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Post by waysoftheearth on Sept 25, 2014 23:12:08 GMT -6
Falconer: Very belated kudos on your work on OD&D Middle-earth; I enjoyed reading it. Where can this work be found? |
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Post by tkdco2 on Sept 26, 2014 0:51:43 GMT -6
Falconer: Very belated kudos on your work on OD&D Middle-earth; I enjoyed reading it. Where can this work be found? |
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Post by Falconer on Sept 26, 2014 10:05:50 GMT -6
say you're gandalf in Rivendell and you are standing there amongst the company and elrond and you are making your case why the hobbit-Frodo, should be the one to take the ring to mordor. How does this play out? In 3e+ you roll a diplomacy check or whatever...one lousy dice and none of the grand drama, in 0e? You just role-play it out without d&d at all--sure its a d&d game your in, but this verbal battle is not actually being played with the d&d rules... Yep, that’s how I handle all “verbal battles” — negotiation, haggling, parleying, grand diplomacy — in all my games: just role-play it out. I don’t think mechanics are needed; I certainly don’t feel they would enhance the experience. But I understand some people don’t like to role-play. |
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Post by Falconer on Sept 26, 2014 10:11:29 GMT -6
Thanks for the kudos. I also have a whole forum devoted to Middle-earth over at Knights & Knaves, and many of the threads, especially the older ones, are for my OD&D “Hobbit Project.” But that thread here that you linked to sums up how I’ve handled a lot of the race/class issues. FYI, Saruman in Moria has become my main campaign. :-) |
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Post by cooper on Sept 26, 2014 14:06:06 GMT -6
Falconer, did you see the ME thread where I started up Istari as Ad&d sages?
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Post by Falconer on Sept 27, 2014 10:21:08 GMT -6
Yeah, that was here. Overall, that’s the very best way to do it for NPCs (and PCs in a one-shot): stat them up based on the specific powers they displayed in the books, without regard to fitting them to an existing class with progression, etc. For an ongoing game with new PCs, though, I simply allow “Gandalf-style Wizards” (Magic-Users) and “Saruman-style Wizards” (Illusionists), and call it a day. A “Radagast-style Wizard” (Druid) would be the same thing as a Beorning. |
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Post by tkdco2 on Nov 16, 2014 17:41:28 GMT -6
I am sorely tempted to use the Warhammer RPG just so I can play a rat catcher in Minas Tirith. Hey, just because the Fellowship dealt with kings and stewards doesn't mean the lower classes didn't exist.
But I have started a new MERP game where the characters are the children of the previous PCS. So in essence this is:
MERP: The Next Generation (cue dramatic music)
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2014 2:42:52 GMT -6
Middle Earth/WotR as peasant-like characters would be sweet; but... But WARHAMMER in Middle Earth?! -_-
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Post by tkdco2 on Nov 24, 2014 3:52:02 GMT -6
I may use the system but not the setting. So no Skaven, Chaos Lords (except maybe Sauron?), etc.
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Post by derv on Nov 28, 2014 9:32:03 GMT -6
Random thought: Would Tunnels & Trolls be good for a Middle-earth game? I haven't played the game, although I've heard a lot about it. There has been talk of this over at the Trollbridge, but I havn't seen anyone successfully tackling it. Middle Earth: too easy or too hard?What can often be a troubling element for those accustomed to D&D is the combat resolution in T&T. On the other hand, there are many veteran T&T players that find the system lends itself very well to "story". Tunnels and trolls is just another version of d&d. What does the game give you rules to do? Does it give you rules for killing monsters and leveling up your character? If you're talking about fighting monsters and dungeon crawling in Middle Earth, then T&T of course is great, just like 1e, 0e, or 5e or MERP. Find out what do characters get rewarded for doing? Do you get XP for sparing gollums life despite the fact that your belief is that he should be put to the sword? Do you get XP for not abandoning your friend (the ring bearer) even though all the NPC's want the two of you to stick with the ranger for the whole journey? Do you get XP for realizing that it's more important to defend two little hobbits rather than flee and find the ring bearer? Then, yes, that is a good system to use. Actually, T&T can contain reward for all these things. T&T's primary mechanic is a rather robust saving throw mechanic. Saving Rolls are not the same as represented in D&D, though they can be used that way. XP is gained for facing challenges (including combat). The Saving Roll is tied to an attribute based on the challenge. Once people grasp how saving throws work in T&T, the game can open up for them with unlimited possibilities. The saving throw mechanic also changes how many people first experience T&T's combat resolution, which can become a bit of a back and forth slug fest or stalemate. Most refer to the use of saving throws in combat as stunts. SR's in CombatThere is also GM fiat reward for completing adventures or quests. Pretty straight forward. |
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Post by tkdco2 on Nov 28, 2014 16:18:12 GMT -6
I had toyed with using just the Campaign Guide from ICE and Karen Wynn Fonstad's Atlas as the only source books once. I was going to use B/X, but I can do OD&D as well. I never got around to it, although I made a few conversion notes. And although I joked about it, I am not planning to run Fifty Shades of Gandalf the Grey.  |
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Post by tkdco2 on Dec 9, 2014 2:37:21 GMT -6
I keep forgetting about the Woses/Druedain. They were a hardy folk, but considered unattractive by Elves and other Men. Racial bonuses: +2 CON, -2 CHA. Classes allowed: barbarian, druid, fighter, ranger. They had some strong nature magic, especially magic based on stone. I don't see them having rogues.
A note on using half-elves as pure Dunedain: They don't get low-light vision.
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Post by Fearghus on Dec 11, 2014 7:55:46 GMT -6
say you're gandalf in Rivendell and you are standing there amongst the company and elrond and you are making your case why the hobbit-Frodo, should be the one to take the ring to mordor. How does this play out? In 3e+ you roll a diplomacy check or whatever...one lousy dice and none of the grand drama, in 0e? You just role-play it out without d&d at all--sure its a d&d game your in, but this verbal battle is not actually being played with the d&d rules... Yep, that’s how I handle all “verbal battles” — negotiation, haggling, parleying, grand diplomacy — in all my games: just role-play it out. I don’t think mechanics are needed; I certainly don’t feel they would enhance the experience. But I understand some people don’t like to role-play. I am hit or miss if I like this. A character with 6 int, 3 wis, 4 cha giving a rousing speech to inspire Elrond and company to take the ring to Mordor? This goes back to some of the other posts on this forum which ask, why use the stats? Can characters also change their mind about that 5 str and lift 2 ton gate for their party to run under since it adds to dramatic effect? The constant flip-flopping on ability score use drives me up the wall. Overall, I am all for RP and skipping the die roll, or using the die roll to see how see if it was just a success or a rousing over the top success if the player gives a good spiel. I am more interested the player playing to the scores generated. If that chaps bums, then let the players point buy so the player that likes intrigue can assign his high rolls to int, wis, and cha and RP accordingly. |
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Post by Falconer on Dec 11, 2014 11:19:46 GMT -6
This has a lot of potential for going radically off-topic, so I will just say that, in the given scenario, after the rousing speech is given, I likely would take the player character’s charisma score into account, in some fashion, in judging NPC reactions. A character with a 4 charisma probably has some distracting personality flaws which are hard to the NPCs to ignore, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear an awesome speech that the player might come up with!
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Post by tkdco2 on Dec 12, 2014 21:46:11 GMT -6
Middle Earth/WotR as peasant-like characters would be sweet; but... But WARHAMMER in Middle Earth?! -_- You know, the more I think about it, the more I like it. Have a late 4th Age/early 5th Age campaign where technology is more like the Renaissance. Chaos forces may be holdovers from earlier ages. After centuries of hiding, they're preparing for the return of Morgoth. The wargame may work as well. Maybe let Empire forces represent Gondor, etc. Even Chainmail can handle it; IIRC it has stats for the arquebus. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2014 10:16:24 GMT -6
Sounds nice. What's the scope? Is this, like, one of the super-literate campaigns that were discussed on the MERP-boards, or rather some more easygoing stuff?
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Post by tkdco2 on Dec 16, 2014 16:46:26 GMT -6
With my group, it would more likely be a bunch of one-shot adventures. Nothing really in the drawing board; just brainstorming at this point.
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Post by Finarvyn on Apr 29, 2016 13:54:05 GMT -6
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