What do you expect or want in a Gondor source book?

[Otaku-sempai]

Just no killing rats in the basement of a brothel, though, right?

No I would be fine with that...except that there aren't any brothels in Middle Earth...

At least not in your Middle-earth (and probably not in Tolkien's either--except maybe in Umbar).

[Rich H]

FFS, give it a bleedin' rest!

[Rich H]

In a RPG game, you must have a tension to made play interesting. In ME, tension is provided by exposure of the work of the ennemy, be it sorcery, 'monster' or moral dilemna. Mirkwood and all Rhovanion is in direct exposure of that, as is Eastern Gondor. Old scars of past linger around Bree and in Arnor. Not in Dol Amroth or Pelargir. There is the occasional raider from Umbar coming, but nothing rooted in the very earth where you live. Pelargir is not a backward town, nor Dol Amroth, but I doubt their value as a room for adventure.

If the hand of the enemy reaches even to the Shire then I see no reason why it couldn't be at work in Dol Amroth, Pelargir, Calembel or wherever you as LM choose. The settled heart of Gondor is somewhere the shadow can do much damage, if that is the theme you want to pursue. But I think we are going in circles, and clearly we have different ideas of what constitutes an adventure, for I feel no such constraints on what I choose to weave stories around.

Definitely with Torus on this one. I'm quite surprised that Dol Amroth or Pelargir are a doubt as to their value for adventure; there are ideas for both that I have that range from the mundane to the fantastic and I think such sites lend themselves to a Fellowship as well, offering opportunity to explore areas of Middle-earth that are mentioned within Lord of the Rings but not covered in a huge amount of detail. Personally, these kind of places excite me just as much as Minas Tirith, if not more so.

[Otaku-sempai]

FFS, give it a bleedin' rest!

Hey, I didn't bring it up!

In fact (as far as I recall), any time I've referred to this subject in this entire thread, it's been in response to someone else.

Back on topic: Dol Amroth would make for a terrific Sanctuary.

[Rich H]

Back on topic: Dol Amroth would make for a terrific Sanctuary.

I think you could bring in a lot of the concepts of high romance into TOR using Dol Amroth as the funnel. Even if they don't go full plate (there I mentioned it too) they still have knights there and I'd like to see them being culturally different to the Men of Minas Tirith etc. Maybe a set of optional rules around Honour and Glory as a replacement for Standing would be an option as well.

There really is an load of interesting stuff you could do with Gondor as a whole; so many options.

[zedturtle]

Unlike some corners of the intarwebs, there is not a list of banned words, phrases or ideas. However, there is an expectation of civility that should encompass all posts.

I would ask folks to carefully consider what they are posting and if it adding to the conversation. Sure, a joke post adds to the levity of a thread and can be constructive and appreciated. However, joke posts that pick at long-settled debates, at the expense of other oysters or visitors, or that are in bad taste are not adding to the conversation. Furthermore, contentious threads (even if no moderator action is ultimately required) consume precious mental bandwidth regardless.

[Glorelendil]

I do also think that Dol Amroth and Pelargir hold promise as fertile ground for adventures, and I think that Terisonen's observation/concern is valid. I would like to see those adventures tie into both the ancient history of Middle-earth and the current struggle against the shadow, and not just be border skirmishes to fight, pirate incursions to repel, and mundane crimes to solve. I want to be frequently (if not constantly) reminded that there's a bigger and more important Enemy out there.

And I also fully expect that when C7 gets around to developing content for these regions they'll find an elegant way to do so.

[Otaku-sempai]

I do also think that Dol Amroth and Pelargir hold promise as fertile ground for adventures, and I think that Terisonen's observation/concern is valid. I would like to see those adventures tie into both the ancient history of Middle-earth and the current struggle against the shadow, and not just be border skirmishes to fight, pirate incursions to repel, and mundane crimes to solve. I want to be frequently (if not constantly) reminded that there's a bigger and more important Enemy out there.

Yes, I agree with that. I would also suggest that pirate attacks in the Bay of Belfalas would most likely be the work of the Corsairs and part of the Enemy's strategies to weaken Gondor. And seemingly mundane crimes might prove to be connected to much more devious plots hatched by Sauron or his agents.

[Mim]

I'll add my two pence by weighing in on the side of additional possibilities for the periphery of Gondor.

In a nutshell, look what C7 are doing with the people and places in Middle-earth that Tolkien didn't develop in greater depth, such as the Vales of Anduin/Mirkwood points already raised. Heck, they've already compiled entire books (DoM, etc.) on the subject, with tons of flavor and adventure.

Concerning Gondor, we have the border realms such as Ithilien and fighting the rise of the Shadow to the East, as well as the Southern Fiefs.

So C7's progress with Rhovanion inspired me to take another look at one of my favorite stories - the Long Winter. Three Corsair fleets ravaged the areas around the Lefnui and Isen Rivers, while the Dunlendings and Easterlings further invaded Rohan, and it was a time of turmoil and fear. The Free-peoples rallied and defeated the invaders, however, there is a gap in Tolkien's lexicon (as it were) about the people of that area in the time leading up to the War of the Ring. We have some great tidbits, such as the march of the outcompanies to defend Minas Tirith, as well as a few other references, but not much.

Thus, I'm writing a chronicle that starts the companions in that area and am converting adventures from TOR, D&D (gasp), et al: they'll tangle with everything from Corsairs, to smugglers, to Orcs from Isengard (and the whole can of worms that opens up about revealing Saruman ), to the Dark Men of the Mountains, and perhaps even a Corsair shipwreck where the dead do not rest easily...

To summarize, they'll battle to halt the spread of the Shadow in the true vein of Middle-earth, while simultaneously venturing into uncharted waters, as it were (they may even head south).

[Otaku-sempai]

Thus, I'm writing a chronicle that starts the companions in that area and am converting adventures from TOR, D&D (gasp), et al: they'll tangle with everything from Corsairs, to smugglers, to Orcs from Isengard (and the whole can of worms that opens up about revealing Saruman ), to the Dark Men of the Mountains, and perhaps even a Corsair shipwreck where the dead do not rest easily...

To summarize, they'll battle to halt the spread of the Shadow in the true vein of Middle-earth, while simultaneously venturing into uncharted waters, as it were (they may even head south).

Existing maps of Mordor for TOR (and now AiMe) already take us as far south as the mouth of the River Harnen at the border of Harad (though I think the maps are in error in placing Far Harad north of the City of Umbar; I'd like to know the thinking behind that). Plenty of other maps of Middle-earth extend well into the region of Umbar, and maps from outside sources for the City of the Corsairs are not difficult to find. So I'd say you're in good shape on that front!