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Bringing Bugs Back

“Not all ants use violence to dominate their world, some use more subtle methods.”

– E. O. Wilson

One of the stranger aspects of the original In The Labyrinth book were the Hymenopterans, or “Bugs”. As a kid their inclusion fascinated me. In a game that was so simple there were a ton of different types, and they seemed like a grab bag of insect tropes. Not to mention that they had their own society and complex hierarchy that seemed to have nothing to do with the more typical fantasy of the rest of the creatures.

It was not until years later that I learned that they came from the Metagaming wargame Chitin. This added even more weird details (and a lot of cannibalism), as well as some pretty trippy Jennell Jaquays artwork. I never really made use of them in games, but they always seemed like a big part of the Fantasy Trip.

So, I was pretty disappointed when I saw that there were no bugs at all in the reprinted TFT. Whether it was because of copyright issues or just lack of love for the poor hymenopterans, they ended up on the cutting room floor. To rectify this oversight, I created the Formyx. They are more like ants than the old bugs, and there aren’t as many varieties (sorry, Termagant and Phlanx), but hopefully they are a workable options to fill lost hives in Cidri or wherever your heroes delve.

Read more and join the discussion here.

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