Roleplaying in Middle Earth

[ColonelHardisson]

Here are a few more 4th Age bits and pieces; first, I present several quotes from the books concerning the 4th Age, or things that would impact a 4th Age campaign, and then I present a few random thoughts of my own:

"For though Sauron had passed, the hatreds and evils that he bred had not died, and the King of the West had many enemies to subdue before the White Tree could grow in peace. And wherever King Elessar went with war King Eomer went with him; and beyond the Sea of Rhun and on the far fields of the South the thunder of the cavalry of the Mark was heard, and the White Horse upon Green flew in many winds until Eomer grew old."

- The Return of the King, Apendix A, part II, The House of Eorl

"After the fall of Sauron, Gimli brought south a part of the Dwarf-folk of Erebor, and he became Lord of the Glittering Caves. He and his people did great works in Gondor and Rohan. For Minas Tirith they forged gates of mithril and steel to replace those broken by the Witch-king. Legolas his friend brought south Elves out of Greenwood, and they dwelt in Ithilien, and it became once again the fairest country in all the westlands."

- The Return of the King, Appendix A, part III, Durin's Folk

"Three times Lorien had been assailed from Dol Guldur, but besides the valour of the elven people of that land, the power that dwelt there was too great for any to overcome, unless Sauron had come there himself. Though grievous harm was done to the fair woods on the borders, the assaults were driven back; and when the Shadow had 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, and the forest was cleansed.
In the North also there had been war and evil. The realm of Thranduil was invaded, and there was long battle under the trees and great ruin of fire; but in the end Thranduil had the victory. And on the day of the New Year of the Elves, Celeborn and Thranduil met in the midst of the forest; and they renamed Mirkwood Eryn Lasgalen, The Wood of Greenleaves. Thranduil took all the northern region as far as the mountains that rise in the forest for his realm; and Celeborn took all the southern wood below the Narrows, and named it East Lorien; all the wide forest between was given to the Beornings and the Woodmen. But after the passing of Galadriel in a few years Celeborn grew weary of his realm and went to Imladris to dwell with the sons of Elrond. In the Greenwood the Silvan Elves remained untroubled, but in Lorien there lingered sadly only a few of its former people, and there was no longer light or song in Caras Galadon."

- The Return of the King, Appendix B, The Tale of Years

"King Elessar rides north, and dwells for a while by Lake Evendim." [Fourth Age 14]

- The Return of the King, Appendix B, The Tale of Years

"And Aragorn gave to Faramir Ithilien to be his princedom, and bade him dwell in the hills of Emyn Arnen within sight of the City.
'For,' said he, 'Minas Ithil in Morgul Vale shall be utterly destroyed, and though it may in time to come be made clean, no man may dwell there for many long years.'"

- The Return of the King, Book VI, Chapter V: The Steward and the King

"Far, far below the deepest delvings of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he. Now I have walked there, but I will bring no report to darken the light of day."

- The Two Towers, Book III, Chapter V: The White Rider


Annuminas is restored, and becomes the chief city of the northern kingdom. It is not difficult to picture that King Elessar also rebuilt Fornost Erain and Tharbad. It is also highly likely, even though unmentioned, that Osgiliath was cleared and rebuilt. Minas Morgul/Minas Ithil would be destroyed, which would take some exploration and fighting - very much like a D&D adventure.

With the Balrog defeated, Sauron gone, and a huge part of the strength of the orcs in the region destroyed, it is quite likely that the Dwarves would at least begin to explore and clean out Moria.

Mirkwood (renamed Eryn Lasgalen) and Ithilien would likely also remain havens for a time for evil creatures, such as spiders and orcs.

Shelob still dwells near Cirth Ungol, and the Watcher in the Water still haunts the lake near the west gate of Moria.

Galadriel would have to use some rather powerful spells in D&D terms to throw down the walls of Dol Guldur and lay bare its pits. Transmutation spells like Disintegrate, Transmute Rock to Mud, Move Earth, and Evocation spells like Earthquake could have been used. She also possibly "laid bare" those pits by way of Divination spells.

Veterans of Celeborn's taking of Dol Guldur would be good candidates for duty in Mordor itself.

There are at least two great Elves still unaccounted for in the 4th Age: Daeron and Maglor. Perhaps one or the other is encountered in the East, or perhaps one or the other returns to western Middle Earth, finally weary of wandering, their pain and sorrow driving them towards the west at last. Perhaps one of them could take up residence in fading Lorien, or even in Rivendell for a time, or take up the kingship of East Lorien once Celeborn leaves.

 

[Desdichado]

Colonel, are you posting this on the ME page?

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Yes, eventually. I decided to post here first - and I'm going to post a new MEd20 thread in the Conversions forum - to drum up support for the MEd20 site. It's been awful quiet over there, as it has been at the Yahoo group which is something of a sister site. We would love new contributions!

 

[Desdichado]

Yes, eventually. I decided to post here first - and I'm going to post a new MEd20 thread in the Conversions forum - to drum up support for the MEd20 site. It's been awful quiet over there, as it has been at the Yahoo group which is something of a sister site. We would love new contributions!

I'd love to dredge something up and contribute again! I might just be convinced to do so soon. Until then, here's another small passage from the Foreward that I've always wanted to do something with:

Its sources are things long before in mind, or in some cases already written, and little or nothing in it was modified by the war that began in 1939 or its sequels. The real war does not resemble the legendary war in its process or its conclusion. If it had inspired or directed the development of the legend, then certainly the Ring would have been seized and used against Sauron; he would not have been annihilated but enslaved, and Barad-dur would not have been destroyed but occupied. Saruman, failing to get possession of the Ring, would in the confusion and treacheries of the time have found in Mordor the missing links in his own researches into Ring-lore, and before long he would have made a Great Ring of his own with which to challenge the self-styled Ruler of Middle-earth. In that conflict both sides would have held hobbits in hatred and contempt: they would not long have survived even as slaves.

 

[Sulimo]

I have to be careful how I put this. . .but, let's *imagine* that some company got the LotR rights and were doing a game and were putting out a bunch of adventures. One of them *might* involve the PCs being sent to stop one of the Nazgul, who's gone to Esgaroth to gather the bones of Smaug from Lake Town and bring them back to Mordor for *reanimation.*

Some will think this is goofy. . .I think it's bad-ash!

Goofy in the extreme in my case. Sounds more like a FR/Cult of the Dragon adventure rather than Middle Earth.

 

[Doug Justice]

Uhh, nope. Tolkien himself never gave this idea. The only "alternate" idea Tolkien ever presented is right there in the forward: what the story would look like if it really was an allegory for WWII as some tried to claim it was.

Actually, that'd make for a good story too, though, wouldn't it?

I think Tolkien made reference to this in one of his letters. I checked on the Decipher boards, and one of the folks working on this adventure confirmed it. Maybe someone can tell us where we can find the reference.

Doug

 

[Desdichado]

I think Tolkien made reference to this in one of his letters. I checked on the Decipher boards, and one of the folks working on this adventure confirmed it. Maybe someone can tell us where we can find the reference.

Doug

Hmmm, yeah, I'd like to see that. Letters is one of the few Tolkien books I haven't read cover to cover (my local library not stocking a copy!) so it's entirely possible he made some comment I'm unaware of there.

If you find anything, let me know.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

Set your campaign in a time far prior to the War of the Ring (Frodo, et al.)

Look at the Appendix in Return of the King.
There is a detailed accounting of the Third Age therein, and there are many times in which war occurred, and many many periods in which ruins existed (if your players enjoy dungeon delving.)

For example, in Eriador there was a time when the Dunedain had 3 kingdoms, known as Arthedain, Cardolan, and Rhudaur.
Against these three nations arose the realm of Angmar, led by the Witch King (actually the Lord of the Ringwraiths.)
Angmar eventually gained covert control of Rhudaur, making it an allied nation, while Arthedain and Cardolan allied against them.
In 1409 a massive war occurred as Angmar struck at Arthedain and Cardolan, and every nation in Eriador (and Lothlorien beyond the mountains) was involved in the scenario.

In the 1900s, Arthedain was beset, with repeated attacks from Angmar, until finally Arthedain was whelmed.
Gondor avenged Arthedain's destruction with the rout of Angmar, leaving Eriador desolate (it would remain so til the time of Frodo.)

The Eothed (not the right spelling - these were the ancestors of the Rohirrim) had a number of adventures of their own.
They came from the people of Rhovanion.
The Easterlings conquered the people of Rhovanion, then were driven back by Gondor with the help of a major revolt in Rhovanion itself.
Shortly thereafter, the Easterlings attacked again, and war swept over Rhovanion again.
I could see adventurers needed here!

The Eothed would, later on, abandon their lands and move northward, fighting and driving off the remnant of the monsters of Angmar on the east side of the Misty Mountains, and claiming a wide swath of land north of the current Land of the Beornings.
Much, much later on they would hear the cry for help from Gondor.
They picked up and moved south with their army in an epic march, and in the hour of need they rescued Cirdan the Steward and his Army on the Field of Celebrant. Eorl won the day, and Cirdan granted these people the region that came to be known as Rohan to dwell in.

Even later, Rohan suffered massive invasion from east and west, and they were overrun and most of them were enslaved.
The Long Winter came, and both the Rohirrim and their enemies suffered greatly, while Helm held out with his men in the citadel that came to be named after him - Helm's Deep.
In the spring, floods destroyed the eastern invaders, and help came from Gondor at last (it was beset by attacks from three fleets of the Corsairs of Umbar during the autumn and winter.)

Bree is well known, and it is well known that Bree is protected by the Rangers.
However, what of Bree in the earlier times, during the days of Cardolan and Arthedain (it sat on the borders of these kingdoms, and they fought over it, and over the Weather Hills, among other places.)
Bree survived the wars with Angmar ... but it was razed to the ground several times, along with Archet and the other towns.
The people of Bree survived somehow - I would daresay some audacious adventurous types helped in this.

What of the hobbits?
Fat, well protected, safe?
Not at all.
The first hobbits lived in the Vales of Anduin. Then Greenwood became Mirkwood, and men pushed up into their lands, and probably seized them.
The hobbits made a mass evacuation, moving over the Misty Mountains (not a pleasant trip for any civilians, much less hobbit lasses and children), and into a land less friendly by far than the one they had left.

For here, in Eriador, they found themselves in Rhudaur, already secretly in league with Angmar, and hardly friendly to the newcomers.
The Hobbits settled in Rhudaur, and others pushed on to Bree, and a few went south to Dunland (another unfriendly land.)

Then the great war of 1409 came.
The hobbits in Rhudaur fled, and presumably they fled west, which was a bad idea because the Witch King was ALSO heading west.
As Amon Sul fell and Bree was razed, it must have been hard going for these hobbits.

When Arthedain fell, war swept over the Shire, it's towns and hamlets were burned, and the entire hobbit population fled into hiding.
Where did they flee? I don't know. I am sure, though, that adventurous types led the way for their people.

Gondor's history is one of unending war.
The wars with the Easterlings.
The wars with the Southrons and Black Numenorians.
The siege and fall of Minas Ithil.
Or, how about the Kin-Strife, in which Osgiliath was burned and Ithilien ravaged?
Later on, during the time of the Stewards, Gondor had to contend with an ever increasing threat from Mordor, from across the Anduin, from the south, and even from the north when the orcs - defeated by the dwarves - came to the White Mountains and attempted to colonize them.

What of the Door of the Dead? Blackroot? One of the Kings of Rohan went that way - and never returned. Perhaps intrepid adventurers would like to try their luck???

Moria. The one place where Mithril is in abundance.
It's value is 10 times that of gold ... when it is plentiful because the dwarves are mining it!
What about after the dwarves fled Moria? What then?

Plenty of mithril, whose value now went up beyond all reckoning.
Loads of mithril, just waiting to be plundered by anyone bold enough to enter Moria.
No problem at all. Only a balrog. Get past that, and the treasure is yours!

That's just a small part of the Third Age. In the Second Age, there were the Black Years, a VAST period of time in which Sauron was dominant over most of Middle Earth, and people strong enough and valiant enough to resist him were desperately needed.

Of course, if you go to the First Age, you have a barrel of monkeys in terms of what you have to deal with.
Care to change the fate of the Noldor? Save Nargothrond? Gondolin? Doriath? Take on the Curse of Mandos?

As for the War of the Ring ...
The War of the Ring did NOT involve only the Siege of Gondor, the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, the Last Defense, the Battle of Helm's Deep, and the Ent Assault on Orthanc.
There were many other battles off camera, as it were.

There was War in Mirkwood that went on for months.
Lothlorien was assaulted three times by major forces.
The Land of the Beornings was beset.
Lonely Mountain and Dale were hit by a massive assault from the Easterlings.
Rohan was assailed by a huge force of orcs, which was checked by Treebeard and his Ents.
There was battle along all the coasts of Gondor.

In a home adventure, perhaps ANOTHER dragon (there were supposed to be lots of dragons in the Grey Mountains ...) came down to aid Sauron, and attacked Imladris, along with orcs from the Misty Mountains.
Perhaps Sauron - hating the Shire and it's people who had withheld the Ring from him - sent a vast force of orcs from the Misty Mountains across Eriador to attack them, and dragons to boot?

Perhaps there were other Balrogs in hiding that Sauron woke up and sent against the good guys.

Perhaps some of the lands in thrall to Sauron, northeast, east, and southeast of Mordor, arose in rebellion against the Maia who claimed to be Morgoth Reborn (as per Tolkien's writings.)
Adventurers could aid in that!

Perhaps other nations existed in the west, in Minhiriath and Edenwaith, that were not mentioned in Tolkien.
Perhaps the people of Dorwinion, not wishing to destroy the people who bought their famous wines, threw off the yoke of Sauron and joined with Lake Town and Dale against the Easterlings.

Perhaps the Eagles decided to enter the war early, and went from battle to battle, aiding the foes of Mordor whenever and wherever they could.

Perhaps Durin's folk emerged from the Blue Mountains in force to retake Moria.
Perhaps the elves of Linden emerged in force to help them (perhaps they did not all wish to leave Middle Earth, soon, after all.)

If your players wish to play the roles of the MAIN CHARACTERS of Lord of the Rings, then yes ... you will create a new story that is altogether different from what was in the books.
That is inevitable.
That most CERTAINLY was the case in Dragonlance, as my own experiences showed - our DM tried to force us to walk the same road trodden by Goldmoon, Tanis, Raistlin, et all, and it simply did not work.

Heck, if your players want to play Frodo and Company, let them!

They will find it a taller order than they imagined, and perhaps come to appreciate just how much these people in the books gave of themselves, how much they sacrificed, and how hard they tried, to accomplish what they did.
Throw in Gollum. If they kill Gollum, all the worse for them! If they are wiser, then perhaps the Ring will be destroyed after all.

But let them do it their way. Not yours. You are the DM - you only moderate.
If they mess up, and Sauron gets the Ring back, then they must accept the consequences.
If they are clever, and try hard, and destroy the Ring, then they will know they did well and accomplished a great feat, something to be proud of and remember for the rest of their gaming days.

Perhaps Galadriel is different in your campaign.
Perhaps she will come with them.
Perhaps Elrond will send extra people with the Fellowship.
Perhaps Saruman will immediately send a massive force north through Dunland and Holland to intercept the Fellowship (or, even, to catch it in Rivendell and trap all the Fellowship therein.)
Perhaps Sauron has achieved the ability to take physical shape, and comes OUT of Barad Dur, to personally find the Ring (and Gods help the Ringbearer if Sauron finds him!)

Middle Earth is a dynamic place.
It is a place of high fantasy, where your actions mean something, and the fate of the world may depend on what you do.
It is a place worth the time and trouble.

Let your players play as they will, and do what they want - the story is GOING to be changed from what Tolkien wrote, in all likelihood - let it change!
You can always write the histories to minimalize the effects of the change, if you wish - or you can make the PCs the deciding factor in what happens in your version of Middle Earth.

Any way you go, it'll be fun.

I say, go for it!

Edena_of_Neith

 

[VagabondDM]

My advice to anyone getting ready to run anything in the new Lord of the Rings campaign is get yourself a copy of the old Iron Crown material. The initial releases were pretty solid and covered most of the locations you see in the books.

Back in those days I did the following campaigns

Sometime between the hobbit and the Fellowship of the rings. This is a good time to run a campaign as evil is just starting to make a comeback. The main problem with this is the campaign has a definite life span. Sixty One years give or take a month or two and everything comes to a head. That's no fun especially if someone's playing an elf and has to 'cross over'.

Just shortly after the defeat of Sauron. I liked this campaign, there was a sense of hope about the world in general. I focused the campaign on cleaning up the forces of darkness and the burying of any lore they found. The idea was to keep some other power mad person from trying to sieze power in Sauron's vaccuum. Believe me plenty tried. The nices parrt of this was I had thousands of years to play with and the clean up could take as long as I needed to keep the campaign going.

Alternate history campaign. Don't want to worry about hobbits, rings of power or destiny? I set this campaign in a world where after Sauron's defeat the power of the one ring deminished greatly. There was still plenty of nastiness around and the shadow lord and his great eye tried several times during the campaign to make a comeback. Fortunately he just didn't seem to have a good manager.

those were some ideas I used back during the ICE days of the Middle Earth game. I may use them again as I enjoyed the latter two campaigns very much.

 

[Desdichado]

My advice to anyone getting ready to run anything in the new Lord of the Rings campaign is get yourself a copy of the old Iron Crown material. The initial releases were pretty solid and covered most of the locations you see in the books.

And I'd suggest not getting the ICE material. Not only is the system completely incompatible with d20 (and with the whole Lord of the Rings atmosphere as well) but the ICE source material hasn't got the same feel at all as anything Tolkien wrote. It might as well be an all original campaign setting for how well it jives with Tolkien.

Then again, that doesn't necessarily make it bad, just not what I'd want for my LotR game.