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The One Ring: Adventures over the edge of the wild.

Andhaira

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Joined
Nov 25, 2007
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The One Ring rpg is an upcoming pnp game based on The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Basically, its the latest middle earth rpg, and a game I am very much looking forward to. Here is the latest press release from the developers.

The One Ring™, the fantasy roleplaying game set in the world of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to be released by Cubicle 7 Entertainment in partnership with Sophisticated Games, is one of the most eagerly awaited RPG releases of the year. With gamer and fan anticipation growing toward the August 2011 debut, Cubicle 7 today released some details about the format and content of the game line’s first release: The One Ring™: Adventures over the Edge of the Wild.

The adventure begins five years after the events of The Hobbit. The defeat of the Dragon, the ousting of the Necromancer and the stunning victory of the Battle of Five Armies has made the land a much safer place. The Free Peoples of Wilderland are looking beyond their own borders for the first time in generations. Merchants are opening up previously-abandoned trade routes, bringing prosperity to the region and renewing bonds of friendship between long-estranged cultures. But while Lords and common folk become complacent in their new-found security, much evil still lurks in Wilderland. From the Orc-holds of the mountains to the dark and corrupt depths of Mirkwood a darkness waits, recovering its strength, laying its plans and slowly extending its shadow.

Small companies of heroes set out to explore the newly-opened frontiers. Whether their goal is to protect their homes, recover the treasures of a lost age or carry out the orders of their King, they could find themselves in the front lines of the battle against the ancient enemy, in adventures over the Edge of the Wild.

Focusing on the region of Wilderland – from the east of the Misty Mountains through Mirkwood to the Lonely Mountain – the game covers the geography of the region and its major cultures. Immersion in the setting is at the heart of the game. Players create their characters from the cultures of the region, integrating them fully with the setting and giving them a personalstake in the unfolding events. The wood elves of Mirkwood, the dwarves of the Lonely Mountain, the Woodmen of western Mirkwood, the Bardings of Dale, Beornings, or hobbits that have ventured into the region after Bilbo’s return to the Shire, are among the characters featured in the initial release.

The August release is the first of a series of core game titles. 2012 and 2013 will see similar core releases expanding from that point, first with provisionally titled The Errantries of the King and then leading up to the War of the Ring. Each of these will expand the attention given to Tolkien’s world as well as the range of playable cultures and races. “You could compare our approach to the way Fantasy Flight has handled the 40K franchise,” commented Dominic McDowall-Thomas, Cubicle 7’s Director of RPG Development. “We have a huge setting to explore, and this lets us approach it in stages, covering each element in detail instead of trying to stuff an encyclopedia of information into the initial release. It also helps players build their campaigns in a dramatic fashion. With Adventures over the Edge of the Wild as the starting point, the grand story of The Lord of the Rings is starting out, in the background, but players start at a point where they can influence events instead of just being along for the ride.”

This approach also allows the game to take on an epic, multi-generational character. While characters of long-lived races can span the different setting periods, others can pass the torch to their heirs (spiritual or ancestral) in later periods. “Some people have compared this aspect of the game to the classic RPG Pendragon,” Dominic went on to say. “It fits really nicely with Tolkien’s long view of his world.” In fact, the game is highly focused on Tolkien’s themes, with an emphasis on such values as hope, valor, and wisdom reflected in the rules as well as the background material.

The initial release will consist of two core books: the Loremaster’s Guide for GMs and the Adventurer’s Book for players. A full line of supplementary products will follow, with early releases including a Rivendell sourcebook and a campaign guide.
 

zenbitz

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Wasn't there already a PnP RPG called Middle Earth? Back in the late 80s? Used a slightly crippled rolemaster rule set.

Pendragon was an OK rule set. Standard Chaosium (d20 version) with a bunch of personality mods.
 

Alex

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São Paulo - Brasil
zenbitz said:
Wasn't there already a PnP RPG called Middle Earth? Back in the late 80s? Used a slightly crippled rolemaster rule set.

Yes, and there also was another one which. I think, used its own rule-set too.

zenbitz said:
Pendragon was an OK rule set. Standard Chaosium (d20 version) with a bunch of personality mods.

Those "personality mods" really made the game. They are very problematic if used wrong, in fact, they can take away all the choice from the player if the GM is heavy handed in using them. However, if used correctly,they can be one of the best examples I have seem in making the setting and the player work together in creating the character.

@Andharia

This really looks nice, but I am a little afraid of stuff like this comment: "2012 and 2013 will see similar core releases expanding from that point, first with provisionally titled The Errantries of the King and then leading up to the War of the Ring". I just don't like games with metaplot, that expect that the players will rigidly follow a path set up by someone else. I mean, if my players want to invade the shire, take the damned ring and take it to Sauron in order to become his servants, I want them to be able to.
 

Andhaira

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Joined
Nov 25, 2007
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I have good news for you Alex. There will hardly be any metaplot. In fact, it is rumored that in this game the Fellowship will not have existed at all, so the players are free to do what they want with the ring.
 

Alex

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@AndhairaX

Nice! I think that supplements that help the group create their own adventures are always better than simple ready made adventures, even when these have multiple paths. Do you have an opinion on this, Andharia?

By the way, do you know anything about the people making this game? I heard they made a successful game before this one, but it is in Italian so I couldn't find anything about it.

@Blackadder

You played the old MERP game? Tell a little about your experiences with it. I always wanted to play it, but it was a little before my time.
 

Andhaira

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Nov 25, 2007
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I agree with you. However, sometimes ublished adventures are good for cherry picking ideas for your own campaign, and sometimes just for reading.

The lead designer for this game made the hugely successful War of the Ring strategy boardgame. It was given many awards, and it was for this very reason that he was hired on as the lead designer.

Also, the last iteration of the Lord of the Rings rpg was by a company called Decipher, using the CODA system. It was a good attempt, the magic system in particular was excellent and really evoked the flavor of Middle Earth, but ultimately the game was unbalanced and flawed.

Let's hope this latest edition of the game will be much, much better. I am on board as a playtester, and will be recieving my playtest documents in a few short weeks, as final playtesting commences.
 
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You played the old MERP game? Tell a little about your experiences with it.

I played as a Ranger, and we played a number of campaigns.

I will have to head off shortly. Just let me know what you are wanting to know and I will let you know when I come back on to the Codex.
 

Phelot

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Mar 28, 2009
Messages
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I have all the MERP pdfs but never had anyone to play with :(

Really liked the set ups and detail.
 

Morkar Left

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I played some MERP. The rulesystem was mediocre. A dumbed down Rolemastersystem. The good thing was you could easily convert it to RM (RM stats were provided in the books). The sourcebooks were really good and enriched the stereotypical good/evil setting with some ambivalence. But sometimes there was some cheesy stuff inside. Still excellent sourcebooks with a lot of detail.

The Lord of the Rings RPG with the CODA system was good too but a complete different design philosophy. The rulesystem was basically good but really badly balanced and the better sourcebooks came too late. But it is some of the best rulesystem for homebrewing. I made a lot of adjustments and improvements and incorporated fanwork from others, mostly Hall of Fire fanmagazin (excellent stuff there) and a fancompendium called The Heren Turambarion's Compendium (made it more Rolemaster-like).


Personally, I think an alternate reality without the fellowship isn't LotR for me. Then I prefer to play just in another setting:
D20 Midnight has a similar atmosphere, only that the darkness has won.

And Birthright of course...
 

zenbitz

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Feb 2, 2009
Messages
295
I don't play RPGs much anymore, but it seems to me that the actual RULES are more or less irrelevant. Having good source material is fine, but all the really matters is a good GM and players.

Rolemaster, for example, is a preposterous system. The only game I know of where the players (at least some of them) DREADED going up a level, because it's a pain the ass amount of paper work. I am exaggerating, but it's not like all the RM paperwork and "detail" made a more realistic system. It did have awesome crits, though. So there's that.

I have noticed that some systems don't scale well. For example GURPS and Champions (HERO) system are essentially the same ... but scaled to different power levels. GURPS really kinda flops with superheroes and HERO isn't as good with "normals" as it is with supers.

To illustruate - it costs 100s of points to be "bulletproof" in GURPS "Supers" and/or super strong. You were always better off (point wise) buying a "batman" style character with oodles of skills and some weapons.

but this is obvious OT for da codex.
 

Alex

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Location
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Blackadder said:
I played as a Ranger, and we played a number of campaigns.

I will have to head off shortly. Just let me know what you are wanting to know and I will let you know when I come back on to the Codex.

Sorry for taking so long to reply to this. It has been a rough week.

Still, I was interested in hearing what you liked the most, what made the game memorable to you. Morkar mentioned the system, do you agree with him? Also, I am particularly interested if you (and your group) had already read the books and if you made specific effort to remain consistent with them. Thanks in advance.

Morkar said:
I played some MERP. The rulesystem was mediocre. A dumbed down Rolemaster system. The good thing was you could easily convert it to RM (RM stats were provided in the books).

So, you are a fan of Rolemaster! Could you give an example showing how MERP's system was inferior to Rolemaster? RM is yet another game I wish I could find people to play.

Morkar said:
The Lord of the Rings RPG with the CODA system was good too but a complete different design philosophy. The rulesystem was basically good but really badly balanced and the better sourcebooks came too late. But it is some of the best rulesystem for homebrewing.

I never paid the CODA system much attention, however your comment about homebrewing means I might need to rectify that soon. Could you expound a little further on it?

Morkar said:
Personally, I think an alternate reality without the fellowship isn't LotR for me.

Killing the fellowship seems a big departure to me, but I am not sure this is what they really meant. Maybe what they mean is that it isn't a fixed event, but something the players can influence/participate/prevent?

zenbitz said:
I don't play RPGs much anymore, but it seems to me that the actual RULES are more or less irrelevant. Having good source material is fine, but all the really matters is a good GM and players.

I have to disagree. Of course, a good group (including a good GM) is important for the enjoyment. And many RPG systems are written with the unspoken assumption the GM will regulate the rules themselves, instead of applying them whenever the book tells they should apply.

Still, good rules change the game in a way that focus it on some aspect. The original D&D rules, for example, were apparently very badly written. But the way people played it (the actual rules, instead of the written rules) was as a fun game that challenged the player's creativity and planning abilities as they explored hostile environments and campaigned through imaginary lands.

The same group playing Call of Cthulhu would play a very different game, because the rules, from character interaction to adventure creation, are very different. The end result is a tense game of mystery solving.You might argue that this is setting, but fidelity to the setting is only possible through good rules.

zenbitz said:
but this is obvious OT for da codex.

I don't know. I really think P&P discussion could foster new ideas for CRPG design. I welcome all P&P threads that appear around here (though I really don't see why this is in the Workshop).

@AndhairaX

Be sure to post your impressions when you get the game. I am interested.
 

Morkar Left

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I'm not a rolemaster fanboy. It had some good stuff because it was realistic. You had to fear every fight and every weapon type was unique. With the right supplement EVERY weapon from the weapon list had its own critical hits tables. Yes, tableS. Plus lots of customization with different classes and magic systems (for the time). But it could be very complicated and slow things down, especially for the DM.
MERP was just a really dumped down version of RM. Think of it as a beginners version of RM (with only 10 levels if I remember right). But it was still as complex as D&D. And you didn't learn one spell at a time, you learned whole spell lists.

The CODAC system (it was used for a star trek rpg before) has similarities to D&D 3rd Edition, feats and prestige classes included (plus some storyteller newfag stuff). But it is way more varied and balancing is really bad especially for some feats. And there are some feats which are supposed for warriors but wizards benefits way more from it. Chars start out really powerful and are very soon more powerful than most of the enemies. On the other side the Fellowship chars and other big NPCs are pretty weak if you compare the stats.
The magic system isn't great from the spellselection, especially when you're used to D&D. But even for MERP it is pretty weak. But it fits perfectly into the LotR setting. Best and most logical description of LotR magic so far. And it became more complicated and a bit better balanced with later sourcebooks.
The rule system is in priciple made as a serious rulesystem for more hardcoreplayers but It seems it was playtested from storytellers and women. It had even things like a masscombat system but a very, very small selection of buyable goods and no mention about economics. Money was considered unimportant in the LotR epicness. Something that is especially annoying for Mers players. Before a rulerevision there was nearly no difference between using a broadsword and a knife in damage (really!).

Personally I homebrewed the weapons and magic system a bit, altered some traits and level advancement and put some restrictions in the charcreation (mers inspired). The rulesystem is very very flexible and it is fun to bring in more rules for different things. I really have a weak spot for the game besides it faults.

For the CODA rules take a look of what I found here: http://home.mchsi.com/~gandalfofborg/bsr.html#BSR_PRODUCTS
It is not a exact copy of the LotR-coda-rules but it explains you how it works. Or just not remove it from the inventory. They are out of business anyway.
 

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