DnD® comes to Middle-earth®.

[Mim]

Wow. This is one of the most stunning announcements I've ever heard in my nearly 40 years of gaming, and I've been mulling it over and reading responses. On the one hand...

The C7 team obviously loves Middle-earth and they do a superb job adapting it to the tabletop -- my fav by far -- and will most likely continue to provide us the highest quality games. The agreement enables them to incorporate well-supported material and a global fan base, and we'll likely find it easier to introduce new players to our chronicles because of the D&D connection.

On the other hand...

I agree with the concerns expressed that they already experience publishing delays, so even with hiring new people they may incur (yet more) delays. In addition, I stepped away from D&D the past few years because of the way they've restructured the game, and can't help but feel that it's not suitable for capturing the unique flavor of Middle-earth. The game's emphasis on power inevitably means that some players will want to play characters comparable to Gandalf, which leads to the grim specter of fireballs and lightning bolts. Only time will tell, but I'm disappointed.

There, I've added my two pence and feel better

[Terisonen]

Let the D&D player defaced Middle-Earth if they want : their play is not my play. That kind of power player play more D&D than Middle Earth? That don't bother me, and Cubicle has taken their bucks in the instance to give the TOR line product attention it deserve. All's hands happy!

[timb]

Was there any answer to whether we'll need the core D&D rulebooks as well as C7 stuff? I have scrolled through but my head is a bit battered right now.
I was curious about D&D when the new version got released, but it came down to consideration of spending and usage. I didn't buy anything. Now with C7's announcement, I am curious again.

[Majestic]

Was there any answer to whether we'll need the core D&D rulebooks as well as C7 stuff? I have scrolled through but my head is a bit battered right now.
I was curious about D&D when the new version got released, but it came down to consideration of spending and usage. I didn't buy anything. Now with C7's announcement, I am curious again.

Nothing has been spelled out specifically yet. As a regular player (and GM) of both games, let me tell you that there's almost no way they could just do, say, a gadgeteer of Middle-earth and make Middle-earth fit very well with D&D. I think it's far more likely that there will be a new (equivalent of a) PHB that spells out the basics on things. I would guess that there will be less spellcasters, for instance, and likely less races. Of course, such a thing could be easily enough 'compatible' with standard 5E D&D, so if you wanted to have a Hobbit Wizard or a Tiefling Treasure-Hunter, you could do so. But I wouldn't expect that there will simply be a book that works in tandem with the D&D PHB (a single hardback book that is all one needs to play the game).

That's all entirely a guess, mind you.

[Kurt]

I had moved away from D&D (shelving twenty two books) to play the TOR system and I am happier for the switch. Naturally, I too was a little disappointed and had fears for the future of the TOR system. I find the TOR a wonderful gaming experience and have invested time and money into it.

and then I read this ...

For once I don't say this to tease. We're really mindful of you guys as our core fans and customers. I wanted you to hear about the 5e game from us first, and it's important news clearly related to why you come here.

But we are absolutely not joking, or spinning you a line, when we say The One Ring Roleplaying Game will continue as an independent, fully supported line. You guys are at the heart of what we do. True story. And heck, I didn't shed this much blood sweat and tears to then throw The One Ring away, and I know the rest of the team feel the same, from the bottom to the top. We have some good stuff for you this week.

Thank you Jon for putting my mind at ease. The fan base here is a testament to the good work that all of you at C7 have been doing with TOR. I for one will be buying more TOR products, it's a fantastic game. I can also appreciate that extra revenue generated from providing a D&D variant to a broader market could facilitate growth in the TOR product line.

Cheers,
Kurt

[Dunkelbrink]

This is interesting and somewhat unexpected news. I've always found D&D a bit untasteful and avoided it, but in Cubicle 7's hands I think it's gonna look and feel great. If anyone could do a Middle-Earth take on D&D it's them and I am definitely going to buy the books and look into it. I am also hoping to be able to use some stuff for TOR, like more detailed maps (which I guess is more necessary in a D&D type game but also is something I am missing in the TOR products).

That said, I think this is probably a loss for TOR in the long run. We've had the oppurtunity to try and make Tolkien fans play a new game for a while, and slowly it has felt that some of the D&D players were convinced to try something new. Now, that cause would be lost since they don't have to switch game. TOR won't be the ONE Middle-Earth game anymore, just an excentric specialist game beside D&D.

It will be really interesting how Cubicle will handle "fluff" in these series. Could you go as deep as before, or do you have to present it in some other way? How would a D&D player react when picking up the Rohan book and besides the new Prestige classes finds a deep history of the land and its history? Yes, I am prejudiced against D&D players, and I except them to aim for Jackson's film versions rather than the novels and demanding a different kind of game. Lore spread out, like to little butter on too much bread.

[Kurt]

That said, I think this is probably a loss for TOR in the long run. We've had the oppurtunity to try and make Tolkien fans play a new game for a while, and slowly it has felt that some of the D&D players were convinced to try something new. Now, that cause would be lost since they don't have to switch game. TOR won't be the ONE Middle-Earth game anymore, just an excentric specialist game beside D&D.

I don't think this will be a loss for the TOR system, as long as it is generating a profit there would be no reason to discontinue it. Jon has also stated that C7 will continue to develop TOR and it will lead the way for the D&D variant to follow.

Providing a D&D variant enables C7 to tap a broader existing market. This will generate more revenue for the company which in turn means more game designers, more artists, more products. The D&D variant could potentially support the growth of TOR which is defining a new market segment through a new ruleset. C7 have had the difficult task of building up a customer base in a gaming community that is a) precious about learning a new rules system and b) reluctant to sink money into a new series of products which will shelve their current investment.

Further to this, a gaming platform is a two-sided market with LM's on one side and players on the other. The value to one side of that market is closely related to the number of people on the other side. A LM is going to struggle running a game if there is nobody to play with, likewise players that want to play the game will struggle if there is nobody willing to run the game. I had this problem earlier in the year where few people in my town of 1.4 million people play TOR (plenty of them play D&D/Pathfinder). Providing a D&D variant allows C7 time and funds to build the TOR market, adding value (by increasing the number of gamers) to this two-sided market.

As long as C7 continue to support TOR, which is my preferred gaming system, I'll be a happy gamer

Cheers,
Kurt

[farinal]

I can't say I am very happy with this news. I do not like the WotC as a company since they killed one of my favorite settings, Forgotten Realms with their 4E. Yes I am bitter and I do not forget easily.

I also have worries that how the main player base of D&D will treat the Middle Earth. I am not sure how it can fit to the rules of D&D without changing or cutting them so much that in the end you get another system...

I hope C7 will keep TOR as their priority and do not mix the two lines or delay TOR for the sake of the D20 system. I am happy for them if it means they will earn more money but for my own selfish reasons I dislike this news.

[poosticks7]

I really, really have no idea how I feel about this news...

Guess we'll have a better understanding in time...

Talk about a surprise...

[Majestic]

C7 have had the difficult task of building up a customer base in a gaming community that is a) precious about learning a new rules system and b) reluctant to sink money into a new series of products which will shelve their current investment.

Did you mean to use the word "precious" here, Kurt? Perhaps it has a different meaning Down Under? Maybe Aussies use it like Gollum "my precious..."

I can't say I am very happy with this news. I do not like the WotC as a company since they killed one of my favorite settings, Forgotten Realms with their 4E. Yes I am bitter and I do not forget easily.

I also have worries that how the main player base of D&D will treat the Middle Earth. I am not sure how it can fit to the rules of D&D without changing or cutting them so much that in the end you get another system...

I hope C7 will keep TOR as their priority and do not mix the two lines or delay TOR for the sake of the D20 system. I am happy for them if it means they will earn more money but for my own selfish reasons I dislike this news.

FWIW, farinal, D&D now (with 5E) supports one setting and only one setting, and that setting is Forgotten Realms.

As to the other posts, I think a lot of people are making a lot of assumptions, both about what the new product will be and about how C7 might integrate the line. I don't think any of us should expect to have masses of slobbering, mindless malcontents, all eager to create powerful murderhobo PCs, descending on this forum any time soon. I'm sure it will more likely be that the two lines will be separate (even here), with TOR being the "main" product and the D&D stuff being more of a separate product for those who desire to use the game they're familiar with to adventure in Middle-earth.

And it's important to realize that D&D outsells TOR by a factor of quite a bit. So this will expose many more people to Tolkien's works.