Guide for rolplaying in Middle Earth

[Wbweather]

One of my players asked me if I had ever run across any guides for role playing in Middle Earth to help people who are not as familiar with the works of Tolkien as some of us. For someone like me, who has been reading Tolkien since I was very young, the "feel" of Middle Earth is very well incorporated into TOR. I realize though, through interacting with others who are newer to Tolkien, that they may not understand this aspect of the game. With the Movies and video games that have come about over the last couple of decades, I think many younger players have gotten their Tolkien second-hand so to say. I remember seeing some guides for Loremasters creating a sense of Middle Earth that reflects the books. Does anyone know of a player's guide to to Middle Earth role playing? Something that emphasizes the differences between this and other RPGs. Something that coveys the morality of Middle Earth, the heart of the fight between the free peoples and the Shadow. I thought someone here might have come across something.

[shipwreck]

Unfortunately I haven't had the time to explore it much, so I can't say whether or not it's precisely what you're looking for, but there is a magazine dedicated to Middle-earth roleplaying.

http://othermindsmagazine.com/

[Hermes Serpent]

Other Minds Issue 11 December 2010 p122
Appendix A - Things a PC should know about Middle earth

Two pages that cover most of the stuff that most players should read if they come to Middle-earth roleplayng as fresh eyed newbies to the literature.

[Falenthal]

From what I remember, this guide was really good:
http://www.ebay.es/itm/MERP-MIDDLE-EART ... 2ed43a1050

Although it war made for MERP and Rolemaster, it didn't include stats for any game.

[Boronind]

That Other Hands handout is pretty good, though it would be great to see something for that also took the mechanics of TOR into account. This thread was helpful, especially in differentiating D&D from TOR: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1995&hilit=uninitiated&start=10

Still, I think there is much more to be compiled/created/etc. I hope folks will add what they can here and continue the discourse

[Hermes Serpent]

There's been at least one Cheat sheet done for people covering the concepts and mechanics behind the One Ring. IIRC it was posted in the old forums, I just checked and someone put out a Quick Start set of rules dated Spring 2012 that covers the salient points.

[Majestic]

Although TOR does a much better job of capturing the 'feel' of Tolkien's works, the core book for Decipher's version of the game (called simply "The Lord of the Rings RPG") has quite a bit dedicated to what makes adventuring in Middle-earth special. It emphasizes things like mercy and restraint, explaining how the mindset of "kill things and take their loot" doesn't capture things properly. There's a brilliant two-page spread that excellently summaries the qualities of heroes (courage, compassion, honor, etc.), as well as many pages for GMs that go over subjects like epic storytelling and give advice on techniques like the three-act model, pinches and plot turns, and other narrating pointers.

[zedturtle]

@Hermes Serpent

Yeah, but I think what the OP is asking for is something that covers more of the whys as opposed to the how's... Why does Hope and Shadow work the way they do? Why can't I cast fireball? Etc.

[Hermes Serpent]

My first post covers the how to play and understanding Middle-earth material and it's quite good as it should be considering the source. It covers the major themes of Middle-earth but discussion of magic is going to be something that would run on for a long time and cover pages and pages.

For a piece covering how the One Ring works and the differences between OR and other M-e rpg's a review would probably be useful.
Try JamesRBrown's review http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/15/15710.phtml
or Bill Edmund's http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/15/15457.phtml

I'm sure that a quick search would turn up more if needed.