You’re Going on an Adventure!

In the north-west of Middle-earth, in the region of Eriador is a bucolic idyll, a land of quiet ways, of a small people going about their business and knowing about everyone else’s business and genealogies, far away both geographically and mentally from the doings of wizards (especially wizards) and kings, orcs and goblins, and such nasty things as adventures. This is the Shire, home to the Hobbits, some of whom as it turns out, will very much find themselves caught up in the doings of wizards (especially wizards) and kings, orcs and goblins, and such nasty things as adventures. That though was in the past with the queer doings of Mr. Bilbo Baggins, who went away with a wizard and came back a very different Hobbit, the least of which was being surprisingly rich. It is also in the future for Mr. Frodo Baggins, the distant cousin of Mr. Bilbo Baggins, yet to be born. In this interregnum between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the Shire is a quiet, contemplative place, forgotten by most, and where little anything of any consequence happens. All that is set to change with Shire Adventures.

Shire Adventures is adaptation of the source material and adventure content from The Ring One Starter Set. Published by Free League Publishing, The Ring One Starter Set did three things. First, it introduced The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings core rules. Second, it described the Shire for The One Ring, serving as the sourcebook for that setting for the roleplaying game. Third, it provided a mini-campaign of adventures, initiated by an appropriate figure of note and played through by some surprising figures from Hobbit history. Shire Adventures does two of these. First as a supplement for The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying—the adaptation of new edition of The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings for use with Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition—it serves as the sourcebook for the Shire. Second, it provides a mini-campaign of adventures—the first adventures for The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying, just as The Ring One Starter Set provided the first adventures for The One Ring, Second Edition.

Shire Adventures is divided into two parts plus an appendix. The first, ‘Regarding the Shire’, details its history, geography, and features. A prologue though, highlights how adventuring, though very much not the norm in the Shire, is different to that of Dungeons & Dragons in one important aspect—weaponry! Hobbits are not a martial people and actual weapons, if found, are regarded as mathoms or trinkets. Bounders and Sheriffs, who walk the boundaries of the Shire and keep the peace, are simply armed with staves and bows. This will definitely influence the play of the second part of Shire Adventures, ‘The Conspiracy of the Redbook’. ‘Regarding the Shire’ begins with the history of The Shire from its founding and later founding of Buckland, the defeat of Golfimbul and his Goblin horde (and creation of the game of Golf by knocking the goblin chief’s head clean off and down a rabbit hole) by Bandobras ‘Bullroarer’ Took of Long-Cleeve and his Hobbitry-in-arms, all the way up to the disappearance of Bilbo Baggins and his return. The majority of the section is dedicated to the geography of the Shire across its Four Farthings and beyond into Buckland (and little further). Alongside all of this, there are engaging sidebars which explore different aspects of Hobbit culture, such as the Art of Smoking and smoke ring competitions, Hobbit attitudes towards Gandalf the Grey (mostly he means trouble, unless fireworks are involved), and descriptions of important NPCs, like Mayor Pott Whitfoot, or Gorbadoc ‘Old Broadbelt’ Brandybuck, the current Master of Buckland. Tables of random events and encounters and rumours and tales all add extra details and hooks and elements which the Loremaster can take away and form into small adventures that can be played beyond the five in ‘The Conspiracy of the Redbook’. At the very end of ‘Regarding the Shire’, the authors take us outside of the Shire, there to encounter the much-feared Old Man Willow, though not for every long if they can find the happiest and strangest being near the Shire, Tom Bombadil.

One aspect of Shire Adventures—and also The One Ring, Starter Set—is that just like The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings—it is a starting point for adventures. However, it is the starting point for adventures for some most unexpected figures in the Shire. The events of ‘The Conspiracy of the Redbook’ take place in the year 2960 of the Third Age, nearly twenty years after the Battle of the Five Armies as detailed in The Hobbit. Since Bilbo Baggins’ return, a whole new generation of Hobbits has come of age, and so the slightly odd Hobbit has decided that certain youngsters should experience some excitement and some intrigue—if only in a little way. Those Bilbo has chosen represent the generation between that of himself, and that of Frodo Baggins, Peregrin Took, and Meriadoc Brandybuck—and in some cases they are the parents of Frodo, Pippin, and Merry. They are initially, Drogo Baggins, Esmeralda Took, Lobelia Bracegirdle, Paladin Took II, Primula Brandybuck, and Rorimac Brandybuck. All are presented as ready-to-play, pre-generated Player-heroes, joined by Balin, though he is not available to play at the start. Their inclusion and the period setting for Shire Adventures means that at this point The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying is looking back still, to The Hobbit, rather than forward to The Lord of the Rings.

‘The Conspiracy of the Redbook’ consists of five adventures. Three need to be run in order—the first one and the last two, but the other two can be run second or third in the campaign. The Player-heroes, Hobbits all, are summoned by Bilbo Baggins for tea and a task or two, all to imbue in them a little of the same sense of adventure that he now has. The adventures will send the Player-heroes hither and thither across the Shire and have them doing very un-Hobbity things. This includes travelling to Michel Delving to steal an artefact from the Mathom-house, tracking down the club of Bandobras ‘Bullroarer’ Took at the very edge of North Farthing, tracking down some of Gandalf’s lost fireworks, travel all the way across the Shire to deliver a letter to Farmer Maggot, and there to help him out with some missing chickens. The campaign is really rather fun and should provide several good sessions’ worth of play, almost at a genteel pace.

Rounding out Shire Adventures is set of eight Player-hero sheets, one each for all of the pre-generated Player-heroes ready to play through ‘The Conspiracy of the Redbook’. Each comes with a little background and a good illustration, and they are nice, clear, and easy to read. They are of course, all linked by family connections, as any good Hobbits should be. They should be all fun to play (especially Lobelia Bracegirdle!) and all have decent Stealth and Riddle skills, but low combat skills.

Physically, Shire Adventures is very cleanly presented in a clear, open style, and the content itself is engaging to read. In particular, the maps done inside the front and back covers are excellent, done in a style reminiscent of Tolkien and will satisfy any Tolkien fan. The artwork is also very good, a pen and ink style that captures the old-world rustic charm of the Shire.

Where Shire Adventures is problematic is in its setting between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and really between the events of The Hobbit and the starting year for The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying. There can be no doubt that the adventures are great and the chance to play the pre-generated Player-heroes is a wonder in itself, but what next? There are ideas and hooks throughout Shire Adventures for the Loremaster to develop, but it would be nice to see Player-heroes characters have other adventures too. Shire Adventures is also missing a where next?’ section. What does the Loremaster run after the ‘The Conspiracy of the Red Book’ campaign? The obvious choice is Bree as it is close by and if the Loremaster has access to it, the Bree-land Region Guide for Adventures in Middle-earth, the original adaptation of The One Ring to Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition by Cubicle Seven. It would require some adaptation to The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying, but this is not insurmountable. Of course, the obvious next step is The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying itself, and the Loremaster and her players creating their own Player-heroes and beginning a campaign of their own.

Shire Adventures is a lovely supplement, it wraps the Loremaster and her Hobbitish players in the warmth and comfort of the Shire, before sending them out to be exposed to adventure and mild peril. For the players and their Hobbits this is their first chance to experience excitement and danger, whilst for the Loremaster, there is source material that she can return to and develop adventures of her own.

Screen Shot XI

How do you like your GM Screen?

The GM Screen is a essentially a reference sheet, comprised of several card sheets that fold out and can be stood up to serve another purpose, that is, to hide the GM's notes and dice rolls. On the inside, the side facing the GM are listed all of the tables that the GM might want or need at a glance without the need to have to leaf quickly through the core rulebook. On the outside, facing the players, can be found either more tables for their benefit or representative artwork for the game itself. This is both the basic function and the basic format of the screen, neither of which has changed all that much over the years. Beyond the basic format, much has changed though.

To begin with the general format has split, between portrait and landscape formats. The result of the landscape format is a lower screen, and if not a sturdier screen, than at least one that is less prone to being knocked over. Another change has been in the weight of card used to construct the screen. Exile Studios pioneered a new sturdier and durable screen when its printers took two covers from the Hollow Earth Expedition core rule book and literally turned them into the game’s screen. This marked a change from the earlier and flimsier screens that had been done in too light a cardstock, and several publishers have followed suit.

Once you have decided upon your screen format, the next question is what you have put with it. Do you include a poster or poster map, such as Chaosium, Inc.’s last screen for Call of Cthulhu, Sixth Edition or Margaret Weis Productions’ Serenity and BattleStar Galactica Roleplaying Games? Or a reference work like that included with Chessex Games’ Sholari Reference Pack for SkyRealms of Jorune or the GM Resource Book for Pelgrane Press’ Trail of Cthulhu? Perhaps Or scenarios such as ‘Blackwater Creek’ and ‘Missed Dues’ from the Call of Cthulhu Keeper Screen for use with Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition? Or even better, a book of background and scenarios as well as the screen, maps, and forms, like that of the RuneQuest Gamemaster Screen Pack also published by Chaosium, Inc. In the past, the heavier and sturdier the screen, the more likely it is that the screen will be sold unaccompanied, such as those published by Cubicle Seven Entertainment for the Starblazer Adventures: The Rock & Roll Space Opera Adventure Game and Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space RPG. That though is no longer the case and stronger and sturdier GM Screens are the norm today.

So how do I like my GM Screen?

I like my Screen to come with something. Not a poster or poster map, but a scenario, which is one reason why I like ‘Descent into Darkness’ from the Game Master’s Screen and Adventure for Legends of the Five Rings Fourth Edition and ‘A Bann Too Many’, the scenario that comes in the Dragon Age Game Master's Kit for Green Ronin Publishing’s Dragon Age – Dark Fantasy Roleplaying Set 1: For Characters Level 1 to 5. I also like my screen to come with some reference material, something that adds to the game. Which is why I am fond of both the Sholari Reference Pack for SkyRealms of Jorune as well as the RuneQuest Gamemaster Screen Pack. It is also why I like the Loremaster’s Screen and Rivendell Compendium for The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying, the adaptation of The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings to be compatible with Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition.

The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Loremaster’s Screen and Rivendell Compendium is not new, or rather, it is not entirely new. Just as The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying is adaptation of The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings, The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Loremaster’s Screen and Rivendell Compendium is an adaptation of the similarly named The One Ring Loremaster’s Screen & Rivendell Compendium. Similarly, it consists of two items. The first is the Loremaster’s Screen. A three-panel affair in landscape format, it is not a GM Screen for Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition in general, but rather just for the specific rules and mechanics of The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying. It opens on the far left with the spot rules for magical success, encumbrance, and resting, before moving onto the three major mechanical and narrative elements of the roleplaying game. The first of these is for Shadow, the insidious influence and effect of Sauron and his minions, as well as certain baleful locations that are best left unexplored. It identifies four sources of Shadow—Dread, Greed, Misdeeds, and Sorcery—and lists various examples and the possible Shadow Points that might be gained through exposure to such sources or committing such misdeeds. The centre panel is primarily devoted to the Council Sequence, taking the Loremaster through the procedure from set-up and Introduction to the End of the Council via Interaction. The accompany table lists useful Ability checks at both the Introduction and Interaction stages as well as possible Experience Point rewards if the Player-heroes are successful—and in some cases, even if they are not! A little bit of the centre panel and all of righthand panel covers the Travelling Company. The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying is a roleplaying game where travel—just as in Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings—really matters and plays a big role. The Loremaster’s Screen summarises the roles for any Journey—Guide, Hunter, Look-out, and Scout, the length of a Journey, and Events and Event Resolution that may occur on that Journey. It gives the Ability checks for each role and provides a list of possible events as well as the Experience Point results for conducting a Journey through a Perilous Area. Across the Loremaster’s Screen the spot rules and tables include page references for the full rules in The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying. Overall, the Loremaster’s Screen is clear, simple, and easy to read, and very serviceable. The front or player-facing side depicts a small fellowship deep in the wilderness about to be assailed by a band of Orcs. It is a nicely tense piece, but different in style to that of The One Ring Loremaster’s Screen & Rivendell Compendium.

The second item is the ‘Rivendell Compendium’. This is a short supplement which details Imladris, the Last Homely House, home to its master, Elrond Halfelven, for thousands of years. His magic has kept this Hidden Valley safe in all that time and protects it still, either making difficult for anyone to find the entrance or actively blocking access. A map is given of Rivendell, though only the floorplans of the ground floor of Elrond’s mansion is given. There are multiple levels of vaults below and storeys above which are not mapped out here, and though that is disappointing, it is unlikely that the Player-heroes will have ready access to them. They are described in broad detail though, so the Loremaster can develop something from this as necessary; more detail being given to particular locations. Not all of the locations are included on the given floorplan. For example, the library is described in the text, but not marked on the floorplan. Ultimately, both the floorplan and the descriptions need to be taken as a guide—good guide—to Elrond’s home.

Also found Rivendell are many Elven folk. The many here include Elrond Halfelven himself, his daughter, Arwen Undómiel, Glorfindel, the great Prince of the Elves, and others. Elrond is described in the most detail, primarily because he is a source of wisdom and a potential Patron for the Player-heroes. In particular, he favours those with the Scholar and Warden Callings, and can be consulted for advice when it comes to making journeys and on particular marvellous artefacts and wondrous items that may have come into the Player-heroes’ possession. Along with the description are spot rules for how to find the entrance to the Hidden Valley, making music in Rivendell which grants Advantage on Charisma (Performance) checks, the moment when the Player-heroes first see Arwen Undómiel and gain Inspiration from her presence and grace, while an Elven character will lose Shadow due to her sorrow, and more. These add to the magic of Rivendell and bring elements of the setting into play.

Lastly, the High Elves of Rivendell are added as a new Culture. They are based in Rivendell as it is one of their last refuges. Their inclusion means that along with the Elves of Lindon, members of the Firstborn who rarely leave the Grey Havens, there are two Elven Cultures available in The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying. The Virtues include ‘Artificer of Eregion’, ‘Beauty of the Stars’, ‘Night of the Firstborn’, and ‘Skill of the Eldar’. ‘Artificer of Eregion’ is for the Elves who have studied the ancient crafts of the Elven-smiths of Eregion, and how can Hand-craft metal arms and armour to grant them an enchanted reward or even a ring or jewel to make it a wondrous item. An Elf who possesses the ‘Beauty of the Stars’ have such poise and grace that he has a surprisingly charismatic effect on non-Elves and Wizards; one of the ‘Night of the Firstborn’ possesses the will with which to deny the influence of the Enemy; and an Elf with the ‘Skill of the Eldar’ has a skill that others see as bordering on magical. Of the four, ‘Artificer of Eregion’ is the most interesting and feels like it bring something markedly different into a campaign.

The ‘Rivendell Compendium’ expands The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying eastwards—if only a little. It provides a potential sanctuary and patron for the Player-heroes as they explore and journey in that direction, although there remains much to be explored in Eriador, the focus of the new roleplaying game. Devotees of the earlier edition of The One Ring—The One Ring: Adventures over the Edge of the Wild Roleplaying Game—may find there is some repetition between the new ‘Rivendell Compendium’ and the earlier Rivendell supplement, but that is inevitable given that they are covering the same subject. In fact, the earlier Rivendell supplement is notable for how many of its elements found their way into The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings such as the Eye of Mordor and the rules for treasure, and consequently, The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying.

Physically, the ‘Rivendell Compendium’ is again done in the same style as The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying. The book is nicely presented and easy to read and understand. The only real downsides to the ‘Rivendell Compendium’ are that as a slim book it is easier to lose and perhaps some of this may be repeated in a fuller supplement devoted to Eriador later on.

The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Loremaster’s Screen and Rivendell Compendium is exactly as it should be, a useful tool to have in front of the Loremaster during play, whilst the ‘Rivendell Compendium’ adds to the setting of The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying with material that the Loremaster can really make use of as her Player-heroes’ explorations take them to further edges of Eriador. Overall, this makes The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Loremaster’s Screen and Rivendell Compendium a solid, useful package, one that a group playing The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying should get plenty of use out of.

Dungeons & Dragons & Middle-earth II

It seemed like it would never happen. Until the publication of Adventures in Middle-Earth by Cubicle Seven Entertainment in 2016, it seemed as if Hobbits and Dungeons & Dragons would ever be the twain. After all, Tolkien Enterprises, Saul Zaentz’s film merchandising company, had threatened TSR, Inc. in 1977 with legal action over the use of the term ‘hobbit’ in Dungeons & Dragons. Which led to the removal of the term and which is why there are Halflings in Dungeons & Dragons as opposed to Hobbits. However, Adventures in Middle-Earth adapted Cubicle Seven Entertainment’s critically acclaimed The One Ring: Adventures Over the Edge of the Wild for use with Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition, and so, much to the surprise of everyone, brought the two together. They are reunited, once again, with the advent of The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings, the second edition of the roleplaying game from Free League Publishing, with publisher following it up with The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying. This is adaptation of new edition of The One Ring for use with Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition, which literally lets a gaming group explore the background and source material for The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings through the means of the world’s most popular roleplaying game.

The setting for both The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying and The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings is the year 2965, over twenty years since the Battle of the Five Armies and the death of Smaug in the east of Middle-earth. This places it between the events chronicled in the pages of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, in the region to the west of the Misty Mountains, between the Last Homely House and the sea. This encompasses all of Eriador, from Rivendell in the east to the Lindon and the coast in the west, from the Ettin Moors in the north to Dunland in the south. At the heart of the region, astride the Great Eastern Road stand The Shire and Breeland, and these are likely starting point for any campaign of The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying. Unlike the landscape of Rhovanion to the east of the Misty Mountains, with its great forest of Mirkwood infested with goblins and spiders, its lengthy rivers and dreary swamps, Eriador feels more open and windswept. This does not mean that it is empty of dangers. Evil men can be found everywhere, and Orcs, Trolls, the Undead, Wolves of the Wild, and even Nameless Things lurk and hide throughout the region, often where secrets of the past ages may be found. Worse, the free peoples of the region may fall victim to their own weaknesses or Shadow Paths, such as the lure of power or the lure of secrets. The lingering effect of the Shadow can also be found in certain blighted, blasted locations, and then there is the reach of Mordor, when Sauron’s baleful gaze falls upon Eriador.

Thus The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying and The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings do not differ in terms of background—including an adventure site or landmark detailed in the style of Forbidden Lands – Raiders & Rogues in a Cursed World. Located in the foothills of southern Ered Luin, ‘The Star of the Mist’ is not a full scenario in itself, but somewhere to be explored, full of dark secrets and factions that the Player-heroes can interact with. It should provide two or three session’s worth of play, but the Loremaster will need to develop a reason for the Player-heroes to be in the area and interact with it. Instead, where The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying and The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings do differ is in terms of their mechanics, since the play of the roleplaying game remains the same with alternating Adventuring and Fellowship Phases, extensive rules for Journeys and for great social interactions called Councils, and the effects of the Shadow upon the hearts and minds of all. It should be made clear that although the The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying core rulebook contains everything that the Loremaster and her players need to roleplay in the setting of Middle-earth for Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition, they will still a copy of The Player’s Handbook for Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition for the core rules.

The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying like Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition, is a Class and Level roleplaying game. Or rather, a Culture and Calling roleplaying game. Six Heroic Cultures are detailed—Bardings of Dale, Dwarves of Durin’s Folk, Elves of Lindon, Hobbits of the Shire, Men of Bree, and Rangers of the North. The inclusion of Bardings of Dale and Dwarves of Durin’s Folk shows how times have changed since the Battle of the Five Armies and the easing of the road east has opened up opportunities for travel and trade. Each Heroic Culture provides Ability score increases and details of cultural abilities, languages, skill and tool proficiencies, and so on, whilst associated Backgrounds add Ability score increases, skill and tool proficiencies, and Distinctive Features. Each Heroic Culture includes six Backgrounds, for example, the Hobbits of the Shire Heroic Culture has Bucklander, On Patrol, Restless Farmer, Too Many paths to tread, Tookish Blood, and Witty Gentlehobbit. Above all, a Background suggests why a Player-hero—as the Player Characters are called in The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying—might want to run off and do something as peculiar as go adventuring.

The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying has six Callings—Captain, Champion, Messenger, Scholar, Treasure Hunter, and Warden. Each Calling has a maximum of Tenth Level, but options allow a Player-hero to progress beyond that, though one aspect of The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying is that peoples of the Heroic Cultures only adventure during their youth, so age is also a limiting factor. The Captain and the Champion are both warrior types, the Captain a leader, the Champion a fierce soldier. The Messenger is a traveller and advisor, the Scholar a learned person who also knows healing and crafts, a Treasure Hunter someone who delves into dark places and secrets, and a Warden, a protector who uses knowledge of the land to help keep communities safe. There is some variation within the Callings, for example, the Scholar can specialise in Healing or Lore, and the Treasure Hunter in Burglary or Spying. All Callings include a Shadow Path, a narrative which a Player-hero might fall into should he fail to resist the influence of the Shadow. For example, the Champion has Curse of Vengeance and the Treasure Hunter has Dragon-Sickness.

Mechanically, if the changes between The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings and The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying are major, those between The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying and Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition are relatively minor. The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying adds several new skills—Explore, Hunting, Old Lore, Riddle, and Travel. Explore and Travel are similar, but Explore covers movement through unknown territory whereas Travel covers movement along familiar, though sometimes no less difficult routes. Together as a party—or Company—the Player-heroes have access to Fellowship, a group resource that can be spent to gain Advantage on all rolls and to trigger various benefits granted from the Company’s Patron. For example, Gandalf the Grey grants ‘Wisdom of the Grey Pilgrim’ which adds a bonus twenty-sided die to be rolled like Advantage for Saving Throws. The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying also allows for a Player-hero to achieve an automatic ‘Magical Success’, the equivalent of rolling a natural twenty on a skill check if he has a particular talent or an artefact. For example, the One Ring would provide a ‘Magical Success’ for a Stealth check. However, the rules for this focus more on the effect than the cause, so it is not immediately clear what talents enable this. As with The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings, there are no spellcasting Callings in The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying, so the Medicine skill and herbalism kit is very useful, as might the Healing option for Scholar Traditions. In addition, resting also takes longer—a Long Rest can only be conducted in a safe haven, or a settlement or city, whilst a Short Rest takes a whole eight hours whilst out on a journey. In addition, The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying suggests ways in which the dice used in The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings to enhance play and to give more of a hybrid feel between Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition and The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings. The result is a halfway house, neither one nor the other.

In comparison to Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition, there is a distinct structure to the play of The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying. It consists of two phases—the Adventuring Phase and the Fellowship Phase. During the Adventuring Phase, the Player-heroes will form a Company and engage in Councils and Journeys. Councils are great social events when the Player-heroes might go before leaders or other notables, perhaps to deliver a message, ask for advice, or seek help. These are played out as a combination of roleplaying and social skill rolls to achieve successes and the Player-heroes can be rewarded Experience Points for the outcome. Whilst the Council mechanics model the Council of Elrond as depicted in The Fellowship of the Ring, the Journey mechanics model the great trips undertaken by Bilbo Baggins and his company in The Hobbit and the Fellowship of the Nine in The Lord of Rings. A Journey requires four Player-heroes—which really is the minimum required in The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying—to undertake one of four duties: Guide, Hunter, Look-Out, and Scout. Events on a Journey, such as a mishap, a chance-meeting, or joyful sight, can lead to a skill test being made by a Player-hero undertaking one of the four duties. Depending on the outcome of the skill test, the Company may end up with penalties or bonuses to the Fatigue Saving Throws made at the end of the Journey. Fail this Saving Throw and this can leave the Player-heroes suffering from Exhaustion. Again, much like the rules for Councils, the rules for Journeys consist of a mix of skill roles and in places roleplaying, although where Councils make use of skills based on the Player-heroes’ Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom Abilities, those for Journeys are all derived from the Wisdom Ability—Explore, Hunting, Perception, and Travel. The other activity during the Adventuring Phase is Combat, but this does not differ from Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition.

The Fellowship Phase typically takes place in a safe haven for the Player-heroes. Depending upon the outcome of the Adventuring Phase, the Player-heroes can lose Shadow points gained during the Adventuring Phase, but in the main, individual Player-heroes will pursue a variety of undertakings during these periods of downtime. This can be to ‘Gather Rumours’, ‘Meet Patron’, ‘Strengthen Fellowship’, ‘Study Magical Items’, and ‘Write Song’. These can have effects on subsequent Adventuring Phases, for example, gathering rumours might garner the Company word of where its quarry might be, whilst a song can be sung during an Adventuring Phase to gain a benefit.

Throughout both the Adventuring Phase and Fellowship Phase, a Player-hero is expected to behave and act like their namesake to the best of their ability. That is, a hero. Player-heroes are not always perfect and they are susceptible to the effects of the Shadow, hence the Shadow Paths for each of the six Callings. Shadow points can be gained through the Dread of meeting some foul beast, Greed from discovering a great treasure hoard which turns out to be tainted, the Sorcery of the Dark Lord Sauron and his minions, and worse, Misdeeds by the Player-hero himself! Misdeeds, especially, if an act is intentional. The acquisition of Shadow points can be resisted with Saving Throws, but if a Player-hero’s equal half of the value for his Wisdom, he gains the condition of Miserable. He has an increased chance of failure on all rolls and the Fellowship rating is reduced. If a Player-hero’s Shadow points equal his Wisdom, he is instead Anguished, and he has Disadvantage on all rolls and can recover through a bout of madness. This also pushes the Player-hero along the Shadow Path for his Calling. Once the effects of Shadow do come into play, they can be devastating, but there is scope to overcome them through rest and good roleplaying.

The last part of The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying explores aspects of the setting that it shares with The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings, including a decent guide to Eriador, the Landmark location, ‘The Star of the Mist’, and also more details on each of the possible Patrons for the Company, enabling the Loremaster to portray them and bring into play as characters in their own right. There is the bestiary too, which by the standards of Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition and the Monster Manual, will feel woefully short. However, Middle-earth is not a setting with a wide array of monsters, rather lots of similar creatures. Thus, there are Evil Men, there are Orcs, there are Wolves of the Wild, all relatively common. Plus, there variations within each monster type, so Goblin Archers alongside Orc-Chieftains, Orc Guards, and Orc Soldiers. There is also solid advice for the Loremaster too and rules for treasure and treasure hoards, as well as precious objects and artefacts, including their creation. There is even a sidebar on what happens if the Player-heroes discover the One Ring!

If there was one single issue with The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings, it was simply the lack of examples—play, combat, or sample Player-heroes. This is less of an issue with The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying, primarily because its rules are derived from Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition, and not more familiar, but mechanically more straightforward.

Physically, The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying is also an of The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings. So, it is very cleanly presented in a clear, open style, and the content itself is engaging to read. In particular, the maps are excellent, done in a style reminiscent of Tolkien and will satisfy any Tolkien fan. There are numerous quotes taken from his fiction throughout the book and these add to its feel and flavour. The artwork is also very good, a pen and ink style that captures the old-world rustic charm of the Shire and the region surrounding it. The style and look echoes that of the classic editions of The Lord of the Rings trilogy published by Allen & Unwin, and has a more scholarly feel as if Bilbo himself sat down to write it.

The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying sets out to provide a means for The Lord of the Rings fans who play Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition to play in Middle-earth. It succeeds with a straightforward and attractive adaptation of The One Ring: Roleplaying in the World of Lord of the Rings that manages to bring the higher fantasy of Dungeons & Dragons into the grimmer, earthier world of Middle-earth. For the Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition Dungeon Master and player who are fans of Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying everything that will need to set forth from Bree and explore the lands of Eriador.