|
|
|
 |
The One Ring™: Adventures over the Edge of the Wild
|
$59.99 $29.99 |
| Average Rating:4.9 / 5 |
|
Ratings |
Reviews |
Total |
| |
21 |
26 |
|
|
| |
2 |
1 |
|
|
| |
1 |
1 |
|
|
| |
0 |
0 |
|
|
| |
0 |
0 |
|
|
| 
Click to view |
|
|
|
|
|
The One Ring is a lovingly crafted, beautifully executed RPG set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth. Anyone who is a fan of both Middle-Earth and RPGs should find the game compelling, and it’s a good gateway from one love to the other, especially for Tolkien fans who aren’t already gamers.
The TOR core set comes in two books, the Adventurer’s Book (about 190 pp.) and the Loremaster’s Book (around 145 pp.). The Adventurer’s Book contains all the rules for task resolution and character creation, as well as a small selection of pregenerated characters. Each “Player-Hero” is defined statistically by three attributes—Body, Heart, and Wits—plus ratings in Valour, Wisdom, Endurance, and Hope, as well as levels in a selection of eighteen skills. The skills are cleverly arranged into six skill groups, each containing three skills corresponding to the three attributes. For example, the personality skills group includes Awe (linked to Body), Inspire (linked to Heart), and Persuade (linked to Wits). Some of the skills, such as Riddle, might seem a little “corner-case” at first to role-players with experience in other systems, but they fit the setting very well.
Each Player-Hero comes from a specific culture and follows a specific calling, as befits Middle-Earth. Emphasizing cultures rather than races allows the game to easily model differences between, say, the Men of Dale and the Woodmen of the forest. Cultures provide various blessings and proficiencies at character creation and during character advancement. As Player-Heroes advance, they can improve in Wisdom and Valour, and they gain Rewards or Virtues depending on which of Wisdom and Valour they choose to emphasize.
Since most of my role-playing experience is with “roll plus modifiers” systems, it took me just a little while to adjust to TOR’s action resolution system. Player-Heroes can propose “tasks” and Loremasters can require “tests,” but both are resolved the same way: the player rolls a “feat die” (a special d12) and variable number of success dice, comparing the total to a Target Number. TOR does not use character levels, so there’s just one set of TNs to learn. This bringsus the biggest drawback to buying this TOR in PDF form: the game assumes the use of specially-printed dice. The feat die included with the print version ofthe game is numbered 1–10, with the remaining two faces bearing an symbol representing Sauron’s eye (replacing the 11) and a G (for Gandalf) rune (replacing the 12). A roll of “Sauron” is an automatic failure for Player-Heroes, while a roll of “Gandalf” is an auto-success. The success dice are special d6s, with the numbers 1–3 printed in outline and the 6 face bearing an additional symbol, the Tengwar numeral 1. All of the variations have special meanings in judging an action’s success. Combat (which requires tactical decisions, but notprecise tactical positioning or miniatures/counters) is resolved using the same system; armor and other benefits protect you by affecting the opponents’ target numbers.
The Loremaster’s Book provides everything the Loremaster needs to know about creating and running adventures for TOR, including a small selection of monstrous adversaries (with the predictable and appropriate orcs, wolves, and spiders). The default timeline for the Player-Heroes’ adventures begins five years after the Battle of Five Armies, and the default geography is Wilderland (the northern part of Middle-Earth), giving the Loremaster plenty of time and space to create an imaginative Tale of Years without stepping on the toes of the established timeline of the War of the Ring. The Loremaster’s Book closes with an introductory adventure carefully designed to expose players to all of the key mechanics, introduce the Player-Heroes to some famous personages, and help the players appreciate the ethos of Middle-Earth.
I’ll close this somewhat lengthy review with a comment on that final point about the ethos of Midle-Earth. The One Ring beats in perfect time with the heart of Middle-Earth; it wonderfully instantiates Tolkien’s moral vision for Middle-Earth’s inhabitants. The threat of Shadow and the promise of Hope are ever-present. Upon finishing my first read through the PDFs that I received as review copies, I purchased the printed game—a rare occurrence for me. Buy and play The One Ring. You won’t regret it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I than working on adding magic user like ICE did. May-be I will write to the company abord adding magic user. It is well writen than a good game.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I own both the hard copy and the PDF e-book version of this game... because, in my humble opinion, it is that good.
I have been playing role-playing games for over twenty-five years. I have playing and "game-mastered" over two dozen systems, including Dungeons and Dragons (from the Basic and Expert boxes in the early 1980s through Fourth Edition), Palladium, Talislanta, Arcanum, Legend of the Five Rings, Pathfinder, and many, many non-fantasy RPGs (ex. Star Wars WEG--Saga Edition, FASA's Star Trek, Call of Cthulhu, Top Secret S/I, World of Darkness). I have watched gaming companies and their brands rise and fall. I have seen many rule sets and noted their perks and flaws.
Given my vast experience, I must say that this is probably my favorite system to date.
I really like the process of character creation. It involves a few simple choices by the player. The character's stats come together quickly. But it also has enough diversity to allow, for example, an entire party of Hobbit Farmers to be a diverse group of characters. And you'd be surprised what a single Hobbit Farmer is capable of, let alone a group. Of course, if farming isn't your thing you have a vast array of choices when it comes to Cultures, Backgrounds, and Callings (i.e. the Class and Race of this game, if you prefer).
Keep in mind that this set focuses on The Hobbit and the region of Middle-earth known as Rhovanion, the Wilderland between the Misty Mountains and The Lonely Mountain. Thus you have only a small choice of Cultures to ponder, from the men of Dale to the followers of Beorn or Radagast the Brown, as well as the Dwarves of Lonely Mountain, the Elves of Mirkwood, and the Hobbits from the Shire (which is a long way from here, but occasionally a Hobbit wanders from home seeking adventure). Future sets will focus on events and locations further west into the lands more closely associated with The Lord of the Rings trilogy. However, with a little tweaking, you could invent stats for these Cultures using this core set.
As a Lore Master (i.e. the Game Master), I find the rules very easy to learn. They can be daunting at first, but experience playing the game helps with the learning process. The adventure included with this game helps teach the Lore Master and the players the major rules involved with the game. I recommend it as a starting adventure for any new group. Skill resolution and combat are very slick. You roll a number of success dice equal to your rank (i.e. dots) in a skill, plus a unique Fate die, and total up the result. There is a fixed target number, occasionally modified by the Lore Master. Plus the custom dice included with the game have special runes that modify the success or failure result of the roll. Combat involved a series of stances. If you are turned off by grids of one-inch squares, five-foot steps, and attacks of opportunity (i.e. the combat system of D&D/Pathfinder/D20), this is a refreshing change.
Most importantly, the rules exist to support the story and the role-playing, not dominate it. The Lore Master can decide to change the frequency of required rolls during a game. The focus is really on the story and immersing the group into Tolkien's world. This notion of story over rules seems to be lost in many modern role-playing games, which involve sets of massive tomes of rules just to play. This game is not "rules-lite", just "rules-simple" if you will. If one wished, one could add a set of house rules to add to the complexity of the game. As for myself, as a full-time employee, husband, and father, I appreciate a game that has rules simple enough to play with on the fly yet effective enough to still tell a convincing story through role-playing.
My only complaint is that while the game "requires" custom dice, the dice themselves are not available separately for purchase at this time. Thus my group of five players and myself must share a single set or use a standard D12 plus six D6 dice and remember the special rules of the dice (i.e. the runes). For example, using a standard D12, an 11 is the Eye of Sauron and the 12 is the Rune of Gandalf. While this won't matter to experienced players, those individuals just learning the rules may find it difficult to remember everything. If your group plans to run a campaign of this game, I highly recommend ordering some blank D12s and D6s and making your own custom dice.
This lone complaint would rate this game a 4.5 out of 5. However, given how excellent this game is, I have no issues with rounding up to a 5. This is easily justified with the overall value of the product. For $60 retail, which is a bargain before even considering a discounted price for the e-book, you get an entire set of rules to play and run the game, two poster maps, custom dice, and great artwork throughout the product. The Adventurer's map of the Wilderland is a beautiful art piece. This is a solid RPG that is an excellent addition to any gamer's library. If you love fantasy RPGs or Tolkien's work, this is a must-buy.
Note: Not to take any business away from DriveThruRPG, but do yourself a favor and buy the hard copy IN ADDITION TO the e-book. The art alone is worth the extra money, and I usually don't buy RPG books for their art. The posters are really nice too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The One Ring lives up to its impressive source works; providing an epic amount of quality and more in a game that is built to work with the feel of Middle Earth.
Everything about this game feels right; the art, the writing, and the mechanics blend together into a marvelous product that feels very much like the original books by Tolkien. The game takes very few liberties with the setting, and feels very much like picking up one of the original stories in terms of how play and characters work; I personally saw a major relationship between The Children of Húrin and this work, at least in terms of how the adventuring bands work, though the same link goes for any of Tolkien's tales.
Anyway, I will say that this is one of the best fantasy games out there, and as a fan of Tolkien I'd throw my support behind it 100% as a top-notch and accurate game which sticks true to the feel of Tolkien's work.
The closest thing to a gripe I have with this is the gimmicky Feat Die, which has a potential to roll a Gandalf or Sauron rune, but it makes the game flow quicker and adds interest, so I'll concede that it's actually good (especially given that you can use a standard d12 and just modify the results slightly).
Quick Summary:
Content: 5/5 (A great look at Tolkien's world and making adventures within it; it's built well)
Art/Typesetting: 5/5 (I'd say that this is one of the highest quality games I've ever seen in terms of design)
Writing: 5/5 (I've never had a gripe with Cubicle 7's quality, so I see no reason to start now)
Awesome Factor: 5/5 (I'm biased because I'm a Tolkien fanboy, but this gets it right!)
Interest: 4/5 (Not perhaps the most interesting part of Tolkien's sagas, but a good one)
Maturity: 10+ (There's not really anything in here I see that warrants a content rating, other than heroic violence)
Value: 5/5 (You get a lot in this pack; the Loremaster's and Adventurer's Guides, and two maps [one for each], so the asking price is great)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic “The Lord of the Rings” is undoubtedly one of the most influential novels of the 20th century. It was one of the major inspirations for a lot of the fantasy novels, comics, movies and games that followed, including 1974’s Dungeons & Dragons.
Alas most attempts to bring Tolkien’s saga to the tabletop were not that successful. Both ICE’s Middle Earth Roleplaying Game and the more recent game by Decipher didn’t really capture the mood of the books. So, when Cubicle 7 and Sophisticated Games announced that they were working on a new game using the Lord of the Ring license I was highly skeptical. The fact that they wanted to limit the scope of the first game to the Wilderlands didn’t actually help to get my hopes up either. Basically I actually expected the game to fail.
But boy, was I wrong! Before I go into detail of what the game’s about, let’s have a look at what you get when you buy The One Ring. Instead of one of the currently popular boxed set, you get a sturdy slip case containing two softcover rulebook (one for the GM, one for the players), two 22” x 17” maps and a set of customized The One Ring Dice. Yes, even the dice are included! Even though the rulebooks are softcover only, they are of pretty high quality and in full color. The maps feel pretty sturdy and look just brilliant. The production value of this game is exceptionally high and I am sure even die hard collectors will be more than pleased.
Let’s have a look at the books now. The 192-paged Adventurers Book contains all the rules needed by the players. Aside from an introduction into the scenario, it contains all rules needed to create characters and play the game. The 144-paged Loremaster’s Book contains an introduction into what the Loremaster’s job is, the game mechanics, Corruption rules, a bestiary, details on the campaign and a fully-fledged out introductory adventure. Both books contain an extensive index and are lavishly illustrated.
The One Ring: Adventures over the Edge of the Wild is the first game in a trilogy and focuses on the Wilderlands, only a few years after the Battle of the Five Armies. But even then peace is a fragile thing and the Wilderlands are still in need of heroes to help to maintain peace and fight the growing darkness.
The players can choose from six cultures of the North: the Bardings, the Beornings, the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain, the Elves of Mirkwood, the Hobbits of the Shire and the Woodmen of Wilderland. People who want to play Elves from Lothlórien or Men from Gondor will have to wait for one of the next part of the series. In my opinion even Hobbits seem to be a bit out of place here, but having a Lord of the Rings game without them would be a bit odd.
You also get to choose from several callings that include the Scholar, Slayer, Treasure Hunter, Wanderer,and Warden. You might have noticed that there’s no Wizard calling, and that’s actually a good thing in my book. The world of Middle Earth is full of magic, but it’s not the kind of magic we are used to from games like D&D for example. Most magic comes from the world itself, or is bound to items like magic rings or weapons. In The One Ring magic appears in the form of Cultural Virtues, like the Dwarves rune cutting skills or the magic of the Elves, but it’s not even close to throwing fireballs around.
The rules system is pretty easy to learn, but still has a certain depth. Character creation is pretty fast and straightforward, but still allows for a certain level of customization. What I like about The One Ring a lot is that it should be very easy to teach the game to new players. You don’t need to read the whole book to do character creation and the core mechanic is easy to learn. Task resolution checks involve rolling the 12-sided Feat die plus a number of 6-sided Success dice equal to the rank of the skill used. The results are added together and are compared with a target number determined by the Loremaster. When the feat die comes up with a 12 or 1 (the Gandalf rune and the Eye of Sauron respectively on the custom dice that come with the game) special effects may be triggered.
What I like very much about the game is the way the Shadow affects the heroes. By experiencing distressing events, crossing areas tainted by manifestations of the Shadow, by committing despicable deeds or by taking possession of tainted items, heroes gain Shadow points. When the amount of Shadow exceeds a character’s Hope score, he or she becomes Miserable. A character in this condition may be prone to bouts of madness. And every time that happens heroes acquire Flaws. That mechanic perfectly simulates what has happened to several characters in the book. Just think of Boromir as he tried to take the ring from Frodo.
The other subsystems of the game are also very much in line with what you expect from a game that is set into the world of Middle Earth. Instead of just taking a generic fantasy game and adding some Tolkienesque trappings, the authors really tried to capture the mood of the books.
Another neat aspect of the game is that gameplay is divided into an Adventuring Phase and a Fellowship Phase. While the Adventurer’s Phase is driven by the Loremaster’s storytelling, the Fellowship Phase is fully player-driven. The player characters usually return to a place they have already visited to rest and recuperate. This phase is also used to develop characters, buying new equipment etc. In the default pacing of the game the heroes undertake one adventure per year, then they rest for a full season and return to adventuring in the following year. So a whole campaign may easily span many years, even decades.
I have to admit I haven’t run or played the game yet, but I very much would love to do so. The One Ring is actually the first roleplaying game based on “The Lord of the Rings” that I feel like I could run without Tolkien turning in his grave. The limited scope of the setting makes things much easier, the heroes are not fighting against unbeatable odds and the background information included in the book help you to get into the right mood for the game. The game even gives you some tips on how to handle the canon.
All in all I am very happy with how The One Ring turned out. From the rules to the artwork it just feels right. The presentation is top notch and everything I’ve read was pretty close to the source material. The One Ring is a game I definitely would recommend to my best friend – and that’s what I actually did!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This book is beautifully produced and the rules seem to capture the Middle-earth feel better than any rpg to date. Not played yet, but I'm itching to.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
excellent! this word says it all. the scan is perfect, the pdf seems to be the result of a print of the original rather than a scan of the paper book. the game is terrific, I found it quite complicated but I have no real experience with rpg. so beginners like me will probably love the depth of the game and the wealth of knowledge contained, while experienced player will surely appeciate it fully. would buy it again!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Best Middle Earth RPG to date. Simple and elegant rules that capture the feel of Tolkien's work better than anything that has come before it. Everything about this game is outstanding.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The One Ring is an attractive and well-written product that attempts to capture the feel of Tolkien's Middle Earth which is no small feat. I think it does an admirable job - not perfect but certainly excellent and definitely playable. In particular I really like the maps that are included, one for the players detailing the basic lay of the lands and the other for the GM which has a great deal more detail on it. Overall, I think the One Ring meets its original design objectives although for me the sheer weight of the canon and expectations surround Middle Earth do not make it a particularly compelling setting to play within in. For Tolkien fans though this clearly is worth checking out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Very nice system, set in a previously unexplored time in the Middle Earth history.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
My friends and I talk about playing The One Ring in detail here:
http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?592009-The-One-Ring-
Up-the-Reeking-River
Nutshell: The One Ring does a fantastic job of capturing the essence of Tolkien's very particular kind of fantasy story. Hope is more crucial to characters than hit points. The game encourages and rewards roleplay that highlights the characters' relationships with each other and with their cultures. And the action system is tactically interesting without requiring miniatures and detailed calculations.
I can't wait to see what Francesco and company do next in Tolkien's world.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Excellent books and rules that convey the feel of the Tolkien stories. Covering social interactions, influence of the shadow over the character, traveling rules, combat, and a post adventure system that is reminiscent of mouse guard, it is clearly an RPG that focuses on the character rather than only combat.
Highly recommended.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This is a great game. The mechanics are simple and elegant, the writing excellent, and the art amazing.
I particularly love how much story there is behind this game, as it should be in anything based on such a powerful, timeless story.
I highly encourage anyone and everyone to give this one a try.
Cheers,
Erik Scott de Bie
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Excellent product. Well written, nice pics and the rules really take the setting into account.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you were looking for a system that best represented that hard to describe, Tolkienesque feel of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, you've found it.
The One Ring is a brilliantly composed, wonderfully illustrated and rich system in which to immerse yourself as a player or as a GM. The mechanics are as close to elegant as I've seen in a system that I would not consider rules-lite and the wealth of story from which many fantasy fans can draw in the context of Tolkien's world means there will be much to do in this game. If this is your kind of setting, you will truly enjoy The One Ring.
Here is a system that actually emphasizes such things as courage, loyalty and friendship - themes that are very strongly present in Tolkien's works.
It uses an interesting die mechanic - with a 12 sided die being the basis for any skill roll. This die (the "Feat" die) represents an unskilled roll, with a chance at automatic success or failure. Each skill level gives the player an additional six sided die to roll along with their Feat die. The more sixes you roll, the better you succeed.
Characters only have three attributes: Body, Heart and Wits. There are 18 skills (three sets of six) that are divided between these stats. Characters also have Valor and Wisdom which helps the player and GM to understand how that character is regarded by others. There's also Hope points, which can be used to gain extra dice for rolls, or otherwise influence the game.
Every party is called a Fellowship, and the entire party shares a pool of Fellowship points which can be used to replenish individual Hope points. That right there is a very neat mechanic, and goes a long way towards making this game feel like an extension of Tolkien's world.
There is also Corruption. Gain too much corruption, and you're character goes over to the shadow.
Combat is handled quite well and also has that Middle Earth feel to it, with called shots and different combat stances that can be taken, which are quite representative of the characters we all know from the Lord of the Rings. Defensive stances, for instance invoke in me thoughts of Dwarves. The Rearward stance makes me think of Elven archers.
What I really took away from these books are two things. First, that it is an interesting and easily playable system that brings a lot to the gaming table. Second, that it really does bring that Middle Earth feel to the game - it's a quality that's hard to define, but the creators of this game have really nailed it. Even the mechanics, the usually dry and statistical part of any RPG, are grounded firmly in Tolkien's characters.
If you enjoy the world of Middle Earth, you will very much enjoy these books. Well put together, illustrations that evoke that instant recognition of Middle Earth and just damned fun to read and play.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 0 items |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Log In 
