The One Ring RPG

Anyone here play or have played it? How crunchy is the system? I understand there's some sort of travel mechanic that seems to be pretty cool, but I'm shady on the details.

Not sure why as the DCC RPG seems to fit my needs, but I've been eyeing this book. Sure, I'm a LotR fan, but also a huge mark for Jon Hodgon's art ever since I came across it with Mongoose's edition of the British RPG, Dragon Warriors. Dude's work is gorgeous .

Anyway, I know there's only like 2-3 other folk who still role-play on this site, but besides getting it as an art and source book...does anyone know how well the game plays?

illuminatinggames.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-one-ring-rpg.html

This is Chris Farrells review from a while back. I may not always agree with his reviews ( I have no opinion in this case as I haven't role played in decades ) .

I do regret selling of all my Middle Earth Role Playing stuff many moons ago. There was a ton of content out there, I used to love just reading the descriptions, looking at the maps, etc.

I have no experience with it, Mr. White. Sorry, man. I love RPGs but I've never taken the plunge on this one. If you get it please share your thoughts and let us know how it compares to some of your favorites.

Have read the game and most of the supplements, but haven't played, so I can't speak to personal experience. But I can tell you from a "pulse of the hobby" point of view:

TOR is widely regarded as the best Tolkien RPG. Better than ICE's Middle-Earth, better than Decipher's LOTR movie cash-in. ICE was basically Rolemaster with some maps of Middle-Earth thrown in. The Decipher game was equally soulless, with a broken system (you can be either a hobbit or a wizard, have fun!).

It's designed by the guys who did War of the Ring, so they get Tolkien and it shows. The default setting is during the almost 100 years between the end of the Hobbit and the start of LOTR. The core story involves characters traveling around, getting involved in the petty and sometimes vicious disputes of the various desperate, hardscrabble groups of Free Peoples, and the ultimately doomed attempt to hold back the rise of the Shadow in the East. By setting it during a period of time that is only lightly described by Tolkien, there is room in the canon to go do things without butting too much against the future history (if you care about that kind of thing).

System-wise, I'd call it medium- to medium-heavy. There is a base system with four core subsystems that float on top of it. The subsystems are:

- Journeys. Travel through the wild lands between Dale and the Misty Mountains, struggling to find your way and keeping your spirits up as you tramp through once-fair and happy places, now fens and broken ruins. The system involves assigning roles to party members (guide, lookout,hunter, etc.) and seeing how well they can keep you on the path.

- Interaction. This is a suspicious age, and requesting audience with the various self-proclaimed lords of various tenuous settlements in the wild is never a sure thing. This system involves using social skills to curry favor. Roleplaying helps determine which skills are best -- Elrond, for example, reacts favorably to Wisdom but poorly to Boasting.

- Combat. Semi-abstract; there's no hex map but there are zones of engagement. Being up front makes it easiest to hit and be hit. Being in the rear makes it possible to retreat, and it is safe, but you can't do much to help your friends. The system is kind of deadly. You can mostly fight well, but once you receive a Wound, you are very much in danger (think Frodo once he is skewered by the Cave Troll).

- Winter. At the end of the year, you travel to a place of safety and hunker down until spring. This is time to forge relationships, to heal, to research. It's reminiscent of Pendragon's winter phase.

The core system that undergirds all of this is Shadow and Hope. You get Shadow points for lying, cheating, murdering, or just being ground down by the evil of the world. Hope is a resource to be spent -- it can give bonuses to your rolls, but it is easy to spend and hard to regain. And if your shadow ever exceeds your hope, then you risk misery, despair, corruption.

I am hoping to get it to the table soon. As soon as I sort out all these damned adult responsibilities.

Thanks, dysjunct, this game sounds amazing! I'll definitely look to pick it up. The setting looks perfect for running in the Fall anyway.

EDIT: I see there is a revised hardback. Is there any reason I should look at the initially released slipcover softback books and dice set instead?

Not really, unless price is an issue. If so, you can find the original slipcase for cheap, and Cubicle 7 has an upgrade PDF for free.

The rules are not significantly changed, but they are drastically clarified.