LOTR RPG Update

[Desdichado]

CH, that passage of text in no way forces Galadriel to have done so with a spell. She could have just had the elves pull the walls down and dig up the pits. There were quite a few of them, after all.

BTW, yes I'm excited! I understand the system is very similar to d20 in most regards: I wonder how much we'll be able to borrow from this...

I'd especially like to see the magic system be portable. Sounds like it's finally magic done right, from my point of view anyway.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

CH, that passage of text in no way forces Galadriel to have done so with a spell. She could have just had the elves pull the walls down and dig up the pits. There were quite a few of them, after all.

By such reasoning, then, anything magical in the books could be rationalized away. If you rationalize the magic away, then the implications for the whole story entails it falling apart - what good would the One Ring be if magic is so weak?

It specifically says that Celeborn took Dol Guldur, and then Galadriel came and threw down the walls:

[...]and when the Shadow passed, Celeborn came forth and led the host of Lorien over Anduin in many boats. They took Dol Guldur, and Galadriel threw down its walls and laid bare its pits[...]

It makes no sense that Celeborn could lead the assault, take the citadel, and then have to wait for Galadriel to get there to command the fortress be razed. The implication seems very strong that she used her power to do so. Tolkien was a very precise writer - think about it: Galadriel was the leader of the Elves of Lorien; Celeborn is specifically cited as leading the Dol Guldur assault, which implies he would be in charge of the military; Celeborn actually took Dol Guldur; why would he not be able to command that it be destroyed if all it required was mundane means?

Yeah, I guess maybe it was all done mundanely. But I've tried to show it almost certainly wasn't.

 

[Horacio]

Yeah, I guess maybe it was all done mundanely. But I've tried to show it almost certainly wasn't.

And I fully agree with you

 

[Squire James]

Luthien put Morgoth to sleep and convinced Mandos to give Beren back. Okay, she's half-Maia, so maybe she don't count. Let's try again. Feanor made the Simarils. Apparently even the Valar were unable to match the deed. Galadriel is this guy's niece.

One of my off-the-wall Tolkien theories (well, besides the one about Tom Bombadil being Morgoth after contracting amnesia and convinced he was a Malkavian vampire) is that Galadriel's knowledge of Sauron's though processes stems partly from a previous association with him before he "went bad". Melkor always seemed to raid Aule's servants more than anyone else's.

 

[Doug Justice]

They've just posted a character example at the Decipher website. Looks great!

Doug

 

[tmaaas]

It specifically says that Celeborn took Dol Guldur, and then Galadriel came and threw down the walls:

My preferred interpretation is that Dol Guldur’s gates and walls where strengthened by evil sorcery and could not be destroyed by mundane means. Galadriel was the only elf in Lothlorien with the power needed to break the spell; when she did so, they fell on their own accord.

This would be similar in concept to the foundation of Barad-dur being laid with the power of the One, and that they could not be destroyed while it survived; yet, upon its destruction, the foundations cracked and brought the whole fortress down.

You could also relate this to the contest over the door in Moria between Gandalf and the Balrog. Gandalf put a spell on the door to lock and strengthen it; the Balrog contested that spell; the door itself broke under the strain of the opposing magics.

 

[JeffB]

They've just posted a character example at the Decipher website. Looks great!

Doug

And a snippet from the Free Peoples Chapter...

 

[mmadsen]

They've just posted a character example at the Decipher website. Looks great!

Agreed! A link: http://www.decipher.com/lordoftherings/rpg/products/corebook/corebook040.jpg

 

[Scribe Ineti]

Wow! It gets better and better. The original artwork is nice.

And another nice touch I just noticed...British spellings of certain words (armour, favoured, etc.). Very nice.

When's it due out again?

 

[Bob Aberton]

I've said it once, I'll say it again:

mmm...

sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet

Can't wait 'til it comes out!

Hey, wouldn't it be cool if Enworld D20 News and Reviews became Enworld D20 And LOTR RPG News and Reviews?