Repost: Settings with Canon

With so many awesome games based on franchises, I thought it would be a good time to repost this article from a few years ago. I think it really helps and might inspire people considering games based on established stories. Originally I cited A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying and Adventures in Middle-earth to Star Trek Adventures and Mouse Guard but the list is even longer now. Tales of Xadia and The Terminator RPG are out, The One Ring has a new second edition, the Dune RPG, Avatar Legends, the Stargate RPG… There’s a lot out there, and I’m here to help you figure out how to play.

Settings with Canon

There are so many games out there inspired by ongoing series from A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying and Adventures in Middle-earth to Star Trek Adventures and Mouse Guard. This is actually one of my favorite types of RPG and the whole system roundtable is based around the idea of playing in a setting that already has an awesome story in it. But how exactly do you make room for your own story in there? Here are a few ideas.

Lonely Mountain Region Guide Review

The latest supplement for Adventures in Middle-earth is here and just in time. Don’t tell my players but I’ve been looking for some extra treasure and threats to throw at them in my AME campaign. Let’s take a look at what awaits in this book and what makes it different from other supplements in this line.

Podcasts to Improve Your Game

Today I want to share a trio of podcasts with you, shows that I’ve been listening to lately. These are some great podcasts to add to your commute schedule as a way to improve your games after work. In addition to checking out amazing podcasts like Mistconceptions and Protean City to improve your GMing, try these podcasts out to exercise your creative muscles.

The Eagles

I’m gearing up for the epic conclusion of my Adventures in Middle-earth campaign and I need to add a new element thanks to some enterprising and unpredictable players. Our Beorning PC had already pushed Beorn to send troops to the players’ redoubt in the Mountains of Mirkwood and didn’t want to risk his position among the Beornings by pushing harder. So, not wanting the player to feel left out, I gave him a chance to talk to the Lord of the Eagles and request aid.

He knocked it out of the part.

Mass Combat in Middle-Earth

The players in my Adventures in Middle-earth game are messing with me. I’m sure of it. They took a nice, simple campaign of helping people and fighting the forces of Sauron and they’ve made it into some kingdom-building Greyhawk nonsense. So, what is a poor Loremaster to do? Lean straight into it.

Reward Table

For my Adventures in Middle-earth game I’ve done something that I always encourage with my campaigns. I want to make sure there’s a record of what’s happened so I encourage my players to take notes. I could do it, of course, but there’s so much that the GM has to do and this is something I can pawn off on the players.

More Undertakings for AME

Like I’ve mentioned previously, the material for The One Ring RPG is a great boon for the DMs running Adventures in Middle-earth RPG. In particular, I’ve been making frequent use of all the extra undertakings listed in the Adventurer’s Companion and in a previous post I converted the common undertakings to AME. I’m back now with some more from the area around Rivendell. My players have been dealing with that location a lot and I want to extend their options when visiting. They also have been splitting up nearly every Fellowship Phase so I’ve expanded the list of individual tasks they can try. Now you all get the benefits of my labor!

Individual and Eriador Undertakings

All of these are inspired by the undertakings from The One Ring RPG. I take no credit for their originality.

New Cultures for Adventures in Middle-Earth

The Adventurer’s Companion included a ton of new options for The One Ring and I thought I’d return the favor. While the Adventurer’s Guide for Adventures in Middle-Earth includes even more cultures than the original core book for The One Ring, there’s always room for more, right? I present to you seven new cultures for Adventures in Middle-Earth for your players to try out. With the recent addition of The Loremaster’s Guide, they’re going to need all the help they can get.

AME New CulturesDownload

Loremaster’s Guide Review

It’s here! The Loremaster’s Guide for Adventures in Middle-Earth has been released by Cubicle 7. Given my interest in the game line, I quickly snapped this one up pretty quickly. I haven’t even leafed through the pdf yet… care to join me?