D&D 5E Free League's 5E-Powered Lord of the Rings Game Is Now Available

Now available in both hardcover and PDF, you can buy The D&D 5E version of Free League's Middle Earth-set TTRPG (of course, you can also get The One Ring,which is the version with its own ruleset).

The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying %E, Shire Adventures, and Loremaster’s Screen & Rivendell Compendium are all available from Free League's online store. Also available is a bundle containing the whole set.

• The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying 5E is the 236-page core rulebook and contains 6 cultures, 6 classses, journey rules, monsters, and more.
• Shire Adventures contains a full description of The Shire, along with five adventures.
• Loremaster’s Screen & Rivendell Compendium contains inforamation about Rivendell, rules for High Elf characters, and a screen for use by the Loremaster.

The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying

 

[occam]

They might, but I’d rather have a complete bestiary upfront. It’s not like D&D only gives us dragons or sahuagin with an adventure / supplement only.
I do find the limited bestiary a bit disappointing

Having Smaug in a Lonely Mountain book on the other hand is fine

Adventures in Middle-earth didn't provide Dragons or other creatures (e.g. Nazgûl) until later supplements, either. I'm not familiar with The One Ring, but I imagine that did the same. After all, there are space constraints.

However, when AiME did present Dragons in the Lonely Mountain Region Guide, they received an extensive treatment.

 

[Shardstone]

Space constraints are a reality. Accept the horrors of publishing.

 

[Zehnseiter]

Not a fan of trying squeeze 5th ed into everything.
We play TOR 2nd every Monday so lots LOTR goodness already.

I have not interest either in mixing D&D 5E with Lord of the Rings. It is imho not a very good fit. But hopefully the game manages to do it at least to the degree that it sells a lot of books so that it finances more TOR products. As it already worked once during 5E's lifetime I see not much that should prevent it from happening again.

 

[occam]

I have not interest either in mixing D&D 5E with Lord of the Rings. It is imho not a very good fit. But hopefully the game manages to do it at least to the degree that it sells a lot of books so that it finances more TOR products. As it already worked once during 5E's lifetime I see not much that should prevent it from happening again.

You might be surprised at how little like regular D&D either of the 5e Middle-earth games are; they change a lot to make 5e fit the setting expectations.

 

[mamba]

Space constraints are a reality. Accept the horrors of publishing.

I am fine with a separate MM, I am not fine with having monsters in 5 regional supplements only

 

[Zehnseiter]

You might be surprised at how little like regular D&D either of the 5e Middle-earth games are; they change a lot to make 5e fit the setting expectations.

Nope had Aventures in Middle Earth and was not impressed. While no exactly the same as 5E it still in the end felt like D&D 5E with Middle Earth trappings. Can't hold a candle to TOR 2E. I was very happy that I backed that one on kickstarter.

But to be fair here I think that about all games that get a 5E variant made. In the end you just loose something if you try to press something in the D&D framework. In almost any case the original non 5E versions of these games are the better choices for me. It is something that I realized already back in the 3E/d20 times where ther was the same glut of games that made a quick buck out of 3E's popularity by making a d20 version for original sytems.

And I was a fan of 3E/3.5E. Far more then I am one for 5E that I at best find usable but not exiting at all. The game has overstayed it welcome with me a while ago. I am ready for a 6E.

 

[Shardstone]

I am fine with a separate MM, I am not fine with having monsters in 5 regional supplements only

The reality of publishing is that for non-vanilla D&D games, you're better off publishing monsters with other usable materials for your games. It'd be great if every game could afford to just do MM's, but these days, you need a product that's more then a collection of stats if you aren't typical D&D. Gotta have some spice to it. In this case, spice will probably end up being regions and landmarks.

However, they can probably get away with a MM for this game given the branding. Would be interesting to see! Personally hoping for Balrog and Wizard stats myself.

 

[Shardstone]

Nope had Aventures in Middle Earth and was not impressed. While no exactly the same as 5E it still in the end felt like D&D 5E with Middle Earth trappings. Can't hold a candle to TOR 2E. I was very happy that I backed that one on kickstarter.

But to be fair here I think that about all games that get a 5E variant made. In the end you just loose something if you try to press something in the D&D framework. In almost any case the original non 5E versions of these games are the better choices for me. It is something that I realized alerads byck in the 3E/d20 times where ther was the same glut of games that made a quick buck out of 3E'Spopularity by making a d20 version for original sytems.

And I was a fan of 3E/3.5E. Far more then I am now with 5E that I at best find usable but not exiting at all. The game has overstayed it welcome with me a while ago. I am ready for a 6E.

Not so much lose something, so much as change the flavor of something.

The new game feels like LotR MOVIES. Just like AiME did. This feels a bit more so, with cinematic mechanics like the Eye Awareness System & The Hunt being included. When I imagine playing this new game, I imagine like a television show made by Peter Jackson, nothing like the RIngs of Power, but Jackson's full vision but stretched over 1-8 seasons. I think that's fitting.

I've read TOR 2E, and indeed its great for capturing both the books AND the movies. However, its a little more Romantic, and a little less Action. What you prefer has more to do with taste than with losing some intangiables or not!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I am ready for a 6E.

Bad news on that front, I'm afraid.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Bad news on that front, I'm afraid.

Depends on how you look at the revision coming next year.