Adventures in Middle-earth Player's Guide
Jester David
Hero
3 out of 5 rating for Adventures in Middle-earth Player's Guide
When I heard about this book I was excited. Partly because there’s two types of Middle Earth fans now: people who like the books and people who like the movies. There’s room for two stylistically different Middle Earth RPGs: one that focuses on the journey and wonder and magic, and one that’s more action orientated. In much the same wayThe Hobbit is a more traditional fairy tale and Lord of the Rings is straight high fantasy. There’s room for the stand alone literary One Ring RPG and the 5e OGL monster killing RPG. But I’m not sure this product really works to fill that second niche.
This is the big flaw in the Adventures in Middle Earth Player’s Guide. It adapts 5th Edition to work with Middle Earth but doesn’t really work to the strengths or design goals of the system or accommodate any existing material. Too often it tries to remake the wheel rather than work with existing frameworks. Which also makes the book a less desirable purchase for fans looking for more 5th Edition content, or hoping to use the book as a sourcebook for homebrew low magic games. I was personally hoping to find some neat optional rules, such as an expanded downtime system, interesting dwarfcraft weapons and armour rules, new backgrounds, and corruption rules that might be potentially useful for my homegame. But I’m not sure how much content here is useful.
For fans of Middle Earth looking for an RPG experience, the One Ring game is still the better choice. For people who want a Middle Earth RPG who dislike the One Ring, I’m not certain this product is different enough. This book is best suited for people looking for a Tolkien experience but unwilling to learn a new ruleset (possibly for a mini-campaign or as part of a break in a regular D&D campaign).If you’re not looking to adventure in Middle Earth using a variant of the 5e rules, than this product probably isn’t for you.
Read my full review here.
When I heard about this book I was excited. Partly because there’s two types of Middle Earth fans now: people who like the books and people who like the movies. There’s room for two stylistically different Middle Earth RPGs: one that focuses on the journey and wonder and magic, and one that’s more action orientated. In much the same wayThe Hobbit is a more traditional fairy tale and Lord of the Rings is straight high fantasy. There’s room for the stand alone literary One Ring RPG and the 5e OGL monster killing RPG. But I’m not sure this product really works to fill that second niche.
This is the big flaw in the Adventures in Middle Earth Player’s Guide. It adapts 5th Edition to work with Middle Earth but doesn’t really work to the strengths or design goals of the system or accommodate any existing material. Too often it tries to remake the wheel rather than work with existing frameworks. Which also makes the book a less desirable purchase for fans looking for more 5th Edition content, or hoping to use the book as a sourcebook for homebrew low magic games. I was personally hoping to find some neat optional rules, such as an expanded downtime system, interesting dwarfcraft weapons and armour rules, new backgrounds, and corruption rules that might be potentially useful for my homegame. But I’m not sure how much content here is useful.
For fans of Middle Earth looking for an RPG experience, the One Ring game is still the better choice. For people who want a Middle Earth RPG who dislike the One Ring, I’m not certain this product is different enough. This book is best suited for people looking for a Tolkien experience but unwilling to learn a new ruleset (possibly for a mini-campaign or as part of a break in a regular D&D campaign).If you’re not looking to adventure in Middle Earth using a variant of the 5e rules, than this product probably isn’t for you.
Read my full review here.
Over the Hill Gamer
Explorer
5 out of 5 rating for Adventures in Middle-earth Player's Guide
For those who love Middle Earth and want to utilize the 5e rules set or those who just want a different take on 5e then Adventures in Middle-earth Player's Guide is worth integrating into your game. Warning -- if you love 5e's plethora of feats, powers, skills, abilities, spells, etc you might find this player's guide not to your taste. Its character classes are certainly no match for those found in the PHB. If however, you hunger for a grittier, less superpowered version of 5e, this is for you.
For those who love Middle Earth and want to utilize the 5e rules set or those who just want a different take on 5e then Adventures in Middle-earth Player's Guide is worth integrating into your game. Warning -- if you love 5e's plethora of feats, powers, skills, abilities, spells, etc you might find this player's guide not to your taste. Its character classes are certainly no match for those found in the PHB. If however, you hunger for a grittier, less superpowered version of 5e, this is for you.
Skywalker
Adventurer
4 out of 5 rating for Adventures in Middle-earth Player's Guide
Though this product is a much better take on using D&D for Middle-Earth roleplaying than I ever expected to see, it does have some balance issues in a few abilities that mar the final result.
The additions of rules for journeys, corruption, and audiences are great at widening the game's focus away from combat.
It also provides a full selection of races, classes, and backgrounds, such that it can be played with Basic D&D alone.
Though this product is a much better take on using D&D for Middle-Earth roleplaying than I ever expected to see, it does have some balance issues in a few abilities that mar the final result.
The additions of rules for journeys, corruption, and audiences are great at widening the game's focus away from combat.
It also provides a full selection of races, classes, and backgrounds, such that it can be played with Basic D&D alone.
3 out of 5 rating for Adventures in Middle-earth Player's Guide
If this was the first RPG dedicated to the Lord of the Rings (D&D could have actually done it, and I would have wholeheartedly loved it!) I would be super excited, but we had for many years MERP and more recently the One Ring, both very good, and this ruleset just comes too late and doesn't adapt as well to the setting, as it's an adaptation of a ruleset that was born for something else.
Sorry, too late!
If you are already playing with the One Ring, I can't see any good reason for passing to this ruleset, but if you never played with the One Ring and you are very familiar with this D&D ruleset, then this could be a fair option to avoid learning a new ruleset.
If this was the first RPG dedicated to the Lord of the Rings (D&D could have actually done it, and I would have wholeheartedly loved it!) I would be super excited, but we had for many years MERP and more recently the One Ring, both very good, and this ruleset just comes too late and doesn't adapt as well to the setting, as it's an adaptation of a ruleset that was born for something else.
Sorry, too late!
If you are already playing with the One Ring, I can't see any good reason for passing to this ruleset, but if you never played with the One Ring and you are very familiar with this D&D ruleset, then this could be a fair option to avoid learning a new ruleset.
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5 out of 5 rating for Adventures in Middle-earth Player's Guide
Adventures in Middle-Earth Player's Guide for 5E set out to allow players to experience the unique setting and experience of Tolkien's writing and does exactly that. It replaces stock, generic races with specific cultures, which are a blend of race and setting specific cultures, giving each culture distinct characteristics and "virtues" (the equivalent of Feats in 5e) with in-game benefits that enhance the Middle-Earth experience. The classes are tailored to the setting, and while there isn't a traditional 5e spell class, the scholar class and its archetypes allow for most of the magical "spell-like" effects seen in Tolkien' work. It's important to note, the writers and developers clear sense of purpose was bringing Tolkien's work to the players, and not the exciting films directed by Peter Jackson. While there are some omissions (like Gandalf's "fiery missiles" as read in the Hobbit), it is likely such powers are reserved for the few actual wizards in Tolkien's setting. The setting specific rules for traveling bring to life journey across the setting and present a significant challenge to Loremasters (the Dungeon Master), it becomes important to know the setting, and re-reading Tolkien's descriptions of the travels and locations in his world would be beneficial in providing the intended experience to players. Replacing the alignment system with the dangers of the Shadow, is another setting specific mechanism that further connects the players to the Middle-Earth experience. Overall, I think the book set out to do exactly what the writers and developers intended. I'm looking forward to the Loremasters Book and hope that future installments will expand on the cultures and locations of Middle-Earth.
Adventures in Middle-Earth Player's Guide for 5E set out to allow players to experience the unique setting and experience of Tolkien's writing and does exactly that. It replaces stock, generic races with specific cultures, which are a blend of race and setting specific cultures, giving each culture distinct characteristics and "virtues" (the equivalent of Feats in 5e) with in-game benefits that enhance the Middle-Earth experience. The classes are tailored to the setting, and while there isn't a traditional 5e spell class, the scholar class and its archetypes allow for most of the magical "spell-like" effects seen in Tolkien' work. It's important to note, the writers and developers clear sense of purpose was bringing Tolkien's work to the players, and not the exciting films directed by Peter Jackson. While there are some omissions (like Gandalf's "fiery missiles" as read in the Hobbit), it is likely such powers are reserved for the few actual wizards in Tolkien's setting. The setting specific rules for traveling bring to life journey across the setting and present a significant challenge to Loremasters (the Dungeon Master), it becomes important to know the setting, and re-reading Tolkien's descriptions of the travels and locations in his world would be beneficial in providing the intended experience to players. Replacing the alignment system with the dangers of the Shadow, is another setting specific mechanism that further connects the players to the Middle-Earth experience. Overall, I think the book set out to do exactly what the writers and developers intended. I'm looking forward to the Loremasters Book and hope that future installments will expand on the cultures and locations of Middle-Earth.
TrippyHippy
Hero
5 out of 5 rating for Adventures in Middle-earth Player's Guide
It's taken more than 40 years to finally match up the seminal Middle Earth setting with the seminal RPG, but its worth it. The high standards of layout, writing and presentation were already established in Cubicle 7's The One Ring, and this has been carried effectively into the D&D supplement too. The rules are more familiar for it's target audience, although there are some extra bits here and there to emulate the setting. Characters are low powered by comparison and there is no out-and-out spellcasting Class in the game. This may be a culture shock for some, but for me a welcome change in tone. I love it, basically.
It's taken more than 40 years to finally match up the seminal Middle Earth setting with the seminal RPG, but its worth it. The high standards of layout, writing and presentation were already established in Cubicle 7's The One Ring, and this has been carried effectively into the D&D supplement too. The rules are more familiar for it's target audience, although there are some extra bits here and there to emulate the setting. Characters are low powered by comparison and there is no out-and-out spellcasting Class in the game. This may be a culture shock for some, but for me a welcome change in tone. I love it, basically.
Sammael99
First Post
4 out of 5 rating for Adventures in Middle-earth Player's Guide
I'm a big fan of The One Ring (TOR) game line. I have played the game with great pleasure and rediscovered the marvels of Tolkien's fiction through a well thought out gaming experience that manages to stay true to the material that inspired it.
Having said that, when the time came to run the game, I choked a bit on the crunchiness of the mechanics. If I had the opportunity to play TOR on a regular basis, I would probably get used to it, but as a casual game, it's outside my comfort zone.
When Cubicle 7 announced the publication of a supplement offering a D&D5 experience in Middle-Earth, I was favorably intrigued. I rather like the 5th incarnation of the Great Old Game. It's not exactly a light mechanic game, but its unified and fluid approach makes it easy to learn and handle. The implicit promise of a lighter mechanical side on the sub-systems that caused me the most pain in TOR (travels and interaction) was appealing too.
I read Adventures in Middle-Earth (AiME) with great ease and pleasure. I should stress that the book is not stand-alone in two ways. First, you need the D&D5 ruleset (at least the Player's Handbook) since it's an OGL product: it doesn't attempt to reproduce or fill in for the parts of the system missing from the Systems Reference Document, it uses open mechanics to rebuild something more suited to Tolkien's world and the atmosphere the game aims for. Second, AiME's Player's Guide is also not fully stand-alone when it comes to Middle-Earth since it doesn't include any setting information (nor monster stats). These come with the recently published Loremaster's Guide.
So you can look at AiME in one of two ways: if you own some or all of the One Ring supplements (as I do), you can use AiME as an alternative system. You'll have to do a bit of tweaking on creature stats unless you own the Loremaster's Guide, and more generally you'll need to adjudicate certain things that are designed for TOR. Nothing insurmountable there. Or you can also buy the Loremaster's Guide to fill in the blanks and have a full workable game. If you don't own the TOR supplements, they will be rereleased with AiME mechanics, with the first one (Tales of Wilderland) already announced.
Overall, Adventures in Middle Earth is a success. The main achievement (and my main concern before reading it) is in the character classes offered. The designers must have been tempted to treat magic the way D&D does, but they (rightly in my opinion) decided not to. None of the classes on offer (ported over from The One Ring) have spellcasting abilities. That doesn't mean there's no magic, but it's managed differently. The classes on offer are Scholar, Slayer, Treasure Hunter, Wanderer, Warden and Warrior. The class builds are close to classic D&D but only the martial classes near identical to their D&D counterparts. All classes have in-built feats that are in line with what we see in Tolkien's world.
The game, just like The One Ring, also offers cultures instead of races (although in some instances cultures are races). It even includes two cultures that are not part of the core set of The One Ring and were only recently included in the Adventurer's Companion supplement (Men of Minas Tirith and Men of Bree). Characters are further fleshed out via virtues and rewards as well as D&D style backgrounds with a little more to them.
AiME also includes specific mechanics ported over from TOR. The travel mechanics are a little simpler and quite adaptable to probably any D&D game. They spice up travel nicely. AiME also includes rules for the influence of Shadow as well as a system for interaction. Interaction is one of the aspects of TOR that really does not satisfy me, and while AiME's approach is simpler, I'm not fully convinced it works much better. Finally, AiME includes guidelines for a Fellowship phase following each Adventuring phase. The fellowship phase is when the characters get more deeply enmeshed in the setting and grow not only in power but in involvement.
This adaptation offers a very complete toolkit even if the Loremaster's Guide provides some of the missing bits, particularly setting information, creatures and more details on Shadow rules and Fellowship phases. Reading Adventures in Middle Earth made me want to get Tales of Wilderland out and start running it to my son and his newbie friends. And the system absolutely delivered. Its main failing is that ugly cover that is neither good looking nor canon.
If you've played or run The One Ring, don't expect the games to feel exactly the same. This is a D&D adaptation and as such is inherently more heroic. In a way, AiME is Peter Jackson's take on Middle-Earth whereas TOR is closer to the Tolkien original feel. But it's a great option for a GM who loves Tolkien to offer his D&D compatible players an experience that's much closer to Lord of the Rings than vanilla D&D by a long shot. And considering Cubicle 7's flawless track record in publishing amazing adventures and setting supplements, it would be a shame not to take advantage of those just because the original system is too crunchy or too different from D&D for your playing group. Of course you might lose some subtle flavor but will compensate that by more fluidity and familiarity.
I'm a big fan of The One Ring (TOR) game line. I have played the game with great pleasure and rediscovered the marvels of Tolkien's fiction through a well thought out gaming experience that manages to stay true to the material that inspired it.
Having said that, when the time came to run the game, I choked a bit on the crunchiness of the mechanics. If I had the opportunity to play TOR on a regular basis, I would probably get used to it, but as a casual game, it's outside my comfort zone.
When Cubicle 7 announced the publication of a supplement offering a D&D5 experience in Middle-Earth, I was favorably intrigued. I rather like the 5th incarnation of the Great Old Game. It's not exactly a light mechanic game, but its unified and fluid approach makes it easy to learn and handle. The implicit promise of a lighter mechanical side on the sub-systems that caused me the most pain in TOR (travels and interaction) was appealing too.
I read Adventures in Middle-Earth (AiME) with great ease and pleasure. I should stress that the book is not stand-alone in two ways. First, you need the D&D5 ruleset (at least the Player's Handbook) since it's an OGL product: it doesn't attempt to reproduce or fill in for the parts of the system missing from the Systems Reference Document, it uses open mechanics to rebuild something more suited to Tolkien's world and the atmosphere the game aims for. Second, AiME's Player's Guide is also not fully stand-alone when it comes to Middle-Earth since it doesn't include any setting information (nor monster stats). These come with the recently published Loremaster's Guide.
So you can look at AiME in one of two ways: if you own some or all of the One Ring supplements (as I do), you can use AiME as an alternative system. You'll have to do a bit of tweaking on creature stats unless you own the Loremaster's Guide, and more generally you'll need to adjudicate certain things that are designed for TOR. Nothing insurmountable there. Or you can also buy the Loremaster's Guide to fill in the blanks and have a full workable game. If you don't own the TOR supplements, they will be rereleased with AiME mechanics, with the first one (Tales of Wilderland) already announced.
Overall, Adventures in Middle Earth is a success. The main achievement (and my main concern before reading it) is in the character classes offered. The designers must have been tempted to treat magic the way D&D does, but they (rightly in my opinion) decided not to. None of the classes on offer (ported over from The One Ring) have spellcasting abilities. That doesn't mean there's no magic, but it's managed differently. The classes on offer are Scholar, Slayer, Treasure Hunter, Wanderer, Warden and Warrior. The class builds are close to classic D&D but only the martial classes near identical to their D&D counterparts. All classes have in-built feats that are in line with what we see in Tolkien's world.
The game, just like The One Ring, also offers cultures instead of races (although in some instances cultures are races). It even includes two cultures that are not part of the core set of The One Ring and were only recently included in the Adventurer's Companion supplement (Men of Minas Tirith and Men of Bree). Characters are further fleshed out via virtues and rewards as well as D&D style backgrounds with a little more to them.
AiME also includes specific mechanics ported over from TOR. The travel mechanics are a little simpler and quite adaptable to probably any D&D game. They spice up travel nicely. AiME also includes rules for the influence of Shadow as well as a system for interaction. Interaction is one of the aspects of TOR that really does not satisfy me, and while AiME's approach is simpler, I'm not fully convinced it works much better. Finally, AiME includes guidelines for a Fellowship phase following each Adventuring phase. The fellowship phase is when the characters get more deeply enmeshed in the setting and grow not only in power but in involvement.
This adaptation offers a very complete toolkit even if the Loremaster's Guide provides some of the missing bits, particularly setting information, creatures and more details on Shadow rules and Fellowship phases. Reading Adventures in Middle Earth made me want to get Tales of Wilderland out and start running it to my son and his newbie friends. And the system absolutely delivered. Its main failing is that ugly cover that is neither good looking nor canon.
If you've played or run The One Ring, don't expect the games to feel exactly the same. This is a D&D adaptation and as such is inherently more heroic. In a way, AiME is Peter Jackson's take on Middle-Earth whereas TOR is closer to the Tolkien original feel. But it's a great option for a GM who loves Tolkien to offer his D&D compatible players an experience that's much closer to Lord of the Rings than vanilla D&D by a long shot. And considering Cubicle 7's flawless track record in publishing amazing adventures and setting supplements, it would be a shame not to take advantage of those just because the original system is too crunchy or too different from D&D for your playing group. Of course you might lose some subtle flavor but will compensate that by more fluidity and familiarity.
BookBarbarian
Expert Long Rester
4 out of 5 rating for Adventures in Middle-earth Player's Guide
The artwork and Text of this book is just astounding. It really draws you into wanting to play in Middle Earth. making concepts from The One Ring work with 5e rules must have been pretty daunting. Mostly they succeed, but a few things rub me the wrong way.
It's mostly recognizable as 5e, with a few exceptions. Gone is the 5e spellcasting system. magic in Middle Earth is far more subtle and this is reflected in race & class & item abilities that are now Short or Long Rest based. The spellcasting system was always a bit heavy to me, and I don't mind not seeing it here.
Added are the Journey and Audience rules. These do a lot to expand and codify the Exploration and Social pillars of the game. Wilderness guides and Party faces are now more important than ever before.
Certain classes draw heavily from 5e classes. the Slayer is near identical to the 5e Barbarian, likewise the Treasure Hunter to the Rogue, and the Warrior to the Fighter. These are probably among the best balanced classes. The Wanderer is clearly based on the 5e Ranger but instead of spellcasting the Wander gets many bonuses tied to it's Known Lands (think favored terrain) given how important the new Journey Rules are to a AiME game this is actually a very reasonable trade off. Sadly the last two classes fall behind. The Warden is based of the Bard, however it gets very little in exchange for losing all it's spellcasting, and the Scholar seems to be an amalgamation of a cleric and a wizard. While one sublcass gets the option of being by far the best healer in the game, the other while trying to be a loremaster, gains also gains to little to make up for not having spellcasting, or having much to contribute, to combat, exploration, or social encounters.
Races have been substituted with Cultures and are easily identifiable has having come straight from 5e with the various human cultrues splitting the divide beteen 5e's Variant and non-Variant human options.
In place of Feats are Virtues some of which are open to all cultures, and others which are culture specific. here is where there are a few of the most egregious imbalances. particularly with one race being able to add Proficiency bonus to AC.
The good is you are encouraged to Modify the game to fit your table. The Loremasters guide which hits stores any minute now contains even more information for tailoring the game to suit your needs.
All in all it's a really beautiful book with a pretty solid system, that I'm happy to tweak here and there.
The artwork and Text of this book is just astounding. It really draws you into wanting to play in Middle Earth. making concepts from The One Ring work with 5e rules must have been pretty daunting. Mostly they succeed, but a few things rub me the wrong way.
It's mostly recognizable as 5e, with a few exceptions. Gone is the 5e spellcasting system. magic in Middle Earth is far more subtle and this is reflected in race & class & item abilities that are now Short or Long Rest based. The spellcasting system was always a bit heavy to me, and I don't mind not seeing it here.
Added are the Journey and Audience rules. These do a lot to expand and codify the Exploration and Social pillars of the game. Wilderness guides and Party faces are now more important than ever before.
Certain classes draw heavily from 5e classes. the Slayer is near identical to the 5e Barbarian, likewise the Treasure Hunter to the Rogue, and the Warrior to the Fighter. These are probably among the best balanced classes. The Wanderer is clearly based on the 5e Ranger but instead of spellcasting the Wander gets many bonuses tied to it's Known Lands (think favored terrain) given how important the new Journey Rules are to a AiME game this is actually a very reasonable trade off. Sadly the last two classes fall behind. The Warden is based of the Bard, however it gets very little in exchange for losing all it's spellcasting, and the Scholar seems to be an amalgamation of a cleric and a wizard. While one sublcass gets the option of being by far the best healer in the game, the other while trying to be a loremaster, gains also gains to little to make up for not having spellcasting, or having much to contribute, to combat, exploration, or social encounters.
Races have been substituted with Cultures and are easily identifiable has having come straight from 5e with the various human cultrues splitting the divide beteen 5e's Variant and non-Variant human options.
In place of Feats are Virtues some of which are open to all cultures, and others which are culture specific. here is where there are a few of the most egregious imbalances. particularly with one race being able to add Proficiency bonus to AC.
The good is you are encouraged to Modify the game to fit your table. The Loremasters guide which hits stores any minute now contains even more information for tailoring the game to suit your needs.
All in all it's a really beautiful book with a pretty solid system, that I'm happy to tweak here and there.
Arthalion
First Post
5 out of 5 rating for Adventures in Middle-earth Player's Guide
While I have not played the One Ring set made by Cubicle Seven; I have played other such versions of Tolkien's rich and beautiful world in the past...including MERP from Iron Crown Enterprises. MERP was a favorite of mine for a long time, but the Adventures in Middle-earth Player's Guide is a true blessing for those of us who love this world. My players and I have completely enjoyed using this book for our new Middle-earth campaign. The information and artwork truly has the feel of J.R.R. Tolkien's work, and allows the players to learn and grow each with their own unique abilities and talents. All of us are completely satisfied, and looking forward to more works for this magnificent beginning!
While I have not played the One Ring set made by Cubicle Seven; I have played other such versions of Tolkien's rich and beautiful world in the past...including MERP from Iron Crown Enterprises. MERP was a favorite of mine for a long time, but the Adventures in Middle-earth Player's Guide is a true blessing for those of us who love this world. My players and I have completely enjoyed using this book for our new Middle-earth campaign. The information and artwork truly has the feel of J.R.R. Tolkien's work, and allows the players to learn and grow each with their own unique abilities and talents. All of us are completely satisfied, and looking forward to more works for this magnificent beginning!
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