Couple questions about the rules

Adventure in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Learn more at our website: http://www.cubicle7.co.uk/our-games/the-one-ring/
Post Reply
koblih123
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2014 9:46 pm

Couple questions about the rules

Post by koblih123 » Tue Dec 23, 2014 10:48 pm

Hi, I'm a new LM to the game and I discovered a couple of things that I want to know.
1) Can I choose every calling to the culture or I have to choose suggested calling ?

2)I'm quite disappointed about war hammers. Are mattocks the war hammers ??

3)About starting gear. Should I let the players choose whatever they want (maybe take the standard of l. in to account)? For example: You have frugal standard so you can't choose (get) a mail armor and so on.

4)My fellowship will have only 2 players and me probably. And so if they want to be a archers, it isn't a good idea coz rearward stanc. They can't (except volleys) make ranged attack while in combat am I right ??

5)I don't have any others books except rulebook and I know that I can do what I want, but should I stay in wilderlands ?? I mean if I'm a hobbit, my home for a fellowship phase will probably be in the Shire.

6)About fatigue tests. If the company has adveture long enough to roll more fatigue tests (3,4...). Do they have to roll all the tests at once? For example: They have to roll 4 tests (each of players) so they just grab the dice and every player rolls 4 tests ?? Or if it's winter,summer or... they roll one test than another after some days and so on... I don't understand, can u explain it to me pls ?
Thank you all for answers.

Majestic
Posts: 1806
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2014 5:47 pm
Location: Seattle, Washington

Re: Couple questions about the rules

Post by Majestic » Tue Dec 23, 2014 11:52 pm

First of all, welcome, koblih123!

I'll try to tackle each of your questions:

1) You are free to pick whatever calling for whatever character. The rules just give you guidelines on what that culture usually does, as well as what should be extremely rare for that culture.

2) I don't believe a mattock is really the same thing as a war hammer, more like a pick. Perhaps later on a Dwarven culture might be given a sort of war hammer.

3) Your players should be allowed to pick pretty much one of everything. But it's pretty streamlined and simple. They would likely have, for instance, one main weapon, one secondary weapon, and a dagger. Plus a suit of armor (if they wish, though in my experience most choose a leather corslet) and a shield or helm, if they want it. After that it's just clothes/gear (all together) and perhaps something for flavor (like a pipe or musical instrument).

4) If you play a character alongside them (or if they have an NPC), then one of them should be able to do archery during the close combat. But even if this doesn't happen, the archer characters would still be able to get an initial archery attack off (during what are called 'Opening Volleys'). The ratio is two to one, so there has to be two other characters in one of the other three stances for every one that stays back in rearward to use archery.

5) Your characters can stay (or go) anywhere they want. The default setting right now, for the most part, is Wilderland. We have a Hobbit in our party, and - though he has encouraged the group to come back and visit the Shire with him - he's been in Wilderland the whole time. That's where the published adventures have spotlighted, for the first books. Future books (as well as the newer Rivendell) expand that to other regions also.

6) The rules suggest you break things down to 'legs'. That way you can space things out a bit and add in some flavor. Besides, it's possible that - during one of those - one of the characters could roll an Eye of Sauron and trigger a Hazard (which could interrupt the journey while you resolve it). So it should be a little bit more textured than just "make three rolls" or the like. There are times where it might just be "make two rolls", but that covers a period of time, so you might also describe the terrain and countryside, plus an interestnig landmark or two along the way.

Hope this helps, and don't hesitate to ask for any further clarification! :)
Tale of Years for a second, lower-level group (in the same campaign).

Glorelendil
Posts: 5160
Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 5:20 pm

Re: Couple questions about the rules

Post by Glorelendil » Wed Dec 24, 2014 3:50 am

To expand on the last point about Fatigue tests, you can do it however you like. If you want to add some flavor and do some storytelling, then break it down and have them roll once for each leg while you describe what's going on. If you're more interested in just getting to the action then you can do it all at once.
The Munchkin Formerly Known as Elfcrusher
Journey Computer | Combat Simulator | Bestiary | Weapon Calculator

Pangea
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2014 9:36 pm
Location: Paris, France

Re: Couple questions about the rules

Post by Pangea » Wed Dec 24, 2014 4:43 am

For my 2 copper coins:

2) Mattocks are described in the Hobbit when Dain comes to Thorin's help, as the weapon his army carries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattock
Personally, as a Loremaster, I let players "re-skin" weapons, like, if you can use an Axe, but want to have a War-hammer, then I'd let the person just use the Axe stats and Axe Weapon dice but call it a Hammer and have the character wield his Hammer.

3) As well stated in the answers above for the starting equipment (to me the idea is that even if from a Frugal Culture, you can have the armor you want, it would just be the family coat of mail, handed down, or "the" object that you saved and saved for several years, to get…) ; the TOR books talk about Standard of Living as being used when in game (if you have a group of Frugal characters trying to buy passage on a barge to go down-river, they would probably have to offer work, or get great Persuade rolls or whatever ; whereas a pair of Dwarves of a Rich culture would have the coin to pay for a group… this kind of stuff).
Vae victis!

koblih123
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2014 9:46 pm

Re: Couple questions about the rules

Post by koblih123 » Wed Dec 24, 2014 9:59 am

Ok, thx all.

And about the fatigue again. So If for example players pass leg (after some time of playing) and they go to another leg, that is the time when other test takes place ?

Majestic
Posts: 1806
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2014 5:47 pm
Location: Seattle, Washington

Re: Couple questions about the rules

Post by Majestic » Wed Dec 24, 2014 5:56 pm

If I understand you correctly, then yes.

If your adventurers are making a journey and you've broken it down into two legs, say, with a stop at a town along the way, you could make that first test, then deal with the stuff that happens in that town (say, an Encounter), then move on to the second leg, with the second test for that section of travel.

If you look at p. 39 of the original Loremaster's Book, it breaks down a journey into legs.
Tale of Years for a second, lower-level group (in the same campaign).

koblih123
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2014 9:46 pm

Re: Couple questions about the rules

Post by koblih123 » Tue Dec 30, 2014 4:37 pm

I've just crossed this clarification and again I'm not sure about fatigue test.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/826 ... ulings.pdf
So, my journey is as long as to have 3 rolls in summer. For example PCs are in Esgaroth and first leg of journey is get to some inn (maybe some encounter inside), than the PCs have to go throug small wood 2nd LEG (maybe some combat etc.) and finally find tomb in the cemetery 3rd leg (combat, encounter...). So as the reference above says first test after the first leg ie. after resolving maybe encounter inside the inn. Than second test after getting through wood and third after resolving cemetery encouter. Am I right ?? Or can someon please write here the exact procedure of this like (I hope that right) I wrote above?? Thank you very much for your time.

Yepesnopes
Posts: 271
Joined: Wed May 08, 2013 4:55 pm

Re: Couple questions about the rules

Post by Yepesnopes » Tue Dec 30, 2014 5:07 pm

koblih123 wrote:Hi, I'm a new LM to the game and I discovered a couple of things that I want to know.
2)I'm quite disappointed about war hammers. Are mattocks the war hammers ??
In the game there are no official stats for War hammers, but we hava official stats for mauls, which is a sort of large hammer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maul

Maul
Damage: 9 Edge: 10 Injury: 16 Called-Shot: Break shield

Majestic
Posts: 1806
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2014 5:47 pm
Location: Seattle, Washington

Re: Couple questions about the rules

Post by Majestic » Tue Dec 30, 2014 5:31 pm

I'm unable to view things from Dropbox from work, so not sure what your link says.

Basically, the easiest way to view things is to do them in chronological order (as they happen to your characters), for the most part. So for your example, it appears that you've figured out that it's around 18 days worth of travel (as in Summer Fatigue tests are made every 6 days).

So the first portion (Esgaroth to the Inn) is leg 1. At this point I'd have my players roll that first Fatigue test, representing some time during that initial 6 days (say, after two days). If a Hazard was triggered, and somebody ended up with some Endurance loss, we'd then figure out how much they recovered each night on the road. That way, if a second Hazard occurred, or if they weren't back to full Endurance by the time they reach the Inn, their character sheet would reflect their current status.

During the second leg (Inn through the small wood to, say, the edge of the forest) they'd make their next Fatigue rolls (rolling Travel), and potentially suffer Endurance losses for failures (and trigger Hazards with Eye results).

Then I'd resolve that third leg/segment, from the edge of the woods to the tomb in the cemetary. Potential losess from failed Travel rolls or damage from Hazards triggered on that leg would then be relevant when a combat encounter occurred at the cemetary.

Does that make more sense? You'd be resolving those tests before you reach the destination (so any losses would be relevant when the characters reach where they're going). A person then might be Weary during an Encounter, or already be down a couple of Endurance when a battle starts.
Tale of Years for a second, lower-level group (in the same campaign).

koblih123
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2014 9:46 pm

Re: Couple questions about the rules

Post by koblih123 » Tue Dec 30, 2014 7:51 pm

Absolutely make sence thx very much. :)

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests