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Just picked up the .PDF, and the hard copy is at Gencon. If you've played any of the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings games by FFG you'll know the pedigree since Sophisticated Games (published through FFG) authored this Middle Earth RPG product.
So far, looks really promising, I've only had a chance to skim. The art is brilliant, and the mechanics are pretty straight forward.
The game mechanics are are an interesting take on roll vs. target number, and there's a lot of mechanics that revolve around the party as a whole, really drawing the gameplay into the kind of party dynamics and dependancies we saw in the books and movies. The "Fellowship" downtime mechanics look intriguing, a nice alternative to just an extended downtime being explained away through narrative.
I think the narrow region and timeline focus might throw some people off, but I think it's actually a nice bite size chunk.
Between Golarion, Dragon Age, Midnight, Song of Ice and Fire and Freeport I was honestly worried that I might just be fantasy-ied out, and even the Professor's work was just one more too much - but color me interested, I think this one is going to find some buzz. If anything, much like the new L5R the art is gorgeous and evocative, and hopefully the hardcovers are just as nice.
Just picked up the .PDF, and the hard copy is at Gencon. If you've played any of the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings games by FFG you'll know the pedigree since Sophisticated Games (published through FFG) authored this Middle Earth RPG product.
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no fair. cant get it for months in UK
This game looks AWESOME!
Dunno if I'll ever get to run it, but I am really looking forward to seeing how it's handled.
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I'm really enjoying how the mechanics re-inforce theme - hope, fatigue and shadow not least of which.
Equipment and monetary items are negligible in effect reducing the kind of loot and kill mentality.
A characters standing, valour and honor have an actual mechanical effect.
Not sure about the custom dice, interesting idea, hopefully they are easy to come by seperately (even though technically a normal die will suit just fine).
Thanks to your post, I just ordered a print+PDF bundle from C7! The dice look like standard d6 and d12 die pretty much (link to pics below), although the little pull-out tray in the slip case is a cool idea.
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That's right - on the 11 spot for a d12 it's the Eye of Sauron, and on the 12 Rune of Gandalf. Both influence critical successes and failures for each side.
The d6 have a special elven rune on the 6 spot - the more symbols that show up on a success show degrees of success. (you get more d6's to roll with your ability level.)
There's some other elements as well - its a bit of WHFRP3rd with a bit of standard dice.
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Thanks to your post, I just ordered a print+PDF bundle from C7!
Cool - hope you enjoy it! I haven't been able to put it down yet.
On another note, in reference to my art comment being evocative. I wanted to clarify after my wife gave a resounding 'meh' when she saw it.
What I meant about evocative, was that it has a certain quality inspired by the classic Alan Lee illustrations; tight color palette, sweeping strokes, big vistas, etc.
If you're after the kind of hyper-accurate art of Wayne Reynolds, you will probably be disappointed.
Should be noted too that Wolfgang Baur mentioned picking up a copy on the "This just in from Gencon" Podcast and had good things to say about it as well.
The art is actually one of the big draws for me--I didn't like the last RPG art direction largely because it tied so much to the movies. Now, I'm a big fan of the movies, but my focus or LotR art is driven more by the older styles.
Got my complimentary PDF today. Yay!
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One of my buddy's ran the game at GenCon. I'll have to ask him his opinion of the system.
Where you ever able to dig up an opinion?
I've finished the Adventurer's book, and about half way through the Loremaster guides, and so far I'm still impressed.
The system has some odities and the writing is definitely written for new GM's, but it definitely feels like a game where the rules won't get in the way.
I hope that this game is successful and well done. I also hope it gets some support both in terms of print product and online. I really like what Cubicle 7 did with the Doctor Who game for instance but they've basically been horrible in terms of supporting it. It's been several years now and the web site basically has no content and they've put out like two box sets and a screen if I'm not mistaken. Was this all on them, an issue with the BBC, I'm not sure. But I hope The One Ring has a lot better support. I might pick this up although I'd be hard pressed to want another game in the fantasy genre at the moment.
L
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This was actually my first Cubicle 7 product - I'd known of them as a company in the industry, but really never saw anything in their catalogue that was a standout for me.
I'm a bit nervous about their release strategy. There's only really three possibilities:
1) The product flops and the only material we get is what we've got.
2) The product demand for more content outstrips the production schedule, fans aren't willing to wait 2-3 years between releases, and we get another Dragon Age RPG where we get boxed sets quicker covering more area than originally intended.
3) Status quo and everything is good.
This was actually my first Cubicle 7 product - I'd known of them as a company in the industry, but really never saw anything in their catalogue that was a standout for me.
I'm a bit nervous about their release strategy. There's only really three possibilities:
1) The product flops and the only material we get is what we've got.
2) The product demand for more content outstrips the production schedule, fans aren't willing to wait 2-3 years between releases, and we get another Dragon Age RPG where we get boxed sets quicker covering more area than originally intended.
3) Status quo and everything is good.
There is also the bonus that this game is set in a very well-known and well published setting versus a brand new IP. So even if they never put anything else out for it, if you can get hold of the old MERP modules from Iron Crown, you could probably adapt them without too much trouble to this new system. And probably the same for the LotR RPG books put out by Decipher.
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There is also the bonus that this game is set in a very well-known and well published setting versus a brand new IP. So even if they never put anything else out for it, if you can get hold of the old MERP modules from Iron Crown, you could probably adapt them without too much trouble to this new system. And probably the same for the LotR RPG books put out by Decipher.
Right - I definitely think the mechanics in TOR are flexible enough, and there's enough that relies on DM Fiat, that I think any adventure is probably readily convertible without too much effort.
The hardest part will probably making the material fit into this game's timeline.
The additional books they've mentioned so far look pretty good to me, and would be a decent pace for the next two years.
Of course, I'm not looking for tons of new mechanics, but rather TOR implementations of the setting. I definitely want them to continue focusing on quality over quantity.
- GM Screen with Lake Town booklet and Map
- Adventure Anthology
- Campaign Guide - Mirkwood
- Rivendell Sourcebook
- The Errantries of the King (2012 rules expansion for next 20-25 years)
- War of the Ring (2013 rules expansion for final 20-25 years)
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The Errantries of the King (2012 rules expansion for next 20-25 years)
War of the Ring (2013 rules expansion for final 20-25 years)[/list]
I really like that they put in legacy mechanics for passing on treasures, some experience, etc to descendants.
Would be neat to run a campaign that spanned a few generations (or even being an elf who played with humans of all the generations.)
The Errantries of the King (2012 rules expansion for next 20-25 years)
War of the Ring (2013 rules expansion for final 20-25 years)[/list] I really like that they put in legacy mechanics for passing on treasures, some experience, etc to descendants.
Would be neat to run a campaign that spanned a few generations (or even being an elf who played with humans of all the generations.)
Yep, I was thinking the same thing--with the hobbits, elves, and dwarves living so much longer than humans and 60-70 years for the overall timeframe covered by TOR, it definitely looks feasible to have this scenario.
Anybody else had experience with this yet?
Worth putting on my Christmas list?
'findel
The mechanics of this game look pretty cool. I wasn't sure if I felt that there was quite enough material there for running a real long term campaign with the set even though that is clearly how they intend the game to be run. For instance, there are only a handful of enemy stat blocks. I realize that hacking monsters isn't really what that game is about, but I still felt like there needed to be a few more options for the gm to work with, especially given that their sample adventure is pretty much a "go fetch the maguffin wilderness/dungeon crawl".
They are intending to release additional material for The One Ring RPG, such as this book here.
The mechanics of this game look pretty cool. I wasn't sure if I felt that there was quite enough material there for running a real long term campaign with the set even though that is clearly how they intend the game to be run. For instance, there are only a handful of enemy stat blocks.
In all fairness, that is coherent with the mentality of making a game in Middle Earth. But as much as I love the setting, as much as I love Tolkien and his stories, I still need some convincing that Middle Earth is a good setting to play in without being constantly out-staged by the events that we know about (or being constantly 'corrected' by the self-proclaimed Tolkien authorities among the players).
The setting's time period seems appropriate, the specific mechanics are also encouraging. Any feedback on the setting part of the game would be welcome.
'findel
They are intending to release additional material for The One Ring RPG, such as this book here.
Yep, in addition to that there are two more planned supplements for sure. There are sixty years that pass between the end of The Hobbit and the beginning of The Lord of the Rings. The core set covers the first twenty years, the first supplement will cover the next twenty years and the second supplement will cover the final twenty years.
Bought mine yesterday
seesm to fit the setting pretty well
My wishlist for this product would have source book for pre-Hobbit adventures in the North West. I'm thinking a band of Rangers and Characters with campaign amid the ruins of old Numenor.
Of course a Hobbit timed adventure set on the eve of the Battle of Five armies could be fun for Players as the new movies release over the next few years.
I held the boxed set in my hands at the Compleat Strategist yesterday. Serious heft! I really want this!
Definitely my favorite new system this year. My copy is on the shelf now.
'Course I did work briefly with ICE and MERP.
The license is strictly limited to the Hobbit and the LotR (not any of Tolkien's other writing), btw. This means some of the in depth stuff done by ICE in the last years of their license is out of bounds (including, Unfinished Tales, sadly, which is a very useful appendix to the Third Age stories).
This means a more "here and now" depiction of M-e, rather than cultural details, alternate time periods, etc. That's not such a bad thing, because the feel of the game is more of an adventuring expedition rather than a wargame or an unwieldy emphasis on connections with the Second Age.
having played one game, and run a couple, I am very, very impressed with both the system and setting, and they seem a perfect fit thus far.
look forward to running more next week
Just cracked my copy open today. VERY impressed thus far.
Love the HOPE as spiritual hit points, and SHADOW as spiritual fatigue. Quite happy that the major themes of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings such as hope, friendship, despair and corruption are built into the system as opposed to a patch attached to an already existing system to make it work for LotR.
The setting feels right. LotR enough and yet not about the major landmarks of the war of the ring. Playing in the shadow of Bilbo seems a much better idea than playing in the shadows of Frodo. However, I feel I'm going to want another set describing the lands west and south of the misty mountains really soon!
'findel
It's a cool looking game, but I feel like I need more. There are only a handful of monsters, and magic isn't really dealt with at all. I realize it's not D&D, but I still feel like it needs a bit more for a gm to work with.
It's a cool looking game, but I feel like I need more. There are only a handful of monsters, and magic isn't really dealt with at all. I realize it's not D&D, but I still feel like it needs a bit more for a gm to work with.
there is loads to challenge the players with...within their own party, other free peoples who they have to deal with, and with the impending shadow out there
there is magic of the dwarves and elves available
It has some wierd ways that development is earned, and I got a bit confused by it in running tonights game
It is not D&D and if played like that, it wont work
Being aggressive in LOTR is bad, and so, to some extent is treasure!!
Killing things and taking their stuff leads to the dark side....doh, wrong game!
I agree with Erian_7 about the excellency of the art direction. Glad to see that not every second hero is dressed in full plate (I like the norman/saxon influence). Also glad to see that the art is new and genuine; no movie stills or famous Lee paintings (although the art seems very inspire by Alan Lee's work).
Combat stances influencing your initiative and combat options is a nice new tricks to RPGs (that I've seen anyways).
I wished there was a paragraph on mounts and mounted combat however.
I agree that it isn't like D&D and shouldn't be run like D&D. However, I'm not sure exactly how it should be run. When I look at the sample adventure it reads a lot like a D&D/Pathfinder style adventure. It even has a bit of dungeon crawl.
It still looks like a pretty cool game. I like the mechanics of the system.
It's a cool looking game, but I feel like I need more. There are only a handful of monsters, and magic isn't really dealt with at all. I realize it's not D&D, but I still feel like it needs a bit more for a gm to work with.there is loads to challenge the players with...within their own party, other free peoples who they have to deal with, and with the impending shadow out there
there is magic of the dwarves and elves available
It has some wierd ways that development is earned, and I got a bit confused by it in running tonights game
It is not D&D and if played like that, it wont work
Being aggressive in LOTR is bad, and so, to some extent is treasure!!
Killing things and taking their stuff leads to the dark side....doh, wrong game!
Yeah, I havent bothered with the adv in the book, but i guess it tests travel, social encounter, fight, running away
The 'adventure' in TOR, IMO should be:
tension between the pcs as they adjust to getting on with other races
challenge of encounters with those still filled with some racial distrust, the journey, seeking lore, some fights, some running away and hiding,
carrying off wealth , avoiding corruption, making new allies, testing the shadow without falling to it
Taking one time to learn, heal, hold counsel etc
Letting things develop over years
Have run 3 sessions now and really enjoying it
Yes, environment needs to have a bigger role in TOR than in D&D. Environment is likely to be more varied and diversified (and have a bigger impact) than monsters and treasure, unlike in D&D.
Dungeon crawls can exist and have precedent in the stories (Gandlaf forays in the Necromancer's dungeons of Dol Guldur, Bilbo's adventure with Golum and the in the goblin town, the fellowship's crossing of the Moria and Aragorn's venture through the Paths of the Dead) but with other aims than clearing out the dungeons of it inhabitants and treasure.
Unlike in D&D, open fights are more likely to be a a failure from plan 'A' rather than plan 'A' itself. I expect the challenge to (often) be avoiding combat or at the very least, fighting against not as many.
Typical low fantasy stuff basically...
Typical low fantasy stuff basically...
And this is ironic, since Tolkien is epic fantasy, maybe The Epic Fantasy. Magic in Middle Earth is mainly either subtle or old, invested primarily in locations and items and not in spellslinging. A Gandalf vs. Saruman duel is not an everyday occurance, nor should it be. It is a shame that low magic seems to equal low fantasy these days.
And this is ironic, since Tolkien is epic fantasy, maybe The Epic Fantasy.
Typical low fantasy stuff basically...
heh, true.
I have to say that I'm rather confused with all these fantasies; and which ones describe RPG genres and which otters describe literary genres...
I rate ME as
High Fantasy / Low Magic
and
Conan is LF/LM
Pathfinder is HM/HF
Harry Potter is HM/LF
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I wished there was a paragraph on mounts and mounted combat however.
Ask and ye shall receive
This link leads to a messageboard that I was grateful to have found. The community there is coming up with some wonderful customer-based content including
Use of Mounted Combat
Dunedain as PCs
Rohirrim as PCs
Magic/spell-use system
Monster/Creature ideas
Adventure/quest ideas
Robert
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I found the game a month ago and fallen in love with it; it's exaclty what i've been looking for as an alterntive to D&D which has been my biggest love for nearly 30 years.
Cubicle 7 has solidly found the sweetspot for rules and Tolkien feel mix; far more so than the previous Middle earth ventures for roleplaying game systems.
Love the way "fellowship" groups actually have in-game dynamics - not just a group of loosely organized PCs but an actual game-mechanic
Love the Fellowship phase - a way for the downtime to actually have a role in the development of a character and his/her group of companions as they too grow - and as they become more important to the world around them.
Love the themes of Hope, Shadow, Corruption, as stratified dynamic aspects of a campaign.
Many of the things that people have long complained about in D&D 3rd edition and beyond are absent and not a problem in The One Ring (while I still love Pathfinder and D&D 3rd edition - it's still not always perfect).
Here are some things (oft-contended) issues that do not appear in The One Ring
Powerful Spellcasters ruining the game: There really is no PC spellcasters
Min/maxing character creation: Character creation is somewhat channeled down a path with most of the abilities and scores already allocated to a character's choice of cultural background, and roleplaying/story-based calling to become a hero/adventurer.
Magic Item Dependency: There is very little use of "magical items" and the system is not designed around a character having to have thousands of gp invested in magical gear in order to survive; the game instead focuses on the character's own abililities - though some materialistic rewards are earned via game-play - they are usualy much more subtle in effect.
Power creep/curve: Characters advanced slowly and evenly. There are no "levels" in which all aspects of the character advance - compare to many "level-based" rpgs where stats, hps, abilities, #of attacks, damage output, spell-power etc all increase simultaneously, The One Ring subtely advances a characters individual skills or attack ability based on the player's own choices of where to allocate their advancenet points - which exponentially become harder to increase the higher one does.
Complex rules / combat: Combat is quick, streamlined, easy to understand, you don't have to worry about a lot of rules governing every 5' of movement - can I go this way, does this square cost double, do I provoke AoOs, can i reach him, does he threaten me, can i squeeze here, can i stand in this square, does the area of effect hit here" etc. Instead initiative always falls into 4 categories based on how agressive/defensive your "stance" is; the rest is basically narrated and roleplayed - rules do not get in the way of a good narrated sequence of actions.
#of attacks/dice rolls bogging down combat: As far as I can see - the creatures, and characters only get one attack regardless of how much they're advanced; this drastically speeeds up play. The better one is at what they do the more D6s they add to their total - as opposed to more D20s to modify with a bunch of situational modifiers each round that must be adjudicated seperately.
All in all - yes this isn't for the groups that prefer minis and scaled combat with a bunch of regimented structure - but it is perfect for us old schooler roleplayers that enjoy a more free-form narrated and storytold and roleplayed action. Furthermore it's not going to be the right fit for DMs that have to have an "adventure path" all published and written for them; as most of the games adventure will have to be "written" or adlibbed by the Loremaster (GM). I used to be the latter of a DM, then 3rd edition kinda steered me away and Paizo's wonderful adventure paths evolved me into someone who loves their imagination and well-written adventure paths; but Kingmaker has reminded me of my love and flair for sandbox style of running a game and how it's so much more rewarding aesthetically for a GM to come up with so much material and options for the players than a railroaded storyline. And so i found myself not interested in going back to such overwritten adventures and looking for a way to branch out and find a more free-form game - and admittedly getting tired of the complexities of play with PCs at double-digit levels that all the APs go into. The One Ring allows for all of this freeform play, without the complexities or power creep, and is beautifully written and set within the greatest fantasy realms of all time.
My wife who has been a player in my own campaigns of D&D sinc 94 played her first game of TOR last week and she said afterwards "I really liked that I could just play and roleplay my character without having to worry about all the rules - it just was more natural and flowing".
My players are all hooked too now. Cant wait till Friday to play again.
I post on that message forum as SirKicley
Robert
I wished there was a paragraph on mounts and mounted combat however.
Ask and ye shall receive
Yes, I've found it ;)
For those interested, I'm posting as 'Glorfindel' on The Only Ring forums.
I'm active there too, but my name is jefferwin on those boards.
I wished there was a paragraph on mounts and mounted combat however.
Ask and ye shall receive
Yes, I've found it ;)
For those interested, I'm posting as 'Glorfindel' on The Only Ring forums.
ah, i am JRRTALKING on those mighty forums
I found the game a month ago and fallen in love with it; it's exaclty what i've been looking for as an alterntive to D&D which has been my biggest love for nearly 30 years.
Cubicle 7 has solidly found the sweetspot for rules and Tolkien feel mix; far more so than the previous Middle earth ventures for roleplaying game systems.
Love the way "fellowship" groups actually have in-game dynamics - not just a group of loosely organized PCs but an actual game-mechanic
Love the Fellowship phase - a way for the downtime to actually have a role in the development of a character and his/her group of companions as they too grow - and as they become more important to the world around them.
Love the themes of Hope, Shadow, Corruption, as stratified dynamic aspects of a campaign.
Many of the things that people have long complained about in D&D 3rd edition and beyond are absent and not a problem in The One Ring (while I still love Pathfinder and D&D 3rd edition - it's still not always perfect).
Here are some things (oft-contended) issues that do not appear in The One Ring
Powerful Spellcasters ruining the game: There really is no PC spellcasters
Min/maxing character creation: Character creation is somewhat channeled down a path with most of the abilities and scores already allocated to a character's choice of cultural background, and roleplaying/story-based calling to become a hero/adventurer.
Magic Item Dependency: There is very little use of "magical items" and the system is not designed around a character having to have thousands of gp invested in magical gear in order to survive; the game instead focuses on the character's own abililities - though some materialistic rewards are earned via game-play - they are usualy much more subtle in effect.
Power creep/curve: Characters advanced slowly and evenly. There are no "levels" in which all aspects of the character advance - compare to many "level-based" rpgs where stats, hps, abilities, #of attacks, damage output, spell-power etc all increase...
Yes solving those problems are all good things in my books. However, I think not having a spellcasting class would be a real deal breaker for many players, though not really a problem for me personally.
After playing a lot of 3E and 4E, these days I've been using Dragon Age as my fantasy system of choice. I find it accomplishes a great deal of what you mention up above, but it still leaves room for having PC spellcasters without magic ruining the game (though there are a couple of broken spells that a gm should be wary of). I've also been playing some 3E warhammer, which is also a cool game, but significantly more crunchy.
there are so few spellcasters so you shouldnt be able to be one!!
I have run 7 sessions over the last 7 weeks. everyone is having a great time, it is a very proper rpg even without a 'wizard' player,..... and the elf pc does have a few spells
there are so few spellcasters so you shouldnt be able to be one!!
I have run 7 sessions over the last 7 weeks. everyone is having a great time, it is a very proper rpg even without a 'wizard' player,..... and the elf pc does have a few spells
It would be awesome to hear about your TOR game as I (and others) are interested about this game. Campaign log or something would be really great! I started roleplaying with MERP (Middle-Earth Role Playing) and I love the Lord of the Rings so I like to hear about TOR (my wallet cries itself to sleep).