Last year we played a 5e game set in Middle Earth, using the Free League version of the rules called The One Ring. We had a lot of fun! Dan is as knowledgeable a person as I know of when it comes to all things Tolkien, so he did a great job of making the campaign feel like we were in Eriador. My character, Hamfast Took, was a reluctant adventurer who came to a difficult end: he wasn't killed, but he gave in to his fear and left his friends behind as they attempted to fight their way out of Moria. His choice--made completely in character--led to the death of his dwarven companion, Greytooth. That's where we put a pin in that particular part of our game. It was really fun, and I enjoyed playing my guy. We are planning on picking up the game again once the New Year begins.
Over the past month and a half or so that I've not been GMing, I've been kicking around a lot of ideas and systems. Each one has its pros and cons. I've considere Dungeon Crawl Classics again (super fun, easy to run, but not everyone loves the magic), 5e (easy to run, but too overpowered), Castles&Crusades (great game, but not well supported on VTT), and Dragonbane (better support, unleveled game, and what I I was leaning toward). Then my mind turned toward The One Ring, and the gears started turning...
What we liked about using this system (Dan's excellent gamemastering and adventure creation aside) was that it maintained the good things about 5e--the elegant but simple action economy, skill checks that we are all familiar with, etc.--but sanded off the excesses. Like...wizards and clerics. Magic, essentially. Endless classes, subclasses, bonus actions, reactions, and other things that make the game feel like an episode of The Avengers set in the Dark Ages. We could still do things, but it felt very sober compared to the Bacchanalia of player powers in a regular 5e D&D game. So I started thinking...maybe I should run a game in Middle Earth.
I have a time period in mind: the years 2700-2799 of the Third Age, so about a century before the birth of Bilbo Baggins (and right around the time Thorn is born). According to Tolkien's legendarium, quite a few things take place, especially in the later half of this century. The orcs invade the shire, the Battle of Greenfields, the Long Winter and the famine that bring Gandalf to the halflings for the first time, Smaug's attack on Erebor, the death of Thror, the War of the Elves and the Dwarves, etc. Tolkien didn't connect these events together, but it stirs my imagination! Why did all of this happen? Was there a through-line? Did the Shadow stir for some reason?
So here is my idea: one of the Nazgul is attempting to wake Smaug in order to get him to wipe out the dwarves of Erebor. In order to do this, it has stirred up the goblins and orcs, as well as the Dunlendings to the south. The Nazgul wants dwarven treasure dipped in dwarven blood to place in Smaug's lair, where he sleeps and dreams, in order to stir him to action: when the Great Wyrm smells dwarven blood and gold in sufficient amounts to rouse him, he will attack the Lonely Mountain. The Dunlendings, meanwhile, are worshipping the Annatar version of Sauron (the Lord of Gifts) and are messing around in the ruins of Eregion. Meanwhile, dwarven parties attempting to cross Eregion and the Misty Mountains are being waylaid, while the goblins wage a war of distraction against the dunedin and the Shire. The Nazgul will find or be given one of the rings forged by Celebrimbor which will allow him to cause the Long Winter.
That's my 20,000 foot view of the campaign. The devil, as we know, will be in the details!
