Experience Sink

[Formorach]

Hi All

I'm relatively "new" to the game having bought the "Adventures Over the Edge of the Wild sleeved book set a few years ago. I just haven't got round to playing it yet due to other commitments.

My question is thus: Is there anything else to spend experience on other than raising Valor, Wisdom and Weapon Skills? Perhaps in a rules supplement?

I've worked out it takes roughly 300xp to max out all of the above (which only includes starting weapon skills for those who don't want to learn EVERY weapon in the game ). What happens then?

Working on the books example of earning an average of 13xp per year, that would be 23 years of adventuring at 1 adventure per season. Sounds impressive, until you take Elves and such into account. I'm hoping that, as one of the longer lives species, you don't just max out after 23 years and then spend the next 100+ years with nothing to improve.

Please tell me I'm wrong!

[zedturtle]

It's been a little while since I looked at the slipcase edition, but 13 XP seems a little ambitious. Or at least it certainly implies more than one adventure per year.

There are several Virtues that ask you to spend XP to upgrade the Virtue. Hound of Mirkwood, Wood-elf Magic, Broken Spells, etc. There are also undertakings in later supplements that give you other ways to spend XP, often in the course of making a special item. Investing your personal power into a worldly item, more or less.

Finally, the game is calibrated to playing at the twilight of the Third Age. Sure, your Elf might in theory have hundreds or thousands of years ahead of her, but fate has other plans for her...

[Formorach]

Awesome, thanks for the info!

I've just found the part that mentions "one adventure per year". For some strange reason I was under the assumption it was one per SEASON. Silly me.

I got 13 xp per year from p120 of the Loremasters book under retirement:
"The suggested pace for a The One Ring campaign sees the Loremaster and his players take part in four to six sessions of play for every year of game time. This translates roughly to an average yearly rate of 13 Experience points for every character, enough to see them rise to excellence in about 15 years."

Has this changed in the revised edition? I'll be picking that book up at some point, just a little strapped for cash at the mo since I lost my job.

[zedturtle]

My feedback might be colored by the fact that I'm running the Darkening of Mirkwood campaign in one of my games with a strict rule of "one adventure per year" (it's a 30 year campaign and I'd like to get it done before senility hits). But there's certainly a range.

The slipcase rules are perfectly useable and RPGs are a great value proposition. You can get a lot of mileage out of just the core rules.

[Formorach]

Thanks again for your info and time, Mr Turtle

[zedturtle]

Just call me Zed, everyone does.

[Stormcrow]

The game assumes adventures generally last four to six sessions, and that you have one adventure per year. An adventure is not just "clear the tower of orcs" but a larger quest, like traveling across Wilderland and finding a way to steal a dragon's treasure, while dealing with other parties who might demand a share.

Most people come from games like D&D, where you form a party for the sake of going on adventures, and then you go on a new one every week. It takes a bit of care to get into The One Ring's different structure.

[PencilBoy99]

Is it supposed to be just one adventure per year? I've been running 2. Is this going to be a problem for Darkening of Mirkwood?

[Falenthal]

Is it supposed to be just one adventure per year? I've been running 2. Is this going to be a problem for Darkening of Mirkwood?

No. I run 2 adventures per year (mostly) and it worked ok regarding experience and such. Try to stay on the lower side of XP given per adventure and that's all. So, when the rules say "you can give them 1 or 2 extra XP every two sessions" and things like that, always give them 1 XP.

[Stormcrow]

It's not "supposed to be" anything in particular; they just make a default assumption that there will be one full adventure a year. If you don't do that, then just adjust your understanding when they say things like how many years it'll take to reach certain milestones.

This isn't "balanced." There is no effect if you have more adventures, except to change the pace of advancement.