Monday I received my print copy of The One Ring and it is beautiful! Maybe the most beautiful rpg I have ever seen. I have been pouring over it for the last couple of days (when not playing LotR Online-sorry, I am a Tolkien junkie and have been reading the books since before some of you were born). There is a local coffeeshop that will let me run the game publicly. Nice! (Yes, that is a Fast Show reference.)

The Good: As a LotrO player there are many aspects of that game that I can blend into the tabletop game. I believe that the game is great for beginners. Normally I run more traditional games (I do, after all, write 2 daily content blogs for the oldschool rpg community-one fantasy (Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets) and one sci-fi (A Thousand Psychic Wars) yet I really want to run this game using elements from LotrO. If anything, the game is so beautiful that I don't want potato chips or any other greasy/oily/etc food at the table. Or the room.

The Mediocre: While I see a mundane creature here, on the forum, but I too lament the omission of such from the game. No thrushes or badgers? No bears? I will even put the scattered contents in the Mediocre section because there are enough great player created cheat sheets here to overlook this.

The Bad: I want to be able to purchase separate dice and player's books, maybe this is coming, but I cannot expect all of my players to shell out $60 in this economy for one of two books that they can use to be players. Also, I understand that $60 is the price for print + pdf, but I just got a print copy for the same price, which seems a bit skewed, really. I would like a pdf to refer to from time to time, so, do I shell out MORE money for the pdf or rely on fan created material?


My first adventure plan: A corrupted dwarf that lives near the Mountains of Mirkwood is handing out minor cursed items. Wolves spy for him, whispering lies sent by the Necromancer and a mottled crebain sits like a thrush next to the weird dwarf, cackling and babbling nonsense. A strange invitation arrives for one of the players as the evil dwarf requires the blood of a dwarf to complete a rite for the Necromancer.

How many times does the heroes in Tolkien's stories fight bears, badgers and thrushes? These kind of challenges are better dealt with using Common Skills like Hunting.

The Print + PDF Bundle is a good deal. I believe that Cubicle-7 does participate in Bits and Mortar programme, so if your LGS also participates then you might be able to get the PDF. The details are here: http://www.bits-and-mortar.com/

Otherwise, the PDF can be purchased for $30 from DTRPG.

1) So, how does a bad guy fight a thrush? I don't need the stats for my guys, but if one has a thrush ally, the enemy just slaughters it outright?
2) I am paying $90 between print & pdf for an rpg like I am getting another hole in my head...

1) Thrushes aren't really combatants. maybe give the PC he is assisting a bonus to his roll. If no PC is involved, try narrating the battle toward the most appropriate conclusion. I don't think players generally want to see GMs dice rolling battle between NPCs, whilst they sit on the sideline.

2) yeah it sucks. But you can get print + PDF bundles for $60 both direct from C7 and from Bits & Mortar stores. That's the way it is unfortunately, so I can't really add much more to that.

Well, if nothing else, the game will look good on my shelf...

Try emailing Cubicle 7 about this. Recently I purchased The Laundy at a local store in Sweden and later emailed C7 about the pdf. The nice guys at C7 sent me the pdf for free after I sent them a photo of the book and my receipt together.

That is why I have two copies. One I had the maps and books Laminated and these will be used for game nights. The other is for me and to remain in new condition. I bought mine from Amazon.com for $37.00 (each) and free shippping.

really?

I've just got a torrented pdf of the books - which I did not download until after placing my pre-order, but that was seven weeks ago and my books did not arrive until 6 days ago, so I feel somewhat comfortable admitting this.

It would have been convenient if I'd known about this back then, but even now, its nice to know.

Well, I might do something like this. I am not going to torrent the thing, but it would have been nice if a disk with the pdf was included. I do not have a FLGS here in northern Idaho and have to order online, although I can easily provide picture of the books and my receipt.

You really shouldn't be comfortable about admitting to stealing on the forums of the company you are stealing from. I understand how you justify your action (go you for buying the books) but its a really poor thing to do in any case as it puts the company that graciously put this product together for you in an awkward spot and you could well encourage others to take the same kind of action.

+1

FWIW I am not condemning any one. But I just wanted to say that posting about it like that is a seriously uncool thing to do.

Why?

I mean, I'm a successful college graduate. I'm under 30, single, and I own a house. On a light month, I spend over a hundred dollars on RPG products; at events like Origins and Gencon, I've spent anywhere from 800-1200 on products. I attended a small "board game con" in October and dropped 300 dollars on a pair of board games and all of their expansions. I have money.

In High School and College, I could not do this. Many of the people I game with today, some of whom express interest in games because they see the book/box I've got and think looks neat, still cannot afford to do this. They have to save and make hard choices - "do I buy this book, or this book, or this game, or do I try to save some money". I've lived that life, I spent my first 23 years living that way, and it sucks so I make a point of having fun and being generous (while still saving a fair portion - if I lost my job I could go 4 months without any income at all; should be up to five months after bonus season).

This is the reality of our hobby, particularly in these economic times - not everyone sitting at your table can afford to buy all or even most of the books that your table wants to use. I guarantee that not everyone playing this game owns a copy of the books; I'm fairly certain that not everyone on these forums owns a copy of the books. They aren't being disrespectful; they just flat out cannot afford to drop 60 dollars on yet another game.

Personally, I'd have happily payed another 7.99 or 9.99 at purchase time to get a copy of the pdfs; then I wouldn't have had to go and torrent the books. I don't like torrenting media. I try to purchase the things I like, because I am fortunate enough to be able to do so, and I understand that, if I want the artists to make more things like them, I need to pay them for their time and effort.

However, I am also realistic enough to know that not everyone can do that. I'm not trying to justify the behavior; I know it's wrong. But I don't see the point in pretending that it doesn't happen.

As said, because its illegal, lacks consideration of the the people who made the game, and may promote activity that hurts those people. You don't get to price someone else's IP for them and getting an electronic version of a book is not a right you get for free when you buy someone's book.

On saying all that, I am not really looking to condemn the act itself. As you say, it is the reality of the industry for better or worse. But I do think posting about it openly on the publisher's forums and then making claims from a soap box about being comfortable about doing this is at the very least discourteous and, if not, just plain rude.

I agree with Skywalker's points and really, if you have money, that is even less of a reason to illegally download something. I think most people are more forgiving of the person with high rent, a big family and a crappy job that illegally downloads something than someone who is doing well.

My entire point about it was that I consider it unfair that I paid the same for half of what others have received, that's all. Obviously, if a disk with the pdf was included it would not have mattered since people are already illegally downloading the game. I might not think the game is perfect (although it is pretty), but I do respect the creators.

That... is actually a very valid point.

Are there places to buy the pdf other than "spamsite one" (rpg.net) and "spamssite two" (drivethrurpg)? I've used both in the past, but not for at least three years, because, based on my own previous experiences with them, I do not believe they are very secure, and I know for a fact that they do not delete any information associated with your account, even when you think they have.

I know the second point for sure, because I kept on getting spam updates from rpg.net for a year and a half after I closed out my account there (due to the first point), and they did not stop until I wrote an (admittedly rather nasty) e-mail to tech support demanding the immediate and permanent deletion of my account (which I had thought I'd deleted several times by then).

Both sites engage in almost facebook level data tracking, analysis, and retention, so I do not trust them, and actively discourage people from using them.

If anyone else knows of another place to buy the pdf, that would be helpful. I'm asking here because when I typed in "the one ring pdf" into google, I got a link to each of those sites, a link to cubicle seven, and 7 links to torrents of the pdfs.

EDIT: I checked my usual online store (paizo.com) and, while they have the books in stock, they do not have the download available for purchase. Any other place I should try?

RpgNow has the pdf and I have used them for years and not gotten any spam messages. The One Ring

However, RPGNow has a slash through the $60 price and are selling the pdf for $30 and really, I do not believe that anyone would pay $60 for an rpg pdf. I know it sells for $30 everywhere so they shouldn't really make it look like they are doing a 1/2 price deal on it.

There are other PDF stores but C7 uses DTRPG exclusively I believe. RPGnow is owned by the same people as DTRPG and operate on the same system. It

FWIW I have been using DTRPG since inception. They have improved their account options a few years back. You can choose which publishers may send you information now and what level of information they get. If a publisher contacts you somehow outside this setup, a quick email to DTRPG should resolve the issue quickly. They have some of the best customer service in the business.

rpgnow (not rpg.net, which is a fine resource website but does not sell anything) is the website that I had to e-mail tech support in order to get my account deleted. They are the website that sent me one spam message a week for a year and a half prior to that, even though I attempted - multiple times - to disable any and all messages / delete the account. I am certainly not about to sign up again.

drivethrurpg was less bad; a pain in the neck to navigate/interface with, too much clutter on the interface, and so on; there was something that happened which had me walk away from the site and decide not to go back, but I cannot remember what it was. If no one has any other places to try, I suppose I can give them another shot.

DTRPG/RPGnow pretty much deal with most RPG downloads. Paizo, Warehouse23 and Indie Press Revolution are the others I can think of but they are much more selective.

As said, DTRPG/RPGnow have improved their account settings in response to the kind of issues you had. I would take a look at your account options and see if you can find a result that satisfies you.

And I was blissfully unaware of all of this. I usually use RpgNow and haven't had any complications or spam emails. I bought a copy of X-plorers a couple weeks back and their print+pdf service is superb (if you buy a hard copy of that game through them you get a print +pdf too).

Most of these problems are very old. These days accounts default to no spam, though many people elect to allow them as they include product updates like errata added to the PDF.

And let me add, BobChuck, that I am not trying to see you as the worst person in the world over this, it is just something that I don't do, but I have done a few things myself that I am not proud of and weren't right either. I will admit that waking up drunk at 3.45 am in a Burger King parking lot behind the wheel and wondering how I got there was certainly not a high point of my life. :/ But then, I don't drink and drive anymore either and I consider myself quite lucky that I woke up on my own and not with a cop tapping on my window.

I do not like or trust rpgnet or drivethrurpg. Prior to this thread, I had heard absolutely nothing about a change in their policy. Considering that these "two" site share the same database and are thus really only one company pretending to be two separate entities, I do not feel comfortable signing up again. I would very much like an alternative legitimate source for this and future Cubicle 7 pdfs.

How do I go about asking for that?

There is nothing sinister about the same company owning both websites. They are open about it. RPGnow deals with small press RPGs and DTRPG large press. From my experience with using the sites and what i have heard of other people using the sites, I think your fears will prove unfounded. Try investigating the option some more. I am sure both C7 and DTRPG/RPGnow's customer services will answer your questions if you only ask.

Given how well regarded, widespread and successful DTRPG and RPGnow are for C7 and a number of other major RPG companies, I can't see C7 changing any time soon. Plus there are very few alternatives. The three alternatives I know of are limited to a few lines, so your request is much more difficult than it appears.

FWIW if you buy print + PDF bundles from C7 direct, the PDF is provided though DTRPG but I believe it doesn't require you to have a DTRPG account. Might be a possibility next time C7 puts an item on sale you want the PDF of.

I have purchased the pdf bundle.

How do I get the watermark to show up on RPGNow/DTRPG pdfs?

Skywalker, just so you know, if I suddenly become subject to a great deal of annoying spam again, I will complain loudly in your general direction.

Fair cop

Make sure you check your accounts settings and set it all to "Piss off, spam!"

To get back to the OP's concerns, I think having a thrush, badger, and even bear companion would be simple. Model it off of the Hound of Mirkwood.

Allow animal companions to assist with certain rolls (allowing a re-roll of the Fate die as per the Hound), and if the character they are attached to is hit with an Eye, the animal takes a wound and is out of the fight (again as per the Hound).

This is a great way to bring in the intelligent animals aspect of Middle Earth without breaking things.

it is very easy to make your own dice
I made a stack of each using blank white d6's and d12's, and either fine markers or placing stickers on the faces. This way you can also add a bit of colour to the gandalf or eye side.