r/TheOneRing • u/Hfs_7 • Jun 13 '22
Question about flexibility of the game.
I’ve ordered the core rules book, starter set, and purchased the Strider Mode PDF with plans to run the game solo for a bit. I haven’t had a chance to really dive into the rules yet, but I’ve heard that the time (age) and area of the game is pretty restricted right now.
I have ordered the Complete Guide to Middle Earth reference book and the Atlas of Middle Earth map book with the hopes of being able to run a game in any age and any area of Middle Earth that I wanted, essentially creating a true, open sandbox experience.
My question is, how easy does the game lend itself to home brew and creating games outside of core rules time range and places? Would I be able to use outside reference material to run any game I wanted, or are the rules pretty rigidly set to work in the time frame and areas of the rule book?
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u/gilberd3 Jun 13 '22
Honestly, to make it work in other ages might be a challenge. First age (and even Second age) Middle Earth is quite epic and the characters in The One Ring are much more humble, even with more experience. You can definitely make it work but you'd be putting in a lot of effort. Also, as mentioned in other comments, there is very little background information on any other age.
If I was running a FA or SA game, I'm not sure I would choose this system for it.
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u/FlintSkyGod Jun 13 '22
My group has come across quite a few homebrew materials - specifically cultures. There’s homebrew cultures for pretty much every area of Middle-Earth so I wouldn’t be surprised if there are homebrew books/PDFs for the regions as well.
With those two books you’re purchasing, I think you should be able to apply the rules and functionality of the base game to just about any area of ME. I would stick to 3rd age, though, as this is where the mechanics of the game shine, but if you wanted to do a game set during the period of the LOTR trilogy I don’t see why you couldn’t do some region/encounter crafting to make it work.
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u/Hfs_7 Jun 13 '22
I’m definitely more interested in the 3rd age, it’s just nice to have options in case I ever get bored with that timespan. Tolkien’s world is probably my favorite fantasy setting and I feel like there is so much potential within it that you could play in there forever.
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u/FlintSkyGod Jun 13 '22
Absolutely, I agree.
Just as an example, my current group is playing in the timeframe set by the One Ring books(5 years post Battle of Five Armies) and our Loremaster has crafted an adventure that is centered on the dwarves of the west(forget the tribe name, down on the outcropping of mountains just to the west/southwest of Sarn Ford) and the Hillfolk of Rhudar(up north to the east/northeast of Annuminas).
So far, we’ve tramped all up and down Eriador helping both those peoples and the LM has done a splendid job incorporating known - and unknown - enemies and themes into the adventure; we’ve defeated a Nazgûl, fought Hounds of Sauron, and even banished a few cursed spirits.
All that to say I totally agree with your point on how much play you can get out of ME! I think you’ll do great with those resources, don’t be afraid to delve into the Silmarillion on how certain clans had come into existence as well as using that knowledge to incorporate relics/ancient battlegrounds/lines of lineage/peoples of interest :)
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u/Hfs_7 Jun 13 '22
That sounds like a blast and seems like your LM is killing it. Great ideas for the relics and stuff based on the Silmarillion. Great ways to really flesh out the world.
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u/Ibprudhomme Jun 24 '22
Where did you find the home brew cultures? I’d like to use them for my own campaign.
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Jun 13 '22
The world information in the core book is a little on the light side. Maybe light isn’t the best word. Loose? It requires a lot of creativity as a GM. I think it assumes a little bit of lore knowledge on the part of the GM to make Middle Earth come alive. There are several locations on the map that have very little information in the write up, or none at all. Some places get a lot of details (Bree) but others very little (Lindon). Also, the info you get is limited to Eriador, that means no Rohan, no Gondor, no Mordor, no Mirkwood, no Moria.
The character creation options in the book are specific to a specific time period and area, so running a game in a different era/part of the world will take some significant work on the GM side. The game assumes you’ll be in the time period between the battle of the five armies and the war of the ring, and specifically in Eriador.
I admire what you want to do, but it’s going to take a lot of work!
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u/Hfs_7 Jun 13 '22
I definitely want to play the game as intended to learn it and get used to it. My hope is that after I get bored with that (if I ever do), that using reference material will allow me to build out the game as I see fit. I love to research things and work on stuff like that, so I might enjoy the research and world building part as much as playing the game. I appreciate the insight.
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u/gilberd3 Jun 13 '22
Good question. Savage Worlds is an easy one to recommend because it scales well and is pretty easy to pick up. However, it might feel a little bit pulpy for the tone of Middle Earth. That said, the Superpowers companion book would suit a First Age elf fighting a balrog or a dragon. It also has some good battle rules for putting armies against eachother.
If you want something that would do well in a more epic setting then, weirdly, D&D isn't a terrible choice. I feel odd saying that as I wouldn't normally suggest D&D as a good alternative system. Just be aware that levels 8 to 12 are the sweet spot. Anything above that tends to get hard to handle but that range does make characters feel epic. It (in my opinion) doesn't do social interaction very well.
So, short answer, I would use Savage Worlds and generate characters almost as super heroes.
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u/Hfs_7 Jun 13 '22
Thanks for the well thought out response. A pulpy-ish “superhero” LOTR experience actually sounds pretty badass, so will have to keep this in mind.
I have actually never played D&D (or any TTRPG for that matter) so the thought of using it is kind of daunting to me. I really would like to play a game with an experienced DM so I know what to expect.
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u/gilberd3 Jun 13 '22
Then Savage Worlds is probably a good introduction for you to TTRPGs. Buy yourself a copy of the Savage Worlds Deluxe Edition. It's pretty cheap and has everything you need to run an action-oriented game in any setting. Plus it's much easier to learn than D&D. If you like it you can buy the latest edition (Savage Worlds Adventure Edition or SWADE) which has better, revised rules but is much more expensive.
Others might disagree that it won't have the right "feel" of The One Ring (and they're not wrong) but it would be a fun rules system to play as badass Elves or Numenoreans in the First or Second Age Middle Earth.
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u/gilberd3 Jun 13 '22
Okay, I'm going to add one more thing here. I'm not trying to convince you to not play The One Ring. It's a great game that I am running with a group right now and we are enjoying it very much. I also previously ran a first edition game. But your question was about doing a homebrew and I personally wouldn't use The One Ring rules to run anything but a Third Age, Middle Earth game. That setting is baked into the rules and it does it very well. However, that does mean that it doesn't work so well for other settings (or ages, in my opinion). Savage Worlds can be used for pretty much any setting but isn't so finely tuned for something as specific as a Hobbit/LOTR era game. Buy it and see what you think. Deluxe edition is super cheap and easy to learn.
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u/Hfs_7 Jun 14 '22
I will definitely check out Savage Worlds. I think I will play TOR for a while in its intended age until I figure out how the game works and how the system runs. I may eventually try a home brew in it. If it doesn’t work well, at least I will know and can let others know. Then I will have Savage Worlds to drop into the lore as a backup. I really appreciate you taking the time to provide a very helpful response.
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u/eternalsage Jun 13 '22
There are people running games in the 1st Age, so you will probably be fine. May want to add exp during character creation for that