Post
by Majestic » Mon May 22, 2017 9:00 pm
Excellent advice so far!
I'll just add that, a little bit different from most other RPGs is the way this game breaks down into an Adventuring Phase and a Fellowship Phase. The Adventuring Phase is the 'meat' of the adventure, and this takes up the majority of your time at the table (this is the majority of what you do in those other games), but The One Ring RPG also has a specifically defined 'Fellowship Phase' (this is that time in the other games where you might level up your character, buy gear, etc.). In The One Ring RPG the GM (Loremaster) controls the narrative in the Adventuring Phase, but the players dictate what happens in the Fellowship Phase (and the LM gives results based on what they choose).
The three main 'pillars' of an Adventuring Phase are Encounters (where you meet other folks of influence; this game has a specific system for how well you do in your interactions with them), Journeys (much more emphasized in this game than it is in most other traditional fantasy RPGs, like D&D and WHFRP), and Combat.
Combat is more abstract that those other games often are. Overall the game often is more narrative in focus, with less emphasis on nitty-gritty specifics. You don't have to detail exactly how many feet away your hero is from an enemy, or figure out the angle of a target to know how well you can see them.
Most importantly, there are mechanics that really emphasize Middle-earth and Tolkien's writings. Things like Shadow and Hope, Fellowship Focus (you get to pick another PC and, depending on how they fare in the adventure, you might be rewarded or penalized later on), and Shadow Weaknesses (over time, Hope dwindles and your character might exhibit flaws based on tough moments in the campaign).
It is an excellent game, and it really immerses you in the worlds of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings!
Adventure Summaries for my long-running group (currently playing through The Darkening of Mirkwood/Mirkwood Campaign), and the
Tale of Years for a second, lower-level group (in the same campaign).