D&D comes to Middle Earth (from Cubicle 7)

I have high hopes that the 5E OGL will really start to open up the game...and this would seem to qualify! Very excited for this.

 

[aramis erak]

Where is that license? I'd like to look at it.

You will notice that Cubicle 7 products for Middle Earth all list Middle Earth Entertainment, and MEE only has rights to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

Everything else is under the Tolkien Estate. Not MEE. And CR Tolkien licensing ANYTHING makes news... especially since he's been unwilling to do so other than a few odd specific references for ICE...

Securing a license to anything other than those two books would require CRT to sign off, and he's not been willing to do so.

 

[PatriotofKarrnath]

why? what really does this bring to the table? the One Ring works fine as it is, and Tolkein is definately not a spell slinging barbarian rampaging rogue sneakin type of game, and clerics just dont belong at all. this sounds like a square peg in a much smaller round hole, it could be either a great hit or an abysmal fail and anything in between. not alot of monster variety in tolkein, not alot of room for things like warlocks. There is alot of tolkein influence in D&D, not so much in eberron, but FR seems to be pretty close. Gonna hold of judgement on this one.

 

[Guest 6801328]

why? what really does this bring to the table? the One Ring works fine as it is, and Tolkein is definately not a spell slinging barbarian rampaging rogue sneakin type of game, and clerics just dont belong at all. this sounds like a square peg in a much smaller round hole, it could be either a great hit or an abysmal fail and anything in between. not alot of monster variety in tolkein, not alot of room for things like warlocks. There is alot of tolkein influence in D&D, not so much in eberron, but FR seems to be pretty close. Gonna hold of judgement on this one.

Uhhh...too late?

 

[Mouseferatu]

why? what really does this bring to the table?

It brings the opportunity for D&D players to make their games more Tolkien-esque; not in a "perfect or even close model" sense, but simply a "Let's add some classic Tolkien sauce to our D&D campaign" sense.

And it brings the attention of D&D's LARGE player base to the much smaller company of Cubicle 7 and the much smaller game of The One Ring.

There's frankly no downside.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I like the idea, because Middle Earth wasn't created to be a D&D world, but it is easy to play a remake or mash-up of Middle Earth with d20 system.

 

[PatriotofKarrnath]

It brings the opportunity for D&D players to make their games more Tolkien-esque; not in a "perfect or even close model" sense, but simply a "Let's add some classic Tolkien sauce to our D&D campaign" sense.

And it brings the attention of D&D's LARGE player base to the much smaller company of Cubicle 7 and the much smaller game of The One Ring.

There's frankly no downside.

I see the potential downside of everything going d20 style and games getting stale with the same old system, D&D is undeniably popular, but its system is certainly not the best for every setting or even any good for every style of game/setting out there. D&D does its style of game as good or better than anyone (with the exception of Pathfinder, I see that game everywhere, in several of my FLGS thats the only game played, coincidentally I dont play games at those places) but that style was horrible for Fading Suns, and missed the mark badly for a setting like Black Company and Wheel of Time and it was terribad for Star Wars. Dont twist what I am saying here, this is not some hater rant, I would want no other style for Eberron or Dragonlance, I dont think anyone else could do those settings justice. But Tolkein would feel wrong like Stormbringer would feel wrong. I think maybe they should have tried their Lone Wolf setting first.

 

[darjr]

Taste differs, for instance, in my opinion, the Black Company game is pretty fantastic.

 

[CapnZapp]

People think "D&D is a chappy fit for Tolkien" and decry the game.

But I would never run a Tolkien game with levels and hit points and magic loot and the focus on combat prowess that is D&D.

I do see, however, how this game will be attractive to legions of D&D players (many MANY more than Cubicle's customer base), to add elements of Tolkien to their campaign worlds.

 

[innerdude]

This is a clear business move by Cubicle 7, nothing more or less.

Assuming the product ends up being even slightly better than mediocre, even a C+ / B- product will be a big seller and money maker for them.

To me the downside is, as I've said earlier, that this WILL have a material effect and opportunity cost on the actual One Ring product line. I don't care what Cubicle 7 says, it's just a simple fact of business. They didn't have enough man-hours as it was to release a One Ring product more than once every 9 to 12 months. Adding another major product to their production schedule is absolutely going to affect down-the-line releases of One Ring product.

If you're not into the One Ring product line, then yes, there's no downside to this at all.

 

[mach1.9pants]

Unless, of course, the money this brings in allows them more staff so they can do more on The One Ring at the same time as DnD ME