LOTR campaign -- "Frodo Fails"?

[elrobey]

A lot of people run campaigns set in Middle-Earth in various time periods, but I've never seen this concept used before. It's the one that I'm using for my next campaign. I'm all set as far as figuring out what rules changes to use to be true to Middle-Earth, but what I'd like to throw out for discussion is this: Where should the campaign go from here?

Starting blurb for the players goes something like this:

"The campaign begins in Minas Tirith after the Battle of the Morannon (the Black Gate). A single Eagle comes flying to Minas Tirith with tidings of the battle, reporting that all is lost. In the parley before the battle, Frodo's decapitated head was catapulted at Gandalf's feet. The demoralized army of the West was then completely destroyed, including Gandalf, Aragorn, and the other principal figures. Only several Eagles survived to send tidings elsewhere: one to Minas Tirith, one to Galadriel in Lorien, one to Elrond in Rivendell, one to King Brand in Dale. The victorious army of Mordor was last seen moving in the direction of Osgiliath (and thence, presumably, Minas Tirith).

"A modest host of Gondor and Rohan remain at Minas Tirith under Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth. Faramir, Eowyn, and Meriadoc Brandybuck remain incapacitated in the Houses of Healing. Within hours after the news of the Eagle's tidings sweeps the city, people are in a state of panic, packing up belongings hastily and beginning to flee the city. As night falls, some looting is starting to take place as well.

"The player characters are all in Minas Tirith in some capacity or other. Campaign begins!"

Everything that happens in LOTR up to the parley at the Black Gate is more or less taken as historical fact. Everything that happens after that point is up for grabs. The fate of Sam and the One Ring are unknown (though the worst is assumed). Saruman and Wormtongue remain at large, though Saruman's staff was broken. Eowyn is presumptively Queen of Rohan (Eomer was lost at the Black Gate), Faramir is presumptively Steward of Gondor.

I expect characters will start at 1st-3d level and the campaign will take them up to 10th-12th level. (For comparison, I peg the deceased Gandalf the White at around 18th level and no one higher than that except perhaps Galadriel and Sauron.)

I expect that the initial stage of the campaign will revolve around specific tactical tasks supporting the immediate defense and/or evacuation of Minas Tirith. Thereafter adventures may involve the PCs taking the role of special ops forces, spies, messengers, or diplomats. PCs may be tasked with recovering relics for use in the defense of the remnants of the West. Perhaps PCs will be tasked with locating potential allies in unlooked-for places -- Tom Bombadil? Radagast? The Blue Wizards? (Many post-Sauron LOTR campaigns assume the Blue Wizards have gone bad, and are major adversaries, but perhaps they are potential allies.)

The final stage of the campaign would probably turn on the fate of the One Ring, presumably involving another effort to destroy it at Mount Doom, but that does seem a little stale. Any better ideas out there?

What might happen to the One Ring after Frodo fails at Minas Morgul? I suspect it doesn't end up with Sauron, but what does happen to it? Does Gollum sneak off with it? Does Sam take it and turn back toward Ithilien? Does it end up in the hands of a Ringwraith or a Black Numenorean or a Blue Wizard, who uses it to challenge Sauron?

What would you do with this premise? Any and all suggestions welcome.

 

[Davelozzi]

Sounds like a cool idea.

As for the ring, I'd lean towards having Gollum take it. That way it's out of the hands of the good guys but not necessarily in the hands of Sauron's forces. Gollum's the most likely to take off with it, and that opens up the possiblities for your campaign.

 

[Talmun]

Interesting idea...
I may be something of a purest, but I'd go with the supposition that if Frodo fails, Sauron ends up with the Ring, one way or another. Gandalf says something to the effect of "if he regains the ring, his victory will be so complete that none can foresee his end while this world lasts" (I don't have the book here at work, but that's it, more or less): that would leave me to believe that a Middle-Earth like the one you describe would be a bleak place indeed...

The elves who could would flee to Aman, those who couldn't would be slain.
All land east of the Anduin would be Suaron's alone, and everything else would be in tribute to him (as per the Mouth). Also the Mouth would be installed in Isenguard, and I'd imagine that the evil would spread north from there.
Easterlings, Haradrim and Variags would probably settle further and further north, helping to oppress the free lands, the corsairs would take and hold most if not all of the southern fiefs of Gondor.
Radagast would most likely go over the sea with the elves, the Blue wizards are a non-entity, speaking from the point of view of the books, but that's up to you.
Bombadil would be the last to be overthrown, but he would fall (...last as he was first...).

In short, Middle-Earth would not be a very nice place to live, unless you were an orc.

 

[Davelozzi]

As for the ring, I'd lean towards having Gollum take it.

On second thought, although it would change his character a bit, it would be kind of cool to have Sam corrupted by the ring...The Dark Hobbit.

 

[Nyarlathotep]

Cool idea. You might want to take a look at the Midnight campaign setting from Fantasy Flight Games, it's very much like the world of Middle-earth if Sauron had won.

 

[elrobey]

Very true, Talmun. It would be a bleak campaign indeed, but that might be an interesting change of pace for me and my players.

Of course, Gandalf doesn't know all, and his prediction about what would happen is not necessarily gospel. It's never been clear to me why Elendil, Gil-Galad, et al could defeat Sauron when he was armed with the Ring, but later generations are considered incapable of doing so. Or perhaps the Valar and/or Eru would intervene again ... if five Istari could be sent to help Middle-Earth, why not other aid?

A number of Tolkien's stories turn on an improbable quest involving sneaking into the very lair of evil. Beren sneaks into Morgoth's throne room, Bilbo sneaks into Smaug's cave, Frodo sneaks into Mordor. I think another quest along these lines would be a fitting way to defeat Sauron.

 

[ShaggySpellsword]

Let Gollum have the wing...it's pretty much an unwinnable campaign if Sauron gets it. Let Sam survive, consumed with grief over Frodo and hatred for Gollum he becomes a very bitter and grim Hobbit. He doggedly hunts down Gollum just as he doggedly followed Sam. At some point, it would be neat for Galadriel or Elrond (or Legolas' Father?), up to that point allies of the PCs, to get ahold of the ring from Gollum, kill Sam, and decide to challenge Sauron, raising up a a "good guy" army to challenge the rapidly expanding darkness. DO the PCs join with this inevitable evil army against the other evil army? Or do they join an underground 3rd faction fighting against both the established evil and the new evil?

It'd be neat.

 

[Talmun]

Very true, Talmun. It would be a bleak campaign indeed, but that might be an interesting change of pace for me and my players.

Of course, Gandalf doesn't know all, and his prediction about what would happen is not necessarily gospel. It's never been clear to me why Elendil, Gil-Galad, et al could defeat Sauron when he was armed with the Ring, but later generations are considered incapable of doing so. Or perhaps the Valar and/or Eru would intervene again ... if five Istari could be sent to help Middle-Earth, why not other aid?

The victory of the Last Alliance took years and cost the greatest men and elves of that time (and of history) their lives. It was not an easy victory. It's stated in the Appenddices that Sauron was still rebuilding his armies (after being 'captive' in Numenor and his body dying there), while Gil-galad and the Alliance actually had built up great forces to take him on. In short, the resources to mount a 'Last Alliance'-like assault on Suaron just aren't there in the third age. This of course doesn't mean you can't change it a bit in your campaign, but you did say you didn't understand...

I suppose it's possible that the two Blue Wizards and Radagast might mount an attack or mission of stealth to get the Ring back or the like...but remember, the Istari were forbidden to challenge Suaron in a 'wizards duel', and the Valar are very hesitant to interfere because they don't understand the intent of Illuvatar when it comes to the world...

All of the above is my opinion filtered through my knowledge of the books, naturally you could (and should) change anything you want to make it the game you're looking for.

A dark world indeed, but I would be interested in seeing how your game goes, I'm intrigued.

 

[ShadowDenizen]

I'm also intrigued: I'm not normally a fan of AU Middle-Earth stuff, but for some reason, your premise spoke to me.

I think leaving the fate of the Ring as a mystery is very smart, for at least the first half of the campaign.

As source material, I would recommend, first and foremost (after the LotR trilogy and the Silmarillion, of course!!), "Unfinished Tales". IIRC, this is the only place that the two Blue Wizards (Pallando and Alatar) are mentioned. Again, IIRC, it states that the two Blue' Wizards' fates are unknown after they passed to the East: they seem a logical element to bring into the camapign.

I would also recommend the "Midnight" setting: not LotR specific, but very useful stuff anyway.

The old MERP stuff, if you can find it (especially Angus McBrides' "Characters of Middle Earth" and "Treasures of Middle Earth") would be useful, too.

That said, there are quite a few potenital story-seeds in your prologue already: I personally like the idea of the Blue Wizards factoring in to the campaign, and the idea of Sam as a "Dark Hobbit" is also somewhat intriguing. You could also deal with the Corsairs of Umbar, as I can easily picture them sailing up the River Anduin in teh wake of Saurons "victory". Ditto for the Haradrim. (ICE put out cool supplements for both Haradwaith and Umbar, as well.)

As a initial setup, perhaps, while helping fortify/evacuate Minas Tirith, the heroes comes across presence of a Cult ("The Cult of the Unlidded Eye" or some such) that worships Sauron? This seems to me a nice catalyst, and it gives the opportunity to introduce a concrete foe, a beatable villain to the PC's, since they really can't hope to stand against Sauron (or indeed any of his minions!) at this low a level.

 

[jerichothebard]

Not to be a nay-sayer, but that sounds really depressing.

I finished a campaign not too long ago where the orcs invaded the civilized lands, backed by the mind flayers, and the DM pretty much made it clear that we had no hope of overthrowing their reign. It was a real downer of an end to the campaign. While I enjoyed playing for other reasons, the major plot line to the campaign was difficult to like.



jtb