crossposted from RPGnet:

I ran a demo of The One Ring at the local RPG meetup this past Saturday. The game was fun, and 2 of the players were very enthusiastic about it, while the other 2 didn't seem as excited about the system (perhaps that's a story for another thread).

One thing I think I handled incorrectly initially were the rules for Journeys. Could someone look over this and see if I'm doing it right?

1) The players choose their route on their map, and the Loremaster determines how long the journey is using his map, breaking the trip up into logical "legs"
2) Based on the method of conveyance and the terrain covered, determine how long in days each leg of the journey will take.
3) Based on the season, determine how many Fatigue tests are needed per leg.
4) For each Fatigue test, all players make a Travel skill test. The TN is determined by the type of terrain traveled through. A failure means that the character will accrue a +1 level of fatigue at the journey's end.
5) If any player fails the test and also rolls a Sauron, a Hazard occurs.
6) The LM chooses (or randomly rolls on the table on p. 35 of the LMG) which party member is the focus of the Hazard.
7) The person who is the focus of the Hazard makes a roll of the skill related to their role in the party (ie, Huntsman rolls Hunting, Scout rolls Explore, etc.), and the Hazard plays out based on that skill roll.

Any endurance lost during the journey will be recovered at the usual rate (based on wound status) each night on the trail, and the +1 Fatigue levels accrued will go away after the journey ends at a rate of 1 per night of good rest in a safe, comfortable haven.

In the demo run, I think I initially had everyone roll the skill associated with their role as their Fatigue test rather than the Travel skill. Obviously, Travel is going to be an important skill for ME adventurers!

I had a great time running the demo. One thing that I particularly enjoyed was the way that endurance loss affected player behavior. We had one character (Lifstan from the pre-gens) who started off the combats in Forward stance, but when his endurance began running out, he shifted back to defensive stance and just tried to hold off the orcs so that the missile folks could whittle them down, which was nice and tactical without a grid and minis. I had considered using some of my LotR minis with this game, but I actually prefer the feel of the fights with no physical representation on the table, so that everything is happening completely in the imagination (a nice change of pace since I've been running 4E lately).

John

Hi John,

everything seems in order, apart from:

"4) For each Fatigue test, all players make a Travel skill test. The TN is determined by the type of terrain traveled through. A failure means that the character will accrue a +1 level of fatigue at the journey's end."

A Travel test failure means that you raise your Fatigue rating by a value equal to your Travelling gear Encumbrance (1 in summer/spring, 2 in fall/winter).

Glad you liked running the game!

Francesco