FAQs

[Vladim]

Q: I am interested but I don't know much about Middle-Earth. Will this be a problem?

A: Not at all. It is easy to make a character whose knowledge is limited. Play by Post is slow, and there's tons of resources online (e.g. Tolkien Gateway) so, if you want, you can build this knowledge gradually. But it is not necessary-most characters in the setting have no knowledge of deep lore anyway.

Q: How close to canon are the stories of the game? Can we contradict canon?

A: Canon is in most cases adhered to (meaning the books, more so than any other media). But we do tend to fill in the gaps quite a bit, especially when this does not directly contradict the lore and mood of the written works.

Q: Are game aesthetics, mood and themes closer to the books, movies, video games, or a mixture of those?

A: I try to keep it close to the books above other media.

Q: You seem to have been running this game for some time, am I supposed to read the story so far?

A: I won't stop you if you want to, but this is not necessary (and probably not a good use of your time). The adventures are interconnected but independent from one another, and any important information will be either provided to you at the right opportunity, or be conveyed to you organically through play.

Q: I don't have/know the rules. Will this be an issue? 

A: No, I am happy to teach them. Though Ironsworn is free, so you can easily pick them up.

Q: But if I want to make an effective character, how will I manage without rules knowledge?

A: The One Ring 1st edition makes character creation relatively easy. This online tool can be helpful. Broadly speaking, there are no bad/weak options, save for a few exceptions. I am happy to help if necessary. You may also find a system primer here; the graph may help you with skill allocation. Ironsworn is even more streamlined, but I am similarly happy to help.

Q: For Ironsworn, which mode are you playing on?

A: It's currently a hybrid of led and cooperative, and I've done a bit of solo, but I'd like the primary mode to be cooperative.

Q: What's the current group composition?

A: For the One Ring, we have:

1. Dahl-Or, a Beorning Warden (played by thesloth),
2. Barin, a dwarf of the Grey Mountains Wanderer (played by Suzuki Stumpy)
3. (potentially) Gramtyng, a rider of Rohan Scholar (played by Diofant)
4. (potentially) Ingi, a man of the Lake Scholar (played by Yelik)

For Ironsworn, we have:

1. Idunn, a Woods-woman of Mountain-Hall (played by me)
2. Tarric, a Beorning (played by BlueTrillium)
3. Bróin, a dwarf of Erebor (played by Maester1216)

Q: Does the Ironsworn group have a GMPC (Idunn)?

A: Sort of. We play Ironsworn as a hybrid of guided/cooperative, and I would like that game to move closer towards GM-less (as Ironsworn supports this mode).

Q: I notice that the current PCs have a fair bit of experience. How will this work with new PCs?

A: I am inclined to provide some additional XP to PCs for The One Ring. This will probably be less than for established PCs, but enough to make effective characters that can meaningfully contribute. I may do the same for Ironsworn, but XP discrepancies for that system are less of an issue. This will be discussed in the group and decided post-selection, though I will have final say.

Q: What kinds of adventures do you have in mind?

A: I want to finish Tales from Wilderland for The One Ring group. The next adventure will be a Darkness in the Marshes. For the Ironsworn group, we will run Secrets Buried from Darkening of Mirkwood. Both of these adventures begin in the lands of the Woodmen and involve journeying in Wilderland.