Is The One Ring 2E Kickstarter going to break the records?

At over $140K in the first half hour and shooting quickly past the $200K mark before the first hour was up, the numbers on Free League's Kickstarter for the 2nd Edition of The One Ring are whizzing up faster than the eye can see!

THE ONE RING™ Roleplaying Game, Second Edition

A new edition of the roleplaying game set in the world of The Lord of the Rings™ by J.R.R. Tolkien, designed by Francesco Nepitello.

www.kickstarter.com

The record for a TTRPG Kickstarter is Matt Colville, at over $2M for his Strongholds & Followers project (and a followup $1.3M campaign). The next highest was John Wick's 7th Sea at about $1.2M.

There were over 6,000 people who were following the pre-launch page for this Kickstarter, which runs for three weeks.

 

[Morrus]

Then how they can "create" LOTR lore, did they acquire licensing ? From whom ?

Yes, this is a licensed product, like the 1st edition of the same game was, by way of Sophisticated Games (which also produces a bunch of Middle Earth board games, card games, etc.) Their license allows them to make this TTRPG; other companies have licensed other types of product.

 

[Paragon Lost]

Then how they can "create" LOTR lore, did they acquire licensing ? From whom ?

The licensing is a real mess in my opinion. Saul Zaentz company started a lot of the issues going back the 1970s if my memory recalls correctly. There are quite a few players involved or were. It's sort of like how the Marvel Comics stuff was done, in other words a real mess.

 

[ctorus]

Yes, since it is the exact same license. It is owned by Sophisticated Games and was sub-licensed first to Cubicle 7, and now to Fria Ligan.

THE ONE RING™ Role-playing Game | Sophisticated Games

sophisticated-games.com

That means it only allows it to be set in the time anywhere from The Hobbit to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Which is why the 60+ years in between the two stories is when everything happens.

Indeed; my point is that I find this a much less interesting time period to set adventures in Middle-earth, compared to earlier in the Third Age. The world is so empty and barren, particularly if one takes a minimalist approach to extrapolating locations and sites, as C7 tended to do. Perhaps Free League will take a different tack. I think ICE took the right decision when basing MERP primarily in 1640 - but alas that is not even an option here.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Indeed; my point is that I find this a much less interesting time period to set adventures in Middle-earth, compared to earlier in the Third Age. The world is so empty and barren, particularly if one takes a minimalist approach to extrapolating locations and sites, as C7 tended to do. Perhaps Free League will take a different tack. I think ICE took the right decision when basing MERP primarily in 1640 - but alas that is not even an option here.

As much as I enjoyed MERP and the setting books for it, I never liked that time period because it felt meaningless.

But regarding rights to the different time periods, there is obviously a willingness to do other licenses, or the Amazon Prime Middle-Earth series set in the 2nd Age would not be happening.

 

[Paragon Lost]

Indeed; my point is that I find this a much less interesting time period to set adventures in Middle-earth, compared to earlier in the Third Age. The world is so empty and barren, particularly if one takes a minimalist approach to extrapolating locations and sites, as C7 tended to do. Perhaps Free League will take a different tack. I think ICE took the right decision when basing MERP primarily in 1640 - but alas that is not even an option here.

Yeah Iron Crown Enterprises setting it after the plague in 1640 was a perfect time for adventuring. Overall I really appreciated their MERP work.

 

[Reynard]

As much as I enjoyed MERP and the setting books for it, I never liked that time period because it felt meaningless.

But regarding rights to the different time periods, there is obviously a willingness to do other licenses, or the Amazon Prime Middle-Earth series set in the 2nd Age would not be happening.

If that series is successful, I will be curious to see if we there are other games -- RPGs and video games -- set in that period. With Christopher Tolkien having passed recently, it is possible that the folks behind Tolkien Estates will be freer with the licensing of the Professor's works.

 

[Umbran]

I'll never use the book or system.....but god, that hardcover special edition is so pretty.

I admit that. It is pretty. It would look just fine next to my leather-bound copies of the novels.

 

[Skywalker]

I love the One Ring, I just don’t really see what I’d want with a second edition of it.

Moria, the Shire, Gondor, and Mordor. One of the primary purposes of 2e is to expand on what 1e covered rather than supplant it.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Moria, the Shire, Gondor, and Mordor. One of the primary purposes of 2e is to expand on what 1e covered rather than supplant it.

Eh, fair enough. I don't need a whole new rule book for that, but I guess Nepatello is involved with it still, but like...I don't really know what was wrong with the journey or counsel rules, so...why remake them?

IDK, I've got all the PDFs for 1st Ed, and two copies of the original two book set, and a few other books for the games, but I don't have some of the other stuff that comes in the starter set, and roughly 100 USD for the hardcover and starter box plus digital stretch goals is a very good deal.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I admit that. It is pretty. It would look just fine next to my leather-bound copies of the novels.

Do you have the old red book leatherbound set or another one, out of curiosity?