Must-See Hazards

[Glorelendil]

I've been reading TfW through in detail recently, and in more than one place I thought, "It's too bad we didn't roll any Saurons on our Travel checks when we played this; that's a good Hazard."

I wrestled with a similar issue while working on my Delving rules of what should be a plot element of an adventure, and what should be an optional Hazard. It's kind of a shame that the result of making great dice rolls is missing fun content.

My next thought is that in a given campaign it probably makes sense for LMs to save all unused Hazards in a convenient place. (I suggested something similar in a thread a while ago: an online database of Hazards by region/terrain/season.) So that even if your players don't trigger this really great Hazard this time, they might still get a chance to use it.

Do any of you do something like that?

I'm hoping that the new Journeys supplement will have a really great list of Hazards, but I might have to tape some pages in with the adventure-specific ones that don't get used.

[Wbweather]

That's a great idea. I like to have a few special hazards set aside for those special moments. I like the fact that I can use the rules to roll a hazard on the spot, but they never seem quite as fun. Would also be good for a similar repository of Reveal episodes. Anyone have any clever ideas of how we could post ideas to a folder somewhere that anyone could access? Some of you have been great at sharing links to your resources. I know we can post to the forum, but that gets cumbersome to navigate at times. An organized library of fan created adventures, hazards, and reveal episode, even weapons and armor, would be great.

[Glorelendil]

Anyone have any clever ideas of how we could post ideas to a folder somewhere that anyone could access? Some of you have been great at sharing links to your resources. I know we can post to the forum, but that gets cumbersome to navigate at times. An organized library of fan created adventures, hazards, and reveal episode, even weapons and armor, would be great.

That's what I keep thinking about. Things like adventures or new cultures can be disperse, because when you need one you have plenty of time to look around, and the purpose is "big" enough that you don't mind doing some research. But if you suddenly need a good Hazard it's too late to start digging around various places on the web, or flipping through your other adventure supplements.

Maybe some kind of wiki?

[Majestic]

I've thought the exact same thing, Glorelendil. I've really been bummed that my group didn't roll any Eyes a number of times during TFW.

[poosticks7]

A wiki would be good.

[Rich H]

I've thought the exact same thing, Glorelendil. I've really been bummed that my group didn't roll any Eyes a number of times during TFW.

Often have the same issue; ahead of time I decide what Hazards I'd like to use even if the players don't roll an EYE so I get to use them anyway as set pieces. Not really fussed that it isn't following the rules - prefer an entertaining and eventful game; and my players seem to prefer it when hazards occur for similar reasons. They do seem to be a fun part of the system that often never occur which is a real shame.

[Corvo]

I've thought the exact same thing, Glorelendil. I've really been bummed that my group didn't roll any Eyes a number of times during TFW.

Often have the same issue; ahead of time I decide what Hazards I'd like to use even if the players don't roll an EYE so I get to use them anyway as set pieces. Not really fussed that it isn't following the rules - prefer an entertaining and eventful game; and my players seem to prefer it when hazards occur for similar reasons. They do seem to be a fun part of the system that often never occur which is a real shame.

Yeah. But now the Eye of Sauron gives us the means to use them while still following the rules ("it's not me, it's the Eye!")

[Rich H]

Yeah. But now the Eye of Sauron gives us the means to use them while still following the rules ("it's not me, it's the Eye!")

Absolutely agree! ... Some of them are too 'nice' to leave to chance though.

[mirdanis]

I must confess that I, too, have thrown Hazards into the game - well, perhaps not haphazardly. But certainly freely. Many of them were, indeed, too juicy to pass up. I'm taking my party through Tales from Wilderland, and I think I threw every single Hazard from "Don't Leave the Path" at them during that adventure. They did splendidly. I wanted to impress on my players, three of whom are very experienced role play gamers, that the simple act of traveling in Middle Earth, and especially through Mirkwood, was challenging and dangerous. I love how TOR makes this so, in contrast to so many other RPGs in which this happens - DM: "Okay, it takes you three weeks to arrive at the Temple of Despair, across the Orc-infested mountains and the lawless plains, and... *rolls a d20* ...nothing happens during that time." Really?!?

Of course, Loremasters must use good judgment and common sense. My party, having come through Mirkwood, is now on their way South to Woodland Hall; the Woodman in the party has sworn to return Wolfbiter to his kin. They played through "Of Leaves & Stewed Hobbit" with much hilarity, acquired a Brandybuck companion, and now they're about halfway through "Kinstrife & Dark Tidings". I haven't presented them with any Hazards on their journey south to Woodland Hall, because those lands are very well traveled and guarded by the Beornings and the Woodmen. Time will tell how the Hazards go in subsequent adventures!

[Stormcrow]

If I want a scene during a journey, I don't use hazard rules for it; I just make it happen. Throwing dice to decide what you've already decided is just exercise for your wrist.

The whole point of hazards is to have something happen that even the Loremaster didn't expect to happen. The rules were written to be less about what the referee wants than other games, and more about what all the players, Loremaster included, come up with together. This is also why traits aren't just k3wl p0w3rz for your hero, but a tool to draw you into the game by giving you incentives to use them.