The Heart of Mirkwood

[shipwreck]

Yes, this has spoilers for DOM.

Slowly, slowly progressing through Darkening, and we've just finished the Moot. The Questing Beasts does not align with my group at all, so I'm taking the bit about the spider attack and welding it to one of my characters' brothers, who is traveling across the forest to the East Bight and Sunstead. I'm tempted to have the spiders carry him off into the Heart of Mirkwood, but I'm worrying that it may be too much for my lowly PCs.

How have you other LMs handled the Heart? I feel it should be super scary and dangerous, a place where newish adventurers should not hope to survive long. I suppose the spiders could just carry them part of the way in, as opposed to a full trek through that terrible place...

Alternatively, they will save the brother early then journey through the Narrows to East Bight, saving the Heart of Mirkwood for much later.

[Finrod Felagund]

Never played it, but reading the description agree with you that it's probably too much for low level Adventurers. I think in previous discussions it's generally thought that the trees can't move (i.e. there aren't any Huorns or Ents there because Legolas didn't mention any in LoTR) but they are full of malice and could easily drop or swing thick branches wounding Adventurers for example. There aren't any tracks, it's pitch black, muggy, full of spider webs, silent apart from occasional scrabbling, boggy - terrifying really. It also strikes me as the sort of place where the Adventurers are being hunted by a silent creature (maybe one of the main spider's) and accompanying NPCs suddenly disappear in the gloom - you could have a lot of fun with that.

Might be best to save till later, but you could have the Adventurers see the Black Trees and a NPC mention it as a trackless place of darkness and terror whilst they are travelling to the East Bight using an easier route. A foreboding of things to come!

[Majestic]

I'd recommend caution as well. Build up how dangerous and horrible the place is, and wait until your PCs are much stronger before they go in.

I would definitely check out p. 51 of Darkening of Mirkwood (the section entitled 'Into the Heart of Mirkwood') for a good idea of what it's like. Note, too, how Radagast makes the experience a little easier (though still quite difficult!).

[shipwreck]

I took them a day in, stuck 6 attercops and 2 giant spiders on half the party. They rolled edge on most them, I failed protection tests, they passed every Hazard check, and came out basically unscathed.

So they rolled incredibly well and/or I did it wrong.

[Finrod Felagund]

I took them a day in, stuck 6 attercops and 2 giant spiders on half the party. They rolled edge on most them, I failed protection tests, they passed every Hazard check, and came out basically unscathed. So they rolled incredibly well and/or I did it wrong.

Well, if your players had fun and a bit of a laugh at their LMs expense, that's all that matters really. Sounds like they were very lucky though. I suppose you could make the tests harder next time and think about some that involve finding your way around (navigation in woods with well signposted paths is difficult enough), but at the end of the day that counts for less than just hanging out with your buds, so maybe no worries!

[shipwreck]

Well, if your players had fun and a bit of a laugh at their LMs expense, that's all that matters really.

Concurred! Maybe it will give them false confidence; then next time, I will crush them!

[Rich H]

Well, if your players had fun and a bit of a laugh at their LMs expense, that's all that matters really.

Concurred! Maybe it will give them false confidence; then next time, I will crush them!

It happens sometimes. A while back the PCs in my campaign travelled across the Narrow of Mirwood and didn't pick up one point of travel fatigue between them or face any Hazards; it was a cake walk. Can't wait for them to try it again!