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Message: <blockquote data-quote="elrobey" data-source="post: 1538333" data-attributes="member: 8725">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.</blockquote>

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