Hi

I'm running my second campaign right now in TOR and I'm still confused about the fellowship phase. It states that the players should have more or less full control over that event and it should play out in half a session or so.

But the fellowship phases we have played out have been like half an hour or something like that. We just don't let it take the time it should have, it seems.
How are you working that out? Gimme your ideas and tips please? How do you manage it and keep it working.

I should mention that in our group, RAW doesnt really work out that well.
It would be impossible in our group to say something like this, (we just dont play that way) ;

Player: I want to get information about what is happening in the misty mountains, so I make a riddle roll to find out <rolls success>
LM: You find out, and the warriors tell you that orcs has been sighted near the high pass.

In our group, we roleplay all such things out, and use the dice rolls as guidelines and the situation would be something more like;

Player: I would like to get to know what is happening in the misty mountains, so I go over to that guard and make a riddle roll to find out, < rolls success>.
Player as his charachter: Greetings fellow man! I'm Egir son of Eskil, servant and swordsworn to the king of Dale. Myself and my comrades are looking for safe passage over the mountains in the west and we are in need of information regarding the enemy and other fell creatures in the High pass.
LM as guard: Welcome and well met Egir son of Eskil. I'm Helach, gaurdsman of this town. And yes, i could understand that you seek rumors about the pass. Aye, yes, there is goblins there, but no more than usual, as far as I know. But there most be something else tough, a few merchants where ambushed in the pass, not five nights ago, and they said it was no small goblins that attacked them, but something more... dark and sinister.


Well just to give you an example on how we play. So just sitting down and telling what happens isn't really our way of playing. So how should I handle it to be more "correct", cus i like the concept of fellowship phase but can't get it to work really.



/Poseur

I don't think there is anything wrong with your way of play. In fact it is more roleplaying than the first example.

As for the fellowship phases, you could arrange some games if you want them to take longer. Like drinking or singing contests. Or as players gain new skills and such, roleplay them gaining those things. But I think half an hour is not a short time for a fellowship phase.

I agree with farinal's words. But I would also say that to play things out the way you do is completely within the rules as written.

The Adventurer's Book, page 168, under the section "Structure," says, A Fellowship phase lasts from a week to one full season of game time, depending on the Loremaster’s structuring of the game. At the beginning of a Fellowship phase, the players must choose whether the company retires somewhere to spend the phase as a group or if they temporarily disband and each hero returns home by himself. Once they are set upon a decision, they start taking individual turns to tell the Loremaster and the other players what they are going to do and where they are going to do it. In addition, players get to record the growth of their characters by spending their Experience points and Advancement points.

Then, under "Activities" on page 170, it says, Players are free to narrate in detail what their characters do[.]

There are plenty of things to do during a Fellowship Phase that the players can narrate in detail - from travelling to a destination, to keeping up with standing, to spending Experience points and Advancement points, or performing Undertakings. The Loremaster may even need to narrate the Year's End events.

Poseur,

I suggest that what your people are doing with the Roleplaying is bang on for the scenes of the game. It should be played out, so that as in the example there is not just a dice roll, but also the descriptions, and the detailed conversation.

For the Fellowship phase, I personally see it as a broader focus, for that phase, in describing the overview of what's going on, not just with the PC but the events and activities surrounding him/ her, as in a series of scenes or a sequence showing time passing, in the voice of the GM narrating, but the Player narrates for the character.

I suggest it focus on character exposition, and development, revealing character traits via their actions. Showing their new skills, or the "Substance" of their life, when they are not adventuring...in screenwriting terms, the Mundane World that they come from and return to, when not operating in the world as a Hero archetype.

This would typically be, (but not always) in Winter [Making names and places and details up on the spot here]:

Company Disbands Temporarily [Glorin Invests his Treasure]

Player: " 'After his quite extensive labours with his axe on the Plains of Blood, weary from his wound that didn't quite heal, yet happy with his friends, Glorin returns to that tiny cabin in the far west of EastMarch, where he met that pleasantly fetching Dwarven girl, Glolindeth whom the Company rescued from the hands of those Orc soldiers in the Darkwood.

Arriving just before the first snows, it is a blustery, windy day when he sets his axe down along the rough-hewn logs that form the tiny cabin. Summoning his last reserves of strength, weary from the long march here, he raises his hand to knock on the door of Glolindeth.'

'Oh!, 'Tis you! My.. hero. But, you're wounded! Please, do come in! I'll raise the fire, so cold it be outside!' "

His heart still heavy from the screams of battle in his mind, he entered to find warmth and a welcome respite from the bitter cold and experiences of the past season...

[Heal Corruption Undertaking]
Despite the cold, Glorin arranges for a delivery of silver, and uses materials at hand, plus some shrewd bargains with the local village to make a small smithy, to fashion a small miniature drake of silver with his CRAFT skill.

He finds, as he works that sometimes tears come to him, no doubt the reason being the smoke from the forge, and not the memories of the death of his companion elf-girl Truathas. What a Warrior she was. Their bond forged in combat was severed not by a blade but by that epic fall from the cliff near the stone wall in the ruins. Thankfully, there is no way she would have been spared from a fall of that height.

For her part, Glolindeth understands that his heart is not yet hers. But he is mourning, and perhaps.. just perhaps.. one day. he would return to her, not just for a winter, a season's company away from his work, but to forge not just a statue in memory, but a life bond.'"

* * * * *

That to me is how fellowship is done.

Look at who he is, where he is going, add some details make it cool run with it.

Do not introduce new challenges, or things, no "Discovered the bandit hideout and treasure", but the details of the world you as a player would like to see orf the normal daily life in Middle Earth.. tailored for each Undertaking.

The Normal world of it all, from which you venture forth at the call to adventure. A risky mission, likely to be killed. But you go, because you are a hero.

Some don't make it back, and many Glolindeths are sorrowful thereby.

Luck.

I try not to make the Fellowship Phase too distinct from 'normal play'. As a GM I'll just approach it as a period of respite/rest, giving players options as to what their PCs can do, asking them what they'd like to do as they recover from their wounds or exersions, etc. Not making it feel any different to a normal game session means the players approach it in a more natural intuitive manner. They naturally pick up on the fact that they are recuperating and so many of the decisions they make are based on this kind of extended time - eg, training (spending advancement points), relaxing/singing (reducing shadow points), etc. Seems to work okay for me, although I've never really thought about it until now.