Bunnies and Burrows

Not as cute as it sounds

Imagine a new, dangerous world where everything is larger than you and ready to eat you. You and your little band of friends are trying hard to survive, learn, and grow despite the constant external threats. Even if the massive beasts don't eat you, disease and parasites are a concern. Luckily, herbalists and healers skilled at laying on hands are there to help you stay well. The main problem is that you are going to need to go out among the dangerous beasts to gather herbs and collect food. Weapons aren't an option, all you can do is outwit and out plan the enemy!

Did I mention you're a bunny?

Welcome to Bunnies And Burrows, the fantasy game in which you play an intelligent rabbit. This game has been through two main versions over the years:

  • First/Second Edition: Published in 1976, it uses a percentile system similar to 2nd edition AD&D
  • GURPS Bunnies and Burrows: Published in 1992, it uses GURPS as the system.

Bunnies and Burrows has long been recognized as an very inventive game. It was the very first roleplaying system to allow non humanoid characters, the first game to have a Martial Arts combat system (called Bun Fu), and the first game to attempt a skill system. Everything has been built with common sense and realism in mind. A lot of research went into the books and all illnesses, problems, and anatomical difficulties outlined are accurate. When it was released, it was considered "light years" more advanced than Dungeons and Dragons.

However, nobody took the game seriously because it's about bunnies. With no weapons, mythical creatures, or unrealistic magics, players were at a loss for what you could do inside the game. Many were mystified that you could make an epic adventure with rabbits and dismissed the idea as "too silly".

However, the Bunnies and Burrows carries on as a cult classic due to it's inventiveness, unique gameplay, and the fact it's all about bunnies. The game can be downloaded here!

Tropes used in Bunnies and Burrows include:

Character Tropes By Class

Empath

Empathic Healer with a few extra abilities

  • Healing Factor: Transfers their good health to others in order to heal them
  • Healing Hands: Well, paws, but you get the idea.
  • Liquid Assets: May be able to transfer damage taken from healing to enemies as an attack.
  • Luck Stat: 10% less chance of going into shock when frightened or injured
  • Super Not-Drowning Skills: They can hold their breath twice as long as other classes
  • White Mage: Can be played as one one these, especially if they can reverse-heal as an attack


Fighter

Exactly What It Says on the Tin. They fight with Bun Fu.

Herbalist

The Medic only uses plants and keen senses instead of medicines and tools

Runner

Basically a Ranger or a Ninja.


Scout

A rogue minus the thieving, they gather information and disarm traps.


Seer

Exactly What It Says on the Tin They have visions and get mild psychic powers

Storyteller

It's a bard!


Maverick

The party Rogue, focusing mainly on social skills.

General Game Tropes

  • An Adventurer Is You: Typically stories revolve around adventuring, though variations exist.
  • Chunky Salsa Rule: Commonly employed against larger enemies like cars.
  • Critical Failure: Commonly results in bunnies being eaten, horribly mangled, poisoned, drowned...
  • Cute Bruiser: Bunny combat!
  • Everybody Hates Mathematics: Bunnies are actually unable to count above four. Any number larger than four is just "Lots" or even "Lots and Lots" for really large numbers.
  • Fighter, Mage, Thief:
    • Fighter (fighter, runner)
    • Mage (Seer,Herbalist,Empath)
    • Thief (Maverick,Storyteller,Scout)
  • Genius Bruiser: Characters need to be smart in combat or they're dead.
  • Humans Are Cthulhu: The standard ability scores (for rabbits) are 10; humans have scores of 20-40!
  • Low Fantasy: It's a fantasy game, but there is no "real magic" and all rules of physics and the real word (ex: owls eat rabbits) apply.
  • Owl Be Damned: owls are seen as something along the lines of dragons for their formidable wisdom and awesome rabbit-killing abilities
  • Players are Geniuses: Never doubt the creativity of the players, especially when they're playing a bunny.
  • The Roleplayer: This game has a heavy focus on storytelling, not combat.
  • Total Party Kill: Happens with alarming regularity if you try to use "conventional" tabletop methods like Attack! Attack! Attack!
  • The Six Stats Expanded upon by adding Speed and Smell

Things Averted

The following things are averted in Bunnies and Burrows, mostly because they tend to invoke Total Party Kill unless noted otherwise.

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