Placing D&D Modules into Middle-earth?

[tkdco2]

Apr 17, 2021 9:32:50 GMT -6 Falconer said:

You must join this mailing list:
groups.io/g/merp-fan-modules/

When you have done so, let me know, as there are other great resources there I want to let you know about.

Just joined the group.

[Falconer]

Okay, you should check out Files --> Files not on this server --> MERP Designed modules. That will get you to all the completed fan modules.

But I also think you would like MERP (RMSS-RMFRP) V2.11, which can be found at Files --> Files since Yahoo Groups.

[tkdco2]

Thanks. I wish there had been a more precise location on where to place Saltmarsh. The back cover has a map of the general area, but it's hard to find the exact location.

[tkdco2]

Call it nostalgia, but seeing images of the Rankin/Bass cartoons in B/X blogs gives me ideas.

How about going the other way and putting Middle-earth in the real world? If you reduce the scale, maybe you can add everything between Hobbiton and Lonely Mountain within Britain. Otherwise, spread it around Europe. I know there have been size comparisons in the past, so it can be done.

[tkdco2]

The background story of Deep Dwarven Delve seems to be directly inspired by Moria.

[jamesmishler]

Here is my list of placements. If it is not listed here, I did not feel it really fit the setting, or it was just too big and complex to adapt, or in some cases I just never ran the module and have no opinion.

Note: All map references are to the excellent Fenlon maps from Iron Crown's MERP.

A1: Harondor, in the unnamed town south of Eithel Turin.

A2: The tower upon the hill north of the unnamed town.

A3/A4: Suderham is a hidden town on an island in a lake in the volcano on Tolfalas.

B1: Quasqueton is the ruin in Umb Dolen in Hairavercien; granted these lands when the heroes helped protect the western pass in the Ered Nimrais against the incursion of the Wild Men of the Druwaith-Iaur.

B2: The Keep on the Borderlands and the Caves of Chaos are in southern Rhudaur; the keep is built atop a ruined castle along the Great East Road midway between the Last Bridge and the Ford of Bruinen. The Caves of Chaos are to the north in the Trollshaws, almost impinging on the Great East Road.

B3: Haven, known as “Silmalonde” in Elvish, is a hidden realm where dwarves, elves, humans, and even hobbits survived in relative peace, until the destruction of the Palace of the Silver Princess in the disaster, which happened merely a few months ago. The valley is found in the Misty Mountains, in the forested valley midway between Imladris and Lorien. The entity known as “Arik” is actually Morgoth attempting to break back into the world from beyond the Walls of the World.

B4: The Lost City is somewhere in the wastes of Near Harad, off the trade route between Gondor and Far Harad.

B5: Guido’s Fort is found on the Anduin, near the Gladden Fields; the fort is west of the river, the hill is east of the river.

B6: This adventure takes place in Pelargir, a debatable port city near the mouth of the Anduin. More than a few of the noble houses have ties with the Black Numenorians.

B7: The Gray Mountain and the elven villages are found in the Choil Caerdh, a small forest south of Dunland. The Rahib is a Black Numenorian adventurer.

B8: This one has a lot of weirdness, so it fits only far out from the core lands – the forest is the Forest of Rhun, and the adventure takes place between the Red River and the Forest of Rhun.

B9: These mini adventures all take place in Ithilien, which is once again part of Gondor, but is endangered by the savage kingdoms then extant in Mordor and Harondor. The princess is from a local petty dominion, not a princess of Gondor, of course.

B10: This one really is difficult if not impossible to separate from Karameikos, but various bits and pieces can be used in Gondor as part of the Iron Ring, a slaving operation run by the Corsairs. The Traldar could be descended from Druedain; the Hutaaka are a semi-civilized goblinoid race. The Lost Valley could be found in the Ered Nimrais, south of Helm’s Deep. Foamfire River is a tributary of the River Morthond; it flows south between “Ered” and “Nimrais” on the Fenlon map.

BSolo: This goes nicely in Rhun, the plains north of Mordor, or Harondor.

C1: On an island far south of Umbar.

C2: Anywhere on an island along the coast of Gondor, Enedhwaith, or Minhiriath.

C3: Anywhere on an island along the coast of Gondor, Enedhwaith, or Minhiriath.

Caverns of Thracia: This ruin is found in Harondor or Near Harad. “Thanatos” is Sauron.

The City State of the Invincible Overlord: Placed at the confluence of the Carnen and the Celduin in Rhun.
Temple of Odin = Temple of Manwe & Varda
Temple of Thoth = Temple of Irmo & Este
Temple of Donn = Temple of Mandos
Temple of the Spider-Goddess = Temple of Vaire
Hell-Bridge Temple = Morgoth & Sauron
The “Glory Hole Dwarven Mines” are the “Dwarven Mines” in the escarpment of Oracle Lake.

D1-D3: as with the Giant series, below, I would place these under the lands of Angmar.

Dark Tower: This ruin is found in Harondor or Near Harad. “Mitra” is Orome, and “Set” is Sauron.

G1-G3: I would place the Giant’s series in the mountains of Angmar. The Drow are actively trying to re-create the Kingdom of Angmar, and the giants are being used to keep the growing power of the Reunited Kingdom from gaining a foothold in Old Arthedain and Rhudaur.

I1: In the jungles far south of Harad.

I2: Change the scale a bit (1 hex = 1 mile) and the lizard men to orcs, and it fits in nicely just west of the Ettenmoors, with the Great Southern Swamp being the swamp of Morva Tarth. The Grand Count of Eor owes fealty to King Elessar.

I3-I5: These fit somewhere in Far Harad, at best.

I6: Vampires are totally found in Tolkien, though most are much more bestial than Strahd. “Barovia” would be a long-lost independent domain settled by Men of Gondor north of the Argonath, along the western banks of the Anduin, the remnants found in the forest of Doncirith, west of the Carrock and abutting the Misty Mountains.

N1: The village of Orlane is in the nameless forest near where the Dunstrem meets the Gwathlo in northern Enedhwaith; the cult hideout is in the marshes to the northwest.

S1: The tomb of Acererak is found upon a hill far to the north, in the depths of the Sarch nia Linquelie at the heart of the Withered Heath.

S2: White Plume Mountain is found in the Mountains of Mirkwood, in the Twisted Thickets near the Nameless Swamp along the Emynen River.

S4: The Caverns of Tsojcanth are found in in the Misty Mountains north of Pinnath Aegring. The gnomes of the mountains might be descended from an isolated tribe of dwarves.

T1-T4: Hommlet is the hamlet built up in the last century just east of the Last Bridge along the Great East Road. The Temple of Elemental Evil arose in the Trollshaws (it is the two-peak tower at the heart of the forest). The Grand Count of Egladil and his forces defeated the cultists at the Battle of Mitheithel Meadows, south of Hommlet along the River Mitheithel.

Tegel Manor: Tegel is an old settlement along the western coast of Gondor, the ruin upon the Rast Nimrais.

U1-U3: The Saltmarsh saga fits nicely along the Gondor coast somewhere between Andras and Anfalas.

UK1: Anywhere on an island along the coast of Gondor, Enedhwaith, or Minhiriath.

WG4: Placed in the northern Misty Mountains near Tsojcanth (see S4 above). “Tharizdun” is another name for Morgoth.

X1: Somewhere deep in the ocean far south and west of Far Harad, a thousand miles south of Gondor.

X2: The castle can be found anywhere in Gondor or former Arnor.

XS2: Thunderdelve can be found anywhere in the Misty Mountains or Ered Luin; I would place it in the central Misty Mountains, there is a nice ruin just east of Imladris, south of the Great East Road.

[tkdco2]

jamesmishler That's a pretty comprehensive list! Thanks for sharing it.

[tkdco2]

I finally got to playtest an adventure yesterday. The system was Basic Fantasy RPG. I only had two players, so they each had 2 PCs. One had a fighter and a cleric (renamed healer); the other had another fighter and a thief. It was a low-magic scenario, so magic-users didn't exist here (also part of my experiment). All PCs and NPCs were human. The setting was in Central Gondor just before the War of the Ring.

The PCs' mission was to either rescue or at least find information on a squad of soldiers who went missing after pursuing a band of outlaws. Their reward would be doubled if they captured the outlaws. Unknown to the PCs, the outlaw leader was a sorcerer (evil cleric) who was performing a ritual in the crypt of his ancestor. The ritual would give the evil cleric knowledge to blight the surrounding countryside.

Results were mixed. On the negative side, the players took their characters in the opposite direction. The healer and a fighter encountered ghasts and were paralyzed. The other fighter and the thief were able to rescue the healer but left the other fighter to his fate. The survivors decided to leave the dungeon and camp until morning. This allowed the evil cleric to finish his ritual.

On the positive side, the group was able to rescue the sole surviving soldier from wolves, avoiding combat by throwing food to the wolves. The group was also able to track the outlaws to their hideout and report back to the authorities. They also agreed to join an expedition to capture the outlaw band. That will be a separate adventure.

I included riddles taken from various sources. The riddles were found in the crypt on a statue and a set of braziers. The riddles provided a safe path to the main encounter. The players never got to them during the game, but I let them try to solve the riddles afterwards. They succeeded in that task.