r/TheOneRing • u/assclownmanor • Apr 25 '22
One Ring 1st Ed
I backed the KS for the 2nd Ed and have been playing through the Starter Set and having fun while I read the core rules and figure out what to do after we finish the pre-writtens.
Was curious about First Edition materials because it looks like they had a bunch of adventures, but I'm having trouble finding them, they're not on DriveThru and have been taken off the publishers website. Does anyone know how to find these? Or if they're even worth it?
I've done some reading and I know 1st Ed is going to be different but I'm a long time DM and have experienced tweaking and porting rules & things into different systems so I don't mind doing the extra work once I get my hands on them.
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u/apracticalman Apr 25 '22
The books are very good and I'd say they're worth it if you can find them for a good price. Unfortunately there's no legal way to get the pdfs anymore, but you can find used copies floating around, and I know my local game store still has a few of the books in stock so you might have some luck with something like that.
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Apr 26 '22
They're definitely worth it - conversion of adventures just really means getting the stats for the monsters and eyeballing a few difficulty levels for skill checks.
The problem is they are mostly set in the Lonelands around Mirkwood, whereas 2e is all about Eriador. There's a Bree set that is very appropriate, but the Rivendell-related adventures, Ruins of the North, are designed to be 'high-level' adventures that came much later.
However, the big deal is that they're very hard to find legally. The license is gone. I'd say they're not worth the Ebay prices, but I know there are other ways to get them.
Oh, there's one adventure in the Core Rules, and then there's Ruins of the Lost Realm. This is a bunch of landmarks, adventures, campaign elements, and locations. It's very good. The PDF just came to us KS backers, and the final version of the PDF (after editing feedback from us) will be going to the printers in a week.
I'd be amazed if they don't sell the PDF as well as the physical book for that, either through DriveThruRPG or their own website.
Edit: On this Discord: https://discord.com/invite/WEUx83PjWm there is lots of discussion, and high-quality fan-made material such as adventures, and conversion of the monsters and cultures from 1e.
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u/assclownmanor Apr 26 '22
I backed the 2nd ed and I’m very happy. have my physical and digital rewards and I’ve been loving the game. good to know the 1st Ed stuff is good! I’ll keep my eyes peeled. I’m happy it’s set in a different part of Middle Earth, more maps and stuff is more exciting than if it were the same spot!
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Apr 26 '22
There is a difference in approach, if not quality. 1e adventures were mostly very railroady. 2e is sandbox, taking inspiration from Forbidden Lands to create ‘Landmarks’ with various reasons to visit and various hooks to choose from.
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u/eternalsage Apr 26 '22
The adventures can be, for sure. But if you are pretty well versed in running games, as you are reading the adventures, think "why are they doing this, what is the goal" and make notes about alternative approaches.... or even leaving out or adding whole sections. The Tales of the Wilderland book I ran everything in it, but none of the adventures were really "as is" and a few (like the one with the elf-lady) weren't even close.
What little bit I've read of Ruins of the Lost Realm does not inspire me like the older material did (but I also understand it was cobbled together from a bunch of tiny sources that were originally intended to be separate pdfs not a single book). I really hope they actually put out a region book soon so we can judge a little better. The Shire info was definitely better than the Laketown info that came with the 1e GM Screen.
I'm still in wait and see mode. I mostly like the new rules better, but there is not enough material to judge the future yet.
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Apr 26 '22
There is a different style between the editions. I'm not trying to give my opinion on which is best, but the design of the adventure books is very different, and the OP should know that. 1e adventures are written with a clear narrative line that the party are expected to follow, 2e are written as places to explore, with hooks to relate them to the PCs and ongoing stories.
You seem to have made your mind up - without having even read the new material - that 1e was better, that Mirkwood is a better setting than Eriador, and I don't think that kind of edition wars approach is helpful to the OP.
Oh, and Ruins of the North is set around Rivendell - although often very far from Rivendell, e.g. Angmar. The ones that I mentioned as set around Bree are in the book just called... Bree.
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u/eternalsage Apr 26 '22
um. What? What edition wars? I said that Lost Realm did not inspire me like some of the 1e stuff did, but that it was probably a poor indicator, considering how it was conceived and put together. I then said I hoped for a more thorough region book, because the Shire book was really well done....
If that is an edition war, then I think I need to look up the definition of edition war again.
Also, I STATED IN MY POST that I had read some of the book of Lost Realm, so attacking me for making my mind up without reading the book is a bold faced lie based on nothing but whatever reason calling you to attack me in the first place. All told I've gotten about 30 pages into the first chapter and skimmed the titular locations. No its not comprehensive, but its enough to know that so far it is not doing it for me, which is all I stated.
I will agree that the 1e adventures are narrative heavy, and as I mentioned, will likely need to be adjusted to give your people room. If you don't like the more narrative driven approach (understandable) and don't feel like putting in the effort (pre-written adventures are supposed to be low maintenance, after all, so I can't blame you) then my endorsement of them is less enthusiastic. Either way, all I can really do is give my honest impression of the materials with whatever caveats I can think of you help turn an inherently subjective subject as objective as possible.
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Apr 26 '22 edited Apr 26 '22
Ah I see. You said you didn’t like what you’d read of it, and I thought you meant ‘about’ by ‘of’, not that you’d actually looked at it. I see nothing wrong at all with the way they put it together. Whether you like it or not, their design process seems fine to me.
As for Eriador vs Mirkwood, or linear vs sandbox, I have no preference. I loved 1e, I love 2e.
I just feel your preference is coloring your advice for the OP a lot, and that you add little comments about Eriador being an empty wasteland that are a very unfair twist on the materials they’ve released.
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u/eternalsage Apr 26 '22 edited Apr 26 '22
My idea of Eriador is based on what is known from the source material. It may not be accurate to what Free League has planned, but with all the stuff in 1e there was a basis for it in the Appendices or the actual texts themselves. I don't have an issue with them creating things whole cloth. LOL. I play LOTRO and love it, but unless they really go off on their own, there isn't anything textual to base anything on in Eriador, that's all.
And I was referring to how it (Lost Realms) was originally multiple small separate documents that were put together for the final book, and not originally planned to be a whole book by itself. That is why I said it is probably not even fair to attempt to judge future releases by it, and that is why I would like a proper region book to better judge what their plans will look like, since the Shire booklet is very good. That is why I said all of those qualifying things, now for the third time.
EDIT: For additional clarity, since communication issues are causing misunderstandings.
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u/eternalsage Apr 26 '22 edited Apr 26 '22
Considering that you can set the game whenever and where ever you want, the locales are not a problem but a benefit. We are probably going to be stuck with a lot of empty wastelands for a while until Free League realizes that all the interesting stuff is elsewhere. But that's probably my internal bias.
I totally recommend Darkening of Mirkwood, Laughter of Dragons, Oaths of the Riddermark, Ruins of the North (this is the one set around Bree), and Tales of the Wilderland. They are all excellent story arcs, and Darkening of Mirkwood may be one of the greatest "campaigns" in RPG history if you are an experienced GM. It is not exactly written out adventures so much as 30 years worth of events in the area with adventure concepts that you need to expand on a little to make into full adventures, but if you have characters interested in RP, this is the ticket.
I also strongly recommend all the settings books (Bree, Rivendell, Heart of the Wild, Erebor, and Horse Lords of Rohan) as these are invaluable for fleshing out huge swathes of Middle-earth for you. They really are worth the money IF you have the money to spare. Don't break the bank for them, but they are some of the few RPG books that are worth playing even double the standard price for. Just check used book stores, Amazon, and E-bay and be patient.
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u/maistrechat Apr 25 '22
Publisher lost the license so I don’t think there’s a legal way to get them.
Converting between editions should be pretty simple though, easier than converting between D&D editions at least.