Lord of the Rings comes to D&D Beyond.

[Tawmis]

This. Is. Epic.

[Rath Darkblade]

Here' what it looks like: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/lotrr

It's time to go on an adventure!

[Tawmis]

Here' what it looks like: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/lotrr

It's time to go on an adventure!

My (former) boss bought it on D&D Beyond - and since I am in one of his games and he has content sharing turned on - I've been reading through it.

Phew. It's D&D 5th Edition. With LOTS of changes. And complexity.

But they HAD to kind of do that, because D&D is so vast - Wizards are a common place, the types of spells range into the thousands, and what not.

They had some cool dynamics too, like "Shadow Points" - if you do something questionable, you gain Shadow Points, and fall under the influence of the enemy type of thing.

Really good stuff.

But would require the players to be INTO Roleplaying for it to REALLY work.

D&D has all kinds of players.

You have those that love to step into character.

You have those that just like to minmax (make the best possible character).

You have those that just like to roll dice and damage things.

You have those that are there because of the social aspect of it.

And sometimes, a mixture of all of those.

This game, really feels like it needs you to step into character - at the very least - to make it feel right.

[Rath Darkblade]

Here's what it looks like: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/lotrr

It's time to go on an adventure!

My (former) boss bought it on D&D Beyond - and since I am in one of his games and he has content sharing turned on - I've been reading through it.

Phew. It's D&D 5th Edition. With LOTS of changes. And complexity.

But they HAD to kind of do that, because D&D is so vast - Wizards are a common place, the types of spells range into the thousands, and what not.

They had some cool dynamics too, like "Shadow Points" - if you do something questionable, you gain Shadow Points, and fall under the influence of the enemy type of thing.

Really good stuff.

But would require the players to be INTO Roleplaying for it to REALLY work.

D&D has all kinds of players.

You have those that love to step into character.

You have those that just like to minmax (make the best possible character).

You have those that just like to roll dice and damage things.

You have those that are there because of the social aspect of it.

And sometimes, a mixture of all of those.

This game, really feels like it needs you to step into character - at the very least - to make it feel right.

Don't forget the Munchkins. Or are they also known as "minmaxers"?

And I agree: if you want to play a LOTR character, you really need to be that character; you have to FEEL what that character feels at any given moment - to smell the musty smells of Moria or the verdant scents of flowers in Lothlórien; to be at peace in the Shire or on the alert in Bree (after the Nazgûl invasion); you have to try and spot Gollum following the Fellowship. Not only that, you're limited by what your character knows, and you can only see and hear what he/she can see and hear.

If you're (say) one of the Guards in the Citadel of Gondor, you won't know very much about what's happening in (say) Fangorn or Beleriand, or The Shire. If you're a Hobbit of The Shire, you will have no idea about what a Ringwraith is.

So, playing LOTR as a "let's roll dice and damage stuff!" isn't going to work if you're a 1st-level hobbit, trying to attack a Nazgûl. The Nazgûl will just laugh at you. (But seriously, if you're a 1st-level hobbit, do NOT try to attack a Nazgûl. Those things are incredibly ancient. The Witch-King of Angmar, also known as the Lord of the Nazgûl, is almost 4,800 years old when he dies, and incredibly powerful. Think of -- I dunno -- a demilich, like Acererak, or Alsigard the Maker, from Hordes of the Underdark).

Finally, the whole thing depends on which time period you're playing. Is "D&D LOTR" a reproduction of The War of The Ring? Or before it? Or after it? The history of Middle-Earth is seriously huge. There are so many possibilities.

[Tawmis]

Here's what it looks like: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/lotrr
It's time to go on an adventure!

My (former) boss bought it on D&D Beyond - and since I am in one of his games and he has content sharing turned on - I've been reading through it.
Phew. It's D&D 5th Edition. With LOTS of changes. And complexity.
But they HAD to kind of do that, because D&D is so vast - Wizards are a common place, the types of spells range into the thousands, and what not.
They had some cool dynamics too, like "Shadow Points" - if you do something questionable, you gain Shadow Points, and fall under the influence of the enemy type of thing.
Really good stuff.
But would require the players to be INTO Roleplaying for it to REALLY work.
D&D has all kinds of players.
You have those that love to step into character.
You have those that just like to minmax (make the best possible character).
You have those that just like to roll dice and damage things.
You have those that are there because of the social aspect of it.
And sometimes, a mixture of all of those.
This game, really feels like it needs you to step into character - at the very least - to make it feel right.

Don't forget the Munchkins. Or are they also known as "minmaxers"?

Yeah. I called them out for sure. I've only really experienced two people in a group I was in that did this.

And I agree: if you want to play a LOTR character, you really need to be that character; you have to FEEL what that character feels at any given moment - to smell the musty smells of Moria or the verdant scents of flowers in Lothlórien; to be at peace in the Shire or on the alert in Bree (after the Nazgûl invasion); you have to try and spot Gollum following the Fellowship. Not only that, you're limited by what your character knows, and you can only see and hear what he/she can see and hear.

If you're (say) one of the Guards in the Citadel of Gondor, you won't know very much about what's happening in (say) Fangorn or Beleriand, or The Shire. If you're a Hobbit of The Shire, you will have no idea about what a Ringwraith is.

In the video they said that sometimes, people unfamiliar with Lord of the Rings make for the best players, because they may not know what else is going on, and easily avoid "meta-gaming."

Finally, the whole thing depends on which time period you're playing. Is "D&D LOTR" a reproduction of The War of The Ring? Or before it? Or after it? The history of Middle-Earth is seriously huge. There are so many possibilities.

They talk about the game takes place during the Third Age. So you could technically play before it, during it, or after the series of books.

[Rath Darkblade]

And I agree: if you want to play a LOTR character, you really need to be that character; you have to FEEL what that character feels at any given moment - to smell the musty smells of Moria or the verdant scents of flowers in Lothlórien; to be at peace in the Shire or on the alert in Bree (after the Nazgûl invasion); you have to try and spot Gollum following the Fellowship. Not only that, you're limited by what your character knows, and you can only see and hear what he/she can see and hear.

If you're (say) one of the Guards in the Citadel of Gondor, you won't know very much about what's happening in (say) Fangorn or Beleriand, or The Shire. If you're a Hobbit of The Shire, you will have no idea about what a Ringwraith is.

In the video they said that sometimes, people unfamiliar with Lord of the Rings make for the best players, because they may not know what else is going on, and easily avoid "meta-gaming."

Hmm. I think LOTR would be best for those that love to step into character (the "true" roleplayers, whatever that means).

Those are there because they like the social aspect are welcome, too, but I hope they also roleplay (or at least try to), and are not just there for a social-chatty-chat evening -- though that's important too.

I'd love to play D&D LOTR, but there aren't any D&D clubs in my town. Trouble is, I'm extremely familiar with LOTR (I love it! See the LOTRO thread! ), but that might make me unsuited for playing it.

Finally, the whole thing depends on which time period you're playing. Is "D&D LOTR" a reproduction of The War of The Ring? Or before it? Or after it? The history of Middle-Earth is seriously huge. There are so many possibilities.

They talk about the game takes place during the Third Age. So you could technically play before it, during it, or after the series of books.

So ... the War of the Last Alliance is out, then? Or the War of the Silmarils? (Because they're both in the First Age?)

Even if you play in The War of the Ring, it doesn't mean that people have to roleplay the Fellowship. The Fellowship went south. Your group could easily go north, and try to keep the peace in places like Fornost and Gundabad, etc. (That's what happens in the video game "LOTR: War in the North"). Fornost is abandoned, and is infested by goblins and giant spiders - slay them to free your giant eagle buddy that they captured!

Or, later: the dwarven fortress under Gundabad is infested with orcs and worse, but is rumoured to have an inestimable treasure! Slay the orcs and claim the treasure! (Spoiler: the treasure is an ancient dwarven defense mechanism that brings down the mountain. The dwarves also sent warriors to claim it, but the Gundaband orcs and trolls want it too! Defend the dwarves while they bring down the mountain on the orcs and trolls!)

Or, your group might go south, on a stealthy raiding expedition into Harad. (But watch out for those Haradrim! Especially the ones on elephants!)

So, yeah ... Middle-Earth history is seriously huge, but so is Middle-Earth geography. There are so many ways to have fun.

[Tawmis]

I'd love to play D&D LOTR, but there aren't any D&D clubs in my town. Trouble is, I'm extremely familiar with LOTR (I love it! See the LOTRO thread! ), but that might make me unsuited for playing it.

Not at all. Players just need to understand that some game masters may change some things, so it's not exactly like the books.
For example, in my game I am running for Dragonlance - which has... I don't know, 50 books in the series these days ... there was only ever, I want to say 5 Wizard "Towers of High Sorcery" constructed (if you're bored - https://dragonlance.fandom.com/wiki/Tow ... gh_Sorcery ) - the stories clearly state, that several of them were destroyed - including by the Wizards, so they would not be over taken - so only a few Towers remain.
In my campaign, one of those towers isn't going to be destroyed. It ended up teleported to the frozen wastelands to the south (where the party, who has recently recruited a NPC Wizard) will eventually lead them - and the Tower is going to be a whole adventure. Someone who is familiar with Dragonlance (such as myself) might be like, "Wait! That tower was destroyed by wizards!" But for the sake of my story and campaign and what I want to do, I am changing it so it APPEARED that the tower was destroyed but it was actually teleported.

So ... the War of the Last Alliance is out, then? Or the War of the Silmarils? (Because they're both in the First Age?)

Not at all. The game is giving you the foundation. You could play in the Sixth Age, which doesn't even exist, if you wanted to.

Even if you play in The War of the Ring, it doesn't mean that people have to roleplay the Fellowship. The Fellowship went south. Your group could easily go north, and try to keep the peace in places like Fornost and Gundabad, etc. (That's what happens in the video game "LOTR: War in the North"). Fornost is abandoned, and is infested by goblins and giant spiders - slay them to free your giant eagle buddy that they captured!

The Lord of the Rings MMO does this. Your character is helping, but not a part of, the Fellowship.