeding corpse of a giant rat. Ah, the romance of the sewers!