LOTR RPG vs The One Ring

[Unwise]

Dammit! That TOR bundle is gone now, both at RPGNow and RPGDriveThru. If anybody has seen that bundle elsewhere, please let me know.

 

[Wicht]

Dammit! That TOR bundle is gone now, both at RPGNow and RPGDriveThru. If anybody has seen that bundle elsewhere, please let me know.

They must have sold out.

 

[Dour-n-Taciturn]

I'm in the same situation. I love the Middle Earth setting. Mechanics are a little hard to come by however. TOR seems the most ideal in terms of flavor, but the system is a little less gritty than I'd like, a bit too "theater-of-the-mind". I've been experimenting with MERP, but the Rolemaster-light fiddly bits are too fiddly. I've been working on a d20 adaptation, but the magic system ultimately seems too potent for the flavor. What d20 compatible magic system do you all think may slot in more appropriately? Or is that an impossibility given the potency of 3rd Ed D&D or more aptly Spell Law as a direct substitute.

 

[TrippyHippy]

TOR seems the most ideal in terms of flavor, but the system is a little less gritty than I'd like, a bit too "theater-of-the-mind".

You may want to revisit those rules again - they are pretty gritty when your character gets fatigued, and a single blow has the potential to kill any character regardless of how experienced they are!

 

[Dour-n-Taciturn]

To be honest, I have an abridged version of the rules and therefore have not been able to analyze the nuances of TOR. I will not disagree that instant death and fatigue are helpful to the "gritty" argument, but I need more crunch, so-to-speak. I have worked out a fatigue system in my d20 adaptation, my primary issue is magic and the subdued flavor that Middle Earth espouses, given that only Istari and similar demi-god-like beings appear to wield D&D "robust" flavor effects. This "low-magic" style is definitely not reflected in Spell Law.