GM Tarondor's The Queen of Shadows - The One Ring

Game Master Tarondor

“It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

“But I suppose it’s often that way. The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo: adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of a sport, as you might say. But that’s not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed in them, usually – their paths were laid that way, as you put it. But I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn’t. And if they had, we shouldn’t know, because they’d have been forgotten. We hear about those as just went on – and not all to a good end, mind you; at least not to what folk inside a story and not outside it call a good end. You know, coming home, and finding things all right, though not quite the same – like old Mr. Bilbo. But those aren’t always the best tales to hear, though they may be the best tales to get landed in!”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

“Deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

It is the year 2998 of the Third Age. The kings have been gone for more than a thousand years. It has been more than two hundred and fifty years since Bullroarer Took defeated the Great Goblin at the Battle of Greenfields and more than fifty-five years since that queer Mr. Bilbo Baggins came back from foreign parts with his pockets stuffed full of gold and his head stuffed full of elvish nonsense.
Beyond the Shire, Eriador is changing. Wolves have come down from the hills in great numbers, harrying the small communities spread across what was once the kingdom of Arnor. Trade, which once ran along the Dwarf Road from Ered Luin to the Misty Mountains and along the Greenway from Bree and the Shire into the distant south, is now almost completely curtailed. Rumors abound of trolls and walking trees, of goblins from the mountains and strangers upon the roads
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Our game of The One Ring has just gotten started, but already we've lost a lot of players - they just disappeared. Those of us left would really like to keep playing, so I'm opening up the game to recruitment again!

You need zero experience with the game (though you do need the rulebook). This game should appeal to anyone who loves the lore of Middle-Earth but isn't too attached to existing canon.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

If you're interested, just say so and tell us a little bit about your experience with The Lord of the Rings and/or the larger Middle-Earth legendarium (it isn't necessary to have knowledge of anything beyond The Lord of the Rings) and maybe a bit about the sort of character you'd want to play.

You can see the character creation limits in the first post of the Discussion thread, but I'm not taking any more Elves of Rivendell, Rangers or Men of Minas Tirith.

I look forward to hearing from you!

I loved the movies, animated films, and the books (though it's been a LONG time since I've read them). I have looked at the One Ring book and supplements but haven't gone through them very well.

So I would be a newb to the system and not a LotR "scholar" as you put it.

But I'll take a look and see what seems interesting. Probably something basic since I'm new to it.

I am a big fan of Middle Earth and like to read about whatever I can get my hands on. Despite that I wouldn't consider myself a scholar of Middle Earth and Tolkein, but just an avid fan. I have read the Hobbit, the LOTR trilogy, The Silmarillion, The Children of Húrin, and a bunch of the related poetry and short works. I attempted to teach myself Quenya and Sindarin as a teen, but never quite managed it. I have also watched the live action movies and the animated movies. I spent a brief time immersed in the Games Workshop miniature wargame as well.

My first instinct would be to play a Ranger or an Elf of Rivendell, but since those are off the table I will have to give it more thought.

Love the movies, books, and previous incarnations of the RPG.

A little familiar with TOR, but not sure what I would want to play.....

I have read three of the books some time ago, and loved the movies. I do bring up LotR's in my classes as an example though. :D

I have no experience with the One Ring system, but I like to experiment with magic in different games. I am not sure how that works in the One Ring. From my brief search it seems like there are tricks you can pick up but no true spellcaster class. Which makes sense since there was only like 5 wizards in the world if I remember correctly.

My initial thoughts would be a surviving dwarf from one of the fallen keeps or a horse lord of Rohan as the charge of Rohan in the Return of the King was just epic. But focusing on a cavalry character usually leads to sadness as your mount always gets left behind and thus no epic charge.

If I can mess around with the magic an elf from Mirkwood could be fun to play since the elves seemed to be the most magical of the races. If I can play around with the magic but you would rather there be no elves a Woodsmen of the Mirkwood also sounds interesting.

Check out the first post in the Discussion forum. Although we aren't using elves of Mirkwood per se, we are reskinning them as Sindarin elves of Lindon. The Wayward elves of Mirkwood are being reskinned as Silvan elves of Lindon.

The One Ring doesn't have classes in the same sense as Pathfinder, but elves do have access to some abilities others would call magical, but not spells in the Pathfinder sense. So do the dwarves.

Hmm. So Bardings and Beorn aren't on the list of available races, is that right? Kay. After reading the main book they were interesting but I'll keep looking.

Because they're from Rhovanion and our game is set in Eriador.

Ok, after looking over the character stuff I think I would like to go with a Wayward Elf. I would be traveling to learn more about the lost history of the elves.

I've got an idea I like for a Rider, but I don't any good thoughts on why one of the King's Guard would be way the hell out here.

I've also got a thought for a Sindaran Scholar, but he hasn't quite come together in my head yet.

Either concept could work well!

Your Rohirrim could be in the north because he is pursuing a vision (like the one Boromir and Faramair had), because he's been sent by King Thengol to seek the advice of the elves rumored to be in far Imladris, because he's been exiled for a crime of passion and has become a free sword, because he's pursuing a Dunlending bandit or because he's seeking his fortune?

A Sindarin scholar might be traveling to Rivendell or gathering folk recipies in Bree or looking for information on the fall of Cardolan, or he's looking for Mithrandir because he's carrying a letter from Cirdan the Shipwright...

I still have to spend the 4 extra previous experience as the online generator doesn't allow that. Also, I'd appreciate feedback in case I made any stupid/glaring mistakes in my first character. =)

Okay. So it seems that those interested include:

* scranford - unsure if will join
* ignuspyre - interested in a Sindarin elf of Lindon
* The Pale King - unsure of what to play
* Arknight - unsure of what to play
* Malinor - Thinking of playing a Silvan Elf of Lindon
* thejeff - Thinking of playing a Rider of Rohan or a Sindarin elf of Lindon

Four players (for a total of six) is what I'm looking for.

Let me give a quick summary of the region. Eriador is the land lying between the Blue Mountains and the sea on the west, the Grey Mountains to the north, the Misty Mountains to the east and the White Mountains of Gondor to the south. Once the home of mighty Arnor, and thereafter the warring states of Cardolan, Arthedain and Rhudaur, it is now mostly depopulated. Dunlendings live in the south near the borders with Rohan and parts of Rohan are also considered to lie in Eriador.

Ancient pockets of men live in Bree-Land and along the shores, such as the Woodmen of Emyn Vorn (also the secretive rangers living in the wilds). Dwarves live in the Blue Mountains or occasionally come from the east over the Misty Mountains. A tiny pocket of Noldorin elves live in hidden Rivendell, but a much larger contingent of elves west of the blue mountains in Lindon. Although the populations are mixed, a greater concentration of Silvan elves live in the south (Harlindon) and a greater concentration of Sindarin elves live in the north (Forlindon). Both of these represent the remnants of Gil-Galad's long-ago kingdom. Smack in the middle of all the wilderness of Eriador lie the Shire and Bree-Land.

Only in the far south are there any real concentrations of population, among the Dunlendings and the Rohirrim.

Thejeff - I think a Rider of Rohan could be useful mounted or unmounted. Yes, there'll be the tricky bits where you can ride really fast but no one else can, but I'm interested more in role playing than in mechanical advantage. Either choice would be fine.

Scranford, Pale King and Arknight - you can play any of the available cultures (see the first post of the Discussion forum), but it seems to me that men and dwarves are underrepresented in the party. Here are those choices, repeated for your ease of us.

* Dunlendings
* Dwarves of the Blue Mountains
* Men of Bree
* Riders of Rohan
* Woodmen of the Emyn Vorn (adapting Woodmen of Wilderland rules)

That's eight players, which is more than the limit of six I had previously chosen, but attrition being what it is, I'm going to accept eight players. You're all in! Please go check into the Discussion forum.

Ignuspyre, I'll comment on your character there.

GAME REOPENED FOR NEW PLAYERS!

Folks, due to the vicissitudes of real life, our game of The One Ring finds itself in need of 2-3 new players. Please let me know if you'd be interested!

This is interesting but I can't do the one post/day on weekdays.

Hrng. Want.

I'm a giant fan of all things Middle-Earth; seen the movies (all of them), played the games (not quite all of them, but the vast majority of the video games, board games, card games, etc., so looking forward to Shadow of War's release next week), read the books (LOTR, Silmarillion, bits and pieces of Unfinished Tales and assorted other bits by the man himself). I also adore re-envisioning pieces existing lore in various settings (as long as it's done with love!), so this feels right up my alley. Unfortunately, I don't have the One Ring rules just yet. Give me a little bit to see if I can find a copy around somewhere and I'll check back in, but for now, consider this a dot.

Dotting this, but first have to get my hands on a copy of the roles as I've never played TOr but I have a huge love for the LotR/Hobbit books/movies/games.

Interested, I am currently playing a Woodsman in another TOR campaign (Love the system) Is there a deadline for submissions, looking for anything in particular?

First of all, welcome to all who are interested!

I'm willing to work with folks who don't own the rules yet. It's a teaching exercise for just about all of us. And honestly I'm far more interested in mood, tone and story than the mechanics.

No deadline other than "sooner is better than later."

I think that any point of entry into Tolkien's work is a good thing. Movies, games, books, role playing, they're all good because the Professor himself looked forward to "other hands" and " other minds" telling stories set in Middle-Earth.

One of my own personal favorites is the pair of podcasts done by Professor Corey Olsen: "The Tolkien Professor" and "Mythgard Academy."

For myself I recall receiving the Ballantine paperback second edition of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings for my 11th birthday. I mostly read science fiction and history at that point and had no interest in fantasy. Then I read those fat white paperbacks with the unusual drawings on the cover. It was like being struck with lightning. I was not just astonished, I was transported.

Author Ray Bradbury often spoke of meeting a circus performer when he was a boy. The man sat on an electrified chair surrounded by lightning. He touched the young Bradbury who was then surrounded by a nimbus of light. The performer told Bradbury that the lightning now lived in him and nothing would ever be the same. Reading Tolkien at 11 was like that.

Author Gene Wolfe wrote in "The Book of the New Sun" of a magic "Book of Gold" that hides in libraries and finds young readers of an impressionable age and fills them ever after with a restless love of knowledge and wonder. For me, The Book of Gold was "The Lord of the Rings." I was never the same and gained a love of mythology, language, literature and heroic narrative.

I carried one of those little paperbacks in my back pocket everywhere I went for years. I still have them, but they're practically shredded. When I heard that a new Tolkien book ("The Silmarillion") would be published in 1978 I pestered my dad to take me to the bookstore until he revealed he'd already purchased it. If anything, I was even more in love with the tales of the Valar, the elves and the First Age than I was with the tales of the Third Age.

I am, in short, a huge fan and I'd love to share that love with some like-minded gamers!

Not sure what the current party makeup is but I'm thinking a dwarven warrior type, thinking something like a heavy armored berserker type with a big two handed weapon.

Another idea that I'd *really* like, is to make a feral hunter type of dwarf who rides a warg or dire caragor(Shadow of Mordor/Shadow of War games creature). Would that at all be possible?

I'm big on fitting the flavor of the setting. A feral hunter dwarf doesn't really do that. Riding wargs is right out and Tolkien's dwarves don't ride anything at all if they can avoid it.

However, a heavily-armored dwarf is easy enough and fits the setting very well.

That does seem a reasonable question. Which of the original 8 characters have survived to have the others join?

Edit: Nevermind.

Hobbit of the Shire
Ranger of the North
Woodsmen
Sindar of Lindon

Oh heeeeeeeeeeey.

Super interest. Much apply. Wow.

In all seriousness, I would love to apply. Tolkien has always been my first fantasy love. I love "The Tolkien Professor"; I especially enjoyed some of the bits about how Tolkien's cosmology was much modeled after medieval with fire being above all. I re-read the Silmarillion once a year because honestly I love it.

My first thought is of a journeyman Dwarven crafstman, perhaps even of the line of Narvi, eager to make his mark and show that the works of the Naugrim are still mighty.

My other thought is of a High Elf of Rivendell, someone with a spot of hero-worship; she has grown to adulthood hearing of the tales of Gil-galad, of the prowess of Finrod Felagund and the folly of Feanor, mightiest of all the Eldar. She has grown mighty in the house of Glorfindel, who was so valiant and so powerful a foe of the Enemy that the Valar saw fit to give him again a body, and greater power, and return him to Middle-earth to aid against the Shadow.

Both sound good, Dodekatheon. Please, pick one and jump in!

Recruitment is open and ongoing as long as we have some room.

Will do. I'll get something up this afternoon.

Sirothel of Rivendell, ready for consideration.

Sirothel looks good Dodekatheon. Watch this space and I'll cue you when to jump in.

That does seem a reasonable question. Which of the original 8 characters have survived to have the others join?

Edit: Nevermind.

Hobbit of the Shire
Ranger of the North
Woodsmen
Sindar of Lindon

I don't think the Sindar is still with us, though he' welcome to return.

Space is watched

I'd be very happy to join :)

The last group I was in dried up and it's been maybe a year or two since I've been apart of anything (so i will have to relearn the coding for in-game posts etc.) But I was really enjoying this character Odd'n.

In short he is a human unarmed fighter raised by an adoptive but brutal orc family. Somewhat dumb and unwise, but dedicated to his friends.. As few as they are.

Anywho, let me know.

Your character is a Pathfinder character. That's not the game being played here.

I'm betting another Dunadan should be avoided.

I prefer elves, but you already have a Noldor, and my first experience with the system (in a another pbp on this board) is Sindarin.

I had a website pointed out to me for character creation, which lets me get around my lack of knowledge about the system.

I'm looking at possibly a Dunlending (man) Treasure-Hunter, Dwarf of the Iron Hills Slayer, or another Elf of Mirkwood Warden (I mentioned I'm fond of Tolkien elves).

Conceptually all of those are fine. However, please check out the notes at the start. We're playing in Eriador, so while a Dunlending would work, your dwarf would be from the Blue Mountains or your elf would be from Lindon.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Anyone else?

Sorry, spent the weekend on a campout with the Boy Scouts, and I ended up being kept awake all night Saturday. I'm too old for that sort of thing anymore, and am still trying to recover from the lack of sleep. Not going well just yet.

I'm an old Eagle Scout with very young sons. I wonder if I'll be able to keep up when they're old enough to go camping.

Ive never played in a pbp game, and I'm not terribly familiar with the TOR ruleset but I'm an avid fan of Tolkien's work. Id love to put together a Rider of Rohan and give this a go if you'll have me. I'll work on a backstory for submission and try to have something up in the next 48 hrs

Mae govannen!

I'm wondering if I should apply for this. I think I might be too much of a purist...hmm.

I know a way to decide. Is there a monster statblock or something like that for Balrogs? I'm not familiar with the system.

Specifically, do they have a fly speed?

I think I've settled on the Elf from Lindon.

Too late for me to transfer the character to a profile tonight.

hustonj finally settled on a character.

At the time of this posting, I need to provide some sort of description, but the laughing elf picture hints at how I envision his outlook on life, coming from such an idyllic home.

Mae govannen!

I'm wondering if I should apply for this. I think I might be too much of a purist...hmm.

I know a way to decide. Is there a monster statblock or something like that for Balrogs? I'm not familiar with the system.

Specifically, do they have a fly speed?

:-) This really made me smile. It also made me wonder if you're Professor Corey Olsen in disguise!

No, there is no statblock for balrogs. That is WAY off the power scale envisioned here (at least as a direct opponent for the PCs. If it was beyond Aragorn, Boromir and Legolas, it's beyond you). While no balrog appears in any of the Company 7 products, I'm quite certain that it would not have wings (because balrogs don't have wings).

In case anyone wonders what we're talking about, there is a debate among Tolkien fans whether balrogs have wings. In the description of Durin's Bane, Tolkien mentions "vast wings of darkness" and "flying". But the first is a poetic allusion to the huge area of darkness around the balrog and the second is a word Tolkien almost always uses to mean "fleeing" (as in "fly, you fools!"). Given that most of the balrogs who die in The Silmarillion and the Lord of the Rings do so by plummeting to their deaths, it is easy to see that balrogs do not have wings. Yet, that is how they are most often depicted.

So, Guarwaith, let me expand on what I mean by violations of canon. You will not see in my game anything that directly violates something Tolkien wrote (no hobbit kingdoms or evil elvish societies), but you must of necessity encounter things that not part of what Tolkien wrote. He himself encouraged this more than once. So you might (making this up off the top of my head, not actually in the planned game) learn that orcs are not twisted mockeries of elves (as the elves believe) but of men (as Tolkien considered in his later years). Or you might encounter an elf who witnessed the Kinslaying even though the only elf we know for sure was both there and present in the Third Age of Middle Earth was Galadriel. Or perhaps you'll learn that Melian had a sister or that someone in the line of Elendil claims to have a better claim on the chieftainship than Aragorn. These are just examples of what I mean by things outside of canon which do not directly violate canon.

I'll tell you that no one loves and respects Tolkien's creation more than me, but at the same time unless we just want to retell the Lord of the Rings, we need to have different characters and villains and motivations.

I hope you'll apply.

hustonj finally settled on a character.

At the time of this posting, I need to provide some sort of description, but the laughing elf picture hints at how I envision his outlook on life, coming from such an idyllic home.

Is he laughing? I always thought that icon was screaming.

Adair will be welcome as soon as his background is supplied.

Ive never played in a pbp game, and I'm not terribly familiar with the TOR ruleset but I'm an avid fan of Tolkien's work. Id love to put together a Rider of Rohan and give this a go if you'll have me. I'll work on a backstory for submission and try to have something up in the next 48 hrs

Well, Harm's Way, you're welcome to submit a character. Let me apprise you of the main truth of PBP: It's really, really slow. Glaciers and molasses laugh at us as they zip by. There's no helping it. PBP is SLOW. Many people who encounter this lose interest or focus. On the other hand, that very slowness is also a feature. You can craft just the right words, just the right emotions. You also have plenty of time to develop actual roleplaying between PCS, which is why many love it.

It will certainly help you to buy the TOR rulebook, but few of us here (myself included) have all that much experience with the system. If you're a Tolkien fan, you should come to appreciate how the system supports and promotes the themes of hope, despair and sacrifice and also how the game is much less combat-focused than Pathfinder.

Adair wrote:

hustonj finally settled on a character.

At the time of this posting, I need to provide some sort of description, but the laughing elf picture hints at how I envision his outlook on life, coming from such an idyllic home.

Is he laughing? I always thought that icon was screaming.

Adair will be welcome as soon as his background is supplied.

He is labelled as laughing. I took it at face value, if you will.

He has a (truly shallow) background, but still no description. I take it you would prefer more? Doesn't bother me. I'll be home this weekend for the first time in 4 weekends, and have little to do other than some writing.

Edit: Well, and whatever my wife comes up with.

I just might apply...

I'm not professor Olsen, indeed, I don't actually know as much about Middle-Earth as I should like. But I am an avid fan, and I suppose I'd like another game.

It's a big commitment to join a PbP. I wouldn't want to do that unless I was interested in putting in a significant and sustainable amount of effort down the line. How much effort do you think you'll be putting into the writing? Will you include things like concept images or music? Do you tend to push players towards faster play, or do you let us take however long we take?

I'll be looking over the gameplay section already extant to try to answer these questions myself, but anything you provide me will be helpful.

Still not certain I'll apply. How do you feel about me writing a character who's a lot like me?

Got the weekend free, I'll be posting here again.

There's a little more, better tied to both the world and the mechanics.

If I'm not meeting your expectations, well, that's okay. We'll both be better served with open communication. I just need to know so I can decide how to move ahead.

It's a big commitment to join a PbP. I wouldn't want to do that unless I was interested in putting in a significant and sustainable amount of effort down the line. How much effort do you think you'll be putting into the writing?

The game's been going on for a while. Check it out as well as my many other games for a sample.

Will you include things like concept images

Probably not very often, if ever.

or music?

Definitely never.

Do you tend to push players towards faster play, or do you let us take however long we take?

Little bit of both. I like to keep up a good clip, but my own life is pulling me toward a slower game right now.

How do you feel about me writing a character who's a lot like me?

Depends on how much like a Tolkien hero you are, I suppose!

There's a little more, better tied to both the world and the mechanics.

If I'm not meeting your expectations, well, that's okay. We'll both be better served with open communication. I just need to know so I can decide how to move ahead.

Nope! Looks great. You're in. Go ahead and say hello on the Discussion panel.