A Hobbit Halloween

One of the great things about The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings, the second edition of the acclaimed The One Ring: Adventures Over the Edge of the Wild published by Free League Publishing is The One Ring Starter Set. Why do you ask? Well, because it lets us roleplay members of the Hobbit community whom we do not normally encounter. Drogo Baggins, Esmeralda Took, Lobelia Bracegirdle, Paladin Took II, Primula Brandybuck, and Rorimac Brandybuck, in many cases the parents or relations of three of the Hobbits who would form part of the Fellowship of the Ring decades later. Under the direction of the scandalous Bilbo Baggins, the quintet went off and had adventures of their own in the Shire, whilst at the same time The One Ring Starter Set presented the Shire for the roleplaying game itself. Sadly, the five adventures had to come to close and with it the chance to play those characters again. Fortunately, there is a sequel adventure, one that can be run as part of, or after, the events of The One Ring Starter Set, or simply added to an ongoing campaign for The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings—and in keeping with the month of its release, it is a ghost story!

The Ghost of Needlehole is a landmark adventure by Ryan of the North and is available here. It takes the Player-heroes to the far west of the Shire and the Westfarthing village of Needlehole where an old ghost of a woman haunts the bridge over The Water each year in the last days of Winterfilth. The Bounders close the bridge for ‘Maintenance and Repairs’ each time… Below The Water lies the Rushock Bog, where only the Boggers of Needlehole go in search of the ancient wood they carve into the dark smoking pipes that the village is famous for and duck hunting. For this they do something that no other Hobbit does—they wear boots! In order to investigate, the Player-heroes will probably have to persuade the local Boggers to lend them their wading gear. Encountering the ghost reveals something worse, as well as a mystery as to why she is haunting the bridge. Ideally, the Company will head south into the Rushock Bog and reveal the true nature of the ghost. There are some nice encounters, one at the bridge and one in the marsh.

The Ghost of Needlehole is neatly presented, uses some of The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings artwork and uses an excerpt from the map of the Shire. It is well written and its short length means that it is quite easy to prepare for a session.

The Ghost of Needlehole does need some slight adjustment here and there, really to make it easier for the players and their heroes to make the connection between the ghost and the Rushock Bog and to give a hook or two to get the Player-heroes involved, or at least, intrigued just that much bit more. Neither are particularly challenging for the Loremaster to address. There are not too many scenarios available for The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings, so a new one is always welcome, especially with one as flexible as The Ghost of Needlehole, whether the Loremaster wants to use it in an ongoing campaign or as an addition to The One Ring Starter Set. Then of course, if the Hobbits need a mystery for Halloween, The Ghost of Needlehole is perfect after supper scare.