(Art credit: Gianna Michèle Kaye)
‘It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.’
It is the year 2950 of the Third Age. Smaug has been defeated and the battle of the Five Armies has been won. It is the dawn of a time of prosperity and hope. The dwarven kingdom of Erebor has been reclaimed; the descendants of Durin the Deathless are wealthier than ever before. Dale and lake-town have been rebuilt. Agents of King Bard are now roaming the Wilderland, eager to lead Men into a golden age. In the forests, the elves of the woodland realm can again venture deep into what once was Greenwood the Great, while the Woodmen see their holdings expand for the first time in centuries. To the west, Beorn the Skinchanger has abandoned his solitude, and now leads all sorts of brave, stout-hearted folk to patrol the Misty Mountains. Further to the west, the remarkable stories of Bilbo have spread throughout the Shire, inspiring many young hobbits. This is a time for trade, exploration, travelling and all sorts of adventure.
Yet the Shadow, although defeated, has not been truly vanquished. It still lingers in places where no elf or mortal dares set foot. The Enemy awaits in hiding, scheming his return… for if the Free Folks do not unite to hold back the Darkness, the Shadow is certain to grow stronger and envelop the whole of Wilderland.
The campaign
(Art credit: Jon Hodgson)
This game started in 2016 on the original Myth-Weavers website (here). We've had three game masters, dozens of players and about ten adventures over the years. The game moves at a casual but consistent pace; most active participants are in it for the long haul.
We draw heavily from published material, especially from The One Ring (1st edition). In particular, we have ran adventures from Tales from Wilderland, The Darkening of Mirkwood, fan-made content or our own homebrew creations. For a list of our adventures thus far, click here.
The setting
(Art credit: Jeff Murray)
This is Middle-Earth in the twilight years of the Third Age. In particular, the game has so far focused in Wilderland (Rhovanion), though there are plans to potentially expand to other regions as we progress along the Tale of the Years.
The tale begins at 2946 T.A., five years following the death of Smaug and the Battle of the Five Armies. These are the last good years for the peoples of Wilderland; they are not fated to last for long. We are currently in 2950 T.A.
Tone and mood
(Art credit: Jon Hodgson)
This is, first and foremost, a game of grounded fantasy. Player characters are not great heroes (at least not to begin with). They are normal peoples with normal lives, thrust into situations that are greater than them. While the game is not necessarily always grim or dark, those aspects are certainly present, and the tone is for the most part serious.
The world itself is also low-magic (or at least, low overt magic), as befits the Third Age of Middle-Earth.
The systems
Initially, the game used The One Ring (1st edition) rules. More recently, we have been experimenting with Ironsworn as well as the second edition of The One Ring. The plan is to employ additional systems and subsystems to run side-stories, with mechanics carefully selected to reinforce the mood of particular narrative arcs.
Familiarity with the mechanics is not a requirement. We are a friendly bunch, and happy to teach them to anyone interested in the game. Similarly, ownership of the rulebooks is not required.
Paxon
Scarecrow71
wezzyfish
Xepteregicide
Savine
Peff
Phntm888
Vladim
Butchern
Poppa_Dungeon
Harukaze
RenanWild
horrizon
TwilightKing
Sweegy One
Ironblaze
Datura ferox
Stygian
spyrosbaldr
Faux Flag
SerakHawk
kookalouris
Arcticus
Blick
