I just rated and commented on the game on rpggeek. Interesting site. But I noticed there aren't too many ratings overall (less than 40, I think). As more product becomes available, things will start to get noticed a little more. And all the products sound fantastic!

Seconded
That is the reason i'll wait for the screen too.

I said it before, but it is it impressive how the creators of this game support us players while after the release of the core set.,

One of the best examples are the revised Journey rules.

Therefore - Thanks!

Can someone link me the rating site so I can give my well deserved 10 points to TOR?

The One Ring @ BGG

/wolf

Added my rating! Good to see mean rating increasing!

Talking about RPG Geek. You can nominate The One Ring and Tales From Wilderland for Golden Geek Awards. There are these categories for RPG:

- RPG Game of the Year
- Best Artwork & Presentation
- Best Supplement
- Best Podcast

Please, go to: http://www.rpggeek.com/geekawards/rpg

Good advice. Just nominated it.

/wolf

Yes, double-post please if that's not too much bother ... I for one only have time to particpate in TOR forum. (Sounds like I really should make time for RPGnet though?)

Done!!

Voted!

Just ran an impromptu session last night. A few players (one a hobbit who trades in pipe weed and its smoking utensils) braved Mirkwood deep in search of a rich, sweet, rare pipeweed that could be sold, with much acclaim, during the upcoming Festival to celebrate the battle of the five armies!

A good time was had by all.

I think this game makes you talk about it to anyone who will listen. I talked to the group I used to play WFRP with and they already have it and are planning it. It certainly appears to be gathering momentum.

I have to say the reviews on Drivethru were so enticing I had to look into the game deeper and then Words of the Wise even though I could only guess at the rules, what with their charm, the excellent writing and art... Hooked and I was sceptical about Middle Earth ever being a viable setting again prior to that so....

Words of the Wise even if it was free made me buy everything that was then in print, I think from that point of view its a shame theres not something reviewable on Drivethru to showcase the game there. The reviews were stunning, you had no choice but to look further into it.

Just a thought. Probably an unpopular thought but...

Hmm, perhaps I'll put my (sporadically updated) actual play on rpgnet (see my sig, or use this link for the relevant posts). When I have time (spotty internet access).

I also have a game going on roleplayonline, and some of the players are new to the game.

I would also expect sales to increase after the first Hobbit movie is released, and the fact that there will be 3 movies now can only prolong the period of high sales

Don't forget to rank The One Ring over at the Game Index of RPGnet.

Here is the Core set.

Here is Tales from Wilderland. You can also vote for the individual adventures and rank them as you see fit.

Note: You must be logged in to vote for the products.

Done. We need more people to rate the game there.

I've posted two articles on the Gaming Security Agency website. The first article is a review of the game, and the second article is an introductory adventure, called Over Hill, Over Dale. The second article even includes an Actual Play recording of the game session.

Brian, the person who runs the GSA, is looking for gaming articles of all sorts, and it's another way to showcase The One Ring to more people.

Lots of good stuff! I'll read the adventure asap. Thank you very much!

Francesco

Thanks for the kind words! I'm writing another adventure that I plan to run in mid to late October, and if all goes well I'll post that one to the GSA sometime in November.

And thanks to the voting of people in this forum, Tales shot right up to the no. 2 spot in its category (where it is in VERY good company).

(C7 sure does know how to make those adventure anthologies.)

I just registered at RPGnet and rated the core set and Tales from Wilderland. I also started working on a short review for the core set. The two reviews posted there are pretty thorough. I am taking a slightly different approach.

Nice!

I'll do the same with Tales once my players have played the first couple of adventures. (May take a while as we play about once a month.)

I just submitted my full review of The One Ring at RPGnet. If it is accepted, it should post within a week. I was going to submit a brief review, but then I got carried away.

If anyone wants a sneak peak, here it is in full...

The One Ring: Adventures Over the Edge of the Wild

I pre-ordered The One Ring: Adventures Over the Edge of the Wild in July of 2011 hoping for a better roleplaying game in Middle-earth than the previous attempt (which I felt was unbalanced and broken). When I got my copy in August, I started reading and I was immediately drawn into the setting like never before. I am the type of person that likes to know the basic mechanics of a game right away (especially combat mechanics), so I skipped to the Combat section and took a look. That's when I got really excited - I discovered that miniatures and tactical maps were not necessary, and it was possible to play the game sitting in my living room, relaxed in my recliner, laptop powered up, with a TV tray by my side for dice rolling!

I became a member of the Cubicle7 forums and have been an active poster, enjoying interaction with other fans as well as the publishers and authors for over a year now. I play the game regularly and love to teach others how. It is fun and easy, interesting and addicting. I have honestly not felt this level of excitement playing a roleplaying game since I was ten years old when I first discovered the red box Dungeons & Dragons classic roleplaying game, even though this game is very different.

I put The One Ring at 5 out of 5 in both style and substance because it is truly worthy of those ratings. The only drawback (as others have stated) was not to build better indices (the ones in the rulebooks are slim, listing items you would find in a table of contents, rather than referencing key words). However, this oversight has been corrected by Cubicle7 and Sophisticated Games - they now have an expanded index available as a free pdf download that is 15 pages in length. For full-disclosure, I was on the team of fans that helped build the expanded index. I hope that doesn't detract from the credibility of this review. Instead, let it serve as a testimony to the publisher's dedication to perfecting the game and listening to the fans.

Lesser criticisms would have to do with personal style and preferences and nothing to do with how solid the game is. One of these is the choice of binding for the rulebooks. It would have been nicer if they were hardcover - but nevertheless, these fit perfectly in their sturdy slipcase. It also would have been great if they had combined the rulebooks into one volume - but to each his own - many players like a separate Adventurer's Book. I see that point too. The game's balance of narration and crunch is pitch perfect for me; others may have a different opinion, wanting minis and tactical movement or less mechanics during social encounters. But hey, this is my review! This is all minor stuff.

Here are some of my thoughts concerning style and substance. I hope you find them useful and they justify my very high ratings.

Concerning Style:

The artwork is simply fantastic! Every page features some form of art, even if its only the beautiful design of the top and bottom border and the background of the page. My favorite paintings are scenes of battle.

The layout and graphics capture the setting perfectly, right down to the cool font selections and the warm colors. Everything "fits" Middle-earth.

The Adventurer's Book and Loremaster's Book are softcover, but very well crafted (although there have been reports of a few bad batches of bindings and the company has replaced those for free). They come in an attractive and sturdy slipcase along with two maps of Wilderland (one for the players and one for the Loremaster that includes hexes to calculate distances and other marks of important gaming information). Also, a plastic dice tray slides in place on top of the materials within the slipcase. It holds 6 cream-colored Success dice (six-sided) and a Feat die (12-sided). As seen in pictures, the Success dice feature an Elvish font; Tengwar symbols accompany the 6's; the 1's, 2's, and 3's are in outline form (these are not counted on rolls when a hero is Weary). The Feat die features a Gandalf rune in place of the 12 and an Eye of Sauron in place of the 11. The rune is an automatic success and the Eye is a zero result during action resolution. The opposite is true for Shadow creatures. Very stylish!

The writing style is pleasant, and because the rules are explained so plainly, I find it easy to remember them without needing to re-read as often as I have for other games. Clarity has been needed because of a few choices in wording, but the authors and designers are great to answer questions on the Cubicle7 forums when asked, no exaggeration.

The character sheet is organized brilliantly. I especially love how the 18 Common skills are divided into three columns of 6 skills, each linked to one of the character's three Attributes (Body, Heart, or Wits). But then, horizontally, the skills are broken down into six Skill Groups: personality, movement, perception, survival, custom, and vocation. For example, the personality skills are Awe (Body), Inspire (Heart), and Persuade (Wits). Very well designed. Again, the fonts, colors, and style of the character sheet fit Middle-earth perfectly.

Concerning Substance:

Let me begin by saying that this is distinctly a Middle-earth roleplaying game, and you will not find more dedication to the source material than you will here. Every aspect of the game, starting with character creation, captures Tolkien's values and language. Indeed, the authors encourage Loremasters to take another look at the books to present the players with an authentic Middle-earth experience.


Another general observation is this: The One Ring has two core rulebooks filled with tables, stats, and pieces of critical gaming information, and yet there is a microscopic amount of errata associated with this game. I truly cannot say the same thing for many of my other favorites. This is a triumph in itself!

The basic mechanic of the game is simple to execute. To resolve any action, roll a Feat die and a number of Success dice equal to the appropriate skill rating, plus one bonus die (if available). To succeed, you must equal or exceed a Target Number. The game uses a default moderate difficulty (TN 14) for most actions. If you roll a Gandalf rune, it counts as a success regardless of the total. If you roll the Eye of Sauron, it counts as zero toward the total. If you succeed with one Tengwar, it is a great success. If you succeed with 2 or more Tengwars, it is an extraordinary success. All Common skills and Weapon skills have a rating between 0 and 6. So, the higher the skill rating, the more Success dice being rolled, and there is a better chance for higher qualities of success.

Now, for the rest of this review, please allow me to explain the rich content of this game in a way I hope you find entertaining and informative - let me tell you a story. And remember...this is just scratching the surface of what you can do with this game.

"In the year 2946(1) of the third age, an Elf of Mirkwood(2) named Amras(3) joins a fellowship of Dwarven companions near Esgaroth, the newly built Lake-town a few miles north of where the bones of Smaug rest undisturbed. Among them is Bruni, his very best friend(4), who gives him hope and inspiration. It is Amras's job to protect Bruni during their adventures. When he does, it rejuvenates Amras, but if Bruni were ever to be harmed or killed, it would affect Amras deeply(5).

'Long ago, Elves akin to his folk dwelt around the Naked Hill in the south of Greenwood the Great, before the Necromancer claimed it to build his fastness of sorcery. Now that the Shadow has fled, Amras has often journeyed there to spy upon that dreaded place, to ponder on the hurt suffered by his people in many years of cruel warfare. Many of his kinsmen prefer to forget and be merry, but he knows that evil is seldom conquered forever.'(6) This is why he found friendship among the Dwarves.

Because of his background, Amras has become a quick thinker and physically fit, but he lacks spirit(7), preferring to lurk in the shadows using his knack for stealth(8). He is wary and keen-eyed(9), and like all the Elves of Mirkwood, his senses are sharper in the forest and under the moonlight and starlight(10).

Amras has 'sworn to defend all who cannot defend themselves. Often, this choice forces him to forsake civilised areas, to better guard their inhabitants from what lurks right outside their fences. This has made him a stranger to the eyes of the common folk, a threatening figure like those he is protecting them from.' But this is his calling (11), and he will not falter, making use of his personality and survival skills(12) to collect knowledge of the Shadow(13) everywhere he goes. However, the lure of power(14) constantly crouches at his door, and he must resist the flaws of resentment and arrogance that sometimes haunt him(15).

Interrupting their annual travel plans to Dol Guldur in Southern Mirkwood, rumours reach the fellowship - a pack of Wargs has recently attacked some raft-elves on the banks of the Forest River, only ten miles from the palace of King Thranduil. The Elves were preparing to steer casks of artwork down the river to Lake-town(16) under the new trade agreement with the Master of Esgaroth. Amras will not tolerate this breach of the Woodland Realm! His companions agree to journey to the Elvenking's Halls to encounter the king himself about the matter (although they are nervous to do so). The more cooperation and information they can gain from Thranduil, the easier it will be to hunt down the lair of the Wargs, where they can combat them and restore peace to the region(17). Afterwards, they will winter at the Elvenking's Halls, cementing their relationship with Thranduil and his people(18).

The companions follow the river by foot, travelling 50 miles through marshes and dense forest. During the journey, Amras acts as a scout(19), always gathering information about obstacles and dangers. However, the company makes a bad choice that leads them down a path blocked by a large fallen tree(20). Amras' knowledge of Mirkwood assists him in finding a way around, and he succeeds extraordinarily at this task, not even losing a day's time(21). They are eventually met by a band of Elves, who blindfold them and take them to the palace. The trip has been easy on them, leaving them unencumbered by their travelling gear(22).

After a short wait, they are finally given audience with the wise Elf-king, but because of his prejudice against Amras' Dwarven friends, Thranduil is not as tolerant as he would have been otherwise(23). While observing the king for a moment, Amras remembers that he likes confident and brief introductions(24). He gives a powerful summary of the Dwarves' lineage and deeds, which makes a good impression(25), however, interaction with Thranduil is a bit awkward, as Amras cannot clearly make his points, nor inspire the court(26). The encounter is over quickly(27). They did not gain the information they sought, but they did get permission to spend a week hunting Wargs in the Woodland Realm(28), but no more.

Early the next morning, the heroes join a group of cargo rafts headed down-river. A half day goes by and they pull ashore at the of the attacks. Investigating the scene, Amras immediately recognizes the tracks of the creatures. Due to their low numbers, he suspects they are spies sent by an evil from the south(29). They follow the tracks into the forest.

A short while later, under the dark canopy of Mirkwood, they hear the sounds of growling and chewing up ahead. Amras sneaks up to take a peek(30) and discovers two Wargs ripping the flesh off a dead Elf. He quickly looks away in anguish, trying to put the image out of his mind(31). These are the culprits! He signals the Dwarves to draw their weapons and move in for the ambush. But as they move forward, Bruni steps on a tree root that snaps in half and alerts the Wargs of their presence(32). They quickly assess their surroundings to make good use of the terrain(33). The battle is on!

Amras only has time for one shot with his bow before the Wargs close in(34). He draws back the string and lets it go(35). Speaking strange words in his Elven tongue, the arrow flickers as with magical fire and it pierces the neck of the beast(36). It makes a horrible squealing sound and falls with a thud.(37) "Light the torches!" he yells to the Dwarves.

The remaining Wild Wolf continues the charge as Bruni aggressively engages him and prepares to be bitten(38). Amras swiftly runs to his side to protect him from all harm. The wolf lunges at Bruni, saliva dripping from its sharp fangs, but Amras shoves the Dwarf to the side and takes the bite instead, wincing in terrible pain(39). Bruni plants his feet well and with a mighty swing of his axe, he cuts the body of the wolf(40). Amras draws his sword, but swings and misses(41). With a lit torch, one of the Dwarves tries to burn the Wolf but is unsuccessful. The other Dwarf stays back waving the fire and lighting up the forest.

The Wild Wolf seems to be afraid of the fire(42), but he goes after Bruni again, this time grabbing hold of his arm and violently shaking it as its teeth grind against the coat of mail(43). Amras increases his fury, driving his sword deep into the creature's gut(44). The battle is over quickly, but healing will be necessary(45).

The heroes are filled with joy as they return to the palace of the Elf-king to talk of their experiences(46)."

NOTES:

(1) This is the default starting year for the game (5 years after the Battle of Five Armies in The Hobbit).

(2) This is one of six playable heroic cultures. The others are: Bardings, Beornings, Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain, Hobbits of the Shire, and Woodmen of Wilderland.

(3) Amras is one of the suggested male names for Mirkwood Elves.

(4) Bruni is his chosen Fellowship Focus.

(5) Protecting a Fellowship Focus allows a player to regain Hope points, while failing to do so causes a gain of Shadow points. Hope points are used to succeed at actions and are a depleting resource. Amras begins with 11 Hope (8 for being an Elf and 3 for his basic Heart score). Shadow points are gained through corruption during adventures (see item 14 below).

(6) Every culture has 6 different backgrounds to choose from. This one is called 'Memory of Suffering.'

(7) Backgrounds determine a hero's three basic Attribute scores (Body, Heart, and Wits). Amras' scores are: Body 5, Heart 3, and Wits 6. At character creation, a hero will also choose his favoured Attribute scores by adding 3 to one of them, 2 to the second one, and 1 to the third one. Amras' favoured Attribute scores are: Body 6, Heart 5, Wits 9.

(8) Backgrounds give a hero a favoured skill. Amras' favoured skill is Stealth. Anytime a hero attempts an action and fails, he can spend a point of Hope to add either his basic Attribute score to the total, or if the skill is favoured, he can add his favoured Attribute score to the total.

(9) Backgrounds allow a hero to choose two Traits from a list of Distinctive Features that describe him best. Amras chose 'Keen-eyed' and 'Wary.'

(10) Every culture has a Cultural Blessing, which is a special ability. Elves of Mirkwood have 'Folk of the Dusk,' which allows them to do better with their Common skills under the conditions described here.

(11) All heroes have a motivation for adventuring referred to as a Calling. There are 5 Callings to choose from in the game: Scholar, Slayer, Treasure-hunter, Wanderer, and Warden. Amras is a Warden.

(12) A hero's Calling determines his favoured Skill Groups, from which he can choose two favoured skills. Amras has chosen Awe (personality) and Explore (survival).

(13) Each Calling gives the hero a new Trait. Amras has 'Shadow-lore.'

(14) Each Calling has a unique Shadow Weakness that is used to describe the degeneration of a hero as he gains Shadow points through corruption. If the number of his Shadow points equals or exceeds his Hope points, he is made Miserable and risks a bout of madness. Each time he experiences a bout of madness, he gains a new Flaw. There are 4 Flaws associated with each Shadow Weakness in increasing seriousness. Wardens have a Shadow Weakness called 'Lure of Power.'

(15) The four Flaws for 'Lure of Power' are: resentful, arrogant, over-confident, and tyrannical.

(16) Each hex on the Loremaster's map represents 10 miles. The distance between the Elvenking's Halls and Esgaroth is 5 hexes (or 50 miles), about 2.5 days travel downstream.

(17) There are two phases to every tale in The One Ring - an Adventuring phase and a Fellowship phase. The Adventuring phase includes several parts played in one or more gaming sessions with the Loremaster as the main storyteller. Each part usually highlights one of the three heroic ventures that really make the game shine and feel like the books: Journey, Combat, and Encounter. Journeys are very important in the game as much as they were to J.R.R. Tolkien, testing the travelling Fatigue of each companion; Combat is unavoidable amidst the increasing threat of Shadow; Encounters with allies become necessary to muster unity and cooperation between cultures.

(18) A Fellowship phase follows an Adventuring phase and gives the player-heroes a chance to perform important Undertakings, which they tell the story about. The one described here is called 'Open New Sanctuary' which allows heroes to establish free access to a new and good relations with the people of that culture. Having a sanctuary outside of home is important for performing undertakings.

(19) Every companion chooses a travelling role for the Journey. The game has 4 roles to choose from: Guide (only one hero can choose this role), Scout, Huntsman, and Look-out Man. Each role uses a signature skill to accomplish actions.

(20) During a journey, if any companion fails a Fatigue test and rolls the Eye of Sauron too, a Hazard episode is triggered. This Hazard is called 'No way forward' and a Scout must solve it.

(21) Amras makes a roll of Explore to find a way around the fallen tree. He rolls an extraordinary success and does not add another day to the Journey like he would have if he failed. Because he succeeded, Amras invokes his 'Mirkwood-lore' Trait to explain his knowledge of the forest and to gain an Advancement point. Advancement points are earned several ways in the game and are used to improve a hero's Common skills during a Fellowship phase.

(22) After the length of a Journey is calculated, the season determines the number of Fatigue tests each companion must make. Since it is spring, Amras and his companions make 1 Fatigue test every 5 days. The entire Journey is only 2.5 days, so they each make one roll using their Travel skill. The land they are travelling is mostly hard, but they are also joined part way by the Elves. The Loremaster rules that this is a TN 14 test. Amras has two ranks in Travel and easily makes his roll, along with the rest of the fellowship. If anyone had failed, they would have raised their Fatigue score by 1 point to account for the encumbrance of their travelling gear in the spring. Weapons and armor have encumbrance ratings that always make up a hero's Fatigue score. If their Fatigue score ever rises above their Endurance score (see item 39 below), they become Weary and cannot count 1s, 2s, and 3s on any Success dice until properly rested.

(23) At the start of any Encounter, a Tolerance rating is established. This number is based on the highest Wisdom or Valour rating among the heroes, depending on the preference of the host, and then modified by a number of factors. At character creation, every hero must choose whether to begin with (Wisdom 2, Valour 1) or (Wisdom 1, Valour 2). Wisdom is used to resist corruption; Valour is used to resist fear. In addition, starting with a 2 in Wisdom grants a Virtue, while starting with 2 in Valour grants a Reward (see item 36 below). Thranduil is impressed by Wisdom and Amras has chosen a Wisdom of 2. But Thranduil is prejudiced against Dwarves, so the 2 is modified down to 1 for this Encounter. The meeting will end if the heroes fail more than 1 roll and no more progress is made toward the objectives.

(24) All Encounters have two stages: Introduction (to properly introduce the companions) & Interaction (to make further progress toward the objectives). Amras makes a successful roll of Insight to know the best course of action. The Loremaster rules that this gives him a bonus Success dice to use anytime during the Encounter.

(25) To properly introduce the fellowship, Amras makes a roll of Awe using the Feat die, 2 Success dice for his skill, and the bonus Success die he gained from Insight. He rolls a total of 16 with one Tengwar, a great success! This is recorded because every success leads to better results toward the objectives.

(26) After making such a great first impression, however, Amras fails back-to-back rolls of Persuade and Inspire during the Interaction stage. Having no ranks in those skills made things very difficult for him.

(27) These two failures exceed the Tolerance rating of 1 and Thranduil ends the conversation.

(28) After considering the great success during the Introduction, the Loremaster rules that it was enough to grant the fellowship permission to be on Elven-land for a short time, but he gives no help.

(29) Amras invokes his 'Shadow-lore' Trait to ask for an automatic success when recognizing the tracks and where the creatures came from. The Loremaster rules that this is appropriate and keeps the narrative moving.

(30) Using his Stealth skill to keep them from noticing, Amras rolls a Feat die and 2 Success dice against TN 14. He fails with a terrible total of 5 (getting the Eye, 1, 4). Spending a point of Hope, he adds his favoured Wits 9, to succeed with a 14.

(31) The gruesome scene triggers a Corruption test. Amras rolls a Feat die and 2 Success dice for his Wisdom rating and fails against TN 14. He gains 1 Shadow point. In the game, there are several sources of corruption with various amounts of Shadow gain. This one is called anguish. Blighted places and misdeeds can also corrupt (cursed Treasure was recently introduced in the Lake-town Sourcebook).

(32) Setting an ambush in the wild against a small number of adversaries is best represented by a Hunting roll. Since the enemy is busy eating and not watching, it is a TN 12 test. Bruni fails his test and the ambush is blown. If anyone else had gotten a great or extraordinary success, they would have cancelled Bruni's failure.

(33) Before Combat begins, player-heroes are allowed to check for combat advantages. Everyone makes a roll of Battle against TN 14. Amras rolls and gets a success. This will give him 1 extra Success dice to use during the battle. He may also give it to someone else to use if he wishes. Great successes grant 2 extra dice, while extraordinary successes grant 3. Only one extra Success die may be used per turn, however.

(34) Before Combat moves to close quarters, the Loremaster decides on the number of ranged volleys allowed. Here, there is only time for 1 round of ranged volleys. If the adversaries had ranged weapons in this situation, they would be able shoot as well because Amras and the Dwarves failed their ambush attempt. But Amras is the only one with a ranged weapon.

(35) Amras makes an attack roll using his Bow skill that is favoured. He rolls a Feat die and 2 Success dice. The TN for ranged attacks is equal to 12 + the Parry rating of the target. The Wild Wolf has a Parry rating of 5. So, the TN to hit the wolf is 17. Amras rolls an 18 with 2 Tengwars - extraordinary success! If he had missed, he could have spent a point of Hope to add his favoured Body 6 to the total.

(36) When Amras chose Wisdom 2, he also chose a Virtue. Virtues are special abilities categorized into Masteries and Cultural Virtues. There are 6 different Masteries available to any culture and there are 5 different Cultural Virtues for each culture. Amras chose the Cultural Virtue 'Wood-elf Magic' which has three levels of power. The first level of power is called 'Stinging Arrow,' which allows him to spend a point of Hope to have an arrow fly up to twice its range, or grant an automatic Piercing blow on a successful attack with an arrow. Later, if he wanted to increase his Wood-elf Magic, he would need to raise his Wisdom to 3 and unlock an additional power. Raising Valour unlocks Rewards. These are special items (such as improved or unique weapons and armour) divided into Qualities and Cultural Rewards. There are 6 Qualities available to any culture and there are 3 Cultural Rewards for each culture.

(37) Every weapon has a static damage rating that is subtracted from the Endurance score of a target. Bows do 5 damage. However, if the attacker rolls a great or extraordinary success, he adds a bonus to the damage. Weapons also have an Edge rating, which tells you if the blow was Piercing or not. Bows have an Edge of 10. That means, a successful Bow attack is Piercing if the Feat die shows a 10 or higher (in this case a 10 or a Gandalf rune). Weapons also have an Injury rating, which serve as the TN for a Protection test against a Piercing blow. Bows have an Injury rating of 14. A Protection test is made by considering the armour of the target. All armour has a rating in Success dice. For example, a leather corslet is rated 2d. This means that to stop a Piercing blow from a bow, the target wearing a leather corslet would roll the Feat die and 2 Success dice against a TN 14. If he fails, he takes a Wound. All Shadow creatures are killed when they take a Wound, unless they have a special ability that says they don't. Heroes don't die unless they have a Wound that goes untreated after being reduced to zero Endurance, or they take a second Wound and are reduced to zero Endurance at the same time. Amras spends a point of Hope on his attack to allow his Wood-elf Magic to gain an automatic Piercing blow. The Wild Wolf rolls a Feat die and 2 Success dice for his 2d armour rating against the Injury 14 rating of the bow and succeeds. The Wound has been stopped. However, Amras rolled an extraordinary success, so he gets to add his basic Body 5 rating to the damage - twice! If he had only rolled a great success, he would only add it once. Amras does 15 damage from his arrow. The Wild Wolf's Endurance score is only 12, so it passes out on the ground.

(38) Since the fellowship failed the ambush, the Wild Wolf will hold the initiative and make its attack first, then the companions. However, since there are more companions than enemies, the player-heroes decide how to engage the creature. Bruni, Amras and one other Dwarf will attack it at close quarters (there is a limit of 3 close combat attackers against a creature of that size). At the top of every round, all player-heroes must declare a combat stance that determines the base TN for attack and defense, as well as the turn order among heroes. There are four choices in the game: Forward (TN 6), Open (TN 9), Defensive (TN 12), or Rearward (TN 12). Bruni chooses the Forward stance, Amras chooses Defensive, Dwarf #2 chooses Defensive, and Dwarf #3 chooses Rearward. The turn order is always Forward, Open, Defensive, Rearward. If more than one hero is in a stance, the one with the highest Wits goes first. This means it will be Bruni, Amras, Dwarf #2, then Dwarf #3.

(39) Every combat stance also has an associated special combat task. Amras is in Defensive stance, so he chooses to perform the Protect Companion combat task. This allows him to spend a point of Hope to protect someone in Forward or Open stance by receiving the attack himself. The Wolf rolls a Feat die and 2 Success dice for his favoured Bite skill. Adversaries do not have Attribute scores, nor do they have Hope points to spend to improve rolls. Instead, they have an Attribute level that they automatically add to rolls using favoured skills and they add it as a Damage bonus if they roll a great success and twice if they roll an extraordinary success. The Wild Wolf has Attribute level 3, so he adds that to his roll against TN 18 (Amras is in Defensive stance TN 12 + Parry 6 - determined by his basic Wits 6). The Wolf rolls a 19 with one Tengwar - a great success! The bite normally does the Wolf's Attribute level in damage + 3 more for the great success = 6 damage! Amras subtracts that from his starting Endurance of 25 (22 for being an Elf + basic Heart 3) and is reduced to 19 Endurance. If he falls below his current Fatigue score of 11, he will become Weary. In addition, the Feat die result shows a 10 (a Piercing blow for a bite). Amras rolls a Protection test using a Feat die + 2 Success dice for his armour against a TN 14 (the Edge rating of the bite). He fails miserably and takes a Wound!

(40) Bruni goes first among the companions. Amras gives him the bonus Success dice he earned at the beginning for combat advantage, hoping Bruni will put the Wolf down). Bruni rolls the Feat die + 2 Success dice for his favoured Mattock skill + a bonus die (he plants his feet well) against TN 11 (Forward stance TN 6 + Parry 5) and hits, but he gets no Tengwars. The mattock does 8 points of damage to the Wolf. Subtracting that from the creature's 12 Endurance leaves it with 4 points left.

(41) Even though Amras used the Protect Companion combat task this round, he does not forfeit his attack roll. However, he rolls a Feat die + 1 Success die for his Sword skill against TN 17 (Defensive stance TN 12 + Wolf's Parry 5) and gets the Eye and a 3 - a failure.

(42) Every creature has Hate points and special abilities (which can also be limitations). The Wolf has 1 Hate Point and a few special abilities. One of them is called 'Fear of Fire.' If any hero directly opposes the Wolf while wielding a torch or burning item, the creature loses its Hate point at the end of the round. If any creature loses all its Hate points, it is considered to be Weary. This is what happens here.

(43) It is the top of a new round. Amras switches to Forward stance while the other companions keep their current stance. The Wild Wolf attacks Bruni by rolling the Feat die + 2 Success dice + 3 Attribute level for favoured Bite against TN 11 (Forward stance TN 6 + Parry 5). It rolls a 10 (a Piercing blow for a bite), a 3, and 2. The 3 and 2 do not count because the Wolf is Weary. However, it adds its 3 Attribute level for a total of 13, a hit. Bruni makes a Protection test rolling the Feat die and 4 Success dice + 4 (for armour and helm) against TN 14 (the Edge rating of the bite). He easily makes the roll to stop the Wound. Yet, he still takes 3 Endurance damage from the bite.

(44) Amras attacks before Bruni because of his higher Wits. He rolls a Feat die + 1 Success die for his Sword skill against TN 11 (Forward stance TN 6 + Parry 5). He rolls a Gandalf rune (automatic success + Piercing blow) and a 3. The Wild Wold makes a Protection test against TN 16 (the sword's Injury rating) by rolling the Feat die + 2 Success dice for armour and fails. It takes a Wound and dies.

(45) Amras' Wound should be treated if he wants to heal quicker. As is, he will only gain 1 Endurance point per prolonged rest (a night's sleep). A successful roll of the Healing skill (TN 14) will let him gain 2 Endurance points per prolonged rest. Once he reaches 25 Endurance again, he will no longer be Wounded.

(46) During the adventure, Amras spent 3 Hope points (the first on a Stealth test, the second to use 'Wood-elf' magic, and the third to use the 'Protect Companion' special combat task). Every adventuring group has a pool of Fellowship points that can be used to replenish Hope points. Fellowship points reset between gaming sessions and are equal to the number of companions in the company (although Hobbits add an additional point each). Amras recovers 1 Hope point because his Fellowship focus wasn't Wounded. Then, he takes 2 Fellowship points from the pool and brings himself back to his original total. At this point, the company enters the Fellowship phase and the Loremaster awards them each with 2 Experience points. Experience points can be accumulated and spent on improving Weapon skills, Wisdom or Valour. If they had enough Advancement points, they could improve Common skills.

Fantastic review, I love the story format!

Thanks James! Great stuff... the story part is such a good idea I wish we could make it into an illustrated promo flyer explaining what the game is about! I love the numbered notes thing, very 'Tolkienian'!

Francesco

My reviews of TFW and ToR are finally out... in Hebrew

If anyone is intrested -
Tor:
http://www.pundak.co.il/index.php?view=rev...eview&Itemid=27

TfW:
http://www.pundak.co.il/index.php?view=rev...eview&Itemid=42

The comments are very positive... People are showing alot of intrest in the game... Hopefully after I will narrate some ToR games at the 2 biggest gaming conventions in Israel, people will start buying and playing ToR.

Do with it as you wish! Use it, edit it, steal the idea. The story itself is very simple (a short journey, encounter, and fairly weak adversaries) in order to highlight character creation and the three heroic ventures. My hope with the review for RGPnet is that people will read it and become interested. In my live demos of the game, this is the approach I take and it seems to work well. The game is so wonderful, all you need is knowledge of the rules, a love for Tolkien, and a little enthusiasm.

Another idea for a story would be to paraphrase a portion of The Hobbit to explain the rules, pretending that either Bilbo or one of the Dwarves is a player-hero. Begin with the Eagles dropping them off at the Carrock and Gandalf leading them to Beorn's House. Highlight the Encounter with Beorn, and then have them go on a Journey north to avoid Goblins and Wargs toward the Forest Gate. After about 20 miles, they camp for the night.

"But in the evening when the dusk came on and the peaks of the mountains glowered against the sunset they made a camp and set a guard, and most of them slept uneasily with dreams in which there came the howl of hunting wolves and the cries of goblins."

It is here that Combat can take place in their dreams, with just a few heroes to make things simpler.

They finish the Journey at the Forest Gate and end with Gandalf's encouragement to them all, "So cheer up Bilbo and don't look so glum. Cheer up Thorin and Company! This is your expedition after all. Think of the treasure in the end, and forget the forest and the dragon, at any rate until tomorrow morning!"

My review was accepted and has now been posted at RPGnet here.

@JamesRBrown:

Fantastic review. Honestly one of the coolest reviews I've ever read of any product. Kudos to you for all the time, effort, and creative channeling that must have gone into that writing.

"Let me begin by saying that this is distinctly a Middle-earth roleplaying game, and you will not find more dedication to the source material than you will here. Every aspect of the game, starting with character creation, captures Tolkien's values and language. Indeed, the authors encourage Loremasters to take another look at the books to present the players with an authentic Middle-earth experience."

^^ I could not agree more.

Also, that short story you wrote about Amras and his dwarven companions is very entertaining and captivating. Great battle scene at the end! Also, the way you integrate the game's mechanics with the story is extremely insightful. It was a real pleasure to read and I'm sure many others will find so as well.

Just added Loremaster screen and Lake-town sorcebook to the rpg.net index. Feel free to rate and review.

I ceased a 1 year long AD&D 2nd edition game to change all the players over to The One Ring here in Southside Pittsburgh. They had not heard of it. I knew MERP (which I have crates of), nor Decipher (ditto) were not going to fit. But this is just what the Gamemaster Ordered.

Additionally, I am going to try to recruit my current players of a different group, currently playing in my Dragon Age twice a month 20 Mi NE of Pittsburgh, to playing the other two weeks of the month in One Ring campaign #2.

The local comic / hobby shop guy is liking the new business it is drawing to his store, and things are working out. He is talking up One Ring. We had an hour face meeting today to discus plans and the game schedule till Spring.

I'll get on Pen and Paper Games Forums and do a One Ring review thread real soon. One of the mods there is a Marine Veteran that I have DMed Conspiracy X for, and I play in his AD&D 2e game once every few months.

Hi Etarnon, and welcome aboard. What the store website? I'll add it to our "find a shop" page.

For anyone interested, I just reformatted my review and did some slight editing. You can find a link to it here. The notes are now in the form of footnotes on each page with links, making it easier to reference them. The short story "Wargs in the Realm," can assist you when teaching the game or providing demos.

I'm going to begin running a local TOR game and posting a chronicle of the campaign on my blog on the Middle-earth Network to help expose the game to new Tolkien fans. I'll keep you guys updated. I've got a large party (7 - 8 PCs), so this'll be new for me.

It finally happened. I have been trying to get my teenage daughter interested in roleplaying games for a long time. Last night my wife was at work and we had some father-daughter time together. I suggested we take a walk and then she says, "Afterwards, I feel like playing a game. Do you want to play a roleplaying game?" I was stunned. Here's the kicker: she goes on and says, "How about The Lord of the Rings?" It was one of those moments you realize that your life has taken a new turn.

We took that walk, looked at Christmas lights on the houses, and sang Christmas carols down the middle of the street. When we got back home, she created an Elf of Mirkwood using azrapse online character generator and then picked an elvish name using The Elf Name Generator just for fun. (For anyone looking for a serious name generator, I discovered realelvish.net this morning and it is awesome.) We played through the first part of Words of the Wise and had a great time! She didn't like killing deer (she thought that was sad), but she didn't mind hacking at the Orcs.

Now, before you start thinking it was my influence that got her to change her mind about roleplaying, I've got to tell you the cold hard truth about life. One of her teachers at school just revealed yesterday that he and a group of his friends play Dungeons & Dragons every Wednesday night and that he loves Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Superheroes, and ping-pong. She said that I remind her of him and he's cool. Hey, whatever works to get me and my daughter spending quality time together, I'll take it. What better way than playing a game of The One Ring?