Things missing from the 1 Ring

[Tolwen]

Yeah, I have to agree with others. The One Ring is not a generic Tolkien RPG. It is not intended to be a generic Tolkien RPG, and if you expect it to be one, you'll be disappointed.

I think this is a good point for everyone interested in gaming in Middle-earth and looking to TOR.
As a rough rule of thumb, I'd say that the farther you go away from the Hobbit and LotR-era (i.e. TA 2940-3019) in your game, the less fitting TOR becomes for such a campaign or adventure.
Or in other words, if you still choose to use its mechanics for such a game/campaign, the needs for houseruling also increase with the aforementioned increasing temporal gap.
The same holds true if your game is not focussed on the PC's playing good guys fighting the encroaching Shadow (directed in many ways by Sauron and his servants) in its various forms.

Cheers
Tolwen

[Tolwen]

But even if you gave characters all 6's in skills and 10's in attributes, and loaded them up with the best enchanted items one could design, you still wouldn't have Peter Jackon's version of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli.

Personally, I wouldn't use the PJ universe character depictions as the levelling staff for a fitting interpretation of the books in a game, since much of that was made for the needs of the cinematic impression

Cheers
Tolwen

[Rocmistro]

They don't have to. You just have to have someone...maybe an archer...shoot their horses out from under them.

Attacking a horse isn't exactly code of Chivalry, but it does slow the Nazgul WAY down.

Sometimes I wonder if we are playing the same game.

Lol.

On a more serious note about the Nazgul horses, I had always envisioned and assumed them as something far beyond a normal steed. Fell sorcery which binds their sinews together, and all that...

[Glorelendil]

But even if you gave characters all 6's in skills and 10's in attributes, and loaded them up with the best enchanted items one could design, you still wouldn't have Peter Jackon's version of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli.

Personally, I wouldn't use the PJ universe character depictions as the levelling staff for a fitting interpretation of the books in a game, since much of that was made for the needs of the cinematic impression

Cheers
Tolwen

Oh, gods no. I'm not suggesting such a thing is a good idea, just pointing out that for those misguided individuals who might wish to do so TOR isn't a good fit, even if you max out the characters.

[Glorelendil]

On a more serious note about the Nazgul horses, I had always envisioned and assumed them as something far beyond a normal steed. Fell sorcery which binds their sinews together, and all that...

“I know,’ said Frodo. ‘They were terrible to behold! But why could we all see their horses?’
‘Because they are real horses; just as the black robes are real robes that they wear to give shape to their nothingness when they have dealings with the living.’
‘Then why do these black horses endure such riders? All other animals are terrified when they draw near, even the elf-horse of Glorfindel. The dogs howl and the geese scream at them.’
‘Because these horses are born and bred to the service of the Dark Lord in Mordor. Not all his servants and chattels are wraiths!”

[Deadmanwalking]

But even if you gave characters all 6's in skills and 10's in attributes, and loaded them up with the best enchanted items one could design, you still wouldn't have Peter Jackon's version of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. Nor Feanor or Fingolfin of the First Age.

So, yeah, you can build "high level" characters, but health pools and defenses never really increase by much. Even damage output levels off pretty early.

Oh, sure. First Age characters, like Gandalf, are indeed a bit beyond the scope of the rules, and the Peter Jackson movies are a bit more cinematic than the rules really support.

But Aragorn from the books? He's easily made as an extremely advanced Dunedain. Ditto Legolas and Gimli as an Elf of Mirkwood and a Dwarf of Erebor respectively. And Boromir wil be buildable as soon as we have a Men of Gondor Culture. That's all I was saying.

[Angelalex242]

On a more serious note about the Nazgul horses, I had always envisioned and assumed them as something far beyond a normal steed. Fell sorcery which binds their sinews together, and all that...

“I know,’ said Frodo. ‘They were terrible to behold! But why could we all see their horses?’
‘Because they are real horses; just as the black robes are real robes that they wear to give shape to their nothingness when they have dealings with the living.’
‘Then why do these black horses endure such riders? All other animals are terrified when they draw near, even the elf-horse of Glorfindel. The dogs howl and the geese scream at them.’
‘Because these horses are born and bred to the service of the Dark Lord in Mordor. Not all his servants and chattels are wraiths!”

Exactly. Hence the idea to shoot their horses out from under them. They'd have to go clear back to Mordor to get a replacement.

[Blubbo Baggins]

Yeah, I have to agree with others. The One Ring is not a generic Tolkien RPG. It is not intended to be a generic Tolkien RPG, and if you expect it to be one, you'll be disappointed.

I think this is a good point for everyone interested in gaming in Middle-earth and looking to TOR.
As a rough rule of thumb, I'd say that the farther you go away from the Hobbit and LotR-era (i.e. TA 2940-3019) in your game, the less fitting TOR becomes for such a campaign or adventure.
Or in other words, if you still choose to use its mechanics for such a game/campaign, the needs for houseruling also increase with the aforementioned increasing temporal gap.
The same holds true if your game is not focussed on the PC's playing good guys fighting the encroaching Shadow (directed in many ways by Sauron and his servants) in its various forms.

Cheers
Tolwen

Actually Tolwen, I imagine a campaign of men defending Dorthonion, or the Forest of Brethil, or even the Men of Hador serving along the House of Fingolfin, could use the TOR rules pretty well. Obviously there is a need to re-skin things, but at the same time, I feel like mechanically it would fit well.
What do you think? Big issues you see?

[Blubbo Baggins]

and fighting giants with blunderbusses. (You did say all of Tolkien's writings, correct?)

Farmer Giles of Ham is a wonderful little story, and quite funny. That would be a different setting for a game. Forget taming Trolls! Tame a dragon!

[Rocmistro]

On a more serious note about the Nazgul horses, I had always envisioned and assumed them as something far beyond a normal steed. Fell sorcery which binds their sinews together, and all that...

“I know,’ said Frodo. ‘They were terrible to behold! But why could we all see their horses?’
‘Because they are real horses; just as the black robes are real robes that they wear to give shape to their nothingness when they have dealings with the living.’
‘Then why do these black horses endure such riders? All other animals are terrified when they draw near, even the elf-horse of Glorfindel. The dogs howl and the geese scream at them.’
‘Because these horses are born and bred to the service of the Dark Lord in Mordor. Not all his servants and chattels are wraiths!”

Uhh...yeah. I'd argue there's a lot of room there for what Gandalf did not say to Frodo.

For example, what Gandalf did not explain to Frodo here (because Frodo's a noob at this point and doesn't even own the PHB) was that those "horses" also have the Abyssal and Monstrous templates applied, and are wearing +5 adamantium barding of major fortification.)