Hello everyone. I've been drafting up a campaign set in the classic fantasy land of Middle Earth for a while now, but never got around to getting a game started. I've also recently gotten my hands on The One Ring system by Cubicle 7 games, which is the new-ish RPG system specifically for running games in Middle Earth. I'm mainly looking for interest in trying out the new system (at least new for me, it's been out for a while) by playing an adventure or two, with the potential to expand things if people are enjoying the system. If the group wants to keep going, I have a longer story and campaign ideas in mind to keep things rolling and play a larger game. This is mainly just an interest check for now, but if people want to ask questions about the system, chat about idea, or whatever, feel free to do so.
I'm planning on setting the story in the year 2966 of the Middle Earth Calendar, which is exactly twenty years after The Hobbit, and forty years before The Lord of the Rings, so if that influences your interest at all, there you have it.
Sounds great, I don't know the system but I'd be willing to get it if this goes ahead! Played many a game of MERP back in the day :)
What region would you be starting in? Just so I can start researching/brainstorming :)
The initial adventure would take place in Dale, during the Gathering of Five Armies, a festival held every five years to commemorate the killing of Smaug and the Battle of Five Armies. However, since the festival is a huge attraction, people come from all across Middle Earth to attend, so characters could be from almost anywhere.
Nice :)
Dropping in to post my interest here. Thinking an Iron Hills Dwarf, but I'll need to read up some more to decide in full. Probably going to stick with a dwarf of some kind, though.
I got to briefly glance over a physical copy of the core book a while back and it looked appealing. Would players need copies for this game? And what style and tone of game are you aiming for?
VERY interested! I will look into getting The One Ring (which I have been eyeing for some time now) and see what I can come up with.
Oooh, I wouldn't mind giving this a try! I mean I love Tolkien lore so a chance to actually play in the world and buy the book I've seen but know none of my friend would play with me, yes please!
I have PDFs, so no one has to buy the books, but I of course don't mind if anyone wants to get their own copy.
As for tone/style, I'm looking at going back to more classic fantasy. I hardly expect everyone to play a paragon or something like that, but the game encourages classic heroism with the characters being good people who are on great journeys to fight the forces of evil and protect people and all that jazz.
That sounds good to me. What are the options for pc races/origins?
Player options are divided into your Culture and your Calling. Callings are mostly your reason for adventuring, and determine your Corruption weakness. Cultures are the meat of the character and determine most of the rest. Since people from different regions are often very different, they're divided down by more than just race. Cultures are:
Dwarves: Blue Mountains, Grey Mountains, Iron Hills, Lonely Mountain
Elves: Lorien, Mirkwood, Rivendell*, Wayward
Hobbits: The Shire, Bree, Anduin Vale
Men: Bardings (aka Men of Dale), Beornings (aka Men of Anduin Vale), Dunlendings, Men of Bree, Men of Minas Tirith, Men of the Lake (Lake Town), Rangers of the North*, Riders of Rohan, Woodsmen of Mirkwood
*It's important to note that Rangers of the North and High Elves of Rivendell are noted as Advanced Cultures, with higher starting stats than other cultures. I don't think I want to outright ban them, but I would be a little leery of them.
dotting
I would be interested in playing a man who is relieved to be done with war and darkness. Or so he thinks. Great endurance, but weary in spirit. A Beorning perhaps.
Oooh, I would love to play a Rider of Rohan!
I'd be thinking an elf from Mirkwood. The Necromancer (aka Sauron) has already fled Mirkwood at the time you'd be starting the campaign, hasn't he?
The Necromancer is driven out of Dol Goldur in the same year Smaug dies, but his servants and minions have been growing in power ever since he returned to Mordor, so there's still a lot of trouble hanging around southern Mirkwood.
Decimus Observet here. There is an online character generator at http://azrapse.es/tor/sheet.html though let me know if there is anything I need to change or add.
At first glance, Hartgard appears the archetype of a Beorning warrior. Tall, broad, bearded, and bearing a great axe and dismissive of armour. But his clothes are weathered, and more so him. The songs of the old ways are quiet in his mind, and shadows weigh on his heart. He has seen too much bloodshed in defense of the Anduin Vale and wants nothing more than a quiet life.
In order:
Everyone is welcome to come up with their own backstory. I agree that even if the pre-written ones can be good, it's much more fun to write your own. I would like you to keep the mechanics of one of the existing backgrounds, but you can attach whatever story to it that you want. Reading the ones they already have might give some ideas if you're having trouble coming up with something too.
I don't really have a set date in mind yet. I may just let things run for a little bit and stop it when I'm satisfied with a group of six. I also might open up a new thread with more recruitment details and see if doing a full open recruitment gets a few more people looking at it too.
I will see what I can come up with this weekend.
I would very much be interested in playing one of the Men of the North (I am assuming that is what Dunedain translates to?).
If that is not workable, perhaps one of the Elven cultures.
Dunedain are usually called Men of the West, rather than the North. Men of the North usually refer to Bardings or the like. Though I wouldn't be opposed to seeing them played either.
I'm going to be honest. While I do plan to have part of the campaign take the group west and spending some time in Eriador and Lindon, there will be a lot of other stuff too. I don't want to have the Rangers sort of overwhelming everything else, so I might have a limit or something on how many people play that sort of thing or something like that. We'll see what people come up with.
I feel kind of bad about limiting character concepts with this sort of system, but I also want things to fit thematically and for everyone to have fun so I'm sorry if that sounds kind of wishy-washy.
Consider my interest tickled for a Dwarf of the Iron Hills. I'm currently leaning Master Craftsman. I'm just beginning to understand the full weight of building a character.
Given how this has gotten quite a bit of interest in just a few days, I've opened a full recruitment thread with my general expectations of submissions and condenses some of the information into one post. You can find it here keep following this game if you're interested.