I thought I'd try posting an AP report as I always enjoy reading other people's. Here goes...

So the other week, John, Emma, Colin and Ben came over for our first session of The One Ring.

Fellowship Creation

After a brief introduction to the setting and the obligatory discussion about how much each of us knew of Middle Earth canon and whether we liked or disliked Peter Jackson’s movie adaptations, we set about generating the Fellowship for our game.

Hero creation was fun and flavourful. Since I was the only one who had a copy of the rules, there was quite a lot of book-sharing or me paraphrasing various options so that everyone could choose what they wanted, but it still only took a couple of hours to create the four heroes, which I reckon is pretty good going.

The Fellowship my group generated consisted of two Beornings, Malaric and Grunhild, (played by John and Emma respectively), Oinarin, a Dwarf of the Lonely Mountain (played by Colin) and Grimald, a Woodman of Wilderland (played by Ben).

Since everyone fancied getting to do some actual play before the evening finished, we skipped developing any real background for the Fellowship and simply agreed that the four travellers had met somewhere on the road to Esgaroth. This seemed to suffice and allowed us to plunge straight into The Marsh Bell adventure from the Loremaster's Book.


*** SPOILERS FROM HERE ON ***


The Marsh Bell – Part One

Shortly after the Fellowship arrived in Esgaroth, they heard rumours that two Dwarven messengers had vanished without trace in the nearby Long Marshes. Oinarin made some enquiries and discovered that Gloin, the Dwarven envoy in Esgaroth, was offering a rich reward to anyone who provided news of his missing kinsmen.

Oinarin swiftly declared that he intended to aid in the search and his three companions volunteered to accompany him. The group headed off to Gloin’s mansion to find out what they could.

Encounter with Gloin

As the only Dwarf in the group, Oinarin took the lead in the encounter with Gloin and acted as Fellowship spokesman. His goal was to obtain as much information about the missing Dwarves as he could.

[At this point Colin rolled an EYE OF SAURON on the Introduction test for a total of 4 and therefore FAILED big style. This was an outcome I confess I was unprepared for and I found the rules to be somewhat lacking in explanation as to what implications a failed Introduction roll had for the remainder of the Encounter. Consequently I struggled to reconcile the test result with the need to impart details of the missing Dwarves in order to initiate the planned adventure. Ultimately I pretty much abandoned the Encounter mechanics at that point and simply roleplayed the exchange, endeavouring to accommodate the failed roll by playing Gloin as unimpressed with the group of novice adventurers who had no noteworthy deeds to their names. However, as Gloin was keen to see the return of his kinsmen, he did hesitantly provide sufficient information for the search to go ahead.]

Expressing his reservations at such an inexperienced group going into the Marshes and being openly sceptical of their ability to get the job done, Gloin nonetheless revealed that Balin and Oin had passed through Esgaroth a few days earlier, on their way to deliver a letter from King Dain Ironfoot to the Lord of the Eagles. Perhaps rashly, Balin had intended to follow the dangerous route south through the Long Marshes and then investigate and possibly traverse the long disused Old Forest Road. However, as of two days ago, ravens sent out from the Lonely Mountain to search for the two Dwarves could find no sign of them.

Armed with this information the company departed, resolved to show their mettle and prove Gloin wrong in his estimation of them.

The Journey South (Day One) – Esgaroth to the Stair of Girion

The next morning the four bold heroes borrowed a small, round-bottomed boat from one of the Lakemen and set off southward along the Long Lake. At the end of the first day they reached the Stair of Girion and disembarked on the western shore above the falls. They made camp near the small cluster of huts belonging to the Lakemen who lived there and, thanks to Malaric’s fishing skills [Fishing speciality trait], they ate a hearty supper of cooked fish before settling down for a restful night’s sleep.

The Journey South (Day Two) – Into the Long Marshes

The next morning the Fellowship descended the stair and continued their journey from where the Running River resumed at the base of the falls. Through the day the course of the river took them ever deeper into the dangerous and unexplored Long Marshes and closer to the dark trunks of Mirkwood. At dusk they set up camp on the edge of the wood. The second night passed uneventfully.

The Journey South (Day Three) – Entering Mirkwood

When they set out the following day they passed into the eastern eaves of Mirkwood and boating became increasingly difficult due to the tangle of submerged roots and dangling branches. It was only thanks to Grunhild’s expert guidance of the skiff that they were able to travel onward without upset [She achieved an Extraordinary Athletics test].

Around mid-morning Oinarin, who was acting as Lookout, spotted a group of four Wood Elves shadowing the boat along the western bank [He achieved an Extraordinary Awareness test]. After observing them for a few minutes, Onarin hailed them and Grunhild steered the boat over to the bank.

Encounter with Galion

The members of the Wood Elf patrol proved to be both surly and suspicious, and their leader, Galion, demonstrated a particular disliking for Dwarves. He sourly informed the company that the Long Marshes were no place for idle travellers and then questioned them about what business they had there. Malaric answered on the Fellowship’s behalf, speaking openly about their purpose while endeavouring to divert attention away from Dwarvish matters by focusing on the fact that the missing messengers were on an errand to the noble Lord of the Eagles.

[I abandoned the Encounter mechanics for a second time here and resolved to look into how to use them properly before my next session.]

During the ensuing exchange Galion was gradually worn down by the Beorning’s affability and eventually revealed that a few days earlier the patrol had been following the two Dwarves, until one night they had mysteriously disappeared from their camp. Galion believed that the Dwarves had discovered they were being followed and had chosen to sneak away under cover of darkness. Malaric then convinced Galion to lead the Fellowship to the abandoned camp where the Dwarves were last seen, which the Wood Elf patrol did before leaving the company and departing back into the trees.

“Conclude your business with haste and leave here while you can” Galion warned as the Elves departed. “The woods are no place to tarry.”

Balin’s Camp

The abandoned camp was on a patch of dry land rising to the west of the river course, near to where a foul smelling stream with dark and muddy waters descended from the Mountains of Mirkwood. In the growing twilight a quick search of the immediate area revealed signs that the Dwarves had set up camp but never slept there.

Oinarin discovered a small ivory jewel case concealed in a rotten tree stump. The box was adorned with intricately carved images of Great Eagles and protected with a spell of secrecy. Oinarin did not open it however but instead carefully re-wrapped it in the cloth he found it in and stowed it in his gear.

As the shadows between the trunks of Mirkwood lengthened, the Fellowship set-up camp for the night, planning to search the area more thoroughly the following morning.


And that’s where we left things for the evening.

[Edit: Changed tense for consistency with second session write-up which I hope to post shortly.]

Looking forward to reading more of your adventures!!

@Rickerdoo - Many thanks for the encouragement. I'm just about to post session 2

Last Friday we finished our second session, in which the Fellowship continued their adventures with the second part of The Marsh Bell. Unfortunately Colin was ill and couldn’t make it this time around, so we had to play Oinarin by group consensus. The rest of us had another great game.

*** SPOILERS ***

The Marsh Bell – Part Two

The Journey South (Day Three continued) – Balin’s Camp

While the Fellowship investigated the abandoned camp, the shadows under the trees rapidly lengthened. By the time they were finished it was too dark to continue, so they wearily settled in for another night in the marshes. A foul stench hung over the stagnant waters and everyone was soaked through and covered in mud. Searching for the missing Dwarves was proving to be a thoroughly miserable experience.
[Everyone made a Corruption test for their second day in this part of the marshes and they all failed. So everyone got a point of Shadow.]

That night, Grimald had first watch. He clambered into the lower branches of a nearby tree and huddled there in his cloak, bow and arrows to hand, staring out into the darkness.

A few hours later, when his watch was nearing an end, the Woodman noticed flickering lights beyond the nearby tree trunks. He observed them for a while and then, concerned by their proximity, roused Oinarin who was on watch next. Once the Dwarf was awake, Grimald drew his attention to the lights and suggested Oinarin keep an eye on the sleeping Beornings while he went to take a closer look. Oinarin advised the Woodman to be careful before standing ready to raise the alarm if anything happened.

Despite the quagmire under foot, the tangles of roots and the maze of small pools that had to be navigated, Grimald slipped silently across the marsh like a ghost. [Due to the conditions I had given Ben a TN16 Stealth test to avoid making “sploshing” noises as he moved closer to the lights but he aced it spectacularly with an Extraordinary success.]

Once he had a better vantage point, Grimald could clearly see the ghostly wisps of flame that drifted above the stagnant water. He watched them for a short time but remained unsure as to what they were or what might be causing them. Eventually he withdrew, back to where Oinarin was waiting.

The two conferred, but Oinarin could establish very little from Grimald’s rather vague description of what he had seen. Eventually the Dwarf gave up and decided he would go and take a look for himself. He hefted his axe and sloshed over to the pool.[Oinarin has no Stealth skill and I rolled an EYE OF SAURON on the Feat dice].

Oinarin stood there observing the lights for a while and then turned back towards Grimald, declaring in a hoarse whisper, “It’s nothing. Just swamp gas I reckon.”

At that moment, the troll that was hiding beneath the surface of the stinking pool burst out of the water behind him.

“TROLL!” Grimald yelled in alarm.

Oinarin dived away, scrambling and sliding through the mud, while Malaric and Grunhild awoke, jumped to their feet and grabbed their weapons.

The troll was quickly in amongst them. It wielded a heavy branch, thrashing it back and forth like a huge club. [Everyone failed their Awareness Tests to avoid the ambush, so the troll had the advantage of surprise.]

[Combat Round 1: TROLL Success => Oinarin takes 6 END; OINARIN (Open) Failure; MALARIC (Open) Success => Troll takes 9 END (Malaric spent 1 Hope to hit); GRUNHILD (Open) Success => Troll takes 7 END; GRIMALD (Rearward) Success + Edge => Troll takes 7 END + saves]

Dripping mud and stinking marsh-water the fell creature bellowed and swung the branch into Oinarin with a mighty thwack! The two Beornings moved in, flanking the troll and worrying it with spear and axe in an effort to keep it off balance and away from their comrade. Meanwhile Grimald let loose an arrow, hit the troll in the shoulder and swiftly readied another.

[Combat Round 2: TROLL Success => Oinarin takes 6 END (Troll spends HATE for +6 END, Oinarin takes knockback to halve damage); MALARIC (Forward) Extraordinary success + Edge=> Troll takes 21 END + saves; GRUNHILD (Open) Great success + Edge=> Troll takes 12 END + Wound; OINARIN (Open) Knocked back; GRIMALD (Rearward) Failure]

Enraged, the troll pressed forward once again. Acting on its innate hatred of Dwarves, it took another mighty swipe at Oinarin. Again it connected and this time smashed the Dwarf face down into the mud. Yelling a cry of battle, Malaric came to the Dwarf’s aid. He summoned his strength and plunged his spear up into the troll’s ribs. The beast reared and roared at the pain. Malaric dug in, pressing home the advantage, driving the troll up and back, away from Oinarin. As he did so Grunhild, his fellow Beorning, swung her axe with all her might and buried it deep into the creature’s midriff. Rocked by the Beornings’ combined assault, the troll staggered and Grunhild ripped her axe free.

[Combat Round 3: TROLL Success=> Oinarin takes 6 END (Troll spends HATE for +6 END, Oinarin takes knockback to halve damage); MALARIC (Forward) Success=> Troll takes 9 END; GRUNHILD (Forward) Success=> Troll takes 7 END; OINARIN (Open) Knocked back; GRIMALD (Rearward) Extraordinary success=> Troll takes 13 END]

The mortally wounded creature took one last swing at Oinarin and then collapsed under the continued onslaught. Once it had fallen, Malaric stabbed it a few more times. “You can never be too sure,” he grunted by way of explanation before wrenching his spear free.

Grimald then came to their side, having stood back during the battle to use his bow. He helped a rather muddy, beaten and weary Oinarin to his feet. “Don’t worry it takes more than a few knocks to finish me,” the Dwarf grimaced bravely.

The remainder of the night passed uneventfully.

The Journey South (Day Four)

The next morning it was wet, misty and grey. The Fellowship arose, ate a meagre breakfast and then searched around the camp again. There was some evidence that the Dwarves had continued on foot and, as the companions packed up their things, Grimald noticed a sunken skiff in the nearby reeds. Malaric waded into the water to take a closer look and found that the bottom of the boat was smashed. It was no longer river-worthy. This confirmed their belief that Dwarves had travelled onward over land.

There followed some debate as to whether the Fellowship should continue by boat and risk missing signs of the Dwarves or follow them on foot. By Oinarin’s calculations, it would take around two days from here to reach the end of the Old Forest Road by foot and a day by boat. Malaric and Grunhild were also puzzled about the ivory jewel case that Oinarin had discovered. They presumed it held the message that was intended for the Lord of the Eagles, but could not understand why the Dwarves had abandoned it. Perhaps there was more to it. Grunhild in particular was curious. Malaric suggested looking inside the box but Oinarin was reluctant to do so because it did not belong to them.

[To be honest, I wasn’t clear on what had happened to the Dwarves at this point either, and in particular why they had gone on without the jewel case. I had decided they were forced to depart in haste due to the troll attacking and had left it behind but could not explain why they had not returned for it. I don’t know what the scenario author intended for this.]

In the end the Fellowship decided to hide their boat and continue over land.

During the day, debate about the contents of the jewel case periodically resumed. Grunhild didn’t like being in the dark about it and she and Malaric secretly suspected that Oinarin had already looked at the contents or perhaps that, being a Dwarf, he had prior knowledge of it. When she and Malaric talked privately about it, Malaric suggested they take a look while Oinarin was sleeping.

That evening the Fellowship made camp once again.

[The Corruption tests for the Fellowship’s third day in the blighted marshes resulted in Malaric spending a point of Hope to succeed, and Oinarin, Grunhild and Grimald all failing. So Oinarin, Grunhild and Grimald each got a second point of Shadow.]

During the night, when Malaric finished his watch and woke Grunhild, her first thought was to ask him about the jewel case. “Well, did you do it?” she whispered. “Did you find out what was in it?”

“It didn't seem like a good idea,” Malaric replied. “I’m not the stealthy one. I’d be almost certain to wake him.”

“So you want me to do it?”

“Whether you do or not is not for me to decide,” Malaric muttered unhelpfully as he rolled over and settled down to sleep.

So Grunhild sat through her watch wondering what secrets the jewel case held and whether Oinarin had already looked inside it. Eventually she came to a decision. She rose and crept over to where Oinarin slept. It was relatively easy for her to take the box. The Dwarf did not stir. Within the case she found a rolled parchment and a fine necklace of twisted gold. The necklace held a magnificent snowy-coloured jewel. Even in the darkness of Mirkwood its countless facets glittered as if illuminated by an inner light.

As Grunhild held the necklace here certainty that it was a wondrous and powerful item grew. It should not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. It needed to be kept safe.

[The stone was from Smaug’s hoard and the Dragon’s wickedness still lingered upon it. Grunhild had to make a Corruption Test when she saw the jewel and Emma failed, so Grunhild was seized by a fierce desire for it. I felt it made sense to present this in terms that appealed to Grunhild’s Warden calling].

Grunhild wanted to take the necklace but was afraid of being discovered. She thought that Oinarin knew about it and would notice if it was missing. She decided to bide her time and reluctantly returned it to the box and put it back with the Dwarf’s belongings.

[I wasn’t sure how best to play the ‘Shadow’ desire in this respect. I could have forced Grunhild to take the necklace but I didn’t want to break Emma’s visualisation of her character. I need to consider this aspect of the game more carefully.]

The Journey South (Day Five)

The next morning the Fellowship travelled on again.

By late afternoon they had reached the eastern end of the Old Forest Road and turned westward, continuing through the marshes within Mirkwood. They entered a tangle of hoary willows where many small-sized ravens with greenish-black feathers sat motionless, apparently watching them from high in the branches overhead.

“That’s not a good sign”, Malaric observed, nodding towards the strangely unsettling birds.

“Let’s not do anything to aggravate them”, Grimald suggested.

The four companions pushed on through the hanging willow branches until a short while later Grunhild noticed one of the branches was moving under its own volition. “Watch out. The trees!” she cried out in alarm. Her warning came too late however, as at that moment one of the branches slipped around Malaric’s throat and rapidly tightened. He was drawn up on tip-toe as it started to choke him. The Beorning struggled and grabbed for his axe, trying to free himself by twisting and hacking above his head. Unfortunately he could not get a clear swing. [I gave John an Athletics test to get in a position where he could make an attack but he failed it].

Grunhild was quickly at Malaric’s side, lifting him up in an effort to help him breathe. Meanwhile, Grimald chopped away at the branches with his axe, trying to free the Beorning. However, in the confusion the Woodman’s blows were misdirected and one glanced off Malaric rather than severing the intended target [Ben rolled an EYE OF MORDOR, so Malaric took 7 END].

Malaric glared at Grimald. He looked like he was trying to say something but his face was turning purple and his eyes bulged as the constricting branch squeezed the life out of him.

“Hold him up” Grunhild barked urgently. Grimald immediately stopped hacking and did as the Beorning woman bid him. Grunhild swiftly drew her axe and cut through the offending branches. [Emma needed a Great success or better and succeeded at her first attempt.]

Freed from danger, Malaric dropped to his knees and gasped for air. His colour quickly returned to normal. The Fellowship moved away, putting a safe distance between them and the hanging branches before resting for a few moments.

While they were catching their breath, Malaric began to recall bits of an old rhyme he had once heard. Much of it bore a striking similarity to their current situation. “Gallows weed... gorcrows,” he muttered thoughtfully. He recited as much as he could remember of the Mewlips poem to the others. Certain words and phrases hung eerily in the air.

“If at all possible, I think we should try and avoid the place of which that poem speaks,” Grimald suggested when Malaric was finished.

“Let’s just find my kinsmen and get out of this accursed place,” Oinarin urged.

Once again the Fellowship pressed on, following the heavily overgrown course of the Old Forest Road through the marshes. They soon came to a place where the last vestiges of ancient buildings jutted out of the slime and mud like broken teeth. Lonely pillars, crumbling arches and wet walls with staring gargoyles appeared to be all that remained of an ancient town.

“Is there anything about this in your poem?” Grimald asked warily.

Malaric nodded towards the "grinning gargoyles".

Grimald swallowed but said nothing more.

They soon found themselves approaching a dark pool. Around them the gorcrows started croaking raucously and then very faintly they thought they heard the ringing of a distant bell.

Malaric immediately brought them to a halt. “It’s getting late,” he said. “And I really don’t want to be wandering around this place in the dark. Let’s find somewhere to hole up until morning.”

They pulled back and sought shelter in the lee of a ruined wall that they had recently passed. There, huddled in the darkness, they slept restlessly or watched and waited, listening to the night sounds around them. Drip ... drip... squish-flap-flip.

[We finished our second session with the Corruption tests for the Fellowship’s fourth day in the blighted marshes. Malaric and Grimald each spent a point of Hope to succeed, Grunhild failed and Oinarin succeeded. So Grunhild finished the session with 4 Shadow, Grimald and Oinarin with 2 each and Malaric with 1.]