D&D 5E Tell me about your Adventures in Middle-Earth experiences, please

[BookBarbarian]

Just started reading AiME and for the most part like what I've seen. However, I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts regarding character balance. For example the Dunedain culture from first glance simply seems more powerful with four Ability score increases and two Skill proficiencies.

Dunedain do get some advantages over other human cultures, but with regard to Cultural Heirlooms and even cultural Virtues I think they fall behind. They have a slight advantage in the beginning, but not enough to tip game balance IMHO.

There are much worse problems with balance however (I'm looking at you level 17+ Barding Foehammer Slayer with the Swordmaster Virtue able to get 31 AC without magic items, and be resistant to the most common forms of damage while in a Fury)

 

[zedturtle]

In case folks are on the edge and looking for a push to jump in, there's a big warehouse sale going on right now.

 

[MockingBird]

In case folks are on the edge and looking for a push to jump in, there's a big warehouse sale going on right now.

Man that is tempting. I really want to give these books a spin. I like the looks and art work too and I know it would look great on my book shelf. I just bought BG: DiA and need to throttle back.

 

[Charlaquin]

Sorry for the necro, but this thread has been incredibly helpful. Thanks for the insight everyone, I’m definitely sold on AIME.

Do folks with some experience with it have any thoughts they’d be willing to share on how adaptable it would be to non-LOTR settings? Not, like, Forgotten Realms or anything, but something similarly low-magic and with similar themes.

 

[BookBarbarian]

There was a thread on here about someone adapting it for an ASOIAF campaign.

Anyway here is what I think. The Shadow system is pretty tied to the setting. It could work for another setting if that setting had the same assumption that the player characters are enemies of The Shadow (whatever that shadow might be) and doing immoral things leaves a toll on a character. Otherwise you can scrap the shadow system entirely without effecting anything else.

The only other thing I'd watch out for is that the spell less Ranger, The Wanderer, and spell less Bard, the Warden, are both given boosts with regards to the games Journey and Audience systems receptively.

Without implementing Journeys and Audiences those two classes might feel like they lagging behind. Aside from that I think it would play fine.

 

[Beleriphon]

Sorry for the necro, but this thread has been incredibly helpful. Thanks for the insight everyone, I’m definitely sold on AIME.

Do folks with some experience with it have any thoughts they’d be willing to share on how adaptable it would be to non-LOTR settings? Not, like, Forgotten Realms or anything, but something similarly low-magic and with similar themes.

I think it would work well for anything aiming for low magic with an emphasis on travel. I can it working relatively well for something like The Black Company or potentially The Witcher (assuming nobody wants to be witcher or a sorcerer).

 

[BookBarbarian]

I think it would work well for anything aiming for low magic with an emphasis on travel. I can it working relatively well for something like The Black Company or potentially The Witcher (assuming nobody wants to be witcher or a sorcerer).

You just reminded me I have an introductory PDF for the Witcher TTRPG that I never read through. Time to read that now.

 

[Charlaquin]

I think it would work well for anything aiming for low magic with an emphasis on travel. I can it working relatively well for something like The Black Company or potentially The Witcher (assuming nobody wants to be witcher or a sorcerer).

Perfect!

 

[Mistwell]

The impression I got from several people who have played the 5e game and the actual One Ring game is that the One Ring game works better for this genre than the 5e version, and that it might be best to just play the One Ring itself if you want to adventure in Middle Earth.

 

[BookBarbarian]

The impression I got from several people who have played the 5e game and the actual One Ring game is that the One Ring game works better for this genre than the 5e version, and that it might be best to just play the One Ring itself if you want to adventure in Middle Earth.

This has been mentioned. Zedturtle's reply echoes my own thoughts on the matter:

While I have a deep and abiding love for The One Ring, sometimes you just can't get a group to learn a new system. It's great that the core of 5e is flexible enough to easily adapt it to Middle-earth.