Subjective: I absolutely am delighted with the game. Fantastic, marvelous, something I can't wait to share with my son ( he is 5 months.... as soon as there isn't a choking hazard with the dice I will have him playing).

Objective: I think it is a breath of fresh air in the Tolkien RPG genre. The overall simplicity and fast play is a joy to witness and yet it still captures the essence of playing/gaming in Middle-Earth. I think the over all flexibility of the mechanics lends itself to a large spectrum of the Middle Earth Timeline and Ages. It is nice to see what appears in my mind to be the similar to the nostalgia of the old Red and Blue D&D boxes, i.e. more roleplaying less statistics and rules pendantry. The only shortcoming I see is the lack of higher complex magic/sorcery. This from what I can tell is already being addressed within the fan base and I am sure the management is paying attention.

Assessment: good solid Tolkien RPG game. Simple, flexible, and allows for real dynamic roleplaying without burdensome rules.

Perscription: Keep up the hard effort and expand the line following the quality and high standards already established in TOR.

Final Notes: Finally something is out that I am willing to actually sit at a table and game with people again. The outright nightmare of the 4th Edition experience was traumatizing. I had never in my life wanted to choke the life out of a 19 y/o harmless geek until it became a rules recital at one and only encounters event I attended.

I am in awe of how good this game is at emulating Tolkien. So, too, are the players at my store. Just this past week, I've sold 6 copies ... all because I've talked the game up, ran 5 sessions (to date) and converted 1 campaign with another campaign that was just requested be converted. Not to sound like a fanboy, but I just can't be silenced in how much I love this game!

BTW, those 6 sales were more than all of the D&D 4E sales I've had in the last 6 months. We sell far more Magic the Gathering than anything, so any RPG stuff that sells is a delight to me!

LMAO .... that is good news to share. I don't have a head for business...soldier by trade.

Bleddyn,

This cracks me up - & you're so right. I've gamed for over 30 years & am deeply disappointed with the track that certain games have taken. In fact, I spend a good deal of the time asking myself, WTF ?

Thankfully, C7 offers me a glimse of sanity with TOR - someone finally gets it.

Throrsgold,

This is great news about your selling the game at your store - there isn't much awareness of TOR at many U.S. retailers, & it's good to get the word out.

I'm really glad to hear that game play is actually as good as the books lead. You know how these things are... they can look great on paper, but once put into the field, flop.

I was just voted to run TOR for my group after a short 4-session upcoming DND game. I was concerned that going from DND to TOR would diminish the quality of the game (we play everything under the sun, and tend to find going to games that have nothing in common work the best, as its a fresh theme). However, it sounds like despite both of them being fantasy genre, the TOR game will be very distinct in its own right.

I do love the art and way rules embody Tolkien, a quote for everything.

I admit I find the range of options for a player in social and combat encounters to be a bit restricted compared to either total free form games or more mechanical games (D&D combat, WFRP 3rd social and combat).

Where might I find this effort?

In a thread called 'My Homebrew Magic System' by Kaltharion.

It's still a work in progress but it fits the style of Tolkien very well IMO.

Your group and yourself maybe pleasantly surprised! I was, lately l have been a dour about the present quality and style of gaming as of late.

Thank you. [subscribed now]

Captain Poe,

I'll be curious to read your impressions once you run your game .

Agreed on almost all fronts. I am very impressed with this game.


(that one odd front is dnd 4e. It is, IMO, the very best edition of DnD ever printed, and one of the best RPGs ever printed. I've never roleplayed more while playing any game <other than doing freeform RP> than I do playing 4e.)

I think my top three list of best RPGs of all time would be some formation of DnD 4e, TOR and Old School Hack. GURPS get's shunted out of the podium lights simply because it needs to be more friendly to new players, so it's not so hard to get a game going.